DA14/2.8 on a KP?

**BruceBanner** · 02-21-2019, 09:47 PM

Is anyone rocking this lens and body combo? If so I'd be interested in seeing the results.

Cheers,

Bruce.

charisteas · 05-10-2019, 06:30 AM - **3 Likes**

I actually decided for it with plans for astrophotography, which didn't happen yet unfortunately.
Second planned purpose was to use it for travel photography in tight cities e.g., Croatia and landscape shots. Basing on this one I can give following summary:
- thing is quite heavy (2 times DA15 LTD) and big (especially with lens hood)
- with such focal length you need to be careful about image distortion (I learned it the hard way)
- 21mm FF equivalent is very handy in catching full scene

Now the part where images can speak for themselves:

Sandy Hancock · 05-10-2019, 06:43 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by BruceBanner

Is anyone rocking this lens and body combo? If so I'd be interested in seeing the results.

Don't you have a K-1? Just find an FA 20/2.8 and have it all with an extra stop of bokeh and *much* less bulk.
Get the DA 15/4.0 Limited for the crop body, if only for the flare resistance and 4 point starbursts.

**BruceBanner** · 05-10-2019, 02:29 PM

Originally posted by Sandy Hancock

Don't you have a K-1? Just find an FA 20/2.8 and have it all with an extra stop of bokeh and *much* less bulk.
Get the DA 15/4.0 Limited for the crop body, if only for the flare resistance and 4 point starbursts.

Yeah, and a KP. I was just exploring some lenses that might have missed my radar that still (might) offer some kind of performance on FF. After this post was made I did some rethinking about what I was really looking for and decided WR was important along with compactness. I have since learned that the HD DA 20-40 can offer some FF performance between 24-37mm, and thus with the 20-40 sitting properly on the KP I also gain an equivalent FoV of 30-60mm (in ff terms), making it possibly not a bad lens to join my collection (I have no WR lens at all currently).

Before making this post I was really ignorant of the DA14, I hadn't even heard of it :/ But I think I have scrapped it from my list of contenders. I don't mind purchasing lenses that will work only on the KP and not at all FF, but it has to be the right lens at the right price, perhaps Gumtree will have one near me at a great price, I met then give it a whirl

So yeah... I have a HD DA 20-40 en-route, it should have been with me yesterday but the Startrack truck broke down lol.

Sandy Hancock · 05-10-2019, 03:57 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by BruceBanner

So yeah... I have a HD DA 20-40 en-route, it should have been with me yesterday but the Startrack truck broke down lol.

In a bizarre coincidence, I also had a DA 20-40 Limited in the same truck. Now due Monday

**BruceBanner** · 05-10-2019, 04:15 PM

Originally posted by Sandy Hancock

In a bizarre coincidence, I also had a DA 20-40 Limited in the same truck. Now due Monday

Ha! That's funny. What colour did you go for? I went for silver as i have a silver KP

Sandy Hancock · 05-10-2019, 04:17 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by BruceBanner

Ha! That's funny. What colour did you go for? I went for silver as i have a silver KP

Black. I'm going full stealth mode on my European sojourn next month

**BruceBanner** · 05-10-2019, 04:31 PM

Originally posted by Sandy Hancock

Black. I'm going full stealth mode on my European sojourn next month

Very jealous, I look forward to seeing those results

TerryL · 05-23-2019, 03:23 PM

Originally posted by Sandy Hancock

In a bizarre coincidence, I also had a DA 20-40 Limited in the same truck. Now due Monday

Hi Sandy,
How do you like your 20-40? Do you happen to have the DA 12-24? If so, what are your thoughts? I'm thinking about that one, now. It will be to go along with my 20-40.

Sandy Hancock · 05-23-2019, 03:34 PM

Originally posted by TerryL

How do you like your 20-40?

So far, so good. It's certainly much better than the copy I bought when it was first released a few years ago. The main problem is I love my Limited primes too much to leave them behind, so the zoom feels a little redundant.

Quote:

Do you happen to have the DA 12-24?

No. I've never even seen one in the flesh. I have the DA* 11-18 though....

TerryL · 05-24-2019, 02:18 PM

Originally posted by Sandy Hancock

So far, so good. It's certainly much better than the copy I bought when it was first released a few years ago. The main problem is I love my Limited primes too much to leave them behind, so the zoom feels a little redundant.

No. I've never even seen one in the flesh. I have the DA* 11-18 though....

I would like to have the 11-18 too, but I'm just not that committed to crop sensor bodies. I just ordered the 12-24, today. It's supposed to be a pretty nice lens. Next is the Irix 11 for both bodies. I love Irix lenses.

**acoufap** · 05-25-2019, 05:23 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by TerryL

I would like to have the 11-18 too, but I'm just not that committed to crop sensor bodies. I just ordered the 12-24, today. It's supposed to be a pretty nice lens. Next is the Irix 11 for both bodies. I love Irix lenses.

IMO 16@K-1 FF mode is as good as 11@APS-C when we talk about DA*11-18 - similar FoV. Without hood you can even use 15mm@FF. In FF Square mode you can go down to around 12mm.

**pepperberry farm** · 05-25-2019, 05:55 AM

Originally posted by BruceBanner

Before making this post I was really ignorant of the DA14, I hadn't even heard of it :/ But I think I have scrapped it from my list of contenders. I don't mind purchasing lenses that will work only on the KP and not at all FF, but it has to be the right lens at the right price, perhaps Gumtree will have one near me at a great price, I met then give it a whirl

if you don't mind the size, especially compared to the DA15 Limited, the DA 14/2.8 is really a great lens...

ubjy · 05-30-2019, 08:38 PM

Wow what a great thread. Have been lusting after the DA 20-40 Ltdvery recently after buying a KP. Great to hear your experiences. So is the IQ of limited prime repute Sandy/Bruce? Would be ace to see some real world images please.

**BruceBanner** · 05-30-2019, 11:44 PM

Originally posted by ubjy

Wow what a great thread. Have been lusting after the DA 20-40 Ltdvery recently after buying a KP. Great to hear your experiences. So is the IQ of limited prime repute Sandy/Bruce? Would be ace to see some real world images please.

First up, I don't subscribe at all to the idea that primes offer superior IQ over zooms. There are plenty of zooms that have exceptional IQ. Where (some) primes have advantages over zooms is their wider apertures, they are faster lenses therefore in certain circumstances (low light) can perform better by giving lower noise. Also primes can give better subject isolation and more pronounced depth of field due to faster apertures, but I wouldn't call this superior IQ over zooms. It's a trade off, a prime can't zoom.
I've seen enough images taken with the 24-70, 15-20 to feel as though they are performing just as well as a prime. So I really don't like this 'prime zoom' tag being attached to the 20-40, but I can understand a little of where that attitude has come from.

You can't help compare the HD DA 20-40/2.8-4 with the HD DA 15/4, HD DA 21/3.2 and HD DA 35/2.8 Macro.

I still own the 35 Macro but sold the other two, no regrets. For me f4 is a bit lame for 15mm, same for f3.2 for 21mm (when it's nearest competitor might be considered the FA31 which goes to f1.8). With complete non FF compatibility, no WR and poor star bursts eventually led me to sell them (I vowed to replace the HD DA 15 with just the DA 15 when funds allowed and a good copy found because the DA 15 does star bursts pretty well). I will replace the DA 21 with the FA31 which by all accounts does star bursts pretty well, and of course IQ is incredible, the only draw back is it's quite a bit bigger. In fact that would be the 15 and 21's main strengths, their awesome size. I'm not hating on them, they just weren't for me.

The HD DA 35/2.8 Macro I feel is actually in a league all of it's own. It seemed significantly sharper than the 15 and 21, wide open it is good to go. Combine that with semi decent FF compatibility (not fully, but you can get decent 30mp crops etc), Macro, stella IQ, HD coating etc, I fully understand why it has such ridiculously good reviews, possibly the greatest walk around lens period (or at least prime wise it has to be up there).

An Optical Paragon - Photo.net - Articles

If the 35 was WR... that would be some treat.

I would actually say the HD DA 35 is probably the best 35 that exists for Pentax to date, even on the K-1. I would happily sacrifice some edging, or turn those 3:2 shots into 4:3 crops for the IQ and additional versatility it carries over it's competition. On crop sensor I doubt there is a better 35 period (and that includes the new HD FA 35/2).

But anyway... I digress slightly, I now own a HD DA 20-40 along with the 35 Macro... but I intend to sell the 35 Macro. Sounds like I'm contradicting myself, but I'm not. Hear me out.

As good as the 35 Macro is, it's not WR, and this is my primary reason for purchasing the 20-40, I was completely without a WR lens 'till this came along. For macro I prefer using my Velvet 56, it does macro's... differently shall we say, but it suits the kinda macro genre I do (wedding rings), so the HD DA 35/2.8 Macro ability is not something I really need. And now that I have the 20-40 I have the 35mm range acceptably covered along with WR to boot.
But is the 20-40 as sharp as the 35? Maybe not, but I think it's more than capable and sharp enough. What's most interesting to me is I feel I can use the 20-40 on FF mode and cope with removing the FF vignette easier than what I could with the 35 Macro. In a way I feel the 20-40 is playing ball better with the K-1 than the 35 does. I can even shoot with the hood on the 20-40, or even add a cpl and still am not suffering additional vignette problems, whereas the 35 Macro needs the hood retracted, and forget adding any filter of any kind, you start to lose more real estate.

So far I have only really shot proper shots with the 20-40 on the K-1 (in full frame mode, not crop mode), so you will have to factor this in when assessing these shots. I have done enough initial testing with the 20-40 on the KP to know it is performing fine. Sitting on the KP the 20-40 gives a FoV equivalent of 30-60mm, I am mostly interested in the 20-28mm compatibility of the 20-40 lens on the K-1 (as it gains additional benefit overall).
You can judge these processed images for yourself, but I am completely sold, it's doing very well on the wrong camera

HD DA 20-40 on K-1 (Full Frame Mode) | Flickr

Please note some of these shots have also been shot using pixelshift, it's best you check the tags to see if it was used or not.

02-21-2019, 09:47 PM	#1
BruceBanner Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 5,404	DA14/2.8 on a KP? Is anyone rocking this lens and body combo? If so I'd be interested in seeing the results. Cheers, Bruce.

05-10-2019, 06:30 AM - 3 Likes	#2
charisteas New Member Join Date: Feb 2019 Posts: 8	DA14/2.8 on a KP? Yeah. I actually decided for it with plans for astrophotography, which didn't happen yet unfortunately. Second planned purpose was to use it for travel photography in tight cities e.g., Croatia and landscape shots. Basing on this one I can give following summary: - thing is quite heavy (2 times DA15 LTD) and big (especially with lens hood) - with such focal length you need to be careful about image distortion (I learned it the hard way) - 21mm FF equivalent is very handy in catching full scene Now the part where images can speak for themselves:

05-30-2019, 11:44 PM	#15
BruceBanner Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 5,404 Original Poster	Originally posted by ubjy Wow what a great thread. Have been lusting after the DA 20-40 Ltdvery recently after buying a KP. Great to hear your experiences. So is the IQ of limited prime repute Sandy/Bruce? Would be ace to see some real world images please. First up, I don't subscribe at all to the idea that primes offer superior IQ over zooms. There are plenty of zooms that have exceptional IQ. Where (some) primes have advantages over zooms is their wider apertures, they are faster lenses therefore in certain circumstances (low light) can perform better by giving lower noise. Also primes can give better subject isolation and more pronounced depth of field due to faster apertures, but I wouldn't call this superior IQ over zooms. It's a trade off, a prime can't zoom. I've seen enough images taken with the 24-70, 15-20 to feel as though they are performing just as well as a prime. So I really don't like this 'prime zoom' tag being attached to the 20-40, but I can understand a little of where that attitude has come from. You can't help compare the HD DA 20-40/2.8-4 with the HD DA 15/4, HD DA 21/3.2 and HD DA 35/2.8 Macro. I still own the 35 Macro but sold the other two, no regrets. For me f4 is a bit lame for 15mm, same for f3.2 for 21mm (when it's nearest competitor might be considered the FA31 which goes to f1.8). With complete non FF compatibility, no WR and poor star bursts eventually led me to sell them (I vowed to replace the HD DA 15 with just the DA 15 when funds allowed and a good copy found because the DA 15 does star bursts pretty well). I will replace the DA 21 with the FA31 which by all accounts does star bursts pretty well, and of course IQ is incredible, the only draw back is it's quite a bit bigger. In fact that would be the 15 and 21's main strengths, their awesome size. I'm not hating on them, they just weren't for me. The HD DA 35/2.8 Macro I feel is actually in a league all of it's own. It seemed significantly sharper than the 15 and 21, wide open it is good to go. Combine that with semi decent FF compatibility (not fully, but you can get decent 30mp crops etc), Macro, stella IQ, HD coating etc, I fully understand why it has such ridiculously good reviews, possibly the greatest walk around lens period (or at least prime wise it has to be up there). An Optical Paragon - Photo.net - Articles If the 35 was WR... that would be some treat. I would actually say the HD DA 35 is probably the best 35 that exists for Pentax to date, even on the K-1. I would happily sacrifice some edging, or turn those 3:2 shots into 4:3 crops for the IQ and additional versatility it carries over it's competition. On crop sensor I doubt there is a better 35 period (and that includes the new HD FA 35/2). But anyway... I digress slightly, I now own a HD DA 20-40 along with the 35 Macro... but I intend to sell the 35 Macro. Sounds like I'm contradicting myself, but I'm not. Hear me out. As good as the 35 Macro is, it's not WR, and this is my primary reason for purchasing the 20-40, I was completely without a WR lens 'till this came along. For macro I prefer using my Velvet 56, it does macro's... differently shall we say, but it suits the kinda macro genre I do (wedding rings), so the HD DA 35/2.8 Macro ability is not something I really need. And now that I have the 20-40 I have the 35mm range acceptably covered along with WR to boot. But is the 20-40 as sharp as the 35? Maybe not, but I think it's more than capable and sharp enough. What's most interesting to me is I feel I can use the 20-40 on FF mode and cope with removing the FF vignette easier than what I could with the 35 Macro. In a way I feel the 20-40 is playing ball better with the K-1 than the 35 does. I can even shoot with the hood on the 20-40, or even add a cpl and still am not suffering additional vignette problems, whereas the 35 Macro needs the hood retracted, and forget adding any filter of any kind, you start to lose more real estate. So far I have only really shot proper shots with the 20-40 on the K-1 (in full frame mode, not crop mode), so you will have to factor this in when assessing these shots. I have done enough initial testing with the 20-40 on the KP to know it is performing fine. Sitting on the KP the 20-40 gives a FoV equivalent of 30-60mm, I am mostly interested in the 20-28mm compatibility of the 20-40 lens on the K-1 (as it gains additional benefit overall). You can judge these processed images for yourself, but I am completely sold, it's doing very well on the wrong camera HD DA 20-40 on K-1 (Full Frame Mode) \| Flickr Please note some of these shots have also been shot using pixelshift, it's best you check the tags to see if it was used or not. Last edited by BruceBanner; 05-30-2019 at 11:51 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
KP vs K-70 - to KP or not to KP, that is the question	OldChE	Pentax DSLR Discussion	28	11-02-2019 05:29 AM
KP Overheating? To KP or not...	MrStupid	Pentax KP	28	07-12-2018 09:50 PM
comprar una KP o pasarme al formato compreto (Buy a KP or switch to the full format)?	mariovidal	Pentax KP	5	06-29-2018 05:45 AM

05-10-2019, 06:43 AM - 1 Like	#3
Sandy Hancock Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,267	Originally posted by BruceBanner Is anyone rocking this lens and body combo? If so I'd be interested in seeing the results. Don't you have a K-1? Just find an FA 20/2.8 and have it all with an extra stop of bokeh and much less bulk. Get the DA 15/4.0 Limited for the crop body, if only for the flare resistance and 4 point starbursts.

05-10-2019, 02:29 PM	#4
BruceBanner Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 5,404 Original Poster	Originally posted by Sandy Hancock Don't you have a K-1? Just find an FA 20/2.8 and have it all with an extra stop of bokeh and much less bulk. Get the DA 15/4.0 Limited for the crop body, if only for the flare resistance and 4 point starbursts. Yeah, and a KP. I was just exploring some lenses that might have missed my radar that still (might) offer some kind of performance on FF. After this post was made I did some rethinking about what I was really looking for and decided WR was important along with compactness. I have since learned that the HD DA 20-40 can offer some FF performance between 24-37mm, and thus with the 20-40 sitting properly on the KP I also gain an equivalent FoV of 30-60mm (in ff terms), making it possibly not a bad lens to join my collection (I have no WR lens at all currently). Before making this post I was really ignorant of the DA14, I hadn't even heard of it :/ But I think I have scrapped it from my list of contenders. I don't mind purchasing lenses that will work only on the KP and not at all FF, but it has to be the right lens at the right price, perhaps Gumtree will have one near me at a great price, I met then give it a whirl So yeah... I have a HD DA 20-40 en-route, it should have been with me yesterday but the Startrack truck broke down lol.

05-10-2019, 03:57 PM - 1 Like	#5
Sandy Hancock Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,267	Originally posted by BruceBanner So yeah... I have a HD DA 20-40 en-route, it should have been with me yesterday but the Startrack truck broke down lol. In a bizarre coincidence, I also had a DA 20-40 Limited in the same truck. Now due Monday

05-10-2019, 04:15 PM	#6
BruceBanner Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 5,404 Original Poster	Originally posted by Sandy Hancock In a bizarre coincidence, I also had a DA 20-40 Limited in the same truck. Now due Monday Ha! That's funny. What colour did you go for? I went for silver as i have a silver KP

05-10-2019, 04:17 PM - 1 Like	#7
Sandy Hancock Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,267	Originally posted by BruceBanner Ha! That's funny. What colour did you go for? I went for silver as i have a silver KP Black. I'm going full stealth mode on my European sojourn next month

05-10-2019, 04:31 PM	#8
BruceBanner Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 5,404 Original Poster	Originally posted by Sandy Hancock Black. I'm going full stealth mode on my European sojourn next month Very jealous, I look forward to seeing those results

05-23-2019, 03:23 PM	#9
TerryL Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Virginia, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 850	Originally posted by Sandy Hancock In a bizarre coincidence, I also had a DA 20-40 Limited in the same truck. Now due Monday Hi Sandy, How do you like your 20-40? Do you happen to have the DA 12-24? If so, what are your thoughts? I'm thinking about that one, now. It will be to go along with my 20-40.

05-23-2019, 03:34 PM	#10
Sandy Hancock Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,267	Originally posted by TerryL How do you like your 20-40? So far, so good. It's certainly much better than the copy I bought when it was first released a few years ago. The main problem is I love my Limited primes too much to leave them behind, so the zoom feels a little redundant. Quote: Do you happen to have the DA 12-24? No. I've never even seen one in the flesh. I have the DA* 11-18 though....

05-24-2019, 02:18 PM	#11
TerryL Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Virginia, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 850	Originally posted by Sandy Hancock So far, so good. It's certainly much better than the copy I bought when it was first released a few years ago. The main problem is I love my Limited primes too much to leave them behind, so the zoom feels a little redundant. No. I've never even seen one in the flesh. I have the DA* 11-18 though.... I would like to have the 11-18 too, but I'm just not that committed to crop sensor bodies. I just ordered the 12-24, today. It's supposed to be a pretty nice lens. Next is the Irix 11 for both bodies. I love Irix lenses.

05-25-2019, 05:23 AM - 1 Like	#12
acoufap Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Munich, Germany Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,187	Originally posted by TerryL I would like to have the 11-18 too, but I'm just not that committed to crop sensor bodies. I just ordered the 12-24, today. It's supposed to be a pretty nice lens. Next is the Irix 11 for both bodies. I love Irix lenses. IMO 16@K-1 FF mode is as good as 11@APS-C when we talk about DA*11-18 - similar FoV. Without hood you can even use 15mm@FF. In FF Square mode you can go down to around 12mm.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

05-25-2019, 05:55 AM	#13
pepperberry farm amateur dirt farmer Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: probably out in a field somewhere... Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 41,645	Originally posted by BruceBanner Before making this post I was really ignorant of the DA14, I hadn't even heard of it :/ But I think I have scrapped it from my list of contenders. I don't mind purchasing lenses that will work only on the KP and not at all FF, but it has to be the right lens at the right price, perhaps Gumtree will have one near me at a great price, I met then give it a whirl if you don't mind the size, especially compared to the DA15 Limited, the DA 14/2.8 is really a great lens...

05-30-2019, 08:38 PM	#14
ubjy Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Vale of Glamorgan Posts: 57	Wow what a great thread. Have been lusting after the DA 20-40 Ltdvery recently after buying a KP. Great to hear your experiences. So is the IQ of limited prime repute Sandy/Bruce? Would be ace to see some real world images please.