| Author: | | New Member Registered: May, 2017 Location: Kiev Posts: 12
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 25, 2017 | Not Recommended | Price: $270.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Metal constructive. Small size. Convenient built-in hood. Excellent sharpness. Convenience when used in manual mode. | | Cons: | Absence of waterproofness and dust protection. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K5
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The lens came to me. He perfectly photographs the subject photo, macro photos. You can shoot landscapes (and glue several photos of the landscape into a single panorama).
But for photographing people's portraits, as well as for reporting shooting, it is better to purchase other lenses. Although this lens can be shot in these genres of photography. But this lens was not created for this. And he does not show himself with the best of the parties. Here for objective shooting it in my opinion is ideal! And, although autofocus is not the fastest and accurate, if you learn to focus in manual mode, the photos will have excellent sharpness, contrast and color reproduction.
And yet, my advice to beginners to use this lens: do not try to maximize the opening of the aperture when shooting. You can miss with sharpness. Due to the fact that there will be too little depth of sharply depicted space.
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.
 | | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: March, 2015 Posts: 6,381
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 11, 2017 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Flexibility, versatility, build quality | | Cons: | Arguably should have been made WR. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
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If there were one lens I wouldn't mind getting permanently stuck on my K-5, this would be it. I bought it for medical photography when I replaced my dead *istDL with a K-5, and it has served me exceedingly well in this capacity. Image quality is astounding.
It has an APSC equivalent field of view to a lens in the 50mm range, so in those terms it makes a very flexible "normal" on crop cameras, albeit somewhat slow for a lens in this category (the vast majority of 50mm non-macro Pentax lenses since the Super Takumar era are f/2 or faster). However, even for those not necessarily interested in true 1:1 reproduction, the amazingly close minimum focus distance of this lens is a boon. Quickshift focus and a fairly long throw over the near and macro range make manual adjustments a breeze. The lens does hunt occasionally, though not as badly as the 100/2.8 WR, and if you're shifting from very near to very far (or vice versa) on a subject with no clear edges, getting close with quickshift and then touching up with AF is advised.
One could argue that like the 100mm f/2.8 macro, this lens should really have been uprated to WR; and an appropriate time to do this might have been when the HD-coated version was produced.
Unfortunately, unlike some of the DA series prime lenses, this one turns out not to make the transition to full frame at all well. There is VERY noticeable corner vignetting on the K-1 which is worse on stopping down, and when the hood (which is inbuilt, and a very nice, deep profile) is extended, an overt Outer Black Circle is produced. This is a lens which is best left on crop mode, unless one has the time to find the acceptable edges when cropping manually. I have not yet updated my K-1 firmware to permit 1:1 crop, and I cannot say for certain whether this would eliminate the corner vignetting without the hood deployed.
I can certainly accept the designers' decision to concentrate on producing the desirable flat-field macro profile optimised to an APS-C sensor, especially with the wide field of view, but it's heartbreaking to see just how near it comes and yet how far it misses being a really fantastic wide-angle lens on the K-1 (to which the build quality is nicely matched). I'm sort of hoping they upgrade and redesign it for full-frame at some stage in the future, though it would probably mean growth in both the front and rear elements to maintain the proper flat-field projection over the full image circle.
It's not really designed for bokeh, but because of the very close minimum focal distance, it isn't hard to throw the background out of focus. On APS-C this is a wonderful piece of kit; anyone who needs both something wider than 50mm and macro or ultra close focus capability, and who can afford the premium over the DA35/2.4 "plastic fantastic", should consider it.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: October, 2010 Location: Dundas, Ontario Posts: 28 | | Review Date: March 29, 2017 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Versatile, compact, amazing capabilities | | Cons: | I am sure some will find some, but I can't seem to. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax
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Another review to over a 100 here, well I think it's not going to matter much. I think this lens is excellent, or maybe even amazing. Macro lenses require some dedication, skill, maybe even patience and probably a tripod if focusing really close. I find this lens to be great throughout the focus range. Perfect colors, hues, tonal range and sharpness is amazing. Some people complain about the focusing which is rather odd, I find this lens to focus plenty fast and quick shift focus assist really helps speed things up - so then when I go from close range to mid range, I always use the quick shift focus and then use the AF button to fine tune the focus point if necessary. This lens focuses really fast for me, as good as all the other DA Limited lenses. My wish would be for Ricoh to make like a DA70/2.8 macro lens, it would be my ultimate lens.
DA 35 Limited is a great lens. It looks really well matched on any Pentax DSLR - just look at the gorgeous focus ring and the build in hood! It's probably my most favorite DA limited lens, but all are very equal and amazing in a way.
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2013 Posts: 7 | | Review Date: January 12, 2017 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, contrast, build and feel are great. | | Cons: | AF unconvincing | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 4
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: k30
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I was shooting with the 2.4 in Ireland, and found that the greens (of which there are plenty in Ireland) could sometimes look a bit garish. Despite the great clarity, and nice micro contrast, generally I wasn't convinced by the realism of the colours in some situations. So when I found the 35mm 2.8 macro limited going cheap, I snapped it up, thinking I would sell the 2.4. However, I found with the limited, that oddly blues seem to boom out quite a bit! Maybe my eyes are going funny! Or maybe it's the white balance on my k30, which somehow has never been as convincing as my old k100d.....?
Pros:
The Limited has fantastic sharpness, and a touch of extra 3d depth. Perhaps the thing which really strikes me is the deep contrast. It seems easier to balance the shadows and highlights convincingly in PP. I love the build and feel. The built in hood is nice, and manual focus is a pleasure, just like with the old lenses.
Cons:
The AF is really pretty bad. It does this weird micro hunting, as if you were in AF-C mode, and when it finally locks you are never quite convinced it's nailed it. I do find the colours a little cool for a Pentax lens.
With a possible move to FF on the cards, I have a nice (ridiculously sharp!) A 35-105mm 3.5 which compares pretty well, giving more of a classic subtle colour balance. So with a preference also for a longer macro; the punchy, FF compatible, and quick AF 2.4 might actually be the keeper of the two.
Thinking of trying the 40mm limited instead maybe. Quick, small, cheap, with by all accounts just as good IQ, tiny, and seemingly more useful on FF???
Update, 11/7/17:
I did get the 40mm limited. I know this goes against the opinion of many here who think the 35macro is one of the best there is, but I think I do prefer it? The 35 is definitely sharper, but the AF is much better, the pocketability is great, and the rendering is warmer and more flattering, with slightly better bokeh.
The 35 is great at some things, and is incredibly sharp. I find the cool colour rendition combined with the almost brutal sharpness can make some images unattractive. It often shows fantastic 'pop', mainly because the colours are so vivid, but the 40 has a different kind of 'pop' with great separation of the subject, never seems to LACK sharpness, and has that fantastic useabililty as a bonus.
If I do get that FF, I think the 35macro might be on the sell list to pay for a 100macro. That said, I can't deny a faint sneaking suspicion I might yet learn to love it....?
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2009 Location: Central Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 420 | | Review Date: October 2, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $251.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Allowes plenty of light at f2.8. | | Cons: | The push-on front lens cap | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K-3
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I've had this lens for awhile and I had to really think something up for the "negative aspects" section. I had the DA 35mm f2.4 and although that lens was sharp I think that this 35mm f2.8 macro limited is sharper. I pick out my sharper images by zooming in or cropping and with this lens the job is really tough because (as long as I hold the camera still) all of the photos are sharp! The 35mm focal length is good because it makes it easier to take hand-held macro shots. The first mushroom photo below is without a flash and the second mushroom photo one is with my Metz 58-AF-2 at a 45 degree bounce angle.  I have a Tamron Di SP  90mm f:2.8 Macro that I most always use on a tripod but I find that the 35mm macro doesn't need "babysat" as much. Some times you know that a particular lens is a "keeper" and you won't ever give it up for any reason. I've got 4 lenses like that and this one is at the top of my list!
March 27, 2017--The lens I used (35mm 1:2.8) for this review almost got sold but it ended up getting broken by a "potential buyer". Sooo, I bought another one. It seems I didn't want to sell it as bad as I thought. After having used my new one extensively, (and having bought a Pentax 49mm snap on front lens cover) the only thing I have to add is that this copy is every bit as good as my first one. I upgraded all the "aspecs" to 10 all the way because I really, really have a lot of faith in this lens. I'll never- ever even think of selling this one!
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: December, 2011 Location: North Rhine-Westphalia Posts: 1,440
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 14, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $435.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Close-to-perfect "3-D" rendering, beautiful build quality, convenient pull-out hood, 9-bladed aperture, a viable standard that doubles as a competent macro. | | Cons: | Super-close working distance at 1:1 can make lighting challenging, AF occasionally hunts, F2.8 a bit slow for a standard. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-3, K-7
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Likely the best-rendering lens in my bag. Crisp sharpness and contrast, top-notch colour saturation and differentiation, yet nothing clinical about it. A lens with real character. Some users gripe about the somewhat "busy" bokeh in non-macro situations, but to my mind, creaminess isn't everything and can even be a bit boring, particularly when paired with flat, muddy rendition. A candidate more deserving of the title "Art Lens" than some, IMHO. 
But why on earth do I use it so comparatively rarely? Possibly because its standard focal length forces me to be a better photographer, to be more inventive in my composition, given that I can rely less on the straightforward, tried-and-tested recipes of wide-angle and telephoto shots. This can be a little imposing or hampering, particularly if you are a photographer who is a bit weary to be without wider or longer options and reluctant to constantly change lenses.
Yet, almost every single time when I did step out of my comfort zone and really engaged with this wonderful lens, I have been richly rewarded. Here's a selection of sample shots:
https://needacreate.smugmug.com/The-beauty-of-the-mundane/i-qw2fdJN/A
https://needacreate.smugmug.com/A-childhood-miscellaneous/i-cVv7QDN/A
https://needacreate.smugmug.com/Trusty-tools/i-7rw8f3f/A
https://needacreate.smugmug.com/Ferns-foxgloves/
https://needacreate.smugmug.com/London-2017/i-TLzD4VC/A
https://needacreate.smugmug.com/Late-bloomers/i-wwR4Js3/A
https://needacreate.smugmug.com/Kleve/i-cDZBCn7/A
https://needacreate.smugmug.com/Summer-blossoms/i-7vbg6vN/A | | | | | Senior Member Registered: May, 2011 Location: Hanoi Posts: 213
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 27, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | perfect close up, product photography | | Cons: | nil | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K200D
| |
35ltd is really the monster of product photography. The minimum focus only 14cm so it's easy to approach the target.
 DA 20-40ltd HD black edition, on Flickr
 DA* 55mm f1.4 + DA 1.4x HD Converter, on Flickr
 100 MACRO WR, on Flickr
 35ltd, on Flickr
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: May, 2014 Location: Galway - Ireland Posts: 213 | | Review Date: August 21, 2015 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, IQ | | Cons: | Don't buy it for macro | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K3
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WHO IS IT FOR ?
The 35mm f/2.8 Macro is a great prime lens for almost everything you can think about... except macro. The focal is great for street photography and portrait (even if we could expect a larger aperture). But, the macro option here is a bit disappointing, we will take about it later.
HANDLING
This lens is small sized but perfectly build in the best of Pentax tradition. The focus rings are smooth and soft.
AUTOFOCUS
The autofocus is not top fast, but for most uses it is correct.
IMAGE QUALITY
>SHARPNESS
This lens is amazingly sharp and contrasty.
>BOKEH
Bokehs could be softer, there are some luminance variations in the bokeh spots.
>CHROMA ABERRATIONS
A little bit of purple fringing can be observed, but nothing to care about.
>FLARE
I did not notice any flare issue for this lens. Ghost is well controled.
>COLOR RENDITION
Nice rendering. Maybe slightly cold.
>DISTORSION
Almost none
>VIGNETING
Nothing to care about in field conditions...
MACRO : REALLY ?
When I tried this lens it was mainly for its macro option. And this are some considerations about it : the macro images you can get from this lens are great in terms of image quality, with nice sharpness and low aberrations. The focal seems weird when you try to do macro however because it includes too much background elements. Macro tends to isolate the subject from its background and the 35mm focal is not great for isolation. Last but not least, the working distance at 35mm is ridiculous, which is not convenient for outdoor shooting and which is not convenient for te lighting of your subject. You can keep this lens for casual 1:10 proxi, but don't expect to use it much for 1:1 macro.
CONCLUSION
If you search for a nice 35mm providing clean and sharp images for portrait and casual proxi shots, this is a great lens. But it should be clear in your mind when you buy it that you don't want it for macro purpose. Macro is just an extra option on it, not the aim of the lens.
SAMPLE PICTURES
https://www.flickr.com/photos/134793426@N02/20493628368/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/134793426@N02/20060690033/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/134793426@N02/20688400551/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/134793426@N02/20060687083/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/134793426@N02/20493656250/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/134793426@N02/20655378176/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/134793426@N02/20681644025/in/dateposted-public/ | | | | | Senior Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: 'Merica! Posts: 209 | | Review Date: August 19, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $479.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Crisp contrast and colors | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-5IIs
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Image quality in all lighting, all apertures and at all distances is consistently crisp. Colors are rich.
I find the 35mm (50mm equivalent) FOV great for everyday use.
True 1:1 macro makes this superior for real close up work. The difference between 1:2 and 1:1 is significant and allows you to maximize bokeh blur. At 1:1 the front element is less than one inch from the subject making setup more challenging.
Handling is similar to other true macro glass with short focusing throw at long end near infinity and much longer throw as you go to greater magnifications.
Auto focus is screw drive so down side is it is slower and noisier than SDM variety. Pros are that it is unlikely to fail as SDM models are prone to. I use this lens exclusively in manual focus and find it smooth and intuitive.
The pull out hood is great and I use it constantly.
| | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2014 Posts: 14
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 26, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Definicion, contraste, color | | Cons: | Tapa, funda | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: k5, k50, k200d
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Muy buen lente. Excelente en capacidad de enfoque, aun con el sol de contra. Definicion casi perfecta, colores y contrastes sublimes. Pesimo sistema de la tapa del lente, que siempre se sale. Calidad de construccion muy correcta, totalmente metalico. Velocidad de enfoque promedio, funciona con el tornillo de enfoque de la camara (no tiene motor). El bokeh es mediocre, tiene buena forma, pero la focal corta no permite desenfoques muy pronunciados. En Macro es muy bueno, pero la focal corta atenta contra la comodidad de uso y condiciona sus resultados.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: October, 2014 Posts: 613
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 18, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $320.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, built in hood, IQ, macro, build quality | | Cons: | Working distance at maximum magnification | |
This is among the most well regarded lenses in the Pentax lineup, and my experience is in full agreement with the general consensus.
If you are after a dedicated macro lens to go for 1:1 magnification you might be disappointed because, although it offers this capability, the working distance with such a short FL is not easy to work with. Close-up shots with less extreme magnification is where this lens really excels as a "macro" tool.
The 35mm focal length on APS-C gives rise to a "normal" field of view, so this is also suited as a general purpose walk around lens, which is the key to the versatility of this lens. The AF is fast and accurate on both my cameras. It also lacks a focus limited so it might hunt a bit if you go back and forth between general usage and close-up focusing, but this is to be expected so it's not really a fault. Moreover you can limit the hunting by judicious use of the quick shift function.
I find this lens to consistently provide high quality shots, with outstanding sharpness, micro-contrast, color punch, lack of distortions and aberrations. In my experience this is true in every kind of situation, lighting and composition: 1:2 close up shots, landscapes, interior shots with low light, portraits....
Some consider this lens one of the sharpest available on K mount, and although i do not own each and every K mount lens ever made for comparison, i can say with confidence that this one truly exploits the 24MP AA filterless sensor of the K-3.
There are fastest lenses available around this focal length, but this is sharp enough at f2.8 that you can trust this lens at its maximum aperture in low light, so this is not an issue.
| | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2015 Posts: 4
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 13, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $354.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Light , good handling , sharp, silent auto-focus | | Cons: | F 2.8 , not enough when photos are taken inside | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-30 , k7
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If you use this lense on a good DSLR such as the k-3 or k-30 you are going to get exellent results, however , if you use it with a k-7 , it is another story.
The 35mm is an f2.8 , and the k7 has a very very bad iso handling.
This is a great lense to have if you got a good camera to put it on  | | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2014 Posts: 2
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 15, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Compact size, very good image quality, acceptable AF speed (because it is a macro ) | | Cons: | ugly little :) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-5iis
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This lens is absolutely a gem .You can use it for daily photos. Its af speed quite enough for this. Also you can of course use it for macro but closest focus distance really low but it makes good job. But i think it is ugly. So as a abstract it is an ugly gem for me
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: April, 2011 Location: LODINGEN, Northern Norway Posts: 275 | | Review Date: November 21, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $750.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp,dual purpose | | Cons: | why isnt it WR? | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5 and K3
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This is one of my most used lenses.
Fantastic easy to use, for hand held macro.
Very easy to control D.O.F
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Arizona Posts: 442
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 1, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $314.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, excellent optical characteristics, macro capability | | Cons: | Absolutely none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-3
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After reading the many glowing reviews on this lens, I bid on this one on e-Bay and won it. It's easily now the very best prime lens in my kit (others are the 50mm f/1.4 and the 15mm f/4 Limited). Inasmuch as Pentax APS-C cameras have a 1.5x crop factor, this lens equates to the old 35mm film standard of 50mm - in this case about 53mm equivalent. Hence it "sees" things much like human vision, with no distortion through elongation or compression in the picture.
It's SHARP. And this sharpness continues pretty much to the limits of the frame, with a minimum of chromatic aberration. It focuses well, and seems right on with my K-3. It's good for low light; certainly not the equal of the 50mm f/1.4, but since both my K-3 and K-5 have great ISO capabilities, it's plenty good enough - and enough to give a narrow focus range if you wish to isolate the subject and give pleasing bokeh in the background. It's ideal for portraiture.
While focusing can be slow from within the macro area to infinity and back, that's a characteristic of most macro lenses. If you have the focus set in the mid-range to begin with, it's as quick as any autofocus lens. I like the "quick shift" override if you find it necessary to use it, but the autofocus (I set it to "spot") is uniformly right on. For really close macro shots, I prefer to focus manually to be sure that what I want to be sharp is right on the button. This lens will not disappoint in either mode.
With its macro capabilities, its easy to get really close to a subject, and take a photo that will even reveal flecks of dust on that subject. I do commercial photography, using my photographs for magazine articles, and this baby is a prize for that. I have authored a book, with most of the photos being my own. Those taken with this lens stand out for their clarity - the colors pop, and very little post-processing is required in order get a photo ready for publication. Here are five examples of the types of photos I take (firearms, mostly). All were taken with this lens. These were of course downsized to fit here.
I also like the pull-out lens hood - very handy. I question why it's internally lined with a felt-like material. I know it traps unwanted light well, but it's also a dust magnet. Hasn't proven to be a problem in use, though. The screw-on lens cap is a pain to use, so I substituted a standard pinch-type Pentax lens cap. It's much quicker on and off.
In short, this is a great "universal" prime lens. A longer-range macro would be better where you can't get real close to your subject (hornets and birds, for instance), but if you can get close, this will take pics from as close as 5.5 inches to give you a 1 to 1 macro image. For inanimate objects, used with a tripod, it's unbeatable. With the 24 megapixel size of K-3 images, you can blow up the picture of a small thing to absolutely enormous. The build quality is impressive, and barring abuse, it should last a lifetime.
All in all, this is a superb lens - very deserving of its elite "Limited" label.
John
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/paladin | | |
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