[house]

If a crop-shooting Pentaxian needs a corner-to-corner-sharp ultrawide, there's always the formidable DA*11-18 to be had. Actually, I wouldn't mind owning one of those, but so far I haven't been able to afford one ...

I was looking pretty hard at that 11-18 but I'm FF now so I make do with Samyang at the wide end (and the Pentax shift 28mm). I have the 12-24 F4 and the DA15. When leaving the house the 12-24 is pretty low down the list despite being considerably better that the DA15 optically. So theres something to say for small size. I'm prime inclined though so my dislike for the 12-24 might also be zoom related...

[BigMackCam]

This is the sharpness field map at DOMARK. It mirrors my experience with the lens. $546.95 at bandh

F8

F4


This is the Canon Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM at 14mm for reference (I just picked the first wide angle apsc lens I could find. this is a zoom...) $399 at bandh
F8


F4.5

With respect, this is kind of comparing apples and oranges. It would make more sense to compare the DA15 with other pocket-sized, optically rectilinear, APS-C DSLR 15mm primes. Canon has nothing that I'm aware of... nor Nikon. Sony has the distinctly entry-level, plastic-not-so-fantastic E 16mm f/2.8 with uninspiring optical performance requiring heavy in-camera correction. Fujifilm has the most relevant comparison with its excellent 16mm f2.8 XF R WR - faster, more consistent edge-to-edge, all metal and WR (!) for very slightly less money (when you compare street prices on both lenses); quite the deal... but of course it's X-mount only and 16mm rather than 15mm. 1mm at the wide end makes a big difference.

I agree with you that the DA15 isn't sharp in the corners or extreme borders - though, as I've already posted, some folks confuse optical rectilinear correction with softness on fine detail. It is, however, the best quality, best performing, most compact, autofocus, APS-C, DSLR-compatible 15mm lens on the market... unless, of course, someone (anyone) can show me a better one. It's certainly the best one available in K-mount

[kh1234567890]

Field curvature can be frustrating or occasionally useful depending on the scene (it's what challenges my acceptance of the HD DA20-40 at the long end). It can be especially troublesome when using centre point AF to focus and recompose, since the target will no longer be accurately focused. For off-centre targets, it's best to move the AF point...

You can't move the focus point into the corners.

It is possible to get a reasonable overall focus by using liveview and slightly defocusing the centre - there is usually plenty of 'spare' sharpness there - to get the corners better. Or rely on your landscape shots having a nearer foreground at the bottom and a forgiving sky at the top.

Or fix it in post ...

[Cerebum]

It s very rare I shoot an image that needs to be sharp in the corner. My preferred style is to have my subject somewhere in the central 2/3 and have things trail off to the edge. I often use vignette or radial filters in lightroom to achieve this. It may be an issue when I shoot inside churches but once again, I rarely have detail deep into the corners. I perceive this lens as one I use to get close to the subject but not so close that it fills the frame. February will tell. I am currently doing a sic with the 40mm limited so the 15 is in its little baggie, ready to go in Feb. The 15 strikes me as a lens you would carry with you and bring out if you had a specific purpose. If you needed edge sharpness it would stay in the bag. I can't see me using it as a walk around as I prefer the 21mm or 35mm limited. Comparisons make me smile. Whilst it is fair enough to compare two images taken at a similar focal length/aperture, conclusions drawn from it are often misleading. OK, the 12-24 is sharper in the corners but it is also significantly larger and nearly three times as expensive on the second hand market. Also, is it sharper in the centre, where the subject is? and is it as contrasty? Don't get me wrong, the comparisons here illustrate the character of the lens and are hugely informative. When the poster doesn't have a beef with the lens in question I really enjoy them but I always try to keep in mind the purpose (and price) of the lens in question. I have however identified the soft corners in test images, and armed with that info, I will be shooting accordingly, and I really can't wait ...... I hope the light is better in feb than it is today!

---------- Post added 01-17-21 at 03:01 AM ----------

With respect, this is kind of comparing apples and oranges. It would make more sense to compare the DA15 with other pocket-sized, optically rectilinear, APS-C DSLR 15mm primes. Canon has nothing that I'm aware of... nor Nikon. Sony has the distinctly entry-level, plastic-not-so-fantastic E 16mm f/2.8 with uninspiring optical performance requiring heavy in-camera correction. Fujifilm has the most relevant comparison with its excellent 16mm f2.8 XF R WR - faster, more consistent edge-to-edge, all metal and WR (!) for very slightly less money (when you compare street prices on both lenses); quite the deal... but of course it's X-mount only and 16mm rather than 15mm. 1mm at the wide end makes a big difference.

I agree with you that the DA15 isn't sharp in the corners or extreme borders - though, as I've already posted, some folks confuse optical rectilinear correction with softness on fine detail. It is, however, the best quality, best performing, most compact, autofocus, APS-C, DSLR-compatible 15mm lens on the market... unless, of course, someone (anyone) can show me a better one. It's certainly the best one available in K-mount

You really love this lens don't you that fills me with so much confidence, thank you

[Rondec]

You can't move the focus point into the corners.

It is possible to get a reasonable overall focus by using liveview and slightly defocusing the centre - there is usually plenty of 'spare' sharpness there - to get the corners better. Or rely on your landscape shots having a nearer foreground at the bottom and a forgiving sky at the top.

Or fix it in post ...

I mainly shoot mine on a K-01 and you totally can move the focus point to the corners. But I also don't auto focus it much at all. Mostly I use hyper focal focusing.

[BigMackCam]

You can't move the focus point into the corners.

It is possible to get a reasonable overall focus by using liveview and slightly defocusing the centre - there is usually plenty of 'spare' sharpness there - to get the corners better. Or rely on your landscape shots having a nearer foreground at the bottom and a forgiving sky at the top.

Or fix it in post ...

As @Rondec says, you can focus on the corners in Live View if required - either using CDAF or manually ("Hoorah!" for Quick Shift)... but they're never going to be razor sharp. Such is the trade-off for an ultra-wide we can carry in our pocket Plus, it really depends on the subject and scene... focusing such that the borders and corners are as sharp as possible may result in an undesirable in-focus field across the rest of the image. It really needs to be judged on a case-by-case basis.

Incidentally, as I've commented many times before, the HD DA20-40 (well, my 20-40 and at least two others I know of) exhibits similar behaviour - perhaps even more extreme - when shot at the long end, at distance... even stopped down to, say, f/8. Focus centrally on a distant target, and elements in the borders at that same distance will be unsharp, while those at remarkably short range will be much sharper. A fellow member once described it as "runway"-style field curvature, which has stuck with me as it's a very good description.

[Rondec]

I'll just say that I think the need for auto focus in wide angle lenses is not as much as folks think. Set the aperture to f8 and the distance scale to 3 meters and shoot away and you just don't need to worry about it. I really would tend to use live view if I thought I really needed auto focus, but I just don't usually use it at all.

[biz-engineer]

I've use the DA15 for indoor shoots, focusing in the center, works well since field curvature on the DA15 makes edges focus closer than center. The DA15 is more of an indoor wide angle lens where its field curvature is an advantage, not so much for open landscapes.

[Tas]

I don't do real estate or often have a need/desire for sharp to the corners. I have options for that, but none are the size of the DA 15mm LTD.

No lens is perfect, they all have character/attributes that when you understand what the lens will/won't do you can get the most out of it. I don't want people looking at the corners here as they have nothing to do with what I'm trying to capture.



Enjoy your lens mate.


Tas

[reh321]

OK, anyone's head exploded yet? No? OK good, let me explain. I have the 70, 40, 35 & 21mm limiteds. I feel the 40 & 35mm cover the same ground and I have the same feeling about the 21mm and the 15mm. As the 15mm is the dearest of the limited primes I haven't been tempted but one has slipped into my price window and is so tempting. The trouble is I don't want to spend £250 on a lens I will rarely use, so, what does it do that the 21mm doesn't? Why is it so popular and why does it hold its value? And, what do you use it for?

I don’t use prime lenses for wide-angle - I use a Sigma 10-20mm - so I cannot speak to these particular lenses, but I use it to get an ‘intimate’ {you are here with me} view of near subjects {or when I cannot back up any further} and with the Sigma lens, I can say there is a big difference between 10mm and 15mm.

[Cerebum]

I've use the DA15 for indoor shoots, focusing in the center, works well since field curvature on the DA15 makes edges focus closer than center. The DA15 is more of an indoor wide angle lens where its field curvature is an advantage, not so much for open landscapes.

Excellent time to find me an open church to shoot actually it should be really interesting as I always prefer the ambient light. Would its extra wideitude make exposure more challenging? That is one area I can't wait to try

---------- Post added 01-17-21 at 06:21 AM ----------

I don't do real estate or often have a need/desire for sharp to the corners. I have options for that, but none are the size of the DA 15mm LTD.

No lens is perfect, they all have character/attributes that when you understand what the lens will/won't do you can get the most out of it. I don't want people looking at the corners here as they have nothing to do with what I'm trying to capture.



Enjoy your lens mate.


Tas

My feelings exactly. What's the reenactment group? I use to be heavily involved with the sealed knot, and once its in your blood .....

[ThorSanchez]

I've use the DA15 for indoor shoots, focusing in the center, works well since field curvature on the DA15 makes edges focus closer than center. The DA15 is more of an indoor wide angle lens where its field curvature is an advantage, not so much for open landscapes.

If you browse through the 778 pages of this thread you'll see that outdoor shots, especially open landscapes, are out-numbering indoor roughly 10:1.

[UncleVanya]

OK, the 12-24 is sharper in the corners but it is also significantly larger and nearly three times as expensive on the second hand market.

Looking on eBay at completed used sales I see about a 33% increase in prices between the DA 15 and 12-24. The average sold price is around $280 for the DA 15 and the 12-24 is more like $375. Both have extremes in the data that might be showing the results. Here on the forum the prices are a little different but the delta isn’t that different.

New pricing may be considerably different.

[Cerebum]

Looking on eBay at completed used sales I see about a 33% increase in prices between the DA 15 and 12-24. The average sold price is around $280 for the DA 15 and the 12-24 is more like $375. Both have extremes in the data that might be showing the results. Here on the forum the prices are a little different but the delta isn’t that different.

New pricing may be considerably different.

I was exaggerating again wasn't I lol I actually paid £259 for my 15mm. I would be paying £400+ for a Japanese import 12-24mm whereas the two available in Europe are over £600. Availability in the UK is faaaaaar less than in the US or Japan so consequently popular lenses fetch a premium. UK based 15mm lenses on eBay are normally £350, which is why I didn't get one before, whereas the rarely seen 12-24mm, including the Samsung version frequently top £500. Whilst this isn't the "three times" l was a bit wide of the mark, hands up on that one , the point remains that we are comparing a lens within budget, at a pinch, to a significantly different lens, that isn't even close. The reason why comparisons make me smile is in so many cases you will get someone with a K50 or K5ii who can't decide whether to get a 55-300mm (reasonable to assume they have as little cash as me) and someone advocates a DA*. The advice is top notch but somewhat moot as, in order to follow it, the op would have to sell a kidney

[UncleVanya]

I was exaggerating again wasn't I lol I actually paid £259 for my 15mm. I would be paying £400+ for a Japanese import 12-24mm whereas the two available in Europe are over £600. Availability in the UK is faaaaaar less than in the US or Japan so consequently popular lenses fetch a premium. UK based 15mm lenses on eBay are normally £350, which is why I didn't get one before, whereas the rarely seen 12-24mm, including the Samsung version frequently top £500. Whilst this isn't the "three times" l was a bit wide of the mark, hands up on that one , the point remains that we are comparing a lens within budget, at a pinch, to a significantly different lens, that isn't even close. The reason why comparisons make me smile is in so many cases you will get someone with a K50 or K5ii who can't decide whether to get a 55-300mm (reasonable to assume they have as little cash as me) and someone advocates a DA*. The advice is top notch but somewhat moot as, in order to follow it, the op would have to sell a kidney

Completely understand. I also agree and don’t think these are similar purpose lenses. I own both, and I think the flare resistance and compact size make the 15 very different from the 12-24.

I also cringe when someone recommends a top expense lens to someone who has indicated they’re on a budget.