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10-30-2022, 02:30 PM   #1
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HD DA 21mm Ltd vs 35mm Ltd vs 20-40 Ltd

Which one is a better walk-around in your opinion?

20-40:
+ WR which is nice to have
+ DC focus (although I don’t care much)
- Not constant aperture
- Price

35:
+ Seems very sharp
+ Bokeh
+ Doubles as macro
- Not as wide

21:
+ Nice focal length for walkaround
- Not quite Limited-grade sharpness and aberrations

10-30-2022, 03:17 PM - 1 Like   #2
hcc
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I fully understand the financial constraints, but in my case, the D-FA21mm f2.4 is the best walk-around lens for relatively wide angle:
The D-FA21mm controls my mind - PentaxForums.com


D-FA21mm f2.4
+ AW
+ IQ
+ Outstanding lens
+ Relatively large aperture

- Price


My 5 cents....
10-30-2022, 04:14 PM - 1 Like   #3
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Depends on the camera that you use. I think that the 20-40mm will do the job very well. The 21mm f2.4 needs a modern camera that can handle the electronic aperture. Advantage of the DC motor is that no one is alerted by the noise of the screwdrive of i.e. the 35mm, when walking around and taking pictures. The 20-40mm can produce pictures which make you think or say WOW!. In my case it is the "mediator" between my 11-18* and the 50-135* . And for such a good zoomlens it is very light which combines very well with the non flagships that usually have less weight. I bought it to use on the Samsung GX-10 and the K-7 and showed how good these two camera's are. Now use it on my KP and it there it shines. I can recommend it.
10-30-2022, 05:02 PM - 2 Likes   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by hcarvalhoalves Quote
Which one is a better walk-around in your opinion?

20-40:
+ WR which is nice to have
+ DC focus (although I don’t care much)
- Not constant aperture
- Price

35:
+ Seems very sharp
+ Bokeh
+ Doubles as macro
- Not as wide

21:
+ Nice focal length for walkaround
- Not quite Limited-grade sharpness and aberrations
I own all three of those. On apsc (assumed by context) the 20-40 is a very nice lens. For street the DA 21 is better due to size but worse due to noise. For all around shooting the 35 is quite similar to a nifty 50 macro on film which works for lots of situations.

In short - narrow it with more criteria and I’ll try to narrow my recommendations.

10-30-2022, 05:29 PM - 1 Like   #5
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I find the 20-40 really a nice pairing with my KP.
I have the first-gen DA*16-50 for when I need the range, but the 20-40 is an outstanding lens, and it is just the trick with I don't need anything wider.

I faced the same quandary, and I was very close to getting the DA 21mm (since I have the DA40 and a 50mm Macro), but I figured the 20-40 would get me a lot of "Limited" for the money, and that is definitely the case.
It is perfectly suited to life as a walk around lens, where its mild range is not a handicap. Its size is also much more convenient for that than the 16-50 (which is fairly large).

It isn't a macro like the DA35, but it focuses fairly close -- fine for when I'm doing flowers and such on a "walk around". It also does not vignette with the flash when focused up close like some lenses can.

-Eric
10-30-2022, 05:45 PM - 14 Likes   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by hcarvalhoalves Quote
Which one is a better walk-around in your opinion?
As expensive as it is, I'd strongly recommend the FA31. I have had the same copy for decades and I find it to be a superb multi-purpose lens. The FA31 performs equally as well on the K-1.


All shot on the FA31 on Pentax K-10D through to the Pentax KP:










QuoteOriginally posted by hcc Quote
I fully understand the financial constraints, but in my case, the D-FA21mm f2.4 is the best walk-around lens for relatively wide angle

Unfortunately the size and traits of the DFA21 is a bit of overkill for an APS-C Pentax DSLR, the DFA21 is only really justifiable if you have a K-1 or want to step up to a K-1.

Last edited by Digitalis; 10-31-2022 at 04:44 AM.
10-30-2022, 07:19 PM - 1 Like   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Digitalis Quote
As expensive as it is, I'd strongly recommend the FA31. I have had the same copy for decades and I find it to be a superb multi-purpose lens. The FA31 performs equally as well on the K-1.


All shot on the FA31 on Pentax K-10D through to the Pentax KP:







Lovely lens indeed. Great example shots.

10-31-2022, 12:02 AM - 2 Likes   #8
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For specific purposes 35mm is great BUT for a general walkaround lens, I find it not wide enough and much prefer the 21mm Ltd.
10-31-2022, 12:08 AM - 2 Likes   #9
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I also own all three and I totally agree with @UncleVanya. At one point I had sold the DA21 to fund the purchase of the 20-40 but later on, I bought it again. I like the compactness of it and the single focal length that it imposes. OTOH, if I had to decide on a single lens only, I'd pick out the 20-40. But that's me. I'm pretty sure you'd be happy with the 20-40 but narrowing the criteria would help us to give good advice.
10-31-2022, 01:02 AM - 1 Like   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by hcarvalhoalves Quote
Which one is a better walk-around in your opinion?

20-40:
+ WR which is nice to have
+ DC focus (although I don’t care much)
- Not constant aperture
- Price

35:
+ Seems very sharp
+ Bokeh
+ Doubles as macro
- Not as wide

21:
+ Nice focal length for walkaround
- Not quite Limited-grade sharpness and aberrations
it seems to me DA35 macro has so-so bokeh... it wasn't all around lens for me. not fast, but its very good macro lens.
10-31-2022, 01:52 AM - 1 Like   #11
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If you see the sharpness of the 21 DA as an issue you should not take the 20-40 mm into account.

HD Pentax-DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited Review - Sharpness | PentaxForums.com Reviews
Pentax-DA 21mm F3.2 Review - Image Quality | PentaxForums.com Reviews
10-31-2022, 03:45 AM - 2 Likes   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Papa_Joe Quote
If you see the sharpness of the 21 DA as an issue you should not take the 20-40 mm into account.
[/URL]
Pentax HD DA 21mm F3.2 AL Limited on Pentax K-3 vs Pentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 ED Limited DC WR on Pentax K-3

I have the DA20-40mm and had the DA21mm. I sold the DA21mm: the centre sharpness is fine, but the border sharpness falls too far behind. The DA20-40mm is a fine lens.
10-31-2022, 06:04 AM - 1 Like   #13
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I went looking to see if I could say if the sharpness results in the review match my own real world uses. Sadly a quick check shows that my favorite shots with the 20-40 were all at f7.1 and higher. It’s not clear if I don’t have good shots wide open, or if my search just missed them.

I haven’t really spent time benchmarking it against the 21 or 40 primes. It is a light and easy to use lens that I often pair with my KP.
10-31-2022, 06:18 AM - 3 Likes   #14
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I think that it might help to go through the lens sample photo archives to see, how the lenses perform. OTOH, we all know that sharpness is not everything. Having said that - here are my two wide-open shots with the 20-40:

@23 mm; f/2.8



@40 mm, f/4



I know they don't prove/disprove anything - but I like them and to me it means, that the lens does the job.
10-31-2022, 07:18 AM - 1 Like   #15
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Personally, I had all three. Then I moved to FF and kept these lenses for k-3 walkabout. Eventually I realised the 20-40 was being used far more than the other two, for all my walkabouts. The 20-40, for me, is a clear winner. One point about the k-3/20-40 that I discovered is to use it just with a wrist strap and not restrict its use with a neck strap. Now this k-3/20-40, slots nicely between a GRiii and my 'proper' camera - the k-1.

The 20-40 is just so flexible ...
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