[dneira29]

Well I promise that if I win one in the giveaway I'll review the heck out of it

Hahaha sounds good! I’ll make you the same promise!

[Paul the Sunman]

Well I promise that if I win one in the giveaway I'll review the heck out of it

If you've never used 15mm on FF and don't know when you would use it, DON'T TRY IT. It will corrupt you. Buy the 21 mm instead and be happy.

[y0chang]

I both love and hate my DFA 15-30mm. I love it for the image quality, f2.8 for astrophotography, and the fact that its my best lens at 15mm, 20mm, 24mm, and 28mm. I hate it because I end up only using the K-1 on shorter hikes. Not only do you have lots of weight and a big element up front that you are afraid of damaging, but the entire combination is very front heavy and so my camera lives on a tripod much more often. Finally also due to the bulbous element, you can't put a protective filter and you have a huge weight penalty if you want a filter system with you.

[Paul the Sunman]

If you really do want that 15mm end, but can't hack the weight of the 15-30, another option is the 10-17 fisheye, which covers full frame from about 14mm up. Not in the same class optically, but very usable and fun.

[y0chang]

I had a Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 which to me was the perfect size and weight and focal range. Unfortunately it did not survive a drop to the ground, but it was only $150 rather than the 1k plus for the DFA.

[jab2980]

[...] and you have a huge weight penalty if you want a filter system with you.

I use the WonderPana FreeArc Core + Fotodiox Pro 145mm polarizer and they barely add any weight and they only add extra bulk if I don't have them attached to the lens.

[dneira29]

If you really do want that 15mm end, but can't hack the weight of the 15-30, another option is the 10-17 fisheye, which covers full frame from about 14mm up. Not in the same class optically, but very usable and fun.

not a bit fish eye guy. Personally prefer the standard view but Im sure it would be fun to have and play with.

---------- Post added 12-20-21 at 10:08 PM ----------

I had a Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 which to me was the perfect size and weight and focal range. Unfortunately it did not survive a drop to the ground, but it was only $150 rather than the 1k plus for the DFA.

thats actually a really good option! thank you for sharing I will look into it.

---------- Post added 12-20-21 at 10:12 PM ----------

I both love and hate my DFA 15-30mm. I love it for the image quality, f2.8 for astrophotography, and the fact that its my best lens at 15mm, 20mm, 24mm, and 28mm. I hate it because I end up only using the K-1 on shorter hikes. Not only do you have lots of weight and a big element up front that you are afraid of damaging, but the entire combination is very front heavy and so my camera lives on a tripod much more often. Finally also due to the bulbous element, you can't put a protective filter and you have a huge weight penalty if you want a filter system with you.

do you feel like a grip balances it out a bit or is just more cumbersome than helpful?

---------- Post added 12-20-21 at 10:13 PM ----------

I use the WonderPana FreeArc Core + Fotodiox Pro 145mm polarizer and they barely add any weight and they only add extra bulk if I don't have them attached to the lens.

Do you feel that a battery grip helps to stablize the weight a bit??

[Paul the Sunman]

not a bit fish eye guy. Personally prefer the standard view but Im sure it would be fun to have and play with.[COLOR="Silver"]

Understood. It's not very fishy at the long end though.

[jab2980]

not a bit fish eye guy. Personally prefer the standard view but Im sure it would be fun to have and play with.

---------- Post added 12-20-21 at 10:08 PM ----------


thats actually a really good option! thank you for sharing I will look into it.

---------- Post added 12-20-21 at 10:12 PM ----------


do you feel like a grip balances it out a bit or is just more cumbersome than helpful?

---------- Post added 12-20-21 at 10:13 PM ----------


Do you feel that a battery grip helps to stablize the weight a bit??

A grip adds weight to an already heavy setup but it does help with balance quite a bit. I use one when doing weddings and shooting with the DFA 85, 24-70, 50 1.4, 15-30 etc. I’d take it off when doing nature photography because the camera lives on a tripod then, but I never have the rubber seal with me to protect the pins on the bottom.

[y0chang]

I do not use the grip. I ended up keeping a smaller general purpose lens as a body cap and only pull out the 15-30mm when I'm on a tripod. I don't like keeping such a heavy lens attached anyways. My friend ripped off the mount of a D810 because he left a Nikon 14-24mm attached inside his bag on a road trip. He was lucky it was covered under his insurance. The combination together anyways its too big to fit in my bag without a large amount of rearranging.

[Wheatridger]

I do not use the grip. I ended up keeping a smaller general purpose lens as a body cap and only pull out the 15-30mm when I'm on a tripod. I don't like keeping such a heavy lens attached anyways. My friend ripped off the mount of a D810 because he left a Nikon 14-24mm attached inside his bag on a road trip. He was lucky it was covered under his insurance. The combination together anyways its too big to fit in my bag without a large amount of rearranging.

When lenses get so heavy that they damage cameras from their own weight, something's wrong. Modern lens sizes and weights have gotten excessive, I think (right as a generation of SLR photographers are getting too old to use them comfortably). But it says something about Nikon's durability, too. I've driven around to hundreds of gigs over the years with a FF Sigma 12-24 mounted my my K-1, including some dirt roads, and never dreamed of mount breakage.

[y0chang]

When lenses get so heavy that they damage cameras from their own weight, something's wrong. Modern lens sizes and weights have gotten excessive, I think (right as a generation of SLR photographers are getting too old to use them comfortably). But it says something about Nikon's durability, too. I've driven around to hundreds of gigs over the years with a FF Sigma 12-24 mounted my my K-1, including some dirt roads, and never dreamed of mount breakage.

I agree, I basically only pull out the K-1 15-30mm for tripod on landscape work because of the weight and the fact that I'm worried that I would damage it on a hike like i did my DA 15mm and Sigma 17-35mm. I hope Pentax comes out with a DFA 16-35mm f4. I think a DFA 16-35mm DFA 28-105 and a DFA 70-300mm f4-5.6 kit would be an amazing kit.

[dneira29]

A grip adds weight to an already heavy setup but it does help with balance quite a bit. I use one when doing weddings and shooting with the DFA 85, 24-70, 50 1.4, 15-30 etc. I’d take it off when doing nature photography because the camera lives on a tripod then, but I never have the rubber seal with me to protect the pins on the bottom.

You mean that rubber seal that gets lost in the 1st few days of getting the grip and that Pentax doesn’t resell? Hahah I lost mine

[Wheatridger]

You mean that rubber seal that gets lost in the 1st few days of getting the grip and that Pentax doesn’t resell? Hahah I lost mine

On my K-3, there's a slot for storage inside the battery grip.

---------- Post added 12-24-21 at 07:09 PM ----------

I agree, I basically only pull out the K-1 15-30mm for tripod on landscape work because of the weight and the fact that I'm worried that I would damage it on a hike like i did my DA 15mm and Sigma 17-35mm. I hope Pentax comes out with a DFA 16-35mm f4. I think a DFA 16-35mm DFA 28-105 and a DFA 70-300mm f4-5.6 kit would be an amazing kit.

That's the kind of zoom lens I want. These days. F:4 is plenty fast, and on FF lenses, DOF is naturally shallow. When you really do need more lens speed, carry an f1.4-2.0 prime.

[ehrwien]

On my K-3, there's a slot for storage inside the battery grip.

Damn, there are slots for the rubber seal that's on the K-1's side of the grip contacts AND the plastic cap on the grip side of contacts inside (well, actually outside, to be in between grip and body) the K-1's grip as well... I wonder how long it would have taken me to see that if you hadn't mentioned it