Hi everybody,

I would like to open up a thread dedicated to one topic:

DA lens on Full Frame: a sticky test shots thread.

This thread shall be dedicated to test shots of a DA lens mounted to a full frame body (e.g., a film camera body). By test shot, I mean shots dedicated to evaluate the performance. Shots of ordinary subjects aren't suitable to this task, normally, and should not be posted. So, these are the rules:

• K mount lens dedicated to the APS-C form factor is used.
• Image is taken full frame 36mm x 24mm.
• Lens hood was removed.
• And ideally, no filter is mounted.
• The aperture used is specified (note that film cameras don't record EXIF...).
• Sample image shows the entire field of view.
• Sample image(s) show(s) corner, border and center performance at 10MP-100% (multiple crops, or single not-resized image).
• The subject is such that resolution and vignetting at the borders can be compared to the center.

The idea behind this thread is obvious: To compile enough data to assess the spectrum of available lenses for a forthcoming full frame DSLR in K mount.

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Table of results as obtained in this thread (updated regularly):

SMC Pentax-DA primes...

• DA 14mm F2.8: - (clawhammer)
• DA 15mm F4.0: - (Zav)
• DA 21mm F3.2 Limited: - (Boris Liberman)
• DA 35mm F2.4 AL: +++ (aurele ;like FA35/2.0 and no vignetting) (frank)
• DA 35mm F2.8 Limited Macro: 0 (ryno), + (@ 1.15 crop)
• DA 40mm F2.8 Limited: +
• DA* 55mm F1.4 SDM: +++ (aurele)
• DA 70mm F2.4 Limited: +
• D FA Macro 100mm F2.8 WR: +++ (officially specified FF by Pentax)
• DA* 200mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM: +++? (common belief, but is it true?)
• DA* 300mm F4 ED [IF] SDM: ++ (officially rated "designed for FF" by Pentax patent US7715116)

SMC Pentax-DA zooms...

• DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 Fish-Eye ED [IF]: FE, see #59, #61, #94. 10mm: heavy vignette / 14mm: almost no vignette / 17mm ++ (Reps, froeschle, Gooshin)
• DA 12-24mm F4 ED AL [IF]: - (below 16mm, xitek.com), o (at 18mm, architorture), + (at 20mm, architorture), ++ (at 24mm, architorture)
• DA 16-45mm F4: - (below 21mm, Nesster)
• DA* 16-50mm F2.8 ED AL [IF] SDM: - (xitek.com)
• DA 17-70mm F4 AL [IF] SDM: - (KjetilH)
• DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL: - (at 18mm, Spongefingers; below 23mm, xitek.com)
• DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II: missing
• DA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 ED AL [IF]: - (xitek.com)
• DA 50-200mm ED: -
• DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM: - (elho_cid)
• DA* 60-250mm F4 ED [IF] SDM: ++ (officially rated "designed for FF" by Pentax patent US7489452) probably good on full frame but evaluation still missing; the rating is +++ with a baffle modification, + without)
• DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED: 0 (+, ++ at tele end, viking79)

Sigma K mount DC...

• Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC: -
• Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 DC: - (below 14mm, Gooshin)
• ...

Tamron K mount Di-II...

• ...

Overall rating scale:
+++: no significant difference between APS-C and FF corners
++: difference but usable at full aperture with a small loss in corner IQ only
+: usable staring at f/4~f/5.6, with no or a small loss in corner IQ only
o: usable at f/11 or with big loss in corner IQ only
-: not usable

[falconeye]

According to PF listings, the DA 40 is a FF lens (marked "FF" on th DA Primes index page & in its own Features index) ... if it's a FF, why this low mark

You could have found the answer within this thread actually

-> https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/31629-da-lens-...tml#post317101 post #28

The DA40 lacks corner sharpness fully open compared to proper FF lenses. Vignetting is the smaller issue. In general, people look far too much at vignetting and too little at resolution when it comes to the topic of this thread. This is why many ratings are preliminary or missing.

[jimr-pdx]

Vignetting is all I could see easily thru my ME finder. I have no doubt that other parameters suffer as well - but thanks for driving home the point. Software can recover dim edges but it cannot cure everything!

[xinanbei]

Has anyone tested DA 50 f1.8??

I would be interested in this result. My kit lenses DA 18-55 and DA 55-300 seem not working in the future FF. But who knows how long FF would be released. Two more years I guess.

[paranoia23]

just bought a da 35mm 2.4 because of this thread ... -_-

[Jean Poitiers]

Has anyone tested DA 50 f1.8??

I would be interested in this result. ...

Me, too ... I'd be interested - J

[oxidized]

Okay, this may be a little off topic, however since you guys are testing corner resolution, has anyone checked the performance of the FA limiteds (31,43, 77) in the corners on a full frame. This thread is making me really curious about them!

[paranoia23]

the FA limiteds are fullframe so why check ?!

[oxidized]

Well, I know they will have image in the corners. My question is, how good are the corners... All reviews online have used crop-frame cameras so there is no info on the real corners.

[aurele]

Well, I know they will have image in the corners. My question is, how good are the corners... All reviews online have used crop-frame cameras so there is no info on the real corners.

i suggest you to dig this thread : https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-film-slr-discussion/53503-cool-let...ilm-shots.html

You'll probably find what you look for in it.

[vjacesslav]

Good job!

Now if only I found the time to sort through and post my 60-250 findings. My initial reaction is that ++ is too high.

Hi there
Any news about your try?
Thanx for any news

Vjacesslav

[florinlib]

Good news guys I tested my DA 50 1.8 on Pentax film camera and the result at f 1.8 seems that there is no vignetting at all.

[Jean Poitiers]

Good news guys I tested my DA 50 1.8 on Pentax film camera and the result at f 1.8 seems that there is no vignetting at all.

Thanks a lot ... good to know ... J

[Adam]

DA lens on Full Frame: a sticky test shots thread.

Hi Falk,

Bad news here about the 60-250mm

DA 60-250mm Lens and Full-frame - Pentax Camera News & Rumors - PentaxForums.com

And about the 560mm too, I'm afraid: test shots to be posted too. It has a lot of vignetting on FX.

[falconeye]

Hi Falk,

Bad news here about the 60-250mm

Thanks for the test.
I think I really have to uplad my own test shots somewhere. What makes it so difficult to decide the question ...
- Is a scan properly cropped to 24x36 before judging the vignetting, as it is really in the outmost corners only?
- Gradation of film: how much in -EV is the vignetting. Anything up to -2EV is pretty normal for a FF lens, you know. What I've seen so far, the vignetting in the corners wasn't total, ie., remains software-correctable.
- I am not concerned about vignetting with the 60-250. It is severe but not total and only affecting a tiny portion. I am concerned about corner RESOLUTION. And that needs closer inspection than provided so far.

Hence my prelimiary verdict in the opening post.

[Adam]

Anything up to -2EV is pretty normal for a FF lens, you know

On a cheap one maybe! There certainly remains some work to be done with respect to software-correctability, and unfortunately I don't have access to the negatives at the moment. In any case, it has been my experience that even moderate vignetting from consumer lenses can't be compensated for fully in many circumstances, so the 60-250mm isn't a lens that I'd stick on my future Pentax FF.