Does anyone else wish they could travel back in time and thereby alter the future?
Just me on this thread then.

[Unregistered User 8]

Folks, can we please keep this thread on the topic of the lens in question, and leave discussion of other topics for other threads.

Thanks.

[RobA_Oz]

I've copped a lot of flak over some of my lens reviews...it comes with the territory.

If the above are directed at my saying I didn't find the photos used for demonstration purposes very interesting, so be it.
I have nothing against Ed or his views and I have been on forums long enough to know that "disagreements" can quickly take a turn for the worse, so I apologise if anyone did not like my reaction to the photographs that were used for demonstration purposes in the video.

My initial comment was intended to highlight the new-versus-old comparison of lenses in the video, which hadn’t been mentioned in the thread at that point, not to humble anyone into walking back their comments.

[Andrea K]

I own this lens, buy it if you can afford it. Period.

[mikesbike]

As the man said, this is not really a review, just his first impressions, since he had just got the lens. I too bought it some weeks ago, also due to the $100 off deal, having been very interested in it and thinking now is the time to get one. Some have been surprised at its size and weight, but I was not. Even a little more aperture can mean a substantial size/weight increase, and as he says, the hood is built on. Around 1/2 stop more than f/2.8 lenses. Then there is the Limited build quality. I have not found it to be heavy at all, and it balances beautifully on my K-1 II. If it had been designed with any more aperture, it would have had to be yet larger. The FA 31mm f/1.8 is not as large, but it is also not an ultra-wide. Nowhere near the wide angle of this new lens, therefore not redundant at all for owners of the other FF Ltd lenses. In fact, it fits right in. IQ is fabulous- has been my own experience.

For me it has been already providing some of the advantages that I found attracted me to it, and I have yet to explore some of its other attributes. Hard to find a fast ultra-wide that can close-focus like this one, performs this well even wide open, is so beautifully well-made, with fast, silent AF, has the HD and other special coatings, and with WR construction. It has been giving me outstanding ultra-wide imaging of riverside scenes, hand-held even well after sunset, with a lighted bridge and both moving vehicular and river traffic. The close-focusing is amazing for a lens so wide, which will take time for me to more fully explore. There is so much this lens can do, and do outstandingly well.

Yes, it is expensive, but it is also a very unique lens in its design, its capabilities, and for all it is and offers to its owners. There are other fine Pentax lenses in the lineup which are likewise very expensive, as would be expected for such premium lenses, like the DFA* 16-50mm f/2.8 PLM, the DFA* 50mm f/1.4 (which for a 50mm f/1.4 is huge in size/weight), the DFA* 85mm f/1.4, and others, all fine lenses but are not especially unique in concept, not with such unique properties as this new ultra-wide DFA 21mm Limited for all that it is.

I decided long ago, the DFA 15-30mm f/2.8 is not for me, due to its large size and two-pound weight. Yes, 15mm is yet wider, but this is just too much lens... if needed, I can get the same FOV as the DFA 15-30mm on my K-1 II with my Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 on my KP, with fine quality, very good design and build, with good, silent AF and still be compact. For my K-1 II, this far smaller, beautiful 21mm f/2.4 Ltd was irresistible.

[bdery]

This is a lens that I really want. I have to decide if I'm willing to sell my 15-30 to get it. I probably should. I just don't use that lens much, simply because it is such a brick to lug around and I know I would use this one more.

I would conclude that you've made the case to replace the 15-30 with the 21 then.

To me the 15-30 is just too big. If you wan live with the prime's focal length, it's a lens with more character, and certainly smaller.

[house]

The DFA21 isn't that big. It's actually small for what it is, possibly the smallest in it's class. With the cap on it's quite big but once the cap is removed it shrinks. Remember that the size includes a ~20mm deep hood. About the right size for the K-1 and shorter than the DFA100 without hood. It's not heavy either. I'm very size sensitive and I give it green light.

I think size was a pretty important design consideration but It doesn't come without cost and performance implications. The Zeiss Milvus, Sony 20 G etc are all bigger and I think even the Zeiss Loxia 21 is longer. The latter two being milc lenses. The price you pay for the small size is money and a bit more lateral CA than the best also perhaps a bit softer corners wide open. The longitudinal CA appears to be very very good and it makes sense to prioritise loCA over laCA since the latter is more easily removed in post processing. It's also important to know that few reviewers understand that sooc and Adobe remove aberrations without letting you control it.

It's a nicely made lens but I have to say that build quality is over played a bit. It's very close to DFA100 build wise and that's not a expensive nor exclusive feeling lens. It's nice enought though. It unsurprisingly can't compete with vintage K lenses etc. The manual focus works well but has that DFA100 feeling of gears moving, not the smoothness of proper helicoid lenses.

It does have a very nice bokeh for a wide lens but it seems to me lenses like the Sigma 20mm F2 DG DN | C almost gets there. The latter also has SA left in there to smooth things out. There are also other similarly priced or cheper faster lenses that achieve the look for milc and rangefinder.

All in all a very well balanced package for actual photography. Perhaps size is the main achievement. Expensive though.

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Last edited by house; 08-05-2022 at 03:29 PM.

[Digitalis]

This is a lens that I really want.

I have no doubt you would have a blast with it, you might even end up selling your DFA 24-70mm f/2.8 and switching to primes

Part of being a good photographer is figuring out what your lens's weaknesses are and avoiding those situations that bring those out -- it's a lot easier with some lenses than others.

The DFA21 has few weaknesses optically - it reminds me a lot of the FA31 in this regard, even with cheap thick polarising filters flare is extremely well controlled. As a result the DFA21 requires very little in terms of post processing, stop it down to f/8~f/11* and you can be assured of excellent image quality across the frame. In lightroom classic: slight sharpening**, and remembering to check the remove chromatic aberrations is all that is really needed to get images ready for editing. Distortion is present but difficult to detect unless you are working with geometric subject matter that features a lot of lines that have to be rendered precisely.


Pentax K-1 DFA21mm f/2.4 @ f/11 1/30th ISO 100

* The DFA21 does have astigmatism, it is a very common optical issue with wide lenses. It becomes most apparent with near-far compositions, to counter it, slightly pull the focus back from the infinity point. Using magnified live view is excellent for managing this.

** IMO there is always a need for a slight increase in sharpening in images due to high frequency details being slightly attenuated from demosaicing process, for reasons that should be obvious pixel shift images will require less sharpening.

[acoufap]

Temptation


K-1 | DFA21Ltd.

[mikesbike]

Temptation


K-1 | DFA21Ltd.

Ha, ha! That's great, and a great shot!

[acoufap]

Ha, ha! That's great, and a great shot!

Thank you very much!

[Digitalis]

This is a lens that I really want.

I know this kind of scene is your thing Rondec, just so you know: it took minimal effort in post to get this result.



Pentax K-1 SMCP DFA21mm f/2.4 ED ASPH Limited ISO 100 f/11 1/15th - hand blended HDR

[biz-engineer]

This is a lens that I really want. I have to decide if I'm willing to sell my 15-30 to get it. I probably should. I just don't use that lens much, simply because it is such a brick to lug around and I know I would use this one more.

I'm a the same situation, except that I've decided to buy the DFA21 and keep the DFA15-30 because I've bought an expensive 150mm landscape filter kit just for the 15-30, and I can't fit that filter kit on the DFA21. The DFA21 is a better lens optically, relatively small, with a finely crafted metal design, ideal companion for my travel DFA280105 and DFA70210. So there is no doubt I will buy the DFA21 limited, but that purchase decision will be conditioned by the specifications of the Pentax K1 mark III. I'll wait for the Pentax K1 III specifications, price and reviews, and then I'll decide to purchase both the Pentax K1 mark III and DFA21 together. Until then I'll use my DFA15-30 and keep an eye on what camera models will be released by other brands.

[gatorguy]

This is a lens that I really want. I have to decide if I'm willing to sell my 15-30 to get it. I probably should. I just don't use that lens much, simply because it is such a brick to lug around and I know I would use this one more.

As far as photos in reviews go, I really don't think the point is to "wow" the reader/viewer but rather to give a solid idea of strengths and weaknesses. You can make any lens look good if you are a good photographer and work hard with post processing. Part of being a good photographer is figuring out what your lens's weaknesses are and avoiding those situations that bring those out -- it's a lot easier with some lenses than others.

I too have the 15-30 and it's given me some of my favorite images. So I do use it somewhat often, but only on the K1 which I don't carry as much as I once did with the K3III now in the kit. On the K3III it's a different lens.

Like you I keep waffling on the DFA21 and have been thinking I would should do the same if I do, sell the 15-30. But gosh the more I look the more it seems like the two lenses have subtle but clear differences in rendering and intent.

Has anyone got significant time with the new 21 on a crop camera?

[Digitalis]

Has anyone got significant time with the new 21 on a crop camera?

*raises hand *