Very positive review of the DA 35mm f/2.4 at photozone.de

mattdm · 03-14-2011, 06:27 PM - **1 Like**

Read it here:

Pentax SMC DA 35mm f/2.4 AL - Review / Lens Test

Overall rating is a high-for-the-site 3¹⁄₂–4 stars for optical quality, 2¹⁄₂ for mechanical (not surprising with the plastic build), and 4 for price-performance. I won't quote the whole summary but it's worth reading if this lens interests you.

civiletti · 03-15-2011, 01:00 PM

It looks particularly good wide open and in the center.

Michael Barker · 03-16-2011, 11:44 AM

As I hoped, this lens is a good deal, and a welcome addition to the lineup - a real standard lens. It gives you two stops vs. the 18-55 kit lens which is f/4.5 at 35mm. It gives more consistent performance, lower weight, image stabilization, and takes smaller, cheaper filters compared with the faster equivalents from other brands. The K-R + 35mm/2.4 makes a lot of sense.

It shares a filter thread size with the DA 15, DA 21, DA 70, and lots of legacy lenses.

A K-x with the 35mm would only be 704g total weight including batteries, which is actually lighter than a Panasonic GH2 with 20mm/1.7. As another example, it's 125g lighter than a K100D+A28mm/2.8 (a combo I used to shoot with a lot).

Erik · 03-17-2011, 02:37 AM

Originally posted by Michael Barkowski

The K-R + 35mm/2.4 makes a lot of sense.

My girlfriend has exactly this combo and I can attest to the truth of this. It's just a real fun, lightweight and useful kit to walk around everywhere with.

Michael Barker · 03-17-2011, 08:48 AM

Comparing K-r+35mm/2.4 vs GH2+20mm/1.7 is an interesting comparison.

The K-r combo has significantly shallower depth of field. At 8 feet distance, the 35mm/2.4 gives 1.5ft DOF. At the same distance, the 20mm/1.7 on the GH2 gives 2.5ft DOF.

The things that impress me most are:

GH2:
* superior video functionality
* smaller lenses, especially the wide angle ones
* higher resolution sensor
* touch screen, flip screen
* higher effective image size in the viewfinder (electronic, 1.42x / 2 = 0.71x magnification)

K-r:
* much more affordable body
* more affordable lenses and more choice of lenses
* better dynamic range, colour accuracy
* shake reduction
* higher accuracy, lower latency viewfinder (optical, 0.85x / 1.5 = 0.56x magnification)
* higher resolution LCD
* self-cleaning sensor
...

mattdm · 03-17-2011, 10:37 AM

Originally posted by Michael Barkowski

The K-r combo has significantly shallower depth of field. At 8 feet distance, the 35mm/2.4 gives 1.5ft DOF. At the same distance, the 20mm/1.7 on the GH2 gives 2.5ft DOF.

They're really quite different focal lengths. At 8 ft, the GH2/20mm combo gives a field of view 7' 2" across, whereas with the K-r/35mm it's almost a foot off of each side, at 5' 6". That's a difference of almost a third.

Michael Barker · 03-17-2011, 11:24 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by mattdm

Originally posted by Michael Barkowski

The K-r combo has significantly shallower depth of field. At 8 feet distance, the 35mm/2.4 gives 1.5ft DOF. At the same distance, the 20mm/1.7 on the GH2 gives 2.5ft DOF.

They're really quite different focal lengths. At 8 ft, the GH2/20mm combo gives a field of view 7' 2" across, whereas with the K-r/35mm it's almost a foot off of each side, at 5' 6". That's a difference of almost a third.

You're right, and thanks for the correction. With the GH2/20mm you'd have to stand at 6 ft to get the same magnification. At 6 ft the GH2/20mm gives 1.4 ft DOF.

So the DOF difference between these two kits turns out to be negligible.

A Fuji X100 user would stand at 5 ft and get 1.25 ft DOF with the 23mm f/2 lens.

A DA 40mm/2.8 user would stand at 9 ft and get 1.8 ft DOF.

They all seem to be shooting for the same size hole, from different distances, using different clubs

Last edited by Michael Barker; 03-17-2011 at 12:02 PM.

03-14-2011, 06:27 PM - 1 Like	#1
mattdm Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boston, MA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,948	Very positive review of the DA 35mm f/2.4 at photozone.de Read it here: Pentax SMC DA 35mm f/2.4 AL - Review / Lens Test Overall rating is a high-for-the-site 3¹⁄₂–4 stars for optical quality, 2¹⁄₂ for mechanical (not surprising with the plastic build), and 4 for price-performance. I won't quote the whole summary but it's worth reading if this lens interests you.

03-17-2011, 08:48 AM	#5
Michael Barker Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Markham, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 185	Comparing K-r+35mm/2.4 vs GH2+20mm/1.7 is an interesting comparison. The K-r combo has significantly shallower depth of field. At 8 feet distance, the 35mm/2.4 gives 1.5ft DOF. At the same distance, the 20mm/1.7 on the GH2 gives 2.5ft DOF. The things that impress me most are: GH2: * superior video functionality * smaller lenses, especially the wide angle ones * higher resolution sensor * touch screen, flip screen * higher effective image size in the viewfinder (electronic, 1.42x / 2 = 0.71x magnification) K-r: * much more affordable body * more affordable lenses and more choice of lenses * better dynamic range, colour accuracy * shake reduction * higher accuracy, lower latency viewfinder (optical, 0.85x / 1.5 = 0.56x magnification) * higher resolution LCD * self-cleaning sensor ... Last edited by Michael Barker; 03-21-2011 at 01:02 PM.

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03-15-2011, 01:00 PM	#2
civiletti Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Oregon Photos: Albums Posts: 1,435	It looks particularly good wide open and in the center.

03-16-2011, 11:44 AM	#3
Michael Barker Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Markham, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 185	As I hoped, this lens is a good deal, and a welcome addition to the lineup - a real standard lens. It gives you two stops vs. the 18-55 kit lens which is f/4.5 at 35mm. It gives more consistent performance, lower weight, image stabilization, and takes smaller, cheaper filters compared with the faster equivalents from other brands. The K-R + 35mm/2.4 makes a lot of sense. It shares a filter thread size with the DA 15, DA 21, DA 70, and lots of legacy lenses. A K-x with the 35mm would only be 704g total weight including batteries, which is actually lighter than a Panasonic GH2 with 20mm/1.7. As another example, it's 125g lighter than a K100D+A28mm/2.8 (a combo I used to shoot with a lot).

03-17-2011, 02:37 AM	#4
Erik Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Umeå, Sweden Posts: 755	Originally posted by Michael Barkowski The K-R + 35mm/2.4 makes a lot of sense. My girlfriend has exactly this combo and I can attest to the truth of this. It's just a real fun, lightweight and useful kit to walk around everywhere with.

03-17-2011, 10:37 AM	#6
mattdm Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boston, MA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,948 Original Poster	Originally posted by Michael Barkowski The K-r combo has significantly shallower depth of field. At 8 feet distance, the 35mm/2.4 gives 1.5ft DOF. At the same distance, the 20mm/1.7 on the GH2 gives 2.5ft DOF. They're really quite different focal lengths. At 8 ft, the GH2/20mm combo gives a field of view 7' 2" across, whereas with the K-r/35mm it's almost a foot off of each side, at 5' 6". That's a difference of almost a third.

03-17-2011, 11:24 AM - 1 Like	#7
Michael Barker Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Markham, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 185	Originally posted by mattdm Originally posted by Michael Barkowski The K-r combo has significantly shallower depth of field. At 8 feet distance, the 35mm/2.4 gives 1.5ft DOF. At the same distance, the 20mm/1.7 on the GH2 gives 2.5ft DOF. They're really quite different focal lengths. At 8 ft, the GH2/20mm combo gives a field of view 7' 2" across, whereas with the K-r/35mm it's almost a foot off of each side, at 5' 6". That's a difference of almost a third. You're right, and thanks for the correction. With the GH2/20mm you'd have to stand at 6 ft to get the same magnification. At 6 ft the GH2/20mm gives 1.4 ft DOF. So the DOF difference between these two kits turns out to be negligible. A Fuji X100 user would stand at 5 ft and get 1.25 ft DOF with the 23mm f/2 lens. A DA 40mm/2.8 user would stand at 9 ft and get 1.8 ft DOF. They all seem to be shooting for the same size hole, from different distances, using different clubs Last edited by Michael Barker; 03-17-2011 at 12:02 PM.