Originally posted by gatorguy So getting back to the topic of the thread, I'm now at a crossroads.
I've sold enough lenses I no longer need to buy the DFA21 and spending any other money to do so, just as I promised my wife. With the lens happily waiting in my B&H cart for that sure to come purchase button press, I had a lens fall into my lap totally unplanned, and the price far too good to pass up. I received what was described as a "used but acceptable" DFA15-30 yesterday that I had fully expected would be returned as inoperable, long story, but as it turns out it was brand-new never ever taken out of the box. Manna from Heaven so to speak.
Here's the thing though. This lens is absolutely perfect in both appearance and function. Zero focus adjustments needed, weight is a non-issue considering some of my other recent Pentax lens purchases, ie DFA 70-200 and 85. Heck, all the best glass has a bit of heft to it, and the photos from the 15-30 it are as clean and sharp as I would expect from premium Pentax glass. Shocked at the lack of barrel distortion for such a wide lens, so impressive results from a lens I had never considered but perhaps should have. With 100+ shots with it in the last 12 hours it's performed a whole lot better than I would have thought. Nice stuff!
But that wider range hasn't ever been one that I use very much. Occasional landscapes, but even there I tend to go with round about 30-50mm ranges on my K1. Cityscapes are rare, as are other photo ops that benefit from a very wide lens. With that out of the way, while it may not be a range I use all that often, I still want a professional-grade lens when the situation begs for it and the 15-30 looks to fit that bill and more. Absolutely nothing to complain about so far. I consider myself lucky to have one, yet I'm still intrigued by the 21.
With the DFA21 positioned smack in the middle of the 15-30 range, would the close focus with amazing bokeh I've been seeing make it a more compelling lens and thus more likely that I use it? When it was initially announced I had already said it wasn't a lens that interested me, but as time has gone on and images were posted it became a whole lot more interesting. Photos have had some of the cleanest OOC transitions with wonderfully creamy backgrounds I've seen produced from any Pentax lens. From indoor to seaside the photos have been screaming "Buy Me!" and trust me, I've been listening.
So will the DFA21 deliver goods that the 15-30 isn't capable of, or does the experience of some of our very talented Pentax users make the biggest difference between the two? Weight is a total non-issue for me, and size is not a deal-breaker. I know we have a few Pentaxians who have owned both, and I'll be perfectly content with sticking to what I was fortunate enough to find if that's the general consensus from those who know the two lenses intimately. I'm definitely not unhappy with the 15-30. On the contrary it's the only reason I now have my doubts about the 21. TBH I could probably do both but that's out-of-the-question. I'm 100% certain I wouldn't benefit from it, one or the other would need dusting every few months and deserve a better home to play in, and the wife still has some projects I need to take care of. Priorities, happy wife happy life and all that.
Just to chime in a bit. As I do have DFA15-30 and I don’t mind the heft either. I’d say that it should be able to full full your needs 100% unless you value bokeh in close focus high.
So you can just unsubscribe from this thread and focus on that last sentence you wrote
I’m going to get 21, when my funds permits… wife’s going to kill me… no, I’m joking…sure.
But I’m going to sell my very good copy of 15-30, but I’m going to buy DA* 11-18. Weight does bother when you are travelling and seems that things are going to change. So, 11-18+21 will make sense even if I’d have K-1 let alone K-3III with me. Saving some space for DFA*70-200(
) .
Ofcourse other limiteds are coming on board too…