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SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited

Sharpness 
 9.0
Aberrations 
 9.1
Bokeh 
 8.0
Autofocus 
 9.4
Handling 
 9.6
Value 
 8.9
Reviews Views Date of last review
103 411,040 Sat June 13, 2020
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
98% of reviewers $505.48 9.30
SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited

SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited
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SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited
supersize
SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited
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Description:
The SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited is a prime extreme wide-angle lens only suitable for Pentax APS-C DSLRs. Technical details:

SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
APS-C
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
No
Diaphragm
Automatic, 7 blades
Optics
8 elements, 6 groups
Mount Variant
KAF
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F4
Min. Aperture
F22
Focusing
AF (screwdrive)
Quick-shift
Yes
Min. Focus
18 cm
Max. Magnification
0.15x
Filter Size
49 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 88 ° / 77 °
Hood
Built-in, slide out
Case
Pouch 37748
Lens Cap
Dedicated metal screw-on
Coating
SMC,SP
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
63 x 39.5 mm (2.5 x 1.58 in.)
Weight
190 g (6.7 oz.)
Production Years
2009 to 2013
Launch Price
$572 USD
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-DA 1:4 15mm ED AL Limited
Product Code
21800 (black)
Reviews
User reviews
In-depth review
Unofficial Full-Frame Compatibility Tests by Pentax Forums
☆☆☆ No coverage at any setting
Show details
Notes
One aspherical element and one ED element.
Variants

Black and silver

Features:
Screwdrive AutofocusQuick ShiftBuilt-in HoodAutomatic ApertureAPS-C Digital OnlyDiscontinued
Purchase: Buy the SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited
In-Depth Review: Read our SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited in-depth review!
Sample Photos: View Sample Photos
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited Buy the SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 91-103 of 103
Pentaxian

Registered: April, 2013
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 578

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 28, 2018 Recommended | Price: $450.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Sunstars
Cons: Decentering, border softness
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 8    Value: 8    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-5II   

It's a fun little crop sensor lens. I owned two of them just to help ensure that none of my issues had to do with the lens itself being flawed. I had to give it a 7 for sharpness just because the corners weren't sharp enough for the scenes I used it for... this lens really isn't meant to have corner to corner sharpness I guess. Bokeh is kinda harsh on this one, but that isn't an issue for 99% of what I used it on anyhow. AF is quick and accurate - no issues there. Handling got a 8 just because of the difficulty of attaching a filter to the lens. Value was more of a reflection of the high amounts that I paid for it back in 2014.

It is a 10 if you need to shoot bright lights/sun shining at you... this thing makes some awesome sun stars and laughs at the idea of flaring. Due to its center sharpness, I used it as a portrait lens on a few occasions just to get a different look.

Here's some of my favorite photos that I took with it:

Caspian - Pittsburgh by James Baron, on Flickr

JAB_2218a by James Baron, on Flickr





Brandywine Falls 2 Black and White by James Baron, on Flickr





   
Pentaxian

Registered: April, 2009
Location: Madrid, Spain
Posts: 10,847

6 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 22, 2016 Recommended | Price: $300.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Small, light, great DA limited build quality and feel
Cons: Slow, lacks a bit of contrast, soft corners
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 6    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 8    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K200D, K3   

Edit: I see a lot of people commenting on this so I thought I'd add it here, at the top and in caps: DO NOT BUY THIS LENS WITHOUT CHECKING IT FOR DE-CENTRING!

A lot of people rave about this lens but, while it is a good lens and useful to have, I don't believe it to be as good as many people say.

It has the typical great DA limited build quality, handling and overall feel. Autofocus is fast and accurate on the K3. The wide angle of view is useful but not hugely so over my next widest lens, the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, which is almost as wide and is sharper than the DA 15mm.

Optically this lens is a bit of a mixed bag. The contrast is a bit low regardless of the aperture - all the other DA limiteds are better in this regard. The corners are always soft to some degree - wide open only the centre of the image is sharp and the corners sharpen up progressively to f/11 but never reach a level where they're really sharp. The corners are also prone to chromatic aberrations, even stopped down.

One thing to be careful of in this lens is de-centring. Many people complain that one side of the image is softer than the other and this is due to de-centring and sub-standard quality control. Make sure you fully test a copy of this lens before buying.

Also be aware that a lens this wide is not for everybody. The focal length makes this lens a specialist one and not for general use as a general wide angle, it's too wide for that. It takes some time to get the knack of using it to take shots that don't look like they would have been better at a slightly longer focal length.

Having said all that, image quality overall is good and a lens this wide is not going to be shot very often at less than f/8. I'm happy I bought it but for small, wide primes I find the DA 21mm much more useful and unless you really need a super-wide I'd recommend that lens over the 15mm as a wide prime.

Sample images:


Barcelona
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


IMGP6041a
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Crossing the Manzanares
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


IMGP5729a
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Hakone
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Playa de las catedrales, Galicia
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Goodnight, Stockholm
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Pulpit rock (B&W version)
by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
   
Junior Member

Registered: January, 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 32

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 21, 2016 Recommended | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Build quality, size and weight
Cons: I.Q. at full aperture
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 8    Value: 8    New or Used: New    Camera Used: Pentax K30   

Cute, small, light, well build lens. Very nice focusing ring. Telescopic hood.
What I don't like is that the 'full' aperture, pretty small already (f4.0), is barely usable.
At f/4.0, vignetting is strong, sharpness is good in the center but so-so in the corners.
It improves markedly at f5.6. Good resistance to flare.
Another disappointment: the way the telescopic hood is build-in precludes the use of accessories larger than the lens (step-up rings, add-on lens).
   
Review Date: June 2, 2013 Recommended | Price: $500.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: small, sharp, contrast, build, built in hood
Cons: screw on cap (yuck), field curvature
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 8    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K5   

I'll save myself, and you, some time. Read what v5planet said about this lens. I agree with everything, including the apt description of the character of the DA vs FA lenses. It's a great little lens and unique in DSLR land across all manufacturers. Field curvature is it's #1 issue being so small. But I have no intention of dumping it any time soon. I've taken all kinds of my favourite shots with it.
   
Forum Member

Registered: September, 2011
Location: Colestin, OR
Posts: 79
Review Date: April 28, 2012 Recommended | Price: $570.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: sharp, small
Cons: can't use lens cap with filter
New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-01   

This is a well-built, sharp little lens. I wish it was a little wider - 13mm instead of 15mm - but it's a great match for the K-01: at last a Pentax setup I can carry in my backpack!
I have a circular polarizer on the front, which means the lens cap doesn't fit and put a little sock over it instead... somewhat inelegant, but what does that matter?
   
Senior Member

Registered: November, 2011
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 177

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: February 28, 2012 Recommended | Price: $484.45 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: size, quality, quick shift focus override, keeps value well
Cons: price, maybe suede lining of the cap and hood, no aperture ring
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 4    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 8    Value: 6    New or Used: New    Camera Used: Pentax K-5   

A great wide lens, it is unique if you are looking at a prime with AF. And this was a deal breaker for me.

What does this review add to the other 49 reviews:

  • how does the lens keep its value over time (has not been mentioned in any of the previous reviews)
  • more extensive list of available alternatives
  • few reviewers have mentioned the drawbacks of small form-factor, I add my voice to that
  • no one (I believe) has mentioned the issue with using a polarizer on such a wide lens (not a "con", just a feature of all ultra wide lenses)
  • only 1 reviewer has mentioned the dust magnet behavior of the inner lining of the hood, I contribute on that as well, since this was the biggest issue for me (other than the fact that 15mm happened to be too wide for me)

Alternatives:
1. AF primes: Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 - more expensive, much bigger, may be too wide for many
2. wide-angle zooms by various manufacturers (Pentax, Tokina, Sigma, Tamron) Usually those are 12-24mm or 10-24mm. Some reviews claim some of those zooms are superior to the 15mm f4. Here is the list of available zooms in that range:
Cheaper than the 15mm f4 Limited: Tamron 10-24mm F3.5-4.5 Di II
Similarly priced ones: Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM
More expensive ones: Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM, SMC Pentax-DA 12-24mm F4 ED AL [IF]
3. manual primes:
Cheaper than the 15mm f4 Limited: Samyang (Bower) 14mm F2.8 ED AS IF UMC
More expensive ones: Sigma 14mm F2.8 EX Aspherical Rectilinear

There are other lenses however most of them have been discontinued and are hard too find. Note: cheaper vs more expensive above refers to Brand New offerings. If you are looking for used those lenses do not keep their value as well as the 15mm f4 Limited and thus can be purchased much cheaper (sometimes).

My buyng/selling reasoning:
Purchased one because I used to shoot wide a lot (~28mm in 35mm equivalent).
Sold mine because it did not see much use. Found myself to be much more comfortable with a fast zoom (Tamron 17-50 f2.8). 17mm happened to be wide enough and I really needed 50mm for portraits and 50mm is what use most of the time now). 15mm f4 still remains on my list - only after I have a "normal" prime (28-35mm), a "portrait" lens (55-77mm). Maybe another fast zoom 50-135mm f2.8. Then I will consider another super-wide lens and if the prices stay the same, I will go for the 15mm limited again.

Image Quality:
The lens did not disappoint me. Distortions are smaller than I have ever seen. Of course if you will have people close to the edge of the frame it will be noticeable. For nature and architecture - not an issue imho. There are a lot of technical reviews on this subject.

Experience with the lens/Handling:
Build quality is excellent. Size - very small. So small it might be a disadvantage for some (for instance if you have big hands and like to hold onto the lens when composing). Even with my small hands it seemed too small on the K-5 body. (still, the small size is more a positive for me than negative).

Be carefull:

  • when using a polarizer with this lens: the field of coverage is so wide, the light is coming from completely different angles within the frame and might create unnatural effects with polarizer attached
  • as many have mentioned before: compose carefully. Due to 15mm being very wide you have to watch for close objects squeezing within the frame.

Issues:
Most annoying for me was the felt lining of the inner side of the hood and lens cap. It is a dust magnet! Maybe that's the purpose of it, but it is quite hard to protect it from accumulating dust and removing dust from there. It might become an issue, as the dust particles on the inner side of the hood might cause some unwelcome light reflections (never heard of it happening though).

The major reason I have decided to sell this lens was that 15mm happened to be too wide for me.

Quick explanation of my ranking:

Sahrpness: 10, observed no issues here for my use of the lens
Aberrations: 9, unavoidable distortions for such a wide lens, noticeable when people close to the side of the frame
Bokeh: 4. I'm not an expert here. Not sure one should be talking about bokeh for such a wide f4 lens at all. Please pm me if I'm wrong about bokeh I will update my review. I would qualify the 15mm f4 limited bokeh as flat and uninspiring. Though maybe this is what it should be for a wide lens.
Autofocus: 10 Spot-on and quick, no AF fine-tuning required on my K-5.
Handling: 8: Size advantage becomes a "con", so small it is. It also feels awkward on the K-5 body. Lack of aperture ring (common to all DA lenses) is a big drawback for me too.
Value: 6. It is hard to talk about "Value" when there is not much to compare this lens too due to its uniqueness. Compared to the Pentax own 14mm f2.8 it seems good value, though not great and thus 6 points only. Considering there are a bunch of manual focus fisheyes at similar focal lengths at much cheaper prices (< $100), this isn't good value. Old manual rectilinear primes also can be found at lower prices. Good quality zooms offer stiff competition too, making the value of this lens less. Overall the current price of the lens is a "good value" however one might expect even better value for a prime, while in this case zooms of similar image quality cost the same (sometimes even less).

Another BIG "pro" which was a big decisive factor for me as well:
Being offered brand new at ~$500 now in the US the lens keeps its value very well! And I believe this will stay like that for some time, due to uniqueness of this lens.

Conclusion:

Despite a few negative notes in my review and despite the fact I have sold the lens, I strongly recommend it. For its niche, this is the absolutely right lens. It delivers and owners love it. Furthermore, it does not depreciate as many other lenses do. Which means you can buy it, play with it and if it doesn't fit your style, sell it with little loss!!!! (Of course if you buy it at a good price, which is not available in all regions unfortunately)
   
Veteran Member

Registered: January, 2010
Location: Seattle
Posts: 1,915

9 users found this helpful
Review Date: September 25, 2011 Recommended | Price: $500.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: center sharpness, flare resistance, size, build quality, built-in hood
Cons: slow speed, field curvature, coma wide open
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 5    Autofocus: 6    Handling: 10    Value: 7    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-7, K-5   

I wrote a review for this lens quite a while back, and now that I've spent another year and a half with it, I'm taking some time to rewrite it.

Let me start with the good: the DA15 is an incredibly FUN lens. It has amazing center sharpness, features very strong microcontrast and vibrant colors, and is the most flare resistant lens I have ever used. Its small size make it eminently portable, and its build quality inspires confidence and an appreciation for the lens as a beautiful object in its own right. Simply put, this is my most used lens by a wide margin, and it has helped me produce a number of great images. If portability matters to you; if you can live without zoom; if you don't typically shoot wide but want something you can always carry with you 'just in case', then the DA15 is your lens. This is a great little lens, and one I can definitely recommend to Pentax shooters.

There are, however, a number of compromises that had to be made to achieve the small size of this lens. These are legitimate drawbacks, and should be carefully considered if you intend to do a lot of wide angle work:

1) Field curvature. The corners of this lens often appear quite weak -- not because they are unable to achieve sharpness, but because the focal plane is curved. There is much discussion on this elsewhere. For many types of shots this isn't an issue, but it can be quite vexing in your classic landscape-type imagery.

2) I notice a lot of coma in this lens below f/8, and not even that far from the center of the frame. To be fair, I am often torturing this lens doing night photography, but it's worth noting that this lens isn't magic, and that you really have to play to its (solid, very real) strengths to get quality results

3) It's slow as molasses. If you do a lot of landscape work stopped down, this may not be as big of a problem for you, because the DA15 truly shines between f/8 and f/13. But... on the instances when you do have to shoot wide open, 1) and 2) above are much more pronounced.

4) It's expensive for what it is, compared to zooms in this range. This could be said of most of Pentax's premier prime lenses, but depending on your budget and intended use, the DA15 is not the best value for your money. I have not compared it directly against WA zooms in Pentax mount, but as I have begun to shoot wide more and more, I sometimes wonder if I'd be better served with a zoom lens, instead. The importance of this point to you will probably reflect your preferred focal range -- to me, if you shoot primarily in this range, you will probably be willing to reserve more space in your bag for this purpose than the DA15 occupies. However, as a take-anywhere-no-matter-what wide angle option, the value equation tilts heavily in the 15's favor, and was why I bought it in the first place.

As a final point that is matter of personal taste and not a strict negative, I also sometimes do not appreciate the DA15's vibrant rendering. This is a subjective statement, and only applies to some types of photography I want to do at wide angle. However, know that the DA15's visual characteristics are like the remainder of the DA Limited series: sharp, vibrant, lots of microcontrast.

For me, with some applications, it looks too contrasty, too digital, and is not something that I've found any way to clean up in post processing. It is easy to produce results that don't look natural to my eye, especially when photographing delicate scenes. In some ways I have been spoiled by the FA Limiteds, which retain contrast without sacrificing a sense of smooth tonal transition. If I could find that in a WA lens, I would probably use the DA15 far less than I do now.

Perhaps this review sounds harsh, but I sometimes think the popular enthusiasm for this lens outstrips its objective merits and needs to be tempered slightly. Having said that, it is definitely a very good lens, with unique selling points that Pentax has used brilliantly to exploit the potential of the APS-C format in a way no other brand has (though perhaps with mirrorless that will change...).

In the end, I will probably purchase another lens in this range to complement the DA15, but for now this puppy spends more time on my camera than any other since I bought it over two years ago. It really is worth of your sincere consideration.

Some samples:


















and many more...
   
Site Supporter

Registered: February, 2010
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 1,902

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: August 15, 2010 Recommended | Price: $508.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Extremely small. Center very sharp. Vivid color reproduction
Cons: Replace the screw on cap, corner sharpness

This lens has some impressive color rendition.

It's small, as in really quite easy to toss in your pocket if you need a wide angle.

It's not 2.8, but most of the time when shooting with this lens, you wouldn't want that anyway.

The edge and corner sharpness could be better. It's barrel distortion is better controlled than the DA* 16-50, but the resolution is about the same.

The cap that comes with this lens is to be placed in a drawer and replaced with a pinch on cap.

For the price, you'll get a great wide angle lens; however, had I purchased the 16-50 first, I'm not sure I could have justified it.
   
Forum Member

Registered: July, 2015
Posts: 53
Review Date: September 28, 2015 Recommended | Price: $520.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Size, build quality, flare resistance
Cons: corner sharpness, purple fringing
Sharpness: 6    Aberrations: 6    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 7    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K 3 II   

Either my copy was really bad or people don't care about corner sharpness and purple fringing.
Corners on my copy were atrocious, worse than Sigma 10-20 I used to have. Visible even at screen size, not 100%. Purple fringing all over high contrast areas as well.
On plus size: great build quality, really loved the size. AF quick and accurate, great colors and starbursts.

Overall: I've sold it as I couldn't accept those corners. Check the photos, these are resized and corner softness is easily visible.



   
Veteran Member

Registered: September, 2010
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 2,653

5 users found this helpful
Review Date: September 1, 2014 Not Recommended | Price: $500.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Small, light
Cons: AF problems, not sharp unless stopped down
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 2    Autofocus: 3    Handling: 5    Value: 4    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-5ii   

Somewhat over-rated. It does all that a rectilinear 15mm lens should do. You can get some spectacular ultra-wide shots, although if you don't watch out you'll end up with lots of sky in your photos.

There is plenty of CA and bokeh is terrible. Flare resistance is good. My copy is reasonably well centered. With the SMC version you can get the pretty (or naff, depending on your point of view) starbursts. The lens cap is clever but impracticable.

The corner performance is annoyingly bad. Unless you really stop it down (to f/11-16) you'll invariably end up with soft out-of-focus frame corners. This can often be simply due to the foreground in the bottom frame corners being nearer to you than you think, but it appears to be a 'feature' of this lens, usually blamed on its field curvature. You can compromise to some extent and focus nearer, but the choice is then between a razor sharp center with fuzzy corners or not so sharp everywhere. Many of the spectacular DA15 shots you see on the web were taken with this lens either stopped right down or have had the fuzzy corners cropped out.

It is also important to realise that the rectilinear projection makes objects at the corners appear nearly twice as big than if they are at the centre of the frame, which doesn't help ...

On my K-5ii the autofocus (not that you really need it) at infinity is a hit-and-miss affair. It is a miss much of the time. You can help it by pre focusing at the far end stop but usually the AF decides to stop its spin short of the best focus setting.

Overall a bit of a disappointment. You can get the same ultra-wide view by stitching together two portrait orientation shots taken with the DA21. Or just use the cheap DA16-45, which is nearly as wide but much better at f4.







More here
   
Senior Member

Registered: March, 2010
Posts: 114

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: November 28, 2010 Not Recommended | Price: $499.00 | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: Metal construction, small size
Cons: Not sharp at all wide open, must stop way down

If you rate a lens by construction, then it rates high. If you rate it by the picture it takes, then it is rated at a 6. Not sharp at all unless stopped down to f8 at least. At f4, everything is fuzzy. No amount of lens adjustment in the K5 changed this fact. I sent my copy back, very disappointed with the quality of picture with this lens.
   
Junior Member

Registered: August, 2019
Posts: 25

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 16, 2020 Recommended | Rating: N/A 

 
Pros:
Cons:
New or Used: New   

K3
1.







2.






3.







4.








5.
   
New Member

Registered: April, 2010
Location: casper, wy
Posts: 6
Review Date: February 4, 2011 Recommended | Price: $499.00 | Rating: N/A 

 
Pros: cute, solid, vivid
Cons: lil' slow

This is my first Limited lens and I couldn't be happier. I could tell just by holding the box that this was going to give the same feel as the classics. Metal is awesome, built in hood is super-slick (though I haven't put a filter on yet), and image quality is fantastic. You do have to stop down a bit to get optimal crispness but as I am primarily using this lens for those sweeping, backcountry vistas this is not a prob at all. I did try to use it indoors in the evening to try and get some new puppy face shots but really couldn't pull it off without crazy ISO (time for a k-5 I guess). Overall, great lens. Don't listen to dpreview's assault on the 15mm. This lens will satisfy over and over.

(p.s. I like the screw on cap. I don't know what the rest of these foolios are yakin' bout)
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