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07-18-2021, 10:38 AM - 3 Likes   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by robgski Quote
It sounds like you want to do wide landscapes, but also want to do some detail work. Good thing you are willing to use two cameras. IMO, the DA 21mm is a great lens, definteniy the best wide AF lens I own. I've tried out the DA 15mm and it is tempting, but Was not willing to pay the price.

I've rented the DA 10-17mm for use on APS-C, and it produces some great images, though it is FE at 10mm, at 17 it is a nearly distortion free UWA which is easily corrected both by composing well and using software correction



This is my priority as well, for weight and distance and other life support. Ultimately, it's because I'm either hiking for the sake of hiking, maybe to reconnoiter an area for a later planned shoot, but I want a camera to capture anything I come across. I take my K-1 everywhere, and since I do not own the 28-105mm, I find myself using either a Pentax FA 24-90 IF AL, or a ProMaster Spectra XR 28-200. On a full frame camera both are wide, but not ultra wide. When I'm hiking, I am not in the mood to stop every 50 meters and change lenses, and neither is my hiking companion.

For a planned landscape shoot, I'll use the 24-90, sometimes I use the 18-135mm WR, or a Tak 17mm FE on the K-1 to take everything in. I have been successfully used an FA 77mm and a Takumar Bayonet 135 mm and stitched them, so I try to make do with the lens I've chosen for the day.
For my KP and landscape, my low weight, going for a hike or mtn bike kit:

SMC DA 15 Limited,
HD DA 20-40 Limited
55-300 PLM, and I will bring my SMC DA 70 Limited for any super high quality lower light shots.

All of this in a ThinkTank sling bag makes for lightweight coverage

07-18-2021, 12:02 PM - 1 Like   #17
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No one seems to be mentioning the Pentax 11-18mm lens, which is great, but limited in it's range. Personally, I use the Sigma 10-20mm f3.5, which I purchased new on sale for less than 1/3rd price of the Pentax lens, right before it was discontinued. Use a Pentax 35mm f2 and the very good 55-300mm beyond the wide zoom, to round out my lightweight, strenuous hiking kit.

If money were no object, my main camera and lens would be a K1-II with the Pentax 15-30mm. I find zoom lenses much more useful at the wide and ultra-wide range than primes. Knowing how Pentax is pricing things these days, it seems pretty obvious that the new, expected 21mm lens will be both expensive and heavy. Note, I also have Nikon FF cameras - bought before the the K1 was ever announced - and love the Voigtlander 20mm, which is both sharp, light, and occasionally available used on Ebay. I plan on continuing to use it in the future, if and when I go FF mirrorles...

Last edited by mtgmansf; 07-18-2021 at 12:35 PM. Reason: Corrections...
07-18-2021, 02:01 PM - 1 Like   #18
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I don't really understand the need for so much reach with a "landscape shooting" kit. If I had a K-1 in my hands and I wanted to go out and shoot some landscapes and such I would probably grab my Pentax M 20mm (because it's excellent glass and so small) and then probably my DA 40mm XS. An all-around zoom would make sense here, so my Tamron 28-75 f2.8 would probably get the nod. The Pentax 28-105 seems also very useful here if I wanted to go shopping. An ultra-wide high-performing prime and then a good normal prime or a good all-arounder zoom to match.


If I was going out with my crop Pentax (K-5 II) I would grab my DA 15 Ltd SMC and my 18-135. That zoom is pretty great performing from around 24mm out to 70mm or more and it's not too shabby for the rest of its focusing range *in my opinion*.


I won't comment on a good lens to get some reach as was asked for in the original post as I do not have experience with such glass. I would probably research the Sigma 150-500 and Pentax 150-450 lens options and see what makes sense.
07-18-2021, 02:31 PM - 1 Like   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by Bertrand3000 Quote
But I would recommend the KP with the 16-85 instead, wider view.
On a KP Apsc the 16- 85mm is a 24.5 -130mm fov so at the low end it isn't much wider than the 28-105mm on a K1... I'll still take my Sigma 17-35mm as a wider angle fov with my K1 as it is in line with my Sigma 10-20mm on my K3ll non fisheye fov.

07-18-2021, 03:02 PM - 2 Likes   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by Oldbayrunner Quote
On a KP Apsc the 16- 85mm is a 24.5 -130mm fov so at the low end it isn't much wider than the 28-105mm on a K1...
16mm vs 18mm (which is 28mm equivalent) is maybe not much on paper, but it makes a difference in practice.

Of course you can use wider angle. On my KP I have both a Sigma 10-20 and also a Pentax 10-17 fisheye, the latter allowing as large as 180° field of view.

But as a personal opinion, I have found than extreme wide angle tends to lead to boring pictures (unless you have a close subject, especially with fisheye). But of course it's my personal opinion, and your mileage may vary. But for me, 16mm is fine, and I don't really need wider. My poor 10-20 gathering dust and fungus in my drawer is waiting for me to change my mind.
07-18-2021, 04:41 PM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
What is this FA 16-35 you mention? Did you mean the DFA 15-30?

The dfa 15-30 is a rather large lens with limited filter options, however it has excellent image quality. On the KP it is a bit large and not nearly as wide. You might want to consider the DA 11-18 f2.8 as a alternate option when traveling lighter (or the 12-24). The lens performs well at 18mm on full frame by most accounts and is superb on a crop sensor.
ah...yeah... really dopey of me not to know even the lenses I own! I meant the 15-30. I edited my original post to reflect the change. Thanks!

---------- Post added 07-18-21 at 04:44 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by pres589 Quote
I don't really understand the need for so much reach with a "landscape shooting" kit. If I had a K-1 in my hands and I wanted to go out and shoot some landscapes and such I would probably grab my Pentax M 20mm (because it's excellent glass and so small) and then probably my DA 40mm XS. An all-around zoom would make sense here, so my Tamron 28-75 f2.8 would probably get the nod. The Pentax 28-105 seems also very useful here if I wanted to go shopping. An ultra-wide high-performing prime and then a good normal prime or a good all-arounder zoom to match.


If I was going out with my crop Pentax (K-5 II) I would grab my DA 15 Ltd SMC and my 18-135. That zoom is pretty great performing from around 24mm out to 70mm or more and it's not too shabby for the rest of its focusing range *in my opinion*.


I won't comment on a good lens to get some reach as was asked for in the original post as I do not have experience with such glass. I would probably research the Sigma 150-500 and Pentax 150-450 lens options and see what makes sense.
I do a lot of telephoto landscapes as a means of abstracting the image... turning it into more of a graphic image. But yes, agree with your other suggestions and observations!

---------- Post added 07-18-21 at 04:46 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by dlhawes Quote
I couldn't help wondering whether you've gone through the autofocus fine adjustment ("calibration") procedure? If it works great on the KP but not on the K-1, that suggests that it's the relationship between the camera and the lens that's at fault, not either one specifically.

Also, have you considered the use of a teleconverter?

By the way, having similar interests, myself, I'll tell you what I use. I ditched the KP for landscape use - I mostly use it for birds, flowers, bugs (macro) and indoor use, though it's formidable with the 11-18 DA* on it. But for mountains, woodlands, and such, I use the K-1 (original) with the following:
Irix 11mm f/4.0;
HD Pentax-D FA 15-30mm F2.8 ED SDM WR;
HD Pentax-D FA 24-70mm ED SDM WR Lens;
HD Pentax D FA* 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW;
HD Pentax D FA 150-450mm; and
Pentax DA 560mm F/5.6 ED HD AW.
Obviously, I would be fairly selective depending on where I'm going, and seldom take more than three lenses with me at a time, only one of which would be one of the longer jobs (too much weight otherwise).
You've got the full arsenal there! Very envious.

---------- Post added 07-18-21 at 04:49 PM ----------

I haven't considered teleconverters... not sure they work well in sub-300mm zooms that I use. I haven't tried focus adjustment... do you think that would improve the IQ I am getting out of the 60-250 and K-1 combination?[COLOR="Silver"]

---------- Post added 07-18-21 at 04:51 PM ----------

Last edited by GregL564; 07-18-2021 at 04:52 PM.
07-18-2021, 05:17 PM - 1 Like   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by dlhawes Quote
I couldn't help wondering whether you've gone through the autofocus fine adjustment ("calibration") procedure? If it works great on the KP but not on the K-1, that suggests that it's the relationship between the camera and the lens that's at fault, not either one specifically.
For landscapes the OP might be like me and almost always use a tripod and either MF or AF in live view, so focus adjustments would not be required. Some of my lenses are so far off that they can't be adjusted so even for other subjects I can't necessarily use viewfinder AF.


Last edited by tibbitts; 07-19-2021 at 03:49 PM.
07-18-2021, 08:44 PM - 1 Like   #23
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On the K-1 the 35mm f2.4 is good, but I also think the 55-300PLM is pretty darn good too, despite having to use crop mode. On APSC the Sigma 10-20 produced great results too
07-18-2021, 09:01 PM - 2 Likes   #24
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I know I’m an outlier here, but I still dream of shooting a landscape project only with the 77mm Limited and my K-1. I did some work with a rental lens pre-pandemic and loved it.
07-19-2021, 06:14 AM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
The 60-250 vignettes a bit much on full frame if the baffle isn’t modified, maybe that’s the issue.
I did modify the baffle on my 60-250mm. Thanks!
07-19-2021, 06:23 AM - 1 Like   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by GregL564 Quote
I did modify the baffle on my 60-250mm. Thanks!
I’m looking into doing that… but you mentioned not being completely happy with the results of the 60-250 on the k1. What was the issue?
07-19-2021, 07:53 AM - 1 Like   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by GregL564 Quote
ah...yeah... really dopey of me not to know even the lenses I own! I meant the 15-30. I edited my original post to reflect the change. Thanks!

---------- Post added 07-18-21 at 04:44 PM ----------


I do a lot of telephoto landscapes as a means of abstracting the image... turning it into more of a graphic image. But yes, agree with your other suggestions and observations!

---------- Post added 07-18-21 at 04:46 PM ----------


You've got the full arsenal there! Very envious.

---------- Post added 07-18-21 at 04:49 PM ----------

I haven't considered teleconverters... not sure they work well in sub-300mm zooms that I use. I haven't tried focus adjustment... do you think that would improve the IQ I am getting out of the 60-250 and K-1 combination?[COLOR="Silver"]

---------- Post added 07-18-21 at 04:51 PM ----------
Makes sense about subject isolation. Hope you find a good lens for the purpose. I know there's some good long glass available new and used.

I went with the M 75-150 f4 when I was looking for something with more reach. It reviews quite well, even today, but autofocus would be nice for such a lens which the M's obviously lack.
07-19-2021, 08:28 AM - 1 Like   #28
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QuoteOriginally posted by 35mmfilmfan Quote
My 'go to' kit for K3 - Sigma 10-20, Pentax 18-135, Pentax 55-300. Give results that please me, and the Sigma lets me crop to panoramic if I wish.
similar setup for me except I also have the Sigma 17-50
07-19-2021, 12:05 PM - 1 Like   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by Bertrand3000 Quote
The 60-250 has excellent IQ, but it is heavy, slow focusing and prone to SDM failure, and cannot be converted. The 55-300 PLM is better in many ways for APS-C usage.
The 60-250 can be converted for FF! I did it and it‘s my favourite traveller/hiking Tele zoom.
The other landscape-equipment I use:
K1, D FA 24-70 f2,8; sometimes the D FA 15-30. More often I take the old FA 17-28 fisheye because it‘s really small and lightweight.
In Addition: a Bilora Tourism Tripod TT-1: it weights around 800g without Ballhead and folded up it‘s only a bit over 30 centimeters long.
07-19-2021, 12:17 PM - 1 Like   #30
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For starts, I use my K-3 for action, and my K-1 for landscape.
My wife Tess however shoots her K-5. Her combination of choice is currently the DA 16-85 but she took a few with the DA 55-300 PLM as well.

My choice for our last trip was the K-1 was the DA 28-105 and a second hand Sigma 24 2.8 macro.

A few images....
K-1 and DFA 28-105














And the Sigma 24mm








And one landscape taken with the DA 55-300 PLM


These lenses make a nice lightweight, easily portable kit that can do about anything.
Pentax doesn't give you a lot of choice, but what they make is top quality. You learn to live with what they have, and when you have lenses like the DA 16-85 and DFA 28-105, you might think about different focal lengths, but not about the quality of the glass in the offered focal lengths.
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