| Author: | | New Member Registered: May, 2013 Location: New York tri-state area Posts: 4
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 30, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $230.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, small and light, build quality, depth to images, cheap for a limited | | Cons: | Funny looking hood, some may say slow | | Sharpness: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-01
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This lens is my new ideal walk around "never leaves the camera" lens! A lot of people talk poorly of this lens, and I can't at all see why. I was reluctant at first to even purchase it until I found a great deal on a silver copy for only $230, and pounced on it!
It's super sharp! it's a great walk around field of view! the colors are unbeatable! and the bokeh, while not as plentiful as some of the 50mm fuzz factories is subtle and creamy!
Some of the complaints that worried me before and after i owned this incredible gem of a lens
* "it's too slow"- it is not a super night vision see in the dark kind of lens, but I found that it's just fine for indoor and even pretty dim restaurant settings. Even though the images may be slightly dark, the and clatity more than make up for the "slower aperture" it's actually very realistic and presents an almost three dimensional image that is very dynamic!
* "it's hart to handle due to the small focusing ring"- I am a carpenter by trade, a mechanic by necessity, and a drummer by choice. I have battered and bruised and broken my arthritic hands and fingers, and even when I first got this lens with a broken middle and ring finger on my focusing hand I had absolutely no problems with quickly and accurately focusing this lens. And my hands are huge. Always need the XL gloves
* "it's a strange "oddball" focal length"- I personally fell in love with the focal length over all my other lenses the first day I had the pleasure of using it. For me it was like the perfect bed, not too hard, not too soft, it was juuuust right! Get in tight for portraits, and take only a couple of steps back for wider shots. I can see that for timid people how they may not want to get that close for street shots, but if you don't mind getting alittle dirt under your fingernails, it seems to be extreeeemly personal and truer to personality.
* "too much barrel distortion compared to other limiteds"- there is a slight bit of noticeable distortion, but this can be "fixed" in post processing, or even better yet (what I do with it) use it to my artistic advantage. I find that it doesn't distort the human face enough at all to make it any less beautiful, and with architectural photos, I rarely take those from angles that don't play up this lenses strong areas, so it's really not a problem with my own style of photography
* "this lens has no personality, or special character like its other limited siblings"- NO! I strongly disagree. In fact this lens in my opinion has waaaaay more personality than most of the limiteds I've tried including one of my favorites the 40mm. Judging Personality, or character, or magic in a lens is a purely subjective analysis, and also a self fulfilling prophecy. If a photographer doesn't think the lens they are using has anything special to it, there is no way for them to play up the special aspects of that lens. The 50mm is a perfect personal example for me. I've never met a 50mm on a crop body that I've gotten along with! Including all the greats like the legendary 8 element or the 1.2. I don't personally see in 50mm, and
Can never seem to find a good angle to use them. Some, actually most people love them, and use them incredibly well! but as I said before, personality and magic is subjective and based only on how a particular user sees their own art in daily life.
In conclusion, I would recommend this lens and don't think anyone should be scared away from it by some of the negative opinions on it. Knowing now what I do about this lens, I would gladly pay more than double what I payed for it if I ever needed to replace it, and I wish that more lenses had this much "magic" to them.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2013 Location: Maine Posts: 10 | | Review Date: March 12, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, great build quality, lightweight, all metal construction, color rendition, contrast | | Cons: | soft at the edges | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-3
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This is a nice, lightweight prime with great center sharpness, contrast, and color rendition. Its a pleasure to use on my K-3 and is especially useful for landscapes and group portraits. Although a little soft at the edges it makes up for this by being very sharp in the center of the frame. For landscapes it's a joy to use giving a nice 31mm equivalent focal length (on the K-3). Use at 5.6 or 8 for great, sharp, and contrasty images. Loves black and white, giving a classic film feel to the image!
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: October, 2014 Posts: 613
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 12, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $260.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Color, contrast, flare resistance, small size, built in hood, build quality, close up capabilities. | | Cons: | Corner sharpness not exceptional, distortion not very well controlled. | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-3
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Just like all the Limiteds, this lens is beautifully crafted, and with the K-3 it forms a nice unobtrusive and compact package. The built in hood is nice and also physically protects the front element.
The main traits of this lens are its contrast and color rendition (as all the limiteds) and its great flare resistance, making it perfect for general landscape and cytiscape use. I love its field of view, not too wide, not too narrow, that coupled with the ability to focus very close (for a lens of this focal length) make ithe DA21 very versatile. The SMC version also produces distinctive starbursts even at large apertures.
This is not a design particularly geared towards sharpness and distortion correction, however the center of the frame is sharp even from wide open, only the corners suffer a bit and require stopping down. Distortions are easily corrected with processing software.
AF is very fast and relatively silent thanks to the short travel and low weight of the lens.
Initially, i was attracted bys the DA15 Limited to complement my DA 35 Ltd in a compact two-lens kit for travel...but i found this DA21 for a below-average price, and bit the bullet.
Ever since i took hold of this beauty and put it on my K-3 i have never for one second regretted my purchase.
Very highly recommended.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: April, 2011 Location: LODINGEN, Northern Norway Posts: 275
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 6, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $714.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Small, Color rendering, focal length | | Cons: | A bit soft on the borders | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5 and K3
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Its small, and light
Funny shade
Fantastic color rendering
Almost perfect for street photo
 | | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: February, 2015 Posts: 12,232 | | Review Date: April 6, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small, rendering, focal length on APS-C | | Cons: | Not so fast, not very sharp on the borders but acceptable | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5
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The lens is small, has a very useful focal length for street photography and landscapes. Color rendering is great , and corners are not very sharp but get sharper when the lens is stopped down to f8. I used this lens essentially when I used DA kit zoom and DA super zoom where the DA 21 ltd was showing its better IQ. But then I equipment myself with a sharper zoom that is almost as sharp and faster then the DA 21ltd @ 21mm. Color rendering of the DA21 is still better than zoom.
Pros:
- small
- light weight
- rendering
Cons:
- not so fast
- a bit expensive
- compete with zoom regarding sharpness
If I had to buy this lens again , I'd buy the HD version of the 21 Ltd that seems to have a slightly better corner sharpness.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: July, 2011 Posts: 2,385
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 26, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Small fixed focal length lens | | Cons: | mechnical problems, max aperture 3.2 | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 3
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5, K3
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This is one of the must have DA fixed focal length lenses. The design is quite nice with metal lens shade and all metal housing. It feels great. Optically it is quite OK for price and size. A maximum opening of 3.2 is slow but owed to the small dimensions. This also means that you have to work at maximum aperture most often, but maximum image quality is reached only at 5.6 -8 and especially performance towards the edges improve significantly.
This design has focussing issues as described here: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/121842-prob...nfinity-2.html
I sent mine to Pentax service for readjustment and a couple months later it had the same problem again - I barely used the lens in the meantime. This design flaw makes me want to fix and sell my lens asap. The HD may behave better in this case.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Posts: 23,920 | | Review Date: December 21, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Compact size and weight, excellent IQ, fast focusing | | Cons: | f/3.2 max aperture, which if larger would mean a larger lens | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-5 IIs
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This is a long awaited lens for me, not having decided to buy it until I had to travel overseas. I already have the DA 12-24, which serves my wide angle purposes perfectly, and I found hard to beat. The size of this lens makes it less amenable to travelling, but the DA 21 (as well as its sibling the DA 15) is perfect for the job. Its excellent build quality matches its IQ and makes me wanting no more in a lens. I would forego a zoom for travelling having this lens on hand.
I have found this lens to be very sharp for all my purposes - I rarely have to shoot wider than f/4.5 with it and recognise that it is hard to have a lens exhibit perfect IQ at or near wide open.
I have long tossed up the idea of replacing the 12-24 with the 15/21 combination, but the IQ of the 12-24 is so good itself at the wide end that the DA 21 fills in the 12-24 shortcomings at the long end quite nicely. However way this is rationalised, the DA 21 is a remarkable little wide angle lens that is second to none throughout all systems. Highly recommended +++
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2010 Location: California Posts: 2,223
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 21, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Small, compact, Pentax colors, no noticeable distortion, walk lens | | Cons: | not so fast, but who cares | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-3
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Excellent lens, no distortion, great colors and compact enough to walk with it around.
 Pentax DA 21mm f3.2 - Palmeras en la Playa-1 by Palenquero, on Flickr
 Pentax DA 21mm f3.2 by Palenquero, on Flickr
 x21mmf3.2-Laguna-8-1 by Palenquero, on Flickr
 x21mmf3.2-Laguna-7-1 by Palenquero, on Flickr
 x21mmf3.2-Laguna-4-1 by Palenquero, on Flickr
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2013 Posts: 4,854
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 17, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | great colors, small, light, perfect walkaround lens | | Cons: | soft on corners | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-3
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Hi !
I own this lens for some time now and feel ready to review it.
It is not the perfect lens, mainly because it is quite soft on borders, even stopped down. My understanding is that this is not softness but field curvature. The result is the same: border tend to lack sharpness even stopped down... At least when you put focus to infinite.
This is really the only drawback. What to say? This lens just give great colors, crisp images that just look fantastic in practice. It is small, very small, the build in hood system mean you'll never remove it, getting rid of flare and removing completely the need for a protective filter.
The focal lens is near perfect for landscape and as a walkaround lens. You can take maybe half of your shoots with it ! From time to time you'll find it is not wide enough, for some buildings or maybe indoors. For thoses occasions, the DA15 might be a better fit.
It is also does nice close-ups, photos of flowers, and make the subject pop.
The f/3.2 apperture? Not really a problem you'll use f/8 most of the time for landscape anyway. For closup, f/3.2 is more than enough, you might want to stop down for more deph of field. For the night shoot, well just shoot f/3.2 for fast shutter speed handled.
Here a few examples that show the nice colors, rendering and close-up capabilities:
IMGP2049original by Nicolas Bousquet, on Flickr
IMGP1985original by Nicolas Bousquet, on Flickr
IMGP1036 by Nicolas Bousquet, on Flickr
IMGP1425 by Nicolas Bousquet, on Flickr
Edit: another picture
IMGP4821 by Nicolas, sur Flickr
Overall, you don't buy this lens for ultimate sharpness. This lens is not sharp. You buy it for the universal focal lens, the crip micro contrast, the color rendering, it small size...
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: June, 2009 Location: Berlin Posts: 103 | | Review Date: July 28, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Fast focus, small, great built, great optics | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5
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Great lens: easy handling, solid built, picture quality is excellent, even wide open.
I have to admit, though, that I use it quite rarely, it is just not my focal length ;-)
But if it should be yours then get this lens.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: December, 2013 Posts: 109 | | Review Date: June 1, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $360.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Fast (and very quiet) AF, Sharp open, small, light | | Cons: | f3.2 but its okay | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-30
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My favorite prime. Great for street photography. Light, sharp and everything you can ask for.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2013 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 1,653 | | Review Date: May 28, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size, quality feel, balance | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: k-5
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One aspect that amazes me with this lens is the possibility of using it hand-held at very low shutter speeds. At 1/10 the images are still crisp at 100% viewing. I put this down to the balance/weight of the lens.
It's not technique that's influencing these low speeds in particular, as with my DA*16-50, I could never rely on 1/10 being acceptable at 21mm.
This balance makes this lens a superb lens for traveling - it's light, unobtrusive and sharp. Others have commented on its nice IQ etc.
It may just be a little softer than the 40mm and 70mm primes, but this is marginally.
All round an excellent lens.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: December, 2012 Posts: 135
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 26, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $470.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Small, light, built quality | | Cons: | Average IQ, soft corners, some CA, pronounced geometric distortion, noisy AF, "slow" max aperture, focus ring turns on AF | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 6
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax k-5II
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This lens is light, small and very well built.
In my view it would make a very good street/travel photography lens if it weren't for the overly wide field of view.
Image quality was a bit of a disapointment (soft corners, some chromatic aberration, pronounced geometric distortion, vignetting wide open).
Focus ring shouldn't turn on AF mode…and they could perfectly have made it wider for easier handling when focusing manually, or added a finger tab ŕ la Leica.
Expensive.
| | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2011 Posts: 8
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 10, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $320.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Color, size | | Cons: | working with filters and the lens hood combined | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K5
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Quite simply an excellent lens for street photography, but also for landscapes (although there I might prefer the 15mm). The quality is up to the limited standard, and this lens is very compact and light. It's size makes it an excellent compagnon in the town or on a hike.
The screw drive autofocus is slower than some SDM systems, but reliable and the quick shift is ideal. 3.2 is not very fast, but who needs speed (or a very wide bokeh) from a 21 mm lens.
I will not comment on the field of view: 21mm is 21mm. How does Pentax gets the limited to get so color-rich images - I almost get suspicious that they have a hidden setting somewhere in the camera...
Edit/addtition. I lived for two month in another place and obviously took my K5, but in the plane the gear was limited. I brought my DA 18-250, DA 35 2.4 and M 50 1.7. Of the number of other lenses I own, here was one lens I missed: my 21 limited....
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2014 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 13
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 7, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | close focus distance, sharpness, colour rendition | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-5 II
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This is among my very favourite of the Pentax Limited lenses. It is small, light, discrete and versatile--a perfect walk around lens. It is a handsome looking lens and the lens hood does a great job of protecting the lens itself. Because it stays firmly in place the hood really eliminates the need to use a protective UV filter. The sharpness and colour rendition are spot on. Photos look great straight out of the camera.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jengel-aiello/10469614523/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jengel-aiello/8803323049/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jengel-aiello/8442410229/ | | |
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