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06-25-2018, 03:59 PM - 1 Like   #1
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HD DA 35mm 2.8 limited Macro as Lanscape lens

Im really drawn to the HD DA 35mm Limited Macro lens.
I keep thinking it would also make an exceptional general landscape lens as well ?
However.....before entertaining these ideas any further , I decided to run it past my Pentax Forum Brethren.

I already have plenty of SMC- A and SMC-K Primes from 24mm - 200mm and don't plan on getting rid of any.
I also just recently purchased the DA 20-40 limited last month as my only modern travel lens for use on my K-3II , and have the DFA 28-105 (used briefly and liked it) for my K-1 headed my direction and these are the only two modern autofocus lenses I have.

Would I be wasting my money buying this little beauty because of what I already have ?
Im just wondering how well this lens would do as a landscape lens alone on its own , with the added benefit of being auto focus with modern coatings.
My shooting style for landscapes is very low , often an interesting close object , often using water pools for reflection, and slow shutter speeds and ISO.

Im finding a bit of freedom getting a couple newer lenses to help propel me into the current world of photography , and get away a little bit from shooting only manual Primes.

06-25-2018, 04:41 PM - 2 Likes   #2
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far be it for me to not help you spend your money, especially when the 35 Limited is such an amazing lens.... but wouldn't the 20mm end of the 20-40 zoom be a better landscape lens?
06-25-2018, 04:45 PM - 4 Likes   #3
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and some landscapes with the 35 Limited:







the 35 Ltd does well as a landscape lens, but it does so many other things, too....

HD DA 35mm f2.8 Macro Limited | Flickr
06-25-2018, 04:52 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ronald Oakes Quote
. . .
Would I be wasting my money buying this little beauty because of what I already have ? . . .
.
no

It can always be used as a light weight paper weight


you always need another one of those correct ?

if you wanted a limited lens for landscape what about the DA 21mm F3.2 limited

06-25-2018, 04:54 PM - 1 Like   #5
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funny thing: I bought the 35 Limited to stave off the curiosity I had for the 20-40 zoom....
06-25-2018, 04:55 PM - 5 Likes   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by pepperberry farm Quote
funny thing: I bought the 35 Limited to stave off the curiosity I had for the 20-40 zoom....
" The Never Ending Story LBA "
06-25-2018, 05:01 PM - 2 Likes   #7
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The one thing the 35 macro can really deliver is that 3D pop. I would imagine as a landscape lens it would excel just fine. It depends on what ypu consider important. The 35 macro delivers beautiful color rendering, excellent microcontrast, and a brutally sharp center. However the DA35 2.4 actually covers the FF 24X36 sensor, so on an ASP-C camera it winds up with sharper borders, go figure. The 35 macro wins in color rendition, microcontrast, and clarity. The 35 macro is one the few lenses I can usually tell I took a photo with right away. Now with all that I still seem to end up using the DA21 for landscapes. The DFA28-105 is a fantastic landscape lens as well. I use the DFA 28-105 on the K-1 and the K3. The DFA 28-105 beats the 16-85 and the 18-135 in overall resolution.

What the DA 35 macro will bring is something that no other lens I have seems to do. It is difficult to explain I guess. There is just something specail about photos with the 35 macro. It has some of the best clarity of any lens I own.

06-25-2018, 05:13 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by pepperberry farm Quote
far be it for me to not help you spend your money, especially when the 35 Limited is such an amazing lens.... but wouldn't the 20mm end of the 20-40 zoom be a better landscape lens?
20mm isn't always my length.....sometimes Yes.....sometimes No. 35mm seems a bit more average for me overall.

---------- Post added 06-25-18 at 17:23 ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Aslyfox;4326[quote:

if you wanted a limited lens for landscape what about the DA 21mm F3.2 limited
Just found out today my SMC-K 20mm cant be repaired. Been looking at the DA 21 limited for 5 years...……..There is always Christmas coming.....lol

---------- Post added 06-25-18 at 17:25 ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Aslyfox Quote
" The Never Ending Story LBA "
No more LBA.....I consider this reasonable as I just lost my 20mm SMC-K today....cant be repaired.

---------- Post added 06-25-18 at 17:41 ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Scorpio71GR Quote
The one thing the 35 macro can really deliver is that 3D pop.....*snip*.....
However the DA35 2.4 actually covers the FF 24X36 sensor....*snip*....
The 35 macro wins in color rendition, microcontrast, and clarity. The 35 macro is one the few lenses I can usually tell I took a photo with right away. Now with all that I still seem to end up using the DA21 for landscapes.

The DFA28-105 is a fantastic landscape lens as well. I use the DFA 28-105 on the K-1 and the K3. The DFA 28-105 beats the 16-85 and the 18-135 in overall resolution.

What the DA 35 macro will bring is something that no other lens I have seems to do. It is difficult to explain I guess. There is just something specail about photos with the 35 macro. It has some of the best clarity of any lens I own.
I didn't know this about the DA 35/2.4 being able to be used on FF and excelling on Apsc ? Could you elaborate ?

I did know about the 3-D pop with the DA 35 macro limited as I saw several images where it was evident.

I also know the DFA 28-105 is reported to be an excellent FF lens. I briefly owned a copy for my K-1 and was quite impressed. However while changing lenses in Baja....I left it on a rock outcrop in the Sea of Cortez on Angel de La Guarda Island after a day of insane hiking.....I plan on retrieving it this fall , or at least whatever may be left of it exposed for a year outside. My new copy will be here this week.

Thanks for the input on the DA 35 Macro....this is the info Im looking for.

---------- Post added 06-25-18 at 17:43 ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by pepperberry farm Quote
funny thing: I bought the 35 Limited to stave off the curiosity I had for the 20-40 zoom....
And I bought the DA 20-40 LNIB for $275 in light of really wanting the HD DA 35 limited Macro.....lol

---------- Post added 06-25-18 at 17:52 ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Aslyfox Quote
no

It can always be used as a light weight paper weight , you always need another one of those correct ?
NOPE ! Been there done that. Maybe with a $9 Ricoh lens....not with a Limited....

Last edited by Ronald Oakes; 06-25-2018 at 05:53 PM.
06-25-2018, 07:07 PM - 1 Like   #9
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I love normal FOV landscape shots, they look like paintings.
But at smaller apertures, is the DA 35 2.8 going to be better than the 20-40 at around 35mm? That is the question I think.
06-25-2018, 07:07 PM - 1 Like   #10
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I’m torn. Yes, the 35 can be used as a general purpose lens, but I find the focus hunting annoying. Instead, save up a little more and get the 31. That said, the 35 is a great only lens. Does everything very well. All good choices, but the 31 works on FF and the Macro doesn’t do it well.

Last edited by Kozlok; 06-25-2018 at 07:42 PM.
06-25-2018, 07:47 PM - 6 Likes   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ronald Oakes Quote
[/COLOR] I didn't know this about the DA 35/2.4 being able to be used on FF and excelling on Apsc ? Could you elaborate ?
Essentially the DA 35 2.4 is optically designed on a Full Frame formula. The DA 50 1.8 is quite similar. Both lenses will work perfectly fine on the K-1in FF Mode with minimal vignetting. The DA 40 limited and the DA 40xs both have the same optical formula that was designed as a full frame lens. I own all the mentioned lenses and can confirm they work on the K-1 in FF mode. The DA 35 macro however, like the DA 21, is a strictly ASP-C lens. Since the DA 35 2.4 covers the FF sensor the ASP-C sensor crops out the weakest part, the borders. I will add that I much prefer the rendering of the DA 35 macro over the DA 35 2.4. The DA 35 2.4 is a fine lens but the photos always seem a bit lacking to me. They do not give that pop the 35 macro can deliver. Mind you this is strictly a personal opinion and nothing more.

DA 35 2.4 on the K-1 Full Frame Mode

06-25-2018, 09:04 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by ChristianRock Quote
I love normal FOV landscape shots, they look like paintings.
But at smaller apertures, is the DA 35 2.8 going to be better than the 20-40 at around 35mm? That is the question I think.
That's what I keep asking myself ?

---------- Post added 06-25-18 at 21:09 ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Scorpio71GR Quote
Essentially the DA 35 2.4 is optically designed on a Full Frame formula. The DA 50 1.8 is quite similar. Both lenses will work perfectly fine on the K-1in FF Mode with minimal vignetting. The DA 40 limited and the DA 40xs both have the same optical formula that was designed as a full frame lens. I own all the mentioned lenses and can confirm they work on the K-1 in FF mode. The DA 35 macro however, like the DA 21, is a strictly ASP-C lens. Since the DA 35 2.4 covers the FF sensor the ASP-C sensor crops out the weakest part, the borders. I will add that I much prefer the rendering of the DA 35 macro over the DA 35 2.4. The DA 35 2.4 is a fine lens but the photos always seem a bit lacking to me. They do not give that pop the 35 macro can deliver. Mind you this is strictly a personal opinion and nothing more.

DA 35 2.4 on the K-1 Full Frame Mode

I briefly had a copy of the DA35/2.4 which is a cheap little lens that I paid $65 from KEH. While it was a quite amazing little plastic lens , it did nothing special for me either and wasn't quite up to par after comparative testing with my SMC-K 35/3.5 lens on my APS-c bodies.
I sold it before getting my FF cameras , and had I known that it was FF capable would have tried it out.
No love lost for it with what I already have.
I don't know if my copy of the SMC-K 35/3.5 is exceptional , or if that is really how close this comparison truly is ?

Last edited by Ronald Oakes; 06-25-2018 at 09:11 PM.
06-25-2018, 11:02 PM - 1 Like   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ronald Oakes Quote
I briefly had a copy of the DA35/2.4 which is a cheap little lens that I paid $65 from KEH. While it was a quite amazing little plastic lens , it did nothing special for me either and wasn't quite up to par after comparative testing with my SMC-K 35/3.5 lens on my APS-c bodies.I sold it before getting my FF cameras , and had I known that it was FF capable would have tried it out.No love lost for it with what I already have.
I had a similar experience with my DA35/2.4. And never had a chance to use it on my K-1. Great little lens though, performed flawlessly, tack sharp but just lacked that something more. Then came my FA31... pixie dust, ha!
06-26-2018, 01:40 AM - 2 Likes   #14
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The DA 35mm limited is an excellent landscape lens but I'm not sure I see the point of getting it just for that purpose when you already have the 20-40mm, which would be more flexible, probably almost as good image quality wide open and equal stopped down to f/5.6 or more, which is where most landscape work would be done.

Here are a few examples of landscapes/cityscapes with the 35mm:


IMGP9442a
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Hakone
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Madrid twilight
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
06-26-2018, 02:13 AM - 1 Like   #15
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Buy the DA35 Limited if you want to shoot close-ups. As a landscape lens on crop, the DA20-40 Limited would be a shoe-in, especially as it is weather sealed. Add the DA15 Limited and you're pretty much set.

Mind you, I'm also a big fan of the DA21 Limited for landscapes.

As for full-frameness, the DA35/2.4 is well known to be quite useable, and the 20-40 is apparently OK beyond about 24mm. The DA35 Limited vignettes heavily at infinity focus.
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