A question for 12-24 owners

telum · 06-18-2020, 12:42 AM

I had the Sigma 10-20 (old version) and the Pentax 12-24 and sold of the Sigma. Not because it was bad, but build quality and zoom range tipped it towards Pentax. I hardly ever miss the 2mm on the wide end, and 24mm is a more usable to me..

You could always pick up the DA35 plastic fantastic to fill the gap without adding much weight (124g) - it is a no-nonsense walk around lens with superb IQ for the price!

grispie · 06-18-2020, 12:49 AM

Originally posted by Kozlok

Grispie, I do see some purple fringing in that shot, but it certainly looks fixable in lightroom. Would you mind emailing me a full res version either raw or jpeg so I can try to fix it LR? If you will, I will PM you my real email address.

will do tonight.
Yes, it has fringing. That is why i submitted this one. But in my opinion very little and easy to fix in a very tricky situation.
trees against backlight are also tricky.
One has to admit the rendering of this lens is awesome though.

---------- Post added 06-18-20 at 09:57 AM ----------

Originally posted by AfterPentax

So there is purple fringing, well so be it. It is just one of the qualities of the lens you used.
Kozlok, I think you have to stick with what you got, it covers everything from 8mm to 300mm. Why buy a 12-24 when most of it is covered by the 16-85.

exactly my thinking. if it is not really striking at first sight, i can't be bothered with fringing.

On your 2nd point, well, i can understand the op going from three lenses to two when travelling..
the 12-24 range is ideal for that. the lens does really well on all sides of the range.

For travel, taking the 12 24, my 17 70 and my 55 300 is also too much. So i usually take 17 70, 55 300 or 12 24 and da55 300 and some prime in between that i end up not using..

**wooly11** · 06-18-2020, 03:20 AM - **1 Like**

A couple of lockdown photos with the 12-24 attached to a Fuji X-T1 - just for fun using an adapter with aperture control but manual focus. I was going to say there is no fringing but can find a tiny bit on the sport cars wheels! All shot at 12mm and stopped down one stop. Shot as jpegs, both ooc apart from one has been cropped slightly.

grispie · 06-18-2020, 03:29 AM

Originally posted by house

Didn't expect to see Tony Fretton buildings on this site.

there are actually six in total in a row. :-)
it's very nice.
Here you can see 5 of them
500px

house · 06-18-2020, 04:45 AM

Originally posted by grispie

there are actually six in total in a row. :-)
it's very nice.
Here you can see 5 of them
500px

yup, I know of them. Architects from the left are Diener & Diener of Basel, 2x David Chipperfield of London, 2x Tony Fretton of London. Of the three Chipperfield is my least favourite but the Berlin Neues Museum is good. I have somewhat of a connection to the latter two offices and the London scene they are part of.

**RICHARD L.** · 06-18-2020, 06:32 AM - **3 Likes**

You won't find a better WA zoom anywhere, consider the DA 12-24 mm f/4.

moray-eel-bite · 06-18-2020, 06:59 AM

I have both the 8-16 and the 12-24. The 8-16 is much sharper. I rarely use the the 12-24 anymore. Maybe I have a good copy of the 8-16 and a bad 12-24 but I always thought the 12-24 was acceptable until I compared the two. I wouldn’t be happy with just the 12-24 anymore.

**RICHARD L.** · 06-18-2020, 07:11 AM

I have no need for a "fuzzy lens". If the DA 12-24 mm f/4 weren't sharp to my taste, I would trade it for something else. I no longer have any time to waste with inferior lenses.

Regards

Kozlok · 06-19-2020, 10:54 AM - **2 Likes**

Thanks everyone, especially grispie. I downloaded the photos you sent me and everywhere I found objectionable purple fringing, LightRoom was able to fix it. Your shot with the buildings I didn't have to do anything other than click the button for automatic removal of CA. It looked perfect when done.

I also looked in the 12-24 group on Flickr and found only a few that had bad fringing, and again, LR was able to fix all except one. I scrolled through 20 pages of photos, so that's around 2000 photos. 1 out of 2000 doesn't seem so bad, so I decided to go ahead and try it myself. Placed an order at B&H for a used copy. I figure if I don't love it, I can just sell it for more or less the same price. Cheaper than a rental.

lesmore49 · 06-19-2020, 11:08 AM

I've had my Pentax 12-24 since around 2009 or so, taken more than a few thousand outdoor photos with it. Bought it new, always use the lens hood and have a B+W filter on it.

I've got a few instances of purple fringing, but the % is extremely low with my example. This is an excellent lens. I recall Popular Photography magazine assessing it as the overall best of the bunch in the super wide angle class, back about 10-15 years ago.

That was their take, my take is that it is a wonderful lens and I use it mostly for outdoor shots of vintage vehicles...sometimes it has almost a 3D look to the photos. One of my all time top lenses.

grispie · 06-19-2020, 12:11 PM

Originally posted by Kozlok

Thanks everyone, especially grispie.

glad i could help spend your money! ;-)
I'm pretty sure you'll have no regrets..

**mikesbike** · 06-20-2020, 06:01 PM

One of my favorite combos for lighter carrying is the DA 20-40 LTD and my little DA 15mm f/4 LTD. I have had the DA 12-24mm for many years now. It is a very good lens. But now I also have the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM and I find myself preferring it over the Pentax DA 12-24mm. It is built and designed even better, with excellent IQ, and a perfect match with the DA 20-40mm. If I need additional reach, I can either take the DA 70mm LTD as a very easy packing, small-size complement, or the 55-300mm. This Sigma lens is a fine choice- if you can find one. It has been discontinued for pentax mont, as Sigma is getting out of the Pentax market. The Pentax 12-24mm has been discontinued as well, which is a disappointment also.

lesmore49 · 06-20-2020, 06:48 PM

Originally posted by Frank Back

Rim Shot!

Wonderful photo...very professional , great work. Bet the drummer would like a few of these for his portfolio.

**Lowell Goudge** · 06-21-2020, 06:47 AM

I shot for years in APSC with the sigma 10-20 and the Tamron 28-75. I found the gap between 20 and 28 a little bothersome, but not too much. Now that I shoot a mix of crop and full frame, the 10-20 lives on my K5 and the 28-75 gets a lot more use on the K1

When in a city especially European ones with little streets the 10-20 is indispensable I have not stopped to think about where the bottom limit is on cropped sensors, in terms of whether 10 or 12 mm is suitable but I have noticed I do use 10mm a lot, and maybe would miss it if I switched to a 12-24

I have some feel for the 12-24 on a crop sensor, because until I got the 10-20, using an 18-35 on my PZ1 was my wide angle solution, and 18 was some times not wide enough (at least for me)

06-20-2020, 06:01 PM	#27
mikesbike Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Southeastern Michigan Posts: 4,558	One of my favorite combos for lighter carrying is the DA 20-40 LTD and my little DA 15mm f/4 LTD. I have had the DA 12-24mm for many years now. It is a very good lens. But now I also have the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM and I find myself preferring it over the Pentax DA 12-24mm. It is built and designed even better, with excellent IQ, and a perfect match with the DA 20-40mm. If I need additional reach, I can either take the DA 70mm LTD as a very easy packing, small-size complement, or the 55-300mm. This Sigma lens is a fine choice- if you can find one. It has been discontinued for pentax mont, as Sigma is getting out of the Pentax market. The Pentax 12-24mm has been discontinued as well, which is a disappointment also. Last edited by mikesbike; 06-20-2020 at 06:15 PM.

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06-18-2020, 12:42 AM	#16
telum Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 45	I had the Sigma 10-20 (old version) and the Pentax 12-24 and sold of the Sigma. Not because it was bad, but build quality and zoom range tipped it towards Pentax. I hardly ever miss the 2mm on the wide end, and 24mm is a more usable to me.. You could always pick up the DA35 plastic fantastic to fill the gap without adding much weight (124g) - it is a no-nonsense walk around lens with superb IQ for the price!

06-18-2020, 12:49 AM	#17
grispie Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 1,199	Originally posted by Kozlok Grispie, I do see some purple fringing in that shot, but it certainly looks fixable in lightroom. Would you mind emailing me a full res version either raw or jpeg so I can try to fix it LR? If you will, I will PM you my real email address. will do tonight. Yes, it has fringing. That is why i submitted this one. But in my opinion very little and easy to fix in a very tricky situation. trees against backlight are also tricky. One has to admit the rendering of this lens is awesome though. ---------- Post added 06-18-20 at 09:57 AM ---------- Originally posted by AfterPentax So there is purple fringing, well so be it. It is just one of the qualities of the lens you used. Kozlok, I think you have to stick with what you got, it covers everything from 8mm to 300mm. Why buy a 12-24 when most of it is covered by the 16-85. exactly my thinking. if it is not really striking at first sight, i can't be bothered with fringing. On your 2nd point, well, i can understand the op going from three lenses to two when travelling.. the 12-24 range is ideal for that. the lens does really well on all sides of the range. For travel, taking the 12 24, my 17 70 and my 55 300 is also too much. So i usually take 17 70, 55 300 or 12 24 and da55 300 and some prime in between that i end up not using..

06-18-2020, 03:29 AM	#19
grispie Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 1,199	Originally posted by house Didn't expect to see Tony Fretton buildings on this site. there are actually six in total in a row. :-) it's very nice. Here you can see 5 of them 500px

06-18-2020, 04:45 AM	#20
house Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,306	Originally posted by grispie there are actually six in total in a row. :-) it's very nice. Here you can see 5 of them 500px yup, I know of them. Architects from the left are Diener & Diener of Basel, 2x David Chipperfield of London, 2x Tony Fretton of London. Of the three Chipperfield is my least favourite but the Berlin Neues Museum is good. I have somewhat of a connection to the latter two offices and the London scene they are part of.

06-18-2020, 06:32 AM - 3 Likes	#21
RICHARD L. Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Quebec City, Quebec Posts: 6,633	You won't find a better WA zoom anywhere, consider the DA 12-24 mm f/4.

06-18-2020, 06:59 AM	#22
moray-eel-bite Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Oshawa, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 154	I have both the 8-16 and the 12-24. The 8-16 is much sharper. I rarely use the the 12-24 anymore. Maybe I have a good copy of the 8-16 and a bad 12-24 but I always thought the 12-24 was acceptable until I compared the two. I wouldn’t be happy with just the 12-24 anymore.

06-18-2020, 07:11 AM	#23
RICHARD L. Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Quebec City, Quebec Posts: 6,633	I have no need for a "fuzzy lens". If the DA 12-24 mm f/4 weren't sharp to my taste, I would trade it for something else. I no longer have any time to waste with inferior lenses. Regards

06-19-2020, 10:54 AM - 2 Likes	#24
Kozlok Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Albuquerque Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,148 Original Poster	Thanks everyone, especially grispie. I downloaded the photos you sent me and everywhere I found objectionable purple fringing, LightRoom was able to fix it. Your shot with the buildings I didn't have to do anything other than click the button for automatic removal of CA. It looked perfect when done. I also looked in the 12-24 group on Flickr and found only a few that had bad fringing, and again, LR was able to fix all except one. I scrolled through 20 pages of photos, so that's around 2000 photos. 1 out of 2000 doesn't seem so bad, so I decided to go ahead and try it myself. Placed an order at B&H for a used copy. I figure if I don't love it, I can just sell it for more or less the same price. Cheaper than a rental.

06-19-2020, 11:08 AM	#25
lesmore49 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Western Canada Posts: 12,349	I've had my Pentax 12-24 since around 2009 or so, taken more than a few thousand outdoor photos with it. Bought it new, always use the lens hood and have a B+W filter on it. I've got a few instances of purple fringing, but the % is extremely low with my example. This is an excellent lens. I recall Popular Photography magazine assessing it as the overall best of the bunch in the super wide angle class, back about 10-15 years ago. That was their take, my take is that it is a wonderful lens and I use it mostly for outdoor shots of vintage vehicles...sometimes it has almost a 3D look to the photos. One of my all time top lenses.

06-19-2020, 12:11 PM	#26
grispie Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 1,199	Originally posted by Kozlok Thanks everyone, especially grispie. glad i could help spend your money! ;-) I'm pretty sure you'll have no regrets..

06-20-2020, 06:48 PM	#28
lesmore49 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Western Canada Posts: 12,349	Originally posted by Frank Back Rim Shot! Wonderful photo...very professional , great work. Bet the drummer would like a few of these for his portfolio.

06-21-2020, 06:47 AM	#29
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,891	I shot for years in APSC with the sigma 10-20 and the Tamron 28-75. I found the gap between 20 and 28 a little bothersome, but not too much. Now that I shoot a mix of crop and full frame, the 10-20 lives on my K5 and the 28-75 gets a lot more use on the K1 When in a city especially European ones with little streets the 10-20 is indispensable I have not stopped to think about where the bottom limit is on cropped sensors, in terms of whether 10 or 12 mm is suitable but I have noticed I do use 10mm a lot, and maybe would miss it if I switched to a 12-24 I have some feel for the 12-24 on a crop sensor, because until I got the 10-20, using an 18-35 on my PZ1 was my wide angle solution, and 18 was some times not wide enough (at least for me)