[MossyRocks]

Do you own the Sigma 35mm f1.4? I find it usable wide open for astro, especially in a pano where I can crop out the extreme corners. For excellent performance across the whole image circle, I cannot fault my copy from f2.2.

I don't own that lens but have heard that it is a rather good astro lens

I read all your lens reviews that feature sample star field image. They are very helpful! I can send you the same star fields shot back-to back from f1.4 to f2.8 for this lens if you are interested.

Or you could go and make a post for that lens over in the astro group in the "Great Astro Lens Test" thread that I started. So many people ask if a lens is good for astro and it generally is hard to find examples of shots for a lot of lenses unless they are great astro lenses so I started it to be a dumping ground for sample astro shots with various lenses providing a very detailed review of each one with shots to show how they perform at key points.

My dream lens from Pentax would be a wide angle prime that is fast and well corrected for Astrophotography usage where astigmatism, spherical aberration, curved focal planes and coma are killers.

While I would like that as well I find that apart from something in the 24ish to 40ish range is about the only spot I am lacking a great lens (unless I want to make the jump to a proper telescope) and woudl like something great. For an ultrawide the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D is an outstanding piece of glass.

I love all the dedicated astro features Pentax adds to their cameras (I regularly use astrotracer and the night view mode), but its a shame not to have any lenses that can make best use of them.

That is a very niche area and developing glass specifically for it gets rather difficult to afford. I would love to see Pentax release some astrographs but then a $800+ 250mm f/4.9 lens would seem cheap but having a modern 200/2.8 or 100/2 macro that are great for astro as well would be something they might do and again would have me considering opening my wallet. I haven't seen any dedicated reviews here of their newer lenses, like the new DFA* 85/1.4 for astro but wouldn't mind if someone lent me one to take for a spin so I could do an astro write-up and maybe have it part of the official lens review.

[wadge22]

My dream lens would be DFA* 350mm f2.8, with 1.4x and 2x FF AF AW teleconverters.


A second dream might be something like DFA 28-135 f4 or DFA 28-105 f2.8, but only once I've got that supertele.

[Eye.n.Eye]

I don't own that lens but have heard that it is a rather good astro lens

Or you could go and make a post for that lens over in the astro group in the "Great Astro Lens Test" thread that I started. So many people ask if a lens is good for astro and it generally is hard to find examples of shots for a lot of lenses unless they are great astro lenses so I started it to be a dumping ground for sample astro shots with various lenses providing a very detailed review of each one with shots to show how they perform at key points.

I'll create some nice panels when I get a chance showing the Sigma 35mm f1.4 corner and centre star rendering at each aperture. being a nerd, that sounds like legit fun to me!

Clear skies are rare where I live currently, but I also plan on comparing the Sigma 35mm f1.4 to the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 in the same manner when I get a chance. My view is that these lens are so far ahead of the rest of the pack when it comes to wide field astro photos on Pentax DSLRs, but I'm interested in seeing how they perform head to head. Obviously one is FF and one is APS-C, but I think I can still create a fair comparison by shooting both of them on each format.

That is a very niche area and developing glass specifically for it gets rather difficult to afford. I would love to see Pentax release some astrographs but then a $800+ 250mm f/4.9 lens would seem cheap but having a modern 200/2.8 or 100/2 macro that are great for astro as well would be something they might do and again would have me considering opening my wallet. I haven't seen any dedicated reviews here of their newer lenses, like the new DFA* 85/1.4 for astro but wouldn't mind if someone lent me one to take for a spin so I could do an astro write-up and maybe have it part of the official lens review.

I don't own the Pentax 85mm f1.4, but its aberration control for star images doesn't look great based on this review:

Pentax D FA? 85mm f/1.4 Review ? For Astro! - MilkyWayPhotographers.com

Its not as bad as the recent 50mm f1.4, but I don't think I could justify purchasing it specifically for astro.

[fs999]

DFA 100mm F2 Limited

[artrasa]

I know it's a bit silly, but I'd really like to have a Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4 (or 55mm f/2) lens with a PK mount and an automatic aperture diaphragm.

[Jonathan Mac]

I know it's a bit silly, but I'd really like to have a Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4 (or 55mm f/2) lens with a PK mount and an automatic aperture diaphragm.

It's called the SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4. There's the SMC-M too, which is the same but a bit more compact and with a 49mm filter thread, so I suppose even closer than the K to being a Takumar.

[acoufap]

Can’t decide between Pentax DFA f4/18mm Tilt-Shift, Pentax DFA* 2.8/24 and DFA AW TC 1.4x

or a DFA f4/20-35? -

[pres589]

After buying and having a bit of a love affair with the DA 50 1.8, Id really like to see a plastic-fantastic version of a 28 or 24mm. Especially if it came with a long-throw focus ring like the 50 and nice and sharp, stopped down. Just everything I love about the DA 50 but in a 24-28. I could see myself happily going off with just those two plastic wonders on any trip....

I've been saying exactly this for years. A 25mm f2.4 plastic "kind of wide".

[Madaboutpix]

Just realize that I find myself dreaming of Ricoh reconsidering one of their sharpest yet most long-in-the-tooth lenses, the smc Pentax-DFA 50 mm F2.8 Macro. Either a completely new design, preferably WR and a Limited, with more rounded aperture blades, or at least a facelift with HD/SPcoatings as they did with the FA 35 mm F2. The latter option perhaps wouldn't be quite as useful and sexy, but would allow them to keep it an affordable yet seriously capable lens, which I would certainly buy and love to use.

Or, better still, a completely new design of an HD Pentax-DA 60 mm F2.8 Macro Limited WR. What fun could be had with a compact second macro option on APS-C. C'mon Ricoh, you're not averse to some innocent fun, are you?

[TER-OR]

What is your dream Pentax lens? and why?

DFA 100mm macro with the new PLM motorized focus. As smooth as the motor focus on the 18-135 and reportedly even better with PLM, it would be a pleasure to use.

Maybe even 150mm macro, come to think about it.

[Michael Piziak]

I may have already posted in this thread; however, I don't dream of owning new Pentax lens that are way out of my budget. My purchasing power goes to buying the best used body that I can afford, then buying the best manual/prime lens that I can afford.


So this is my dream lens right now: SMC Pentax-M* 300mm F4 Reviews - M Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

[Serkevan]

Maybe even 150mm macro, come to think about it.

At that point just let them re-issue the FA* 200/4 Macro at a ~1500-2000€ price so the proletariat can dream of touching one

---------- Post added 08-05-21 at 02:24 AM ----------

I've been saying exactly this for years. A 25mm f2.4 plastic "kind of wide".

Even a re-issue of the old 24mm f/2.8 formula (I suppose they no longer have glass elements for that one, but they aren't particularly complicated elements IIRC, so it shouldn't be outrageously expensive to get a new run going), in the style of the HD FA 35/2 would be a welcome addition to the arsenal for two-format shooters... 24mm is practical on FF as nearing UWA territory, and practical on APS-C as wide/normal lens.

[Jonathan Mac]

Just realize that I find myself dreaming of Ricoh reconsidering one of their sharpest yet most long-in-the-tooth lenses, the smc Pentax-DFA 50 mm F2.8 Macro. Either a completely new design, preferably WR and a Limited, or at least a facelift with HD/SPcoatings as they did with the FA 35 mm F2. The latter option perhaps wouldn't be quite as useful and sexy, but would allow them to keep it an affordable yet seriously capable lens, which I would certainly buy and love to use.

The lack of a FF version of the DA 35mm Macro Limited is one of my main reasons to not consider a move to FF. I understand the current 50/2.8 macro is very good optically but I'd want a DFA Limited version to use as my main walk-around prime. Yes, the HD 35/2 is very good but it lacks the nice metal build and macro capability and just a little of the magic that the DA Limited has.

I would love that. Seems a shame to not expand the inexpensive-yet-optically-quite-good DA line. 25mm, 35mm, 50mm.....that would be a nice little trio, I think

Yep, something between 24mm and 28mm and at least f/2.8 (and sharp wide open) would be a handy addition to the cheap plastic line. A 28/2.8 could even be made FF with little impact on size and would serve for K-1 owners.

[pres589]

At that point just let them re-issue the FA* 200/4 Macro at a ~1500-2000€ price so the proletariat can dream of touching one

---------- Post added 08-05-21 at 02:24 AM ----------



Even a re-issue of the old 24mm f/2.8 formula (I suppose they no longer have glass elements for that one, but they aren't particularly complicated elements IIRC, so it shouldn't be outrageously expensive to get a new run going), in the style of the HD FA 35/2 would be a welcome addition to the arsenal for two-format shooters... 24mm is practical on FF as nearing UWA territory, and practical on APS-C as wide/normal lens.

Preaching to the choir. I just bought a Sigma 24mm EX DG for my crop kit to be a good do-all prime that can produce decent images wide open for low-light shooting (thinking about trying to get into events shooting, family photos etc as a side thing) for use on my crop DSLR. Also looking forward to shooting around with it on my film bodies. Also curious to see if I like the 24mm more on crop than my Sigma 28 EX DG. I'm quite fond of the IQ from the 28...

It's almost criminal that there isn't a current production Pentax 24mm prime. I don't know if I would have bothered with the FA*24 although I wouldn't have said no to one, either; I think based on reviews and sample shots that the Sigma is a bit better.

I don't think the K 24 f2.8 is really all that hot from what I've seen in samples and read. Kind of like f2.8 is only to be used in emergencies and otherwise try to stop it down to at least f4 if not farther. That was okay in its day but when the DA 35 f2.4 and 50 f1.8 can do so well wide open in regards to sharpness and contrast I think an all-new design would be better.

[mconwxdr]

Existing lens: Another vote for the DA* 11-18. The Sigma 10-20 3.5 is my go to but an ultra wide zoom with WR and sharp from f/2.8 would be a big step up. Or maybe an A50/1.2…this thread made me realize I’ve never owned anything < f/1.7!

Fantasy lens: DA limiteds updated with WR and silent AF (is that too much to ask?), or a compact f/1.4-1.8 DA prime in the 24-30mm range to compete with Sigma and the nice offerings from Fuji (probably too much to ask).