[BigMackCam]

Yes, Pentax have some odd FLs, but I do struggle with this complaint. 21mm is approx 30mm equivalent - 5mm off. 31mm is again 5mm off 40mm. Surely, a few mm either way is rarely going to be significant. Just stepping forward or back will generally get there. And anyway, who's to say the 35mm a 40mm is going to better than Pentax's equivalent? Statistically, I'd guess never. And anyway there's the 20-40mm which, I've found excellent. Maybe, I've interpreted this incorrectly. Wouldn't be the first time ;-)

Actually, if we consider the K-3 crop factor of (if I remember correctly) approximately x1.52, combined with the DA21 the field of view is closer to that of a 32mm lens... close indeed to a 35mm on full frame. The FA31 on the same sensor is roughly equivalent to a 47mm lens on full frame - for all intents and purposes, then, it's like a fast fifty on APS-C...

(With my advance apologies to the equivalence police )

[pepperberry farm]

Actually, if we consider the K-3 crop factor of (if I remember correctly) approximately x1.52, combined with the DA21 the field of view is closer to that of a 32mm lens... close indeed to a 35mm on full frame. The FA31 on the same sensor is roughly equivalent to a 47mm lens on full frame - for all intents and purposes, then, it's like a fast fifty on APS-C...

(With my advance apologies to the equivalence police )

I guess I've never understood why we need justify anything to anyone...

these are the options available if you want to shoot with a Pentax camera... live with it or move along...

[UncleVanya]

The only real answer to the complaint about no 35-40 apsc equivalent primes is that:

A) we got loads of 24mm FF primes that fit (but not many that have autofocus).

B) we have the HD DA 20-40 which is the only limited that isn't a prime and is not far off from one. It covers that range and more.

C) The holy trinity for Pentax wasn't 35/50/85 but was the 31/43/77. By using the second lens in each group you get close to the same framing on apsc...

FA 31 (Full frame: 70 ° / 60 °)
DA 21 (APS-C: 68 ° / 59 °)

FA 43 (Full frame: 53 ° / 45 °)
FA 31 (APS-C: 50 ° / 42 °)
FA 28 is closer but was discontinued. The FA 31 remains in the current lens catalog.

FA 77 (Full frame: 31.5 ° / 26 °)
DA* 55 (APS-C: 29 ° / 25 °)

I guess I should also post the 35/50/85 standard field of view from Full frame:

HD FA 35 f2 (Full frame: 63 ° / 54 °)
HD D FA 50 f1.4 (Full frame: 47 ° / 40 °)
SMC FA* 85 F1.4 (Full frame: 29 ° / 24 °) (The DFA is slightly narrower than this by 0.5 degrees if I recall correctly)

Also the FA 50 (APS-C: 32 ° / 27 °) probably is closer to the FA 77 when using APSC to replicate that FOV.

Additionally the FA* 24 is the closest match for any 35mm full frame perspective if you are married to that view: (APS-C: 62 ° / 53 °)


My point isn't that these are directly competing with the Fuji lenses - they aren't. It is just that it is possible to get close FOV results from current lenses and older lenses open more options. FOV and WIDE aperture and modern optics are another thing altogether.

[Des]

Here is a bit more from the article (in relation to Pentax digital cameras), for some context:
That's sort of the way my experience has been with Pentax...there's always something that holds each one back from being quite all the way right. So what was it with the digital cameras? It was the lack of the lens I needed. For years, all Pentax's digital cameras were APS-C, and yet they didn't ever have an APS-C lens with a 35mm- or 40mm-equivalent angle of view. I stuck it out for a long time but eventually got tired of waiting. (Fuji gives me three to choose from.)
Not only might your "mileage" vary, but your actual experience might vary too—I haven't used or owned every single Pentax, especially many of the more recent digital ones. The full-frame DSLR gets high marks from users. But that's why no Pentax appears on my personal favorites list. All of the Pentaxes I've ever used have stayed in use for a few months to a year or two, and I've enjoyed most of them, but none has ever become a real go-to, nor a top fave.
You know how people always say "that's just me"? That's really just me.
It's just a subjective impression. Different from the usual ones too - he's not saying that AF sucks, or video is terrible, or the DSLR is doomed, or they are too bulky (compared to Fuji for example), or that there are too few telephoto options, or that in-lens stabilisation is better than IBIS, or that there is a dearth of strobes and other accessories, or connectivity is poor or there is a lack of service and support, or any of the other common complaints. He just had a particular itch that wasn't scratched. (A point he has made before: The Online Photographer: The Viewfinder of the New Pentax) Fuji (and Zeiss and Panasonic) filled that niche for him.

It really says nothing, IMO, about the strengths or weaknesses of the Pentax system. If there is any message from this (and I think Mike Johnston often has some interesting things to say), it's this: work out what you really like and go with it.

[stevebrot]

(With my advance apologies to the equivalence police )

If you hear a knock on your door, don't answer it. They will come for you...


Steve

(...shoots 24mm for street on the K-3, though never shoots street with the K-3...)

[ChristianRock]

I used to have the same gripe - wanted something like a 23mm f2.4 for Pentax APS-C, even if it was going to be a Plastic Fantastic I'd be fine with it.

Then I went through a bunch of 24mm f/2.8 lenses, ended up keeping only one because I never used them as much as I thought I would. For wider than 40mm (eq.), honestly, I think it's just best to use a zoom. Which is probably why I had the DA 21mm Limited but only kept it for about a couple of weeks... (but might buy one again, just to give it a proper chance...)

I'm really not sure who this load of vitriol is directed at....

Sorry, Pepperberry, but what I wrote was not meant as vitriol and certainly not aimed at you, it is a reaction to what Mike Johnston wrote about the Pentax products. He loves Pentaxians because they are so nice, and he loves Pentax, yet can not find a positive thing to say about any of the products he mentions if you read it carefully. It made me think about the way DPR reviews Pentax branded products (there was a thread in which this was mentioned (HD Pentax-D FA★ 85mm f/1.4 ED SDM AW first review - Page 4 - PentaxForums.com). And it annoyed me. Pentax is an outstanding solitary duck in a pond of lookalike ducks. They make great and sometimes even stunning products and they may not be to everyone's taste, but it is not fair to blame them for it. (You just can buy another brand.) And yes, sometimes I can be very direct. But that is my charm😊.

[gaweidert]

All the Pentaxians I have met have been great. But then again I did have to drive 2,200 miles to met up with them.

[ChristianRock]

Sorry, Pepperberry, but what I wrote was not meant as vitriol and certainly not aimed at you, it is a reaction to what Mike Johnston wrote about the Pentax products. He loves Pentaxians because they are so nice, and he loves Pentax, yet can not find a positive thing to say about any of the products he mentions if you read it carefully. It made me think about the way DPR reviews Pentax branded products (there was a thread in which this was mentioned (HD Pentax-D FA★ 85mm f/1.4 ED SDM AW first review - Page 4 - PentaxForums.com). And it annoyed me. Pentax is an outstanding solitary duck in a pond of lookalike ducks. They make great and sometimes even stunning products and they may not be to everyone's taste, but it is not fair to blame them for it. (You just can buy another brand.) And yes, sometimes I can be very direct. But that is my charm😊.

Well Pentax did owe Mike a few unpaid thousand dollars, because when Ricoh took over they allegedly did not honor Hoya's contracts... so if he does have a little grudge, it might be justified...

[luftfluss]

Sorry, Pepperberry, but what I wrote was not meant as vitriol and certainly not aimed at you, it is a reaction to what Mike Johnston wrote about the Pentax products. He loves Pentaxians because they are so nice, and he loves Pentax, yet can not find a positive thing to say about any of the products he mentions if you read it carefully. It made me think about the way DPR reviews Pentax branded products (there was a thread in which this was mentioned (HD Pentax-D FA★ 85mm f/1.4 ED SDM AW first review - Page 4 - PentaxForums.com). And it annoyed me. Pentax is an outstanding solitary duck in a pond of lookalike ducks. They make great and sometimes even stunning products and they may not be to everyone's taste, but it is not fair to blame them for it. (You just can buy another brand.) And yes, sometimes I can be very direct. But that is my charm😊.

Mike did have a nice column on Pentax's 100th Anniversary The Online Photographer: Happy 100th Birthday Pentax!

He also referred to the K-1 as "The Perfect Enthusiast Camera" The Online Photographer: A 'Nested' Two-Lens Kit for the Pentax K-1

And a happy column about the K-New's EVF (which also notes the $$ Ricoh owed him, as @ChristianRock mentioned) The Online Photographer: The Viewfinder of the New Pentax

And, of course, Mike famously raved about the DA35 Macro (a "paragon" he said) The Online Photographer: The SMC Pentax DA 35mm ?/2.8 Macro Limited and An Optical Paragon - Photo.net - Articles