| Author: | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: October, 2012 Location: Medina, OH Posts: 7,224 | | Review Date: December 4, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Color rendition, sturdy build | | Cons: | Need to take care with lens, cannot use filter | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 4
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-7
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I really love this lens. It is like owning two great lenses--a fisheye at 10mm and a great wide angle at 17mm. It takes a bit of use to really get good/desired results from this lens. Of course, you can use it as a fun lens, getting all sorts of distorted results with deliberate intent, and I enjoy doing that from time to time. However, it is also a great landscape lens, even at the fisheye end, once you learn how to frame and compose. To get good, normal looking results, you need to avoid placing straight vertical objects at the sides of the frame. You can take photos that look almost normal if you will place long straight objects (roads, railroads, trees, etc.) right in the center of the frame. The lens then renders them straight, and takes in much more of the surrounding landscape than you are accustomed to. For landscapes without vertical objects at extreme left and right of the lens, you get very normal looking results. I say LOOKING results as the lake or body of water you are photographing looks normal, i.e., the shoreline COULD have been as the lens portrayed it, and those observing the image you have created have no frame of reference to see the shoreline as distorted. Trees on the shore at the extreme sides of the frame will appear distorted on close inspection, of course, but are not immediately apparent. The lens renders colors beautifully. It is also very useful for taking closeups of items such as products, giving an almost normal but artfully distorted view. I would love to take this lens to an antique car show! I don't think I would ever give up this lens. I highly recommend it.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2011 Location: Langwarrin Australia Posts: 382 | | Review Date: November 30, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $480.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp for a fish-eye, build, versatile | | Cons: | Hard to protect the front element | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5,K7
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I have used other fish-eyes before but this one is unique,it is so versatile being able to zoom from 10-17mm,so from huge distortion at 10mm to very little at 17mm. Most fish-eyes are soft right across the frame, but this one is unusual in that it's sharp in the centre and softens to the edges which seems to enhance and give a far better effect. Yes it has some CA but that comes with all fish-eyes and the way they bend the light, but with this lens it is not a big problem and is easily worked around. This lens also produces great colours like most Pentax lenses.
The only problem I have found is that you have to be very careful with the protruding front element especially since this lens focuses amazingly close and the effect is so good that you cant help but use it.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: August, 2011 Location: Toronto Posts: 151
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 7, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $550.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Huge fun factor, Very Fishy, sharp, quick focusing | | Cons: | Must be careful with the front element and cap, cannot use filters, flares ALOT | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K7
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I think that this lens is a solid 8.5. The only things that take away from it are things that I think are to be expected when using a fisheye lens i.e. flares, no filter threads, weird hood and cap.
It is extremely fun to use and opens up alot creative potential. I did some photos for a friend at their daughters first birthday and this was perfect for capturing the mood of the party and the colourful Sesame Street decorations.
I have also used this on my Pentax Super A and have found that it is usable from 14mm (maybe it was 15mm) as a fisheye for film.
I will try to post a couple of samples at a later time.  | | | | | Forum Member Registered: September, 2011 Location: Colestin, OR Posts: 79
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 28, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, super-wide, light-weight zoom | | Cons: | none | | New or Used: New
Camera Used: K10,20,5
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This is my favourite lens. I keep it mostly at 13mm and use it for landscapes.
It's sharp, light-weight, versatile, and super-wide. No problem shooting into the sun.
There's some CA, but there is with most of my lenses. Stays on the K5 all the time!
| | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2010 Location: Calgary, AB Posts: 4,884
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 25, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp, light for a zoom, bright colour, extraordinarily versatile | | Cons: | CA can be bothersome | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K 20, K-5
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When I went to purchase this lens after seeing great results and hearing such positive reviews, the salesman tried to discourage me suggesting it would be a one trick pony. I have used it on a daily basis for a challenge on the forum and regularly heard comments like "I don't normally like fish-eye but I like this" or "I can't believe this is a fisheye!" This is a brilliantly versatile lens with nice crisp colours. Autofocus is fast and accurate allowing you to hold the camera in unusual positions, shoot and get very unique images. CA can be quite significant but no worse than my DA* 16-50. As well, filters cannot be used so you will want to look after the front element, keeping it covered and clean.
A fish-eye is a great creative addition to a photographer's arsenal. Composition is very important to make the most of the results but it often breaks many of the rules that may be dragging you into a rut. Some examples:
At 10mm
The morning after by jmschrei, on Flickr
At 17mm
Red fin by jmschrei, on Flickr
Playing up the fishiness
Spring returns to the concrete jungle by jmschrei, on Flickr
Or not
Along the rails by jmschrei, on Flickr
And getting in close (you can get up to 13mm from your subject)
Pussy willow by jmschrei, on Flickr
Nature in abstract by jmschrei, on Flickr
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,275 | | Review Date: April 7, 2012 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, beautiful color rendering, very little flare, versatile, focuses very close, superb build quality, compact, fun to use. | | Cons: | PF in some situations, special lens cap not easily replaceable, protruding front element requires caution | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K-x
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I've only been out a couple of times with it, but I can say I don't think I'll ever part with this one. This is an immensely fun lens to shoot with, and it's given me compositional ideas I normally would never have thought of.
It's probably the only wide angle I'll ever need. At 10mm, it's a very fishy fisheye. As you zoom up toward 17mm it morphs into a more traditional, almost rectilinear wide angle lens. Very cool.
This lens is plenty sharp, especially when stopped down a bit. The color rendering is among the best I've seen from any lens. The colors really pop. Rich, saturated, and contrasty. Clouds stand out from the sky in sharp relief. I rarely need to do anything with the colors in post with this lens, unless it's just for creative effect.
The build quality is superb. Zoom and focus rings are the smoothest I've ever encountered. Everything on this lens screams quality. Even the lens cap is quality... made of machined aluminum.
This lens does have some purple fringing, which can show up around tree branches against the sky or other contrasty situations. I usually only notice it when pixel peeping, though.
A couple of downsides that are a necessity of any fisheye lens are the lenscap, and the protruding front element. The lenscap is an aluminum slip-on affair that is beautifully made, and has a felt ring around the inside rim to grip the lens. Only problem is, if you ever lose it or the felt loses it's grip with age, you'll need to buy another one from Pentax. I don't know how much it would cost, but I have the feeling it wouldn't be cheap.
The other thing is the protruding front element. You have to be VERY careful with the cap off, and take care when replacing the cap that you don't bang it against the glass. Because it's such a wide-angle fisheye, there's no rim around the front to protect it, nor a way to attach a filter. I can't fault it for that, though. All fisheyes are that way. It's a necessity of that type of lens.
What xfloggingkylex said in another review about there being a learning curve is correct. This lens has such a radically different field of view that you have to learn to spot subjects that are good for a fisheye. A couple of things I've learned:
1) It's great for dramatic closeups. Flowers, statues, people in the foreground, etc. Having your subject close to the lens makes the photos really pop.
2) The farther off-center an object is, the more fisheye distortion it has. Use it to your advantage.
As I'm still a fisheye newbie, I expect to learn a lot more about using it as I shoot with it. After learning a few tricks, I find myself looking at everything with "fisheye-eyes". It's addictive & fun.
Bottom line, it's a top-quality piece with great image quality that's a blast to use. Usually kind of pricey, but well worth it.
Here's a photo I took with it on it's first trip out. (color altered in Photoshop.)
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 23 | | Review Date: December 9, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | super wide, sharp, fast focus | | Cons: | some corner issues | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
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I picked up this lens on ebay recently, slightly used. I was skeptical about the image quality but wanted a fun lens just for goofing around. I got way more than that. The lens is well built and handles perfectly. It's way sharper than I was anticipating, even wide open. I've noticed a bit of color fringing but nothing really field relevant so far.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: March, 2007 Location: Frederick, MD USA Posts: 111 | | Review Date: December 5, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $380.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Wide, build quality, unique. | | Cons: | CA, framing issues (not lens related exactly) | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
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I have the Samsung version of this lens which I bought off a forums member. When he sold it to me he said that he was never able to get the hang of it any his pictures all came out with weird exposure or other issues. I didn't understand what he meant until I used it.
Wow, there is nothing that can prepare you for the change in style needed to use this lens. Lots of my first pictures had soooo much ceiling in them, or the exposure was off. There is just so much more to worry about getting right when you hit the shutter. Before (28mm) it was just the subject and what was immediately around it. Now I need to worry about the floor and the walls, any drastic exposure changes anywhere in the frame and high contrast especially near the edges for CA. This lens is fun to use and definitely makes unique pictures, but there is a learning curve to it.
The first weekend I went out for a walk around the neighborhood with it to see what I could do. I came back generally displeased, partially because it was a cloudy day with very flat lighting, and partly because I hadn't been able to view the world with such a wide FoV; that really changes how you take pictures.
I was happy with the pictures at 17mm, they lose a lot of their barrel distortion and don't suffer from CA, but it was still tough to get pictures I like.
All in all I like the lens, I have revisited HDR using it on a tripod and have been pleased with taking pictures of my apartment showing the entire room at once. I need to get out on a sunny day and try again.
Oh and focusing with your subject basically touching the glass is hard to get used to as well, because it looks so far away in the viewfinder.
| | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2011 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6 | | Review Date: October 27, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Built like a tank. Unique effect. Makes no room to small. Great colour. Close focuses. | | Cons: | Weight. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: New
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I've had this lens for about 5 years now and have kept it through 3 body upgrades - K5 now
The reality is that does what nothing else in camera bag does - it makes playing with perspective fun!
It may not be the most practical lens to have, but the reality is that several of my favourite landscape, sunset and funny portrait shots have been taken with this heavy piece of glass - and the photos always look unique versus my friends.
For the price it's extremely well built and a good value.
PS> It's also a rock star at a downtown 500 sq' condo party. | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: November, 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 4,005 | | Review Date: September 16, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $260.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Solid, zoom range, quick shift, versatile | | Cons: | Not much | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-7
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The most amazing feature of this lens is its versatility IMHO. At 10mm, it is a true fisheye (180 degrees); at 17mm, it is a wide angle.
I bought the lens originally because I wanted a fisheye lens and the lens was recommended by several Pentaxians. The lens is definitely a fisheye lens at 10mm, I learned however to use the lens at other focal lengths and there are some big differences from 10m up to 17 mm.
I like the hood which is fixed: you will not forget it, and it protects nicely the rounded front glass. Another nice feature is Quick-Shift.
Like any fisheye lens, you need to use properly the lens. Do not shoot facing the sun. Beware of your shadow, your feet, your cap at 10 mm. There is some strong barrel distortion, lateral chromatic aberrations, purple fringing, poor bokeh, .... This is linked with the fisheye type, not with the lens itself IMO.
Lastly an anecdoct. I have a 18-250mm lens. I feel that the 10-17mm complements very nicely the 18-250mm....
All in all I can highly recommend the lens and I am grateful by the adamant advice from senior Pentaxians to get this lens. They were right.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: January, 2011 Location: Vientiane Posts: 100 | | Review Date: September 16, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | great colors, build quality | | Cons: | filter, lens barrel | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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This is my favorite landscape lens. Never regretted taking this over sigma 10-20. This represents the great pentax colors. On daylight it renders a semi HDR look. Thank you pentax for this lens.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2007 Location: Prague Posts: 1,199 | | Review Date: August 15, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | close focus and extreme view angle | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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For a fisheye, this lens is quite versatile. Able to fosus very close to subject, able to accomodate filters when zoomed in (cokin holder with 58mm thread works well). Usable on film camera when zoomed to 14-15mm. The zoom covers broad range of view angles from 180° to a mere 100° which makes it very powerful tool to adjust composition,
Of course FE is primarily a fun lens, but this one brings in a lot more fun than any other FE.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2010 Location: Hong Kong / Irvine, CA Posts: 636 | | Review Date: July 13, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $470.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | close focus, 180degree | | Cons: | need to be care of the front element | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
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It's such a fun lens.
I bring it with me all the time.
It's much wider than 12-24mm and it can focus only 10cm from the object.
Pentax has the only zoom fisheye so everyone pentaxian should get one.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2008 Location: Great Plain, Hungary Posts: 204 | | Review Date: April 26, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Great build & IQ, MF override, protective coating on front element | | Cons: | Nothing for me | |
I had had no idea this lens existed until I was offered by a fellow Pentaxian to buy it as he was about to change system and let it go for a fair price. So I bought it on a whim rather than on strict and considerate decision just to try extreme wide angle on my digital kit. What to say? This was one of my best investment in a lens.
I have always liked using extreme wide angles on film (although 20mm is my widest lens for film), but never tried it on digital. This lens opens up many new perspectives and is really pleasant to use.
As most of the important things have already been said above I just want to add that this lens can also be used on film from about 15-17mm without serious vignetting effect. If you have an MZ series camera with the possibility of panorama format you can go much further down and have superb panorama shots. Worth a try.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: October, 2007 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 78 | | Review Date: April 11, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $430.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | zoomability, close focus ability, no internal flare, very good coating | | Cons: | some CA at wider apertures, high contrast, loss of crispness at edges | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
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Love what this lens can do, but very aware that it's not for everyone. I will state that directly: this lens is not for everyone.
Great depth even at wider apertures thanks to its field of view. To me this lens works best when you're close to your subject, and this lens will actually let you get closer than you probably should --- watch that front element! Otherwise your subject will come out very distant in the shot, especially at wider end. Also, one bad thing that is not a fault of the lens: very easy to get your feet/fingers in your shot if you're not careful. Wide is WIDE. Respect it.
in-camera JPGs
front of lens was maybe 1 inch from those shakers
this is at f/4 about 5 feet from guy on left, and everyone on stage is pretty much in focus
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