| Author: | | Pentaxian Registered: October, 2014 Posts: 604
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 20, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Versatility; Color rendition; Flare resistance; Maximum Magnification | | Cons: | Chromatic aberrations | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-3
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The versatility provided by this unique lens is unparalleled, a true standout in the Pentax APS-C ecosystem (although a Tokina branded version also exists for Nikon). I will list some of the salient features of this lens, both positive and negative aspects:
- At 10mm it approaches a 180° field of view. Distortion can still be controlled (sometimes even hidden) with careful framing and tilting of the camera.
- At 17mm it can be used as an almost rectilinear wide angle lens. The field of view is significantly larger than a rectilinear lens of comparable nominal focal length such as a 16mm or 18mm zoom at its widest end.
- At the longest end, defishing is viable with raw development software. Given the low amount of distortion, the loss in IQ is no more dramatic than with a typical rectilinear zoom lens that might still require a certain amount of distortion correction in postproduction.
- The lens is capable of almost 0.4x magnification, approaching true macro territory. Consider that at the closest focusing distance you would almost be touching the subject with the front element, therefore the practical usability (i.e. actually lighting the scene) is fairly limited. Nevertheless, the lens is capable of stunning ambient close-up shots of medium-sized subjects such as flowers.
- Contributing to the usefulness for close-up shots with interesting backgrounds is the huge depth of field of the lens. Focusing will rarely be a problem even wide open (given the type of lens, focal length and aperture, it would be rather pointless to discuss bokeh, subject isolation, etc.)
- Sharpness, microcontrast, is excellent in the center of the frame at all focal lengths when stopped down. Decent wide open, more than usable for all intents and purposes. This is not a lens for those who strive for corner-to-corner sharpness.
- Amazing flare resistance, you can shoot straight into the sun with no issues (which would happen more often than not, given the massive field of view). However, the starburst effect resulting from such shots is rather harsh and might not be very pleasant to the eye.
- There are significant chromatic aberrations at the edges of the frame, likely requiring some postproduction efforts.
When travelling this lens is always in my backpack together with a standard general purpose zoom (currently 18-135).
I have taken some of my best shots with this lens and made some large prints with no issues whatsoever.
The general image quality you can achieve in the right conditions is very high, surely comparable to any ultrawide lens offered at a similar price point (and far superior to a consumer-class zoom like the 18-135 at its widest end, for that matter).
As mentioned above, if one is after corner-to-corner sharpness at all apertures and focal lengths, there are more suitable (and significantly more expensive) alternatives such as the new DA* 11-18.
| | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: June, 2018 Posts: 131 | | Review Date: January 8, 2020 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Light, versatile, fun! | | Cons: | CA | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K3ii
| |
Easy to carry, goes from fish-eye to super-wide (with distortion). Close focus is really useful. Most importantly to me is it makes photography fun. I shot my brother’s wedding and afterwards I didn’t want to pick up a camera at all. After a week it was this lens that got me out of my rut and into the swing of making and taking photos again. I’m not a fish-eye aficionado and there weren’t many keepers but there were a couple of good ones and it made me think about composition in a fresh light. Very difficult to rate but makes me happy.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2019 Posts: 2,016 | | Review Date: October 13, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Light, Extreme Field of View, FishEye Effect Optional, Proxy Photo | | Cons: | Chromatic Aberrations | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-S2
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I've seen several photos of FishEye effect, including on the official Ricoh website, something that was supposed to attract customers into buying this lens. Most were with a subject in the center, heavily distorted. But those kind of photos are really unappealing for me. In my little head I thought I would never buy or need such a lens.
I have never been so wrong about something.
This lens is truly a gem, a lens that every photographer should have in his or her bag.
Why such a drastic change of mind, you may ask?
Well, first, this lens is in fact 3 lens in one :
- A true fisheye at 10mm, with 180° field of view
- An almost rectilinear ultrawide angle at 17mm (equivalent in terms of field of view of a 10mm rectilinear wide angle, like the Sigma 10-20 f/3.5 at 10mm)
- A proxy photo capable lens at 17mm and close focus (0.39x magnification)
Besides, you are completely free to dose the FishEye, in different ways :
- The zoom ring (most at 10mm, minimal at 17mm and of course all the intermediate settings)
- Composition (fisheye effect is especially visible on the sides, and also in the center if the subject is close)
- The way you tilt your camera (upwards, downwards, leftward and rightward)
You can really make all kind of photos with all those parameters. Distorted, or not. Even at 10mm, one can make a photo with the fisheye effect almost invisible by clever composition. On the other hand, you can really make weird shots by tilting and composing carefully, while being far from the classical well-known FishEye effect.
You can use this lens for most photos, except portraits and wildlife. Of course you'll need to be careful how you use it, it's not a point-and-shoot lens. When I take my K-S2, I always wonder if I really need another lens, or if the DA 10-17 FishEye will be the only one.
About other characteristics, the lens has OK Bokeh, but that's not something important for an ultra wide angle. Focus is screw-driven, not really noisy. The distance scale is nice, and Quick Shift is nice to have, even if it's not really that important on an ultrawide. At 10mm there are chromatic aberrations on the side of the image, and the image is less sharp, but do not forget that the lens is trying to put 180° of field of view on your tiny sensor.
| | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2016 Posts: 8 | | Review Date: July 1, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $170.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Sharp , colors, contrast, very close min .focus | | Cons: | distortion, edges, aberration | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 6
Handling: 7
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: k5iis
| |
It's a lens that is super fun to use and very sharp at f11. I love to put the sun in my pics, just does grest in transforming the sun into a day statr. Stoping it down makes it a great lens. What I love in the minimum close up distance you can acheive with this lens, it's just perfect fo landscaping. At 17mm there is a lot less distortion, but you always have to put the horizon line in the middle to have it strait, since it'a a fisheye.
 | | | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2017 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: May 21, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $320.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
| |
f7.1 17.0mm 1/400 iso100
https://flic.kr/p/2ezReSv
f7.1 10.0mm 1/400 iso100
https://flic.kr/p/25ncvZZ
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2019 Location: Geelong, Australia Posts: 344 | | Review Date: March 19, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size & Weight, less fisheye at 17mm, Artistic value | | Cons: | Inability to put filter on lens | |
I would love a WR version of this lens.
Bought for astrophotography and landscapes, I find myself using it more for street photography than anything else so far (having only owned it for a few weeks).
I intend on using this quite a lot for travel pics in the near future.
Not as sharp as I would like but great for the value for money.
Handles equally well on my K-70 & K-x.
I gave this an 8.5 but rounded it up to 9.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: October, 2018 Location: Quebec City, Quebec Posts: 6,255 | | Review Date: March 9, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $375.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Gives interesting graphic possibilities. Very sharp with great color. | | Cons: | Some chromatic aberrations (not a problem in landscapes) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 3
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K3
| |
Land's end, Cabrillo Nat'l Monument, CALIFORNIA. | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2011 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,630 | | Review Date: January 28, 2019 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Compact; great FL range; covers FF over 14-17 mm | | Cons: | CA | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K3 and K1
| |
I bought this lens from my son when he shifted to Nikon. Although I mostly shoot FF, it is still useful to me since it covers the FF sensor from 14mm upward. It is also a far more compact UW option than the DFA 15-30 when I don't mind the fishiness.
It is hard to rank this lens for "Aberrations", since one aberration (fishiness) is its raison d'ętre. Ignoring that, it does produce pronounced colour fringing, but is very easily cleaned up in LR. So it's not a problem. On the other hand, its resistance to flare is astonishing, which is very useful for such a wide angle lens.
Sharpness is reasonable, especially at frame centre, and especially in the context of a fisheye lens. It's not going to compare in that regard with a top-quality recent DFA lens, but it is more than acceptable.
The fisheye perspective is of course a rather niche feature. However, in the right time and place, and with the right artistic intent, it produces some striking images. This rather unique 10-17 fisheye is a very nice for occasional use.
The main reason my son had this lens was for underwater (SCUBA) photography, where he got many great images. So much so that he has now bought the identical Tokina version for his Nikon D850. The Pentax/Tokina 10-17 fisheye is very highly regarded by the underwater photography community.
K1 + DA 10-17 @ 17mm
Crop near centre of previous image
 | | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2013 Location: Fremantle, Western Australia Posts: 23
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 14, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Light and sharp | | Cons: | CA is not great but common to all fisheye lenses. | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1
| |
I have modified this lens by machining off the lens hood to be able to use the full image circle on my K1 for shooting 360 panoramas. The FOV without the lens hood is around 187° with in portrait mode allows me to shotot 360 panos in just 3 frames but because the edges are a bit soft i am shooting 4 frames to utilize the sharpest areas of this lens.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2017 Location: Kiev Posts: 12
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 23, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sturdy metal case. Small sizes. Original photos. Universality (two in one: both a fisheye and a wide angle). Not afraid of backlight. It gives bright, rich colors in the photo. It has no analogues in other systems. | | Cons: | It is easy to scratch the front lens of the lens on the objects being photographed. Chromatic aberrations are very strong. Especially at extreme focal lengths and wide open aperture. | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 3
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5
| |
This is a very good lens! There are no analogues to it. Can also be used as a 10mm fish eye. And as a normal 17mm wide-angle lens.
The lens is firmly assembled. Metal reliable design. Not afraid of backlight. Excellent and bright colors. It has small dimensions, as for such a wide constructive.
At 10mm, this lens distorts space. It is necessary to get used to build a frame profitably so that the distortions of this lens create an interesting picture favorably. At the center point of the frame, everything remains almost without distortion. Distortion appears to the left and right of the center. The farther from the center of the frame, the more pronounced they are. But the most intense distortions appear up and down from the central horizontal frame. The farther from the central horizontal up or down frame, the stronger the distortion will be expressed. In accordance with this, as soon as you change the angle regarding the subject of shooting, the picture itself will change a lot. If you learn to choose the most favorable angles with this lens, you will get original and beautiful photos.
The lens has a very wide field of view of the image. At 10mm, you can easily get into the frame with your shoes. It will be visible at the bottom of the picture. Consider this point when taking a picture and do not lean back while taking a picture.
The disadvantages of this lens include strongly pronounced chromatic aberrations. Which occur on all borders between light and dark objects in the frame. To the edges of the frame, the aberrations are enhanced. They can be completely removed using image processing in Photoshop.
Also, when shooting, be careful. The front lens of the lens is so convex that it is very easy to scratch it against hard objects (metal, stone) during the shooting. To remove this lens is capable of being very close to the subject. The image in the viewfinder is moved back due to distortion. And you can easily and imperceptibly rest against the front lens in the object being photographed. And to scratch both the lens itself and the antireflection coating applied to its surface. The lens hood protects it poorly.
I recommend this lens! But when I save a message, it automatically appears "no" instead of "yes." I can not fix it. I do not know what it is connected with.
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2013 Posts: 796
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 11, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $430.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Small, light, versatile zoom range | | Cons: | Purple fringing, not WR | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-30, KP
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This lens is a special effect lens, it has a 180 degree diagonal FoV and close focusing capability. Zoomed to 17mm it's near rectilinear. The lens has a built in hood and the hood is visible with any composition adjustment, so with the astrotracer it will show up at the edges.
The lens is very sharp even after using the FA limited other primes, but the much worse purple fringing (CA) makes the overal resolution worse.
Here are some images:
 IMG0139_150228 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG0071_150404 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG0612_141003 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG0222_141002 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG170414_0004 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG170319_0060 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG170626_0083 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
 IMG170627_0094 by Benjámin Czétényi, on Flickr
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2014 Posts: 424
7 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 14, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Fun, small & light, great results | | Cons: | Can't think of any | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5 IIs
| |
Everyone should have one of these. It's fun to use, it's small and light so you can carry it in your bag at all times, produces wonderful photos.
And when you compare to other manufacturers, it's also reasonably priced. I got mine from B&H when it was on sale, for $300. It's the most expensive lens I have and I absolutely love it.
If you use it right, the distortion is barely visible. But when you want it, it's certainly there.
Some samples (some of them stitched in MS ICE )
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: June, 2011 Location: Gotland Posts: 166
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 5, 2016 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Super wide view and keeps round objects round | | Cons: | None considering the special purpose | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K10D to K3II
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When going digital this lens was part of the reason to choose Pentax! I have used it for ten years by now.
Invaluable for photographing rainbows and haloes. Good for cramped interiors i e cars. Sharp enough for most purposes.
I had to learn how the fisheye works. Radial lines are rendered straight. Tangential lines are bent a lot, more the further off-centre they occur. Round objects are rendered round.
By keeping this in mind (and with practise) I find this lens quite useful. In Photoshop CS6 and newer (and some special programs) the pictures can be de-fished easily. After ten years, I often keep just this lens in the bag along with the camera and a standard zoom.
With all cameras up to the K3II metering was no problem. With the K3II overexposure can be a problem in some unevenly lit scenes.
This link is to a photo showing a halo above my medieval parish church.
http://www.atoptics.co.uk/fza126.htm | | | | | Senior Member Registered: December, 2012 Location: Wild-Nord-East Hungary Posts: 149
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 19, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Rich colors, compact, lightweight, enough sharp. Fun use. Price. | | Cons: | Chromatic aberration | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 5
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-30
| |
At first it takes getting used to, but then a pleasure to use.
Image quality is generally good. Enough sharp wide open, corners a bit soft.
Good lens for travel, practical because of little size and weight. (of course, in addition to two fixed lens) 
So, a fun and versatile lens.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2014 Location: Washington Posts: 2,176 | | Review Date: September 16, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $285.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Wide angle, you can get an image when nothing else will. | | Cons: | Not really sharp until f11. Chromatic aberrations. | | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 4
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 6
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K3
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I bought this lens as a demo from a reputable store. The price was right, $285.
I should have tested it before I went on vacation. I have a habit of shooting at f5.6 and it was a mistake. My copy does not get sharp on the edges until f11. Oh well, lesson learned, shoot at f11 and the results will be fine.
Check out my test on Flickr. Download the images so you can check them at 100%.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24877856@N00/albums/72157673965333695 | | |
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