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09-09-2019, 10:34 PM   #16
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Have the 20-40, had the 35mm macro ltd.
In your case, I definitively choose the 20-40 over the 35: is more versatile, much faster (and quiet) focusing, without hesitation and WR. Image rendering is very comparable.
Stopped down, the 20-40 is sharper across the frame and work much better for anything over a couple of feet/meters. The 35 as expected, work better at close focusing distances.
Both have nice colour rendition, bokeh, flare resistance, and the 20-40 is very well corrected for aberrations (the 35 is no slouch either, but worse than the 20-40)

09-10-2019, 12:50 AM   #17
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The 35mm macro is a lovely lens, but not ideal for street. It is a bit too narrow FOV and you'll just hate it when the focus hunts, slowly, from macro to infinity and back again ... and it will do that often, I'm afraid.


I have both the 20-40mm and the 21mm ltd (I had the 35mm but lost it, unfortunately) and would pick one of those. They are both good options, I think. My preference for street would be the 21mm.

Last edited by H. Sapiens; 09-10-2019 at 05:42 AM.
09-10-2019, 01:05 AM   #18
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I have not noticed the said field curvature aspect. I am not saying there is none, but I have gotten very fine results doing landscape shots with my DA 20-40mm LTD. Of course with landscape shots, usually everything is at some distance, including whatever is in the foreground, and best done with a smaller aperture, so the DOF provides sharpness across the frame.

I have also done low light work with this lens, with fine results. I've done WA shots of a bridge at night using wide open aperture, with good sharpness in the middle and both ends of the bridge. There could have been some softness right at the edges or corners, but that was not at issue.

If you google the name of this lens plus the word "review" there is one test review that provides an actual test shot image worth a close look. that is the one by Imaging Resource. Regardless of any comments they offer, the image speaks better than words. Just scroll down to the still life test shot and click on it. Then you can chose one of 3 FL shots, and at each a choice of wide open or at f/8. Once you make that choice, you can click on the image which will blow it up, then choose a spot to click on which will engage even more. Then you can just move around the image to different areas.

If you see the image on the Hellas bottle has decent detail, and you can also see the grid-like background, when wide open, this is a sharp lens. This is near the bottom center. Mid center is the inner basket edge. Then check the image on the fiddler's bottle, which is near the bottom edge. Then near the left edge is the right edge of the basket. Near the left edge is the circular numerical scale and a painting brush. Then you can dismiss the page and bring up f/8 to compare. No test is going to always reveal what a lens is capable of, but here you can get some idea. I seem to get even bette results than the test indicates, although it does make a fine showing.
09-10-2019, 08:40 AM   #19
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I also haven't come across any intrusive field curvature, although some members here appear to have had that with their copies. As such, I do indeed routinely stitch shots together, such as this one of two portrait-orientation shots at 20mm of an English Civil War site at Basing House in Hampshire. At reduced resolution for posting, you can't really see the detail, but at original resoution of 7525x6231 it's pretty good.

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09-10-2019, 11:33 AM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by Gianclaudio Quote
Have the 20-40, had the 35mm macro ltd.
Stopped down, the 20-40 is sharper across the frame and work much better for anything over a couple of feet/meters.
...the 20-40 is very well corrected for aberrations (the 35 is no slouch either, but worse than the 20-40)
Are you referring to the HD 35 Ltd which the OP is considering?
The differences you see might be due to sample variation (quality control):
The HD 35 Ltd is very sharp across the frame at all distances.
The 20-40 is not better than than the HD 35 Ltd for aberrations.
Evidence:
Look at the graphs for these lenses on the Imaging Resource site.
Look at the scores from other users of these lenses here on PF.

QuoteOriginally posted by H. Sapiens Quote
The 35mm macro is a lovely lens, but not ideal for street. It is a bit too narrow FOV and you'll just hate it when the focus hunts, slowly, from macro to infinity and back again ... and it will do that often, I'm afraid.
Perhaps this is camera body dependent. The HD 35 Ltd is quick (and quiet) to focus on my KP and it rarely hunts, unless the focus point is aimed at an area with no texture and/or contrast when most camera-lens combos would also struggle.

Both are excellent lenses but perhaps the versatility of the variable focal lengths of the 20-40 would suit street photography and the image quality of the HD 35 Ltd would have the edge for landscapes.

Philip

Last edited by MrB1; 09-10-2019 at 11:39 AM.
09-10-2019, 11:56 AM - 1 Like   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
I own a lot of options in this range. I do like my 20-40 and find it very useful. I haven't ever owned the 35 Macro. The 31, 40, 16-50, fa 35, etc all hold some sway. But the da 20-40 and da* 50-135 with a da 15 are among my most frequent companions.
That's a great trio- I use it often myself with the KP. Got the DA* 50-135mm in a belt holster, the little DA 15mm LTD in the front pocket of my camera shoulder/belt case. Great capability, low weight, easy carrying.
09-10-2019, 02:09 PM - 1 Like   #22
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It's a hard choice. I had the HD DA 35 Macro, one of the sharpest high quality lenses I ever owned. Eventually I sold it and replaced with the 20-40, mainly for the WR but also because I feel the 20-40 works a bit better on the K-1 than the 35. I also owned the 15 and 21 and sold them both. The 20-40 I am sticking with for the WR. If the other Ltds had WR I would be singing a different tune. Really you can't go wrong with either, I guess it comes down to what matters more, the macro or the WR. You might lose some sharpness and speed with the 20-40 over the 35 but then you have more focal lengths to play with. Tough choice.

09-10-2019, 08:01 PM   #23
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I have the 40mm limited (pancake) which I think is very sharp and easy to tote as a prime when carrying long zooms like a 18-250mm as a change of pace. I have the 20-40 Limited as well--excellent lens and an upgrade over the 18-55mm kit lens.
My favorite is the 70 mm Limited though. The built in collapsible hood and the (relatively) fast aperture....
09-13-2019, 07:26 PM   #24
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Alright folks!

I appreciate the input, very useful!
I finally bit the bullet and ended up with the 20-40, haven't used it much yet, but the little I have used it it is fantastic!
Sharp, fast, quiet, and amazing color rendition!
09-13-2019, 11:51 PM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by Bcrary3 Quote
Alright folks!

I appreciate the input, very useful!
I finally bit the bullet and ended up with the 20-40, haven't used it much yet, but the little I have used it it is fantastic!
Sharp, fast, quiet, and amazing color rendition!
Great! You sound just like my own reaction when I got mine. It continues to be a favorite for my needs.
09-14-2019, 01:01 AM   #26
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Congratulations on your purchase! Learning how to use this lens has been fascinating for me, especially understanding maximum depth of field at different focal lengths; for example,

- according to MTF charts it’s sharpest across the range at around f5.6, which assists in giving shots 3D ‘pop’, especially at the long end where DOF is shallower. Non-landscapes for me are typically taken around f5.6-f7.1,

- for landscapes at 20mm, focussed at 10 feet, DOF is from 5 feet to infinity at f10, whereas at 40mm focused at around 40 feet, it’s 20 feet to infinity at f10. So it’s important to be aware of this and to place your point of focus, since f10 seems to give the max DOF across the range, taking diffraction into account. This could be where out-of-focus could contribute to any field curvature that may exist. So I set for landscapes at f10 typically, and only ever go below f11 in extreme circumstances where it can’t be avoided.

In any case, have fun with it, which is the bottom line.
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