I have and love the DA 14. When I was deciding what wide-angle lens (12-24 vs 14) nearly two years ago, the DA 14 was about $200 cheaper if I remember correctly, so that was the big decider for me. Since then I've taken this thing in slot canyons and have been very happy with it's build- the thing is built like a tank and it doesn't worry me to have it bounce off the canyon wall (well, as long as the hood is taking the impact
) the way my brother worries with his sigma 10-20. The close focus is a lot of fun, and the distortion is fairly well controlled. We all talk about the size of the 14, but it does seem smaller than the 12-24. Also, in tight, low-light situations (like slot canyons
) the f/2.8 does come in handy.
All that being said, if I had the money, I would have gotten the 12-24- it's wider and a little more versatile.