[87Duckfan]

Hi everyone,

I'm curious what would be your best/most-used lens for landscapes? I'm thinking of the 31mm Limited, but have seen some mixed reviews.

I have the 28-105, but thinking a prime would yield sharper results.

TIA!!

[jlstrawman]

Hi everyone,

I'm curious what would be your best/most-used lens for landscapes? I'm thinking of the 31mm Limited, but have seen some mixed reviews.

I have the 28-105, but thinking a prime would yield sharper results.

TIA!!

In my 56+ years of shooting, I have learned that technique and learning to use your equipment to its fullest extent has more to do
with "sharper results" than more equipment.

[FozzFoster]

Just curious if you can post a landscape taken with your 28-105 that you deemed wanting for sharpness?

Have you tried out PixelShift to compare results?

[gump]

Primes are, of course, reputed to produce the sharpest image (weasel words would be, depending on the individual lens). My nifty 50 and classic plastic 35 (Pentax DAs) are quite good. Yes, the limiteds are supposed to be outstanding. I have not had the pleasure of using them, but the reviews will have a wealth of info. What I want to mention is I just spent 12 weeks in the western US trying to wear out a K-70 and KP. The K-70 had a Sigma 17-50 all but welded on. It served very well. I would not dispute that more expensive glass would produce a "better" image, but the Sigma covered most landscape needs and some bison if I was feeling lucky. The zoom had the advantage of not having to change position as often as I would with a prime. The terrain and NO TRESSPASSING signs can limited where you can go. My 2 cents, you have to weigh alternatives based on where and what you will be shooting.

[vector]

I like to shoot landscapes with the HDFA35mm and the DFA*50. Both are nice and sharp but the reason for choosing them isn't because my DFA28-105 isn't sharp. I decided I like the look of those focal lengths and being tied to them forces me to work harder on composition rather than just zooming. Basically it helps me to stop being lazy. If I am nitpicking and pixel peeping, yeah those primes are a little sharper but not in any meaningful way at any kind of normal viewing size and distance. I mainly shoot primes because I feel like the challenge of doing it has improved my photography. I also like to shoot wide aperture people shots so these lenses also get used a lot that way too. My 28-105 produces great images though so unless have you some specific use in mind that it can't do, you won't really gain a lot in terms of sharpness. The FA31ltd offers some subtle rendering differences that might be worth it though, and as a prime shooter myself I think trying to learn and make good use of 31mm is a challenge worth undertaking to improve your photos, but don't do it for sharpness.

[Pentax Syntax]

My 15-30 2.8 DFA is my most often used landscape lens. It is sharp and versatile although it’s a bit heavy for all day use. The 28-105 is also good for landscape photography and is a much lighter option. If I was to purchase a prime it would be the new DFA limited 21 which looks awesome. As always, use what you have until you get a feel for what focal lengths work for you.

[MossyRocks]

A big heavy tripod and using a release cable with 2s mirror up delay that has been carefully manually focused in magnified live view will be the sharpest lens you have. Run the lens at F/8 and if your camera does pixel shift use that. Most modern lenses are generally sharp enough for normal shooting unless there is something wrong with it or it is a notoriously bad lens. Then there is preference for how a lens renders and it is possible to have a perfectly fine sharp lens that you just don't like how it renders. For me I never cared for how the DA 35/2.4 rendered and instead got the K 35/2 which I like more. Same thing with the Samyang/Rokinon 135/2 UMC where it is fantastically sharp but for daytime shooting I prefer my Series 1 Vivitar 135/2.3 by a long shot.

[EssJayEff]

Hi everyone,

I'm curious what would be your best/most-used lens for landscapes? I'm thinking of the 31mm Limited, but have seen some mixed reviews.

I have the 28-105, but thinking a prime would yield sharper results.

TIA!!

Having shot landscapes over dozens of years using everything from pinhole to telephoto, I would say whatever suits the scene and your intention. From your question as written, sharpness seems to be most important to you. My sharpest lens is probably the 100 Macro WR, but my landscapes typcially aren't about sharpness.

[BarryE]

A big heavy tripod and using a release cable with 2s mirror up delay that has been carefully manually focused in magnified live view will be the sharpest lens you have. Run the lens at F/8 ...

^^^^^ This.

Personally, I use the MUP and shutter press as two separate presses on my remote shutter control - a count to five has become automatic. The magnified focussed in LV is important too, focussing on a point that means something in the composition.

Also, bracketing the aperture, say f5.6/f8/f11 can often help a little if the lens is not perfect at its extreme. Then can choose what is best, as a more extreme blurring can help disguise a not quite focussed blurring by a weak lens.

[C_Jones]

I use a Pentax 16-85 in case you ever were interested in a zoom for landscape. I use it on my Pentax K-3 II and it is excellent.

[robgski]

There are many factors beyond the lens which affect the sharpness of an image.
Are you shooting handheld, or on a tripod?
Does the area and the time of day have clear air or mists, fog, haze?
Which aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings are you using?
Are you looking at the image on a phone, or a large monitor.
Are you pixel peeping?

[87Duckfan]

Thanks for all the feedback! I appreciate all the suggestions. I have not tried to print yet a photo from the 28-105 lens. I just figure there are sharper lenses out there, and want to use the best glass possible if I'm going to make a large print.

[hcc]

On my K-3iii, the D-FA21mm f2.4 is my main lens for landscape now. On a FF K-1, the F31mm f1.8 would be the corresponding lens. I have both and the FA31mm can be strongly recommended IMHO.
Hope that the comment may help.

[Sandy Hancock]

Right place, right time, wrong focal length can be pretty frustrating if you have hiked for miles to get there. The beauty of a zoom lens for landscapes is you can select the exact focal length to give the desired framing from your chosen perspective.

The DFA28-105 is pretty light, pretty compact, and weather sealed. IQ stopped down for landscapes is superb. It will always have a place in my bag.

[interested_observer]

Afternoon, I would suggest that you not be deceived by the 28-105 labeled as a mere kit lens. You would be doing your checkbook and camera a great disservice. A couple of years ago I was bored and went over to a nearby community college to just shoot a new building, that had won some architectural awards. I brought along every lens that I had that was able to shoot at 28mm. Now, there is nothing special about the framing of the shots, I just wanted to play around (nothing scientific) sorta of comparing the various lenses. There are the various building shots, and then farther down, some chip outs extracted from the images.

• 5 Lens Comparison @ 28mm using Evening Architecture Composition - PentaxForums.com

The DA 28-105 matched the Zeiss 28/f2.8 Distagon. The Zeiss is essentially the (Poor Man's) equivalent to the 31LTD (well, no AF and a slower aperture).

• Shootout: FA31 Limited vs. Contax-Zeiss 28mm f2.8

Bottom line - the 28-105 captures superb images, excellent sharpness and resolution essentially equaling both the 31LTD and the Z28. The startling surprise for me, was the 15-30 (which has an excellent reputation) faired so poorly when compared to the 28-105. It (15-30) was not really able to resolve the grating that formed the walls around the outdoor meeting room (in the chipout comparisons, when scrolled down).

As others have posted, find a used tripod (<$100) off of craigslist and pickup a wired external shutter release (<$20) and you will be set. The 28-105 punches way above its weight class and is an excellent lens.

In terms of a landscape lens, landscapes are essentially shot at any focal length. You are gong to be shooting at around f8 for a good depth of field, so f2.8 and really f4 is just fine. The 28-105 provides you a pretty wide range in focal lengths, and its sweet spot is f8 to f11 across the focal lengths. For wider angle shots - just stitch into stitched panoramas.