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SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL

Sharpness 
 9.1
Aberrations 
 8.6
Bokeh 
 8.3
Autofocus 
 8.5
Handling 
 8.8
Value 
 9.7
Reviews Views Date of last review
157 765,259 Mon October 31, 2022
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
98% of reviewers $159.74 9.14
SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL

SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL
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SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL
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SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL
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Description:
The SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL is a budget lens retailing for only $219.95 in the USA. This lens features SP coating. For a limited period of time, the DA 35mm was available in 12 different colors to match different camera bodies. Despite being labeled as a DA lens (as opposed to DA L), it does NOT feature quick-shift focusing, and has a plastic bayonet and no distance scale on the focusing ring.

SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
APS-C
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
No
Diaphragm
Automatic, 6 blades
Optics
6 elements, 5 groups
Mount Variant
KAF
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F2.4
Min. Aperture
F22
Focusing
AF (screwdrive)
Quick-shift
No
Min. Focus
30 cm
Max. Magnification
0.17x
Filter Size
49 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 44 ° / 38 °
Hood
PH-SA49 (rectangular plastic clip-on), RH-RC49 (threaded folding rubber hood)
Case
S70-70
Lens Cap
Coating
SMC,SP
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
63 x 45 mm (2.5 x 1.8 in.)
Weight
124 g (4.4 oz.)
Production Years
2010 to present (in production)
Pricing
$146 USD current price
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-DA 1:2.4 35mm AL
Product Code
21987
Reviews
User reviews
In-depth review
Unofficial Full-Frame Compatibility Tests by Pentax Forums
★★☆ Full coverage at some F-stop and focal length combinations
Show details
Notes
User tests show that this lens covers the 24x36 mm format.
One aspherical element.
Lens hood and case are not included with the lens.
Plastic lens mount.
Variants

Produced in many colors


Features:
Screwdrive AutofocusAutomatic ApertureAPS-C Digital Only
Purchase: Buy the SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL
In-Depth Review: Read our SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL in-depth review!
Sample Photos: View Sample Photos
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL Buy the SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Ascending) Showing Reviews 16-30 of 157
Veteran Member

Registered: January, 2011
Location: Paris, France
Posts: 3,217

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: May 12, 2011 Recommended | Price: $179.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: light, sharp @f2.5, compatible FF :lol:
Cons: no marked focus indication on focusing ring (it's a DAL after all :)

after 6 months with this lens, i can tell that the nickname "plastic wonder" was well choosen

It's sharp and has a nice bokeh at full aperture,

Nice colors rendering, even at full aperture, and absolutely awsome from f4 to f11.

quick focusing in AF,

Easy to focus on MF,

Fast lense,

Compatible FF without vignetting (tested with a Super A/Super Program, work like a charm )

it's a big bang for the bucks ! Really worth the money.


My only "cons" is that it hasn't indication, or mark on the focusing ring... but for that price, it's not really a matter

if you still hesitate, well ... just move your butt and go try it and then buy it
   
Junior Member

Registered: March, 2011
Location: Milpitas, CA
Posts: 44

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: May 17, 2011 Recommended | Price: $199.99 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: IQ, sharp, light weight, great indoor shots, focal length, affordable
Cons: plastic, no hood

This is my favorite lens which is attached to my K-x almost all the time. This lens is very sharp. The image quality for both outdoor and indoor shots is excellent. The 35mm focal length along with f/2.4 is great for indoor photos. I like to use it especially to take pictures of dishes (and friends across the table) while eating out.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: November, 2009
Location: Seattle
Posts: 723

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: May 21, 2011 Recommended | Price: $189.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: sharp, fast, great color, contrast & bokeh, light, FAST AF holy cats!
Cons: needs a hood badly, some fringing wide open
New or Used: New   

Like all the other reviews, I'll say that this is the best bang for your buck at this focal length that you can stick on a Pentax, IMO. Sharp at all apertures, classic Pentax color, very good contrast (I'm withholding judgement on "great" until I see this lens perform with a hood - without one it's prone to flare & washout). I love the bokeh on this lens - watercolor-y goodness. An even smoother bokeh than my DA70Ltd. The AF is super fast, the fastest focusing Pentax lens I've had (though I haven't had the DA40).

Cons - this lens needs a hood, desperately. I can't imagine why its not sold with one (except to keep it as inexpensive as possible). It really suffers from flares & contrast washout without it, which isn't fair to the lens, cause it's got excellent contrast otherwise. My copy also has some noticeable fringing wide open - minor, but there. Probably wouldn't bother most people, but I happen to hate fringing more than any other lens issue :P

I'm rating this lens a '9' because for me '10' is best represented by the Limited lenses (I've had the DA35 Ltd. and the DA70 Ltd. & bought the DA15 twice). There's a lack of the limited lens fairy dust here (what *is* that anyway?? phenomenal microcontrast? I dunno), but it's a fantastic lens. And for the cost it's a HUGE TEN.

When is Pentax going to release more primes of the DA(L) variety? Cause I'd buy them all!

f/5 - lovely sharp crispy goodness
(Non working link removed)

f/3.2 - this has been stylistically edited for contrast, but I'm putting it up for the bokeh
   
Site Supporter

Registered: February, 2010
Location: Doylestown, PA
Posts: 177

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: May 24, 2011 Recommended | Price: $170.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Price, IQ (sharp, beautiful colors), fast AF, very light.
Cons: Cheesy mount...hope it holds up.

Bought it on a whim (didn't want to pay for the DA35mm macro at 2-3 times the cost of this one)...and this lens was already getting good reviews. Great decision. This lens is the best bargain out there. Have a look at the attached, just minimally tweaked with Microsoft Live Photo Gallery. Overall, an outstanding lens at any price. I just hope the mount holds up.
   


2 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 4, 2011 Recommended | Price: $200.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Good sharpness across the frame stopped down a bit
Cons: Sometimes it misbehaves and adds more CAs to the mix than I'd like to see
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 9   

Positives:

Good to excellent sharpness across the frame stopped down to f5.6/8 and low distortion - truly excellent results with a bit of post-processing

Fast autofocus (albeit very noisy)

Not bad manual focus feel for a cheap, plastic autofocus lens

Decently fast

Very good landscape lens when stopped down and focused accurately - there's a strange 'flaw' in that it behaves almost like a lens with a floating element, requiring very precise focus for corner to corner sharpness (if focus is slightly off, the borders and corners will suffer, even around f8) - in this regard, it seems similar to the Leica Elmarit R 28mm E55 that really has a floating element and is very fussy about adaptors and focus point...

Small, light and decently built for an all-plastic construction (don't be put off by the fact that it's plastic and has no internal focus motor - there's little that can break)

If this matters (and it does to me because I don't like to attract attention), it has a very discrete design that doesn't carry the ostentatious and cheesy looks of the cheap Canons and Nikons

Negatives:

A bit more CAs than I'd like to see, sometimes misbehaving quite badly

For landscapes, if focus is not on the money, the borders and corners will be soft (I still have to test whether this is infinity or just before with live view as there's no focusing scale on the lens) - impossible to predict the results of zone focusing unless using live view

Noisy autofocus

No hood included (that's mingy!)
   
Veteran Member

Registered: July, 2009
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 2,066

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 4, 2011 Recommended | Price: $149.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Size, weight, image quality, price, FF capability
Cons: Slightly disappointing build quality

Nice and sharp wide open, nice transition to OOF areas. Very small and light, surprisingly nice MF feel. Exceedingly sharp at >f4!

On first inspection I was disappointed at the build quality of the lens... looked a little rough around the edges to me. But it looks quite nice if you don't look too close :ugh:

Ideal little family snapshot / people lens on APSC digital, and as a Brucie Bonus, a lovely fast moderate wide on film, betraying it's FA35 f2 DNA!



   
Veteran Member

Registered: September, 2010
Location: Somewhere in the Southern US
Posts: 12,285

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: June 10, 2011 Recommended | Price: $174.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Shapeness, cost, f2.4, weight, accurate & fast AF
Cons: plastic mount, no hood, no distance scale

Excellent purchase. Very happy with the sharpness, color, and AF on this in addition to the f2.4 low light performance. Yes, it's plastic but at $175 its still a great bargain IMHO. I would have paid a wee bit more for a metal mount and a hood but I have a $5 after-market hood I like for my FA50 and it fits so I will be ordering a second one for this lens- NBD. I'm constantly impressed, newbie showing through I guess, with the performance of a prime vs a telephoto. I think the DAL 18-55 is a good kit lens and have used it a great deal since I got it but the color rendition, sharpness at all f settings, and speed of focus on this lens put it to shame IMHO. Add to that its Bokeh is significantly more pleasant than the 18-55's and you have a real gem. Are there even better 35mm primes, sure I guess based on reports here but this one cost me $175 + $5 for a hood and is making me look like a better photographer.

Pentax - please release more Primes like this - please.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: March, 2011
Location: Virginia
Posts: 2,846

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 25, 2011 Recommended | Price: $187.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: sharp, great IQ, affordable, colorful and contrasty
Cons: none unless you don't like plastic mounts
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: New   

I've had this lens for about a month now and I'm really enjoying it. It's extremely sharp, lightweight and small, and produces excellent image quality. The bokeh is pleasing as well.

This lens gets a 10 because I can think of no negatives. Sure, it could be faster, but I've not actually needed it to be faster. It's fast enough for the conditions I shoot in the great majority of the time. I have no qualms about the plastic mount - it feels solid and there's no indication that it won't work just fine for years to come.

It's also a pretty nice bargain. For less than $200, you get a really versatile and sharp lens with a very useful focal length. I have had this lens on my camera most of the time since acquiring it.

Below are a few examples of the sharpness and colorful nature of the DA 35/2.4. Bottom line: it's an excellent alternative for people like me who can't afford the big bucks Limited Pentax lenses.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2724/5794652191_19e93201be_z.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/5870192602_1a77dcc930_z.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3374/5846569738_43f446200c_z.jpg
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: March, 2007
Location: Toowoomba, Queensland
Posts: 23,920

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 25, 2011 Recommended | Price: $135.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, contrasty images - Fast AF - Petite size - Lightweight - Cheap
Cons: Considerable back focusing in low light

A great idea from Pentax, a long time coming for the prime dabbler.
Hopefully the start of a few budget primes for APS-C.
This lens is a brilliant example of Pentax's optical brilliance without the high price tag.
Punchy colours and detail unrivalled by any lens its price range, it's perfect for the discerning point & shooter or young aspiring photographer (kids included ).

My copy suffers from significant BF in relatively low light, which I just cannot correct for. This would be my only grip, but otherwise a brilliant piece of plastic and glass!
   
Senior Member

Registered: April, 2011
Location: Oxford
Posts: 244

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: July 1, 2011 Recommended | Price: $181.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Wolf in sheeps clothing
Cons: lens hood is extra
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-5, K-30   

This is a peach of a lens, beautifully understated and unpretentious. I have quite a few pentax primes and zooms, nothing too expensive, but this baby beats them all for quality of image. I really do like it; a simple but effective lens, and good value for money. Lets hope this is the start of a series. Now to scan the internet for a lens hood............

Since my initial review I have acquired four limited DA lenses, including the 35mm f2.8 macro, and have consequently discovered new levels of sharpness. I have therefor lowered my rating to 9. This lens still is, however, excellent value.
   
Forum Member

Registered: June, 2007
Location: quebec
Posts: 75

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: July 18, 2011 Recommended | Price: $180.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: very simple to use. fast focus, sharp at all apperture, great image quality
Cons: no hood

Its a beautiful lens.
Fast and accurate auto focus.
Sharp at all apperture,
Great in low lighting
Colors and contrast are beautiful.
I would like more lens like this one.
   
Senior Member

Registered: May, 2011
Location: New York
Posts: 233

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: July 25, 2011 Recommended | Price: $120.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: King of snap shots
Cons: What do you expect under $200 with F2.4

King of snap shots ...... why i call it this name?
it feeds snap shot photographers very full: small/light lens, prime lens(sharp), 35mm for wide shot or makes you shoot close to objects (shoot closer, impress more), low price.
I suggest the beginner should get this lens after the kit zoom. It is easy to make you take moody pictures.

One more thing is the macro of this lens, whatever it has not come with real macro function, but it can shoot the object very close and sharp.
   
New Member

Registered: June, 2011
Location: Rovigo
Posts: 13

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: July 26, 2011 Recommended | Price: $173.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Great image quality, fast, cheap
Cons: Plastic mount, lacks hood, somehow loves flares

According to me this is a GREAT Pentax lens and it has a really low cost.
The only drawback is the fact that it lacks a lens hood (buy one on eBay from those China sellers, otherwise the lens loves flares!) and it has a plastic mount.
Otherwise, buy it!

http://www.pentaxiani.it/gall/albums/userpics/13302/Torre-Dona-con-fuochi-artificiali.jpg
   
Veteran Member

Registered: June, 2011
Location: Chester
Posts: 719

5 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 8, 2011 Recommended | Price: $230.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Size Feel Weight Look Bokeh Sharp
Cons: Aberrations Fringing or something like that No Quick Shift
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 4    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 7    Value: 10    New or Used: New   

A staple of my kit, this is small, lightweight and reliable. It has a few issues here and there, but at the price you have literally no reason not to buy this lens.

Unless you've already bought the 35/2... But that's like, twice the price.

EDIT: I now use this, with my 15mm Limited and DA* 50-135 as my staple kit, generally with this or the 15 mounted on a K-x, and the 50-135 on a K-5. And I am absolutely loving it. I do stage work, and the ability to grab wider shots of the stage with this is great. It's faster than the 15mm f/4 so I generally use this more often. And I love the look of the bokeh from this lens, not sure what everyone else thinks, but it's impressive when you stop it down to about 3.5, and even at 2.4 it's still very nice.

Edit 2: It's become one with my admittedly neglected K-x now, they both feel as rigidly plasticky as each other and they're small light and high quality. I've since become addicted to my DA* zooms, so it's not seen that much use, and handling wise it's not much to shout about. Fits the K-x like a glove though.
   
New Member

Registered: January, 2011
Location: Toila
Posts: 2

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 9, 2011 Recommended | Price: $230.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Small, lightweight, very sharp, real very good IQ by f/2,4
Cons: no relevant cons
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 10   

Excellent sharpness starting from max. apperture f/2,4 already! (A lot of different f/1.8 lenses gain the good sharpness from f/2.8 or more.)
No CA-s, no purple fringing.
Good color rendering, nice bokeh.
Quick AF, OK, a little bit noisy maybe.
Just right focal length for DX standard fix (35mm to 52mm).
Small, lightweight.
And all it for very very reasonable price.
Missing hood you can find everywhere.
Some people don't like "plastic construction". It spares weight and has no influence on image quality.
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