[Kerrowdown]

Thinkin' about a 40mm

Don't forget this wee gem... she really is wee, the lens hood I use is twice the depth of the lens.

[aslyfox]

Don't forget this wee gem... she really is wee, the lens hood I use is twice the depth of the lens.

the original pancake lens by Pentax

Description:
Also known as the "pancake," this is the smallest SLR lens that Pentax ever produced. It includes all the features of any other M lens.

In 2006, it was superseded by an even smaller DA version, but that version did not feature an aperture ring. [ the XS ]

Diam x Length 63 x 18 mm

Weight 110 g

Read more at: SMC Pentax-M 40mm F2.8 Reviews - M Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

[pepperberry farm]

Interesting - what was your overall reasoning?

several reasons:

- the DA 40 has a shorter minimum focusing distance and quickshift

- I liked the DA 40's rendering and bokeh better

- the DA 40 tended to just shoot better photos for me....

[reduno]

Is this implying that the XS has low(er) build quality? If so, what's so shabby?

It's just a personal opinion that the metal bodied Limited feels more solid, and the manual focus smoother that on the plastic bodied XS. For a plastic bodied lens, the XS build quality is fine, it just doesn't have the premium feel of the Limited.

[aslyfox]

And it is not supposed to be

There are differences due to build and material between the designs

Optics the same, body different

price different too

[bdery]

I hope that QA/QC issue isn't systematic

I don't think it is.

[Jonathan Mac]

I'm having mixed feelings about the 40mm now!
I've browsed a bunch of photos today and while all the shots were great, I found I was really interested in the ~40mm shots that were shot on their K-1 full frame cameras.
This is making me think about getting something wider instead for a 'full time carry everywhere'.
I guess the 21mm f/3.2 LTD is still somewhat a pancake lens at only 1 inch length.
This also identifies a 'pancake' 28mm lens hole in the current K-Mount line up (The 31mm LTD is 2.7 inches).

DA Limited lens cap - I've never found it to be a problem and I've yet to lose mine. I leave it off if I have the camera out as the hood provides so much protection anyway.

There's a big difference between the 21mm and the 40mm, they're very different lenses. 21mm would be too wide for me as a general purpose lens but everyone has their preferences.

If you want a 40mm field of view on FF but on APS-C then you'd need a 27mm lens, which to my knowledge only exists for the Fujifilm mirrorless system. It's a pancake lens too, and well regarded. If you want something AF in that focal length for Pentax then the closest would be an F or FA 28mm f/2.8, but you're losing the pancake advantage as well as the DA Limited build quality.

[FozzFoster]

but you're losing the pancake advantage as well as the DA Limited build quality.

I think I've made my mind up on a DA 40mm f/2.8 LTD

[jgnfld]

Pepperberry: Haven't used both, but I agree with your comments on 40mm rendering (especially this), bokeh, and just plain liking results.

Fozz: You probably couldn't make a bad decision here, but I think you'll like the one you made.

[3by2]

The 40 Ltd is a good choice. I've kept the hood and screw cap on mine because I like the quirky nature of it and other aspects of the Ltd series. I do have a pinch cap for those moments when there's a possibility I could lose it. I did also buy a tiny pinch cap for the hood but it doesn't quite fit and looks a bit ugly. I do like Uncle Vanyas solution and I might try it, it hadn't even occurred to me as a possibility and is rather ingenious.

[UncleVanya]

I do like Uncle Vanyas solution and I might try it, it hadn't even occurred to me as a possibility and is rather ingenious.

I think I read it somewhere, I don’t think I invented it. Also since the cap for fujifilm was / is translucent you might be able to use it as a white balance calibrator or incident meter if you want to tinker.

[pres589]

I think I'd get the HD version of the DA 40 Ltd if I wanted that lens. Some of the Ltd's I would rather have the SMC version (DA 15, DA 70) for starbursts and such but the more rounded aperture blades would be nice for out of focus highlights with the DA 40 Ltd.

Also I love the idea of a pancake 28 but I'd rather have faster apertures than what I'd expect for an Ltd pancake 28. If a lens the size of the FA 28 f2.8 could be redone as a 25 to 28mm f2.0 that would be marvelous (and also probably very difficult to design with good IQ wide open).

[bdery]

The da 40 limited hood fits a fujifilm film canister lid as a cap without problems. It is much easier than the screw in cap.

Also, you can purchase a smaller clip-on cap (I forget the diameter needed) . That's what I did when I owned the 40, I never used the screw-on cap, left it in the box and used a clip-on 1$ alternative.

[pepperberry farm]

I think I'd get the HD version of the DA 40 Ltd if I wanted that lens. Some of the Ltd's I would rather have the SMC version (DA 15, DA 70) for starbursts and such but the more rounded aperture blades would be nice for out of focus highlights with the DA 40 Ltd.

Also I love the idea of a pancake 28 but I'd rather have faster apertures than what I'd expect for an Ltd pancake 28. If a lens the size of the FA 28 f2.8 could be redone as a 25 to 28mm f2.0 that would be marvelous (and also probably very difficult to design with good IQ wide open).

there's always the Voigtlander 40/2 in k-mount...

[pres589]

28 does not equal 40.