[UncleVanya]

A lot of 15mm users here.... there must be a sore spot.

My da 15 has always pleased me. It’s not the easiest lens, or the hardest. The flare resistance is top notch and that makes it very welcome in my bag.

[pepperberry farm]

Smc da 18-135

this is the lens I see discussed over and over as being as 'adequate' lens that drives pixel-peepers nuts...

I know that I've wrung my own hands over it (I own one) and have tried to find a replacement solution - for the price, there isn't one...

A lot of 15mm users here.... there must be a sore spot.

probably the second-most discussed, after the DA18-135mm..

funny thing - I've never owned a copy of this one; I've always been satisfied at that width by the DA14/2.8.....

[UncleVanya]

funny thing - I've never owned a copy of this one; I've always been satisfied at that width by the DA14/2.8.....

I own both and I typically use the da 15 more due to size. It is easier to pack in, “just in case” which means it sees more use. But the da 14 has made some nice images - too bad it’s discontinued.

[HarisF1]

My current DA15 has soft edges too, I don't think I've had one that's ever been sharp-ish across the frame.

I've adjusted the focus calibration to -2 so that I can have a bit of back focus. It helps bring the edges back into focus a little bit while sacrificing centre sharpness at lower apertures.

[c.a.m]

Yo, pixel-peeping Pentaxian here. Someone called?

I wouldn't say I have a love-hate relationship with any of my lenses, but I have several that cause me to say to them "It's not me, it's you" on occasion, in a reverse George Costanza routine.

Yes, the smc DA 15mm Limited is a nice little lens with certain optical qualities. I've been happy with many of its images, but some have been downright ugly in the corners. That's what cropping is for. One never says to this lens, "Go to your corner."

Ahh, yes, the DA 18-135mm. I bought it mainly as a weather resistant option for the 20-60mm range, knowing that the optical quality degrades at longer focal lengths. It's my general-purpose walk-around lens, and is particularly handy as a one-lens setup when my wife and I go on outings. When I'm alone, I usually opt for the DA 20-40mm and DA*50-135mm combo to cover those focal lengths.

My poor, dejected DA 50-200mm WR has been sitting in its storage container for a long time, waiting patiently to see light. While it's not terrible, I have other lenses that are much better optically. It can produce lovely bokeh, but it's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. This reminds me, I should try it out again now that my pixel-peeping propensity is waning.

- Craig

[normhead]

My poor, dejected DA 50-200mm WR has been sitting in its storage container for a long time. While it's not terrible, I have other lenses that are much better optically. It can produce lovely bokeh, but it's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. This reminds me, I should try it out again now that my pixel-peeping propensity is waning.

I did that with my FA 28-200. It was still disappointing but rendered nicely at reduced size.

We should all go out and take a few shots with lenses we no longer use for IQ reasons. I bet we'd get some good images. Images with your worst lens. They may not be all that in IQ but that doesn't mean you can't have fun with them. My FA-J 18-35 and 28-200 on FF, what a combination that would be for a day's shooting, for less weight than my DA*60-250.

[richard0170]

My poor, dejected DA 50-200mm WR has been sitting in its storage container for a long time, waiting patiently to see light. While it's not terrible, I have other lenses that are much better optically. It can produce lovely bokeh, but it's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. This reminds me, I should try it out again now that my pixel-peeping propensity is waning.

- Craig

Ah yes! I had forgotten about the 50-200mm. I no longer use mine having gone down the prime rabbit hole. However I did use it a lot for a few years on my K3 and I really liked it. Light weight, decent IQ, versatile telephoto range, cheap and capable of very good images indeed. What is not to like? Unless one needs greater reach, closer focusing or quieter/faster AF, which all come at a price of course. I found it to be a good all round real world use lens. Not stellar IQ of course but in real world use still perfectly capable.

[blankmampf]

For me it's the Takumar 55/1.8 and Pentax M 50mm 1.7, I did a comparison between a range of my lenses and those two were not bad, but certainly not at the top.
Still they're a pleasure to use, and I love the colours the Takumar 55/1.8 (and 135/3.5) produce for nature photography in particular.

[Jonathan Mac]

I'd agree that the 18-135mm is the prime example of a lens that people say is just not sharp enough but so many people who own one just love it. I've never used one myself, opting for the 16-85mm instead (amazing lens).

For the DA 15mm it's just the edges that pixel-peepers would really have a problem with but the rendering is just so good.

Other than that, I'd suggest the DA 21mm. It's not super sharp until f/4.5 but the rendering is great and it's so compact.

[pres589]

Does the 50-200 really work in this thread? These are supposed to be not pixel peeper hits but loved by Pentax shooters. And the 50-200 just isn't that well loved; the people here mentioning it talk about how they aren't actually using their copies of the lens.

[Thwyllo]

Here's one from the DA15 I used to own a couple years ago. I didn't realise how poor the details were until I pixel peeped a little. Genuinely speaking, I could not get the sides to focus anywhere below f/11.

An amazing and uber-photogenic country that I've visited frequently and can't wait to get back to after Covid, although I have to say Marrakech is not one of the best things about it, but nice photo!

[rjbrett]

50-200 just isn't that well loved

Speaking for myself I'm quite fond of mine, and will at times pack it in preference to the 55-300;



I'm also very much coming back round to the A 50mm f2, though I didn't think much of it when I first received it;



Each seems to give images with an almost palpable quality. Interestingly this is especially true for the older K10d, and I struggle to get the full strength of this look on the newer KP, though it is there in some measure. I've not long received a copy of the fa 50mm f1.4, and was just this morning wondering if I could get similar results with it, though I didn't buy it for that purpose. I think my appreciation for these lenses is growing along with my developing understanding of what I am trying to do with these photos, and my ability to bring that through. I'm glad I've never sold on some of these lenses I've collected.

[pres589]

Speaking for myself I'm quite fond of mine, and will at times pack it in preference to the 55-300;



I'm also very much coming back round to the A 50mm f2, though I didn't think much of it when I first received it;



Each seems to give images with an almost palpable quality. Interestingly this is especially true for the older K10d, and I struggle to get the full strength of this look on the newer KP, though it is there in some measure. I've not long received a copy of the fa 50mm f1.4, and was just this morning wondering if I could get similar results with it, though I didn't buy it for that purpose. I think my appreciation for these lenses is growing along with my developing understanding of what I am trying to do with these photos, and my ability to bring that through. I'm glad I've never sold on some of these lenses I've collected.

Those are nice. I've had exchanges here on PF where it seemed like the general agreement was that the DA 50-200 was best suited to close work and not far-off subjects. Like what you've shared.

[richard0170]

Those are nice. I've had exchanges here on PF where it seemed like the general agreement was that the DA 50-200 was best suited to close work and not far-off subjects. Like what you've shared.

In defence of the DA 50-200mm.....

Like I said previously I no longer use mine very often due to going down the prime lens rabbit hole, but I would be perfectly happy with it as part of a 2 lens combo.

[UncleVanya]

I used my da 50-200 a lot on a k100d super 6mp sensor. But the sharpness was weaker than other lenses I had so I sold it on. The size and range was however excellent.