| Author: | | New Member Registered: April, 2019 Posts: 5 | | Review Date: March 6, 2023 | Recommended | Price: $222.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | great color, build | | Cons: | hard to focus | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: k100d, k200d, k-2
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i got some terrible results on the k100d and k200d, focus confirmation is impossible. better luck on the k-r because of live view. the best results i got on mirrorless cameras such as a5100 and z50. there the 24/2.8 shines!
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2017 Posts: 12
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 25, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | handling, colours, good flare control for its class | | Cons: | not much sharp, especially in the corners | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 8
Camera Used: Pentax K50, Fujifilm XT-20
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I have used a Pentax-K 24mm for a week, handling is excellent and the focal length is very versatile with APS-C.
That said, it is softer than I expected, and checking images from it and the Vivitar 24mm (from Cosina) casts a much better light on the latter.
The Pentax also shows some relevant lateral CA.
Anyway, for 30 dollars (25 euro) it's a decent glass, fun to use, but there are better choices.
Some more here: https://www.rustichelli.net/Hobbies/Photography/LensTests/24mm-looking-throu...mm_on_APSC.php | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: June, 2013 Location: Utrecht Posts: 255
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 18, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $75.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Compact, well build, very sharp stopped down, almost no CA | | Cons: | Despite looking new mine suffered balsam separation | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: K2 to K1ii
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This is a bit strange review because mine has a serious fault. It badly suffers balsam separation. So I score it for IQ like my A24 that I also own (and reviewed) wich has the same optics but a different housing and A-setting.
I bought this lens six years ago looking unused and brand new in the original box but later discovered it was a bad bargain. In bright light it flares like hell, in fact it's now a special effect lens for me and a "presse papier". I tried to separate the faulty two lens elements apart and repair it but I didn't manage that. Several solvants, putting it in hot oil, nothing worked, the two elements remained Siamese twins  .
For build quality, estethics and color of the coatings I find the K-version more attractive than the A-version. It's a beautiful looking lens that was sold as a K-lens but in fact is a 100% M-era-lens. The K3.5/24 is the real K24 to mine opinion. If you can find a prestine K2.8/24 I can recommend it.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2016 Location: lake constance Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 17, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | average performance, extremely high mechanical quality | | Cons: | out of production | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax MX, ME super, Sony A7
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This lens is not as sharp as I hoped and I expected a bit more optical quality from a K lens. The crispy sharpness can be reached by stopping down to 16 or 22, but not former on my copy. In the most cases I will do this, because in landscape photography it is useful for the intention of showing wide and open spaces. The infinity stop is very tricky. I think, the former SMC 3.5 24mm made a better performance in this point - however it wasn´t such a compact lens.
But this is only in comparison with really top lenses of the K System. There isn´t any significant difference between my Nikkor 2.8 24mm AIS and this lens here.
But the focus and aperture ring of the SMC is a class of its own. Silky and smooth moving of the mechanical components. I bought the Nikkor new in 1988. No 25 years later it had a dry focus ring inside. I bought the SMC used, when it was already 40 years old and it is a joy to work with it. The Super Multi Coating is a dream for digital shooting too.
The focal length of a 24mm lens is a joy for landscape photography. In comparison with my M 4 20mm and my M 3.5 28mm it is golden in the most cases! | | | | | | | amateur dirt farmer Registered: December, 2014 Location: probably out in a field somewhere... Posts: 41,766
7 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 31, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | handling, color rendition, clarity | | Cons: | older lens coatings | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: K-3, K-50
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my month with the SMC 24mm f2.8 (Ariane) was quite the surprise for me, as I thought it would more of a struggle to come to grips with this older, fully-manual lens.
I was wrong - this lens is a joy to work with...
the K24/2.8 was a lens I traded for, giving away a Vivitar (Cosina) 24mm f2.8, and a SMC M 50mm f4 Macro for it...
of course, as film-era Pentax, the build quality and feel of the lens are stellar - my copy seems nearly-unused, except for some cleaning marks on the front element and missing the white mount-nub..
the worst thing about the lens is the fact that it is a manual lens - no 'A' on the aperture ring, no auto-focus, none of that - and that makes me think so much more about what I'm shooting; I have to fully think about the exposure and lighting and shutter speed and ISO....and makes me practice the craft of photography...
I love the color rendition of the lens, especially blues - this lens does amazing things with landscapes and blue skies; bokeh is only 'ok' with this lens, but not as harsh or busy as other wide-angle lenses; focus is better at center than edges, but not horribly so...
it is very versatile - with a MFD of less that a foot, I could bring subjects in quite close for detail and texture; and with the 24mm of width to work with, it's easy to use for street photography or landscapes...
some of my favorites from the month:
 crepe myrtle by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
 Remy Jane by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
 wild rose hips by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
 tall grass at sunset by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
and the rest of the album for this lens:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperberryfarm/albums/72157673786059476
I entered the month with the idea that I would be listing this lens for sale in March - I'm glad that I did the diligent thing and shot the K24/2.8 for February, because it's a keeper....
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2011 Location: Niagara Posts: 3,907
9 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 31, 2015 | Recommended
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | FoV, f2.8 - Its a K! <-- great build quality. | | Cons: | Infinity sharpness | |
I shot this lens on APS-C, and on Film (Ektar 100 and Pan F+ 50). I found fantastic sharpness within 15' but as the distance increased a general softness appeared - particularly on the incredible detail rendering K5 IIs sensor. Is this a sharp landscape lens? No. Can you shoot wonderful creative exposures? Yes. Does it render usable images? Absolutely.
A note on use of filters: Yes, they will vignette on film, this is a very wide lens.
great colour rendering - ƒ4.0 @ 1/125 Ektar 100
 Sakura in the park by Matt, on Flickr
I think this one is ƒ8.0 @ 1/500
 April 14: Master Plan by Matt, on Flickr
Plenty sharp within 15' - an arms length portrait - K5 IIs
 April 9: deep consideration by Matt, on Flickr
Smooth bokeh - again K5 IIs
 Catkin by Matt, on Flickr
Some examples of Landscape on film.
 Whitesands River by Matt, on Flickr
 West Harbour GO by Matt, on Flickr
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2013 Location: Jakarta Posts: 2 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: May, 2014 Posts: 138
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 23, 2015 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | little to no flare, size, manual focusing feel | | Cons: | f/2.8 not that sharp, soft in corners | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-50
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I have used this lens for about 1 year now - it was time to contribute with a review. I use this lens as a landscape lens only. It would work well for street shooting as well given that it's relatively fast but probably an A 24 would do better on street because of its automation.
- Sharpness is not that great at f2.8 - the max aperture is usable but it's probably the weak point of this lens. On top of that the sharpness in the corners is problematic on 35mm format. Given that I use this for landscape where the aperture stays between f5.6-f16, the sharpness is really not an issue for me. As a matter of fact, I have printed some of my best shots at 30x45cm and I feel I could print 60x90cm without reaching the sharpness limit of the lens. If I had to rate sharpness starting from f5.6 it would get a 10 but otherwise just an 8 from me.
- Bokeh is nice and rather smooth than nervous
- Color rendition seems very natural to me - something very good for landscape
- Flare is amazingly well controlled. I was very surprised seeing how well it controls flare for its age. Either you don't see any or if you see it just looks good - well at least it looks good to me. There is a photo below showing a flare that I produced on purpose.
- Purple fringing level on digital is low
- Built is typical SMC K therefore very good and focusing feel is again, typical and very good
Here are some of my best landscapes, done with this lens:
Links removed
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2007 Location: So Cal Posts: 2,080
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 20, 2014 | Not Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | xlnt handling, good contrast | | Cons: | blurry sides on ff, doesn't completely go away on crop sensor camera | | Sharpness: 5
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 4
Camera Used: Sony a7R 36mp full frame
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i've shot this lens on both the k10d and the sony a7r.
i liked the sigma 24mm f/2.8 better on the k10d, and just about everything else over this, on the sony a7r.
the problem with this lens on a 36mp full frame camera is blurry sides, which could be caused by excessive field curvature... here is a large comparison picture showing the problems:
smc Pentax 24mm f/2.8 lens test, Sony a7R
blurry sides can be caused by a tilted element inside the lens, but since the Yoshihiko Takinami lens test shows incredibly low corner resolution, it's probably a poor lens design:
http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/lenses/resolution.html
if you are looking at this lens for your crop sensor pentax, don't plan on using it for critical landscape shooting... but it would be great for centered objects, since the contrast and sharpness are xlnt in the center.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 426
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 23, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $140.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Wide on FF | | Cons: | Slight vignette depending on filter used | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: LX, K-01
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Overall my favorite wide angle lens that I have used. 95% used on film. Never use it on digital for pictures, it is a good focal length for video however in aps-c. No A ring means you do a bit more work on digital.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: October, 2009 Location: North Posts: 4,709
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 21, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | small; f2.8; center sharp wide open; overall sharp enough stopped down | | Cons: | corners can be a bit sharper stopped down on FF | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K5; K30; Sony A7 (FF)
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This is a review of the lens on FF (Sony A7)
I have left full sized samples on flickr.
DSC0080120140110ILCE-7-11-1 by jenkwang, on Flickr
@f8
DSC0124020140113ILCE-7 by jenkwang, on Flickr
@f2.8
DSC0122420140113ILCE-7 by jenkwang, on Flickr
@f5.6
Not much to complain about this lens for me, one of the smaller slr 24/2.8 out there typical of Pentax, flare resistant smc coating, wide enough for quite a bit of things on FF.
Sharp (very) in the center wide open and overall sharp stopped down to f5.6 and above.
I gave the sharpness score as 8, but its more like a '9' where it matters (usually in the center at f2.8) and '8' in the corners stopped down at f8 on FF.
So on average more 8.5 if there was a selection for this score.
Very portable as its so small, it is not something every camera brand can offer nowadays for a FF 24mm at f2.8 on FF.
I can't emphasize it enough.
Bokeh is generally ok too, which is already very good compared to may wide angles of the 24-28mm focal length.
This was a favourite for me on aps-c, on FF, I do think its even better.
| | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2013 Location: Naples Posts: 10 | | Review Date: November 1, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Bult, colours (like Zeiss), center sharpness, micro contrast | | Cons: | border sharpness, contrast (but may be pleasant), expensive quotation because rare | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 7
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I like too much the colour and micro contrast rendition of this lens...
it's like a "Zeiss" but with some of "smc" by pentax... tone to tone colour transition is very good and soft, it has some of the 43 limited wide opened.
On film it's a bit too soft in the corner until f 5.6, but on digital it's better (taking only the center) from f4, but it never becomes razor sharp. On the dslr the focal is good, but the "stop down" exposition makes it very unconfortable to use as a street and general lens as it should be on apsc. Very good the "A" version for the automatic exoposition. On film it's a good alternative to mant low quality but not cheap 28mm 2.8. This is wider and ha a his own "character" and Zeiss rendition.
Good on black and white.
Built as a tank and a pleasure to use, as all Ks.
A little bit hight priced, maybe becaouse it's a "K" and not so commo.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: November, 2012 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 13, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $160.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | build, color | | Cons: | sharpness at corner | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-5
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Got this lens half a year ago on ebay, surprised by nice color and the excellent build, sharpness at the center is fine but you can't expect that for the whole range. overall, considering the money, this is a nice wide-angle lens to keep.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: April, 2010 Location: Wiltshire/Hampshire Posts: 1,760 | | Review Date: May 28, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Sharp in the centre from f/4 | | Cons: | Corners never get really sharp | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 5
Handling: 7
Value: 7
Camera Used: LX, ME, K5
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Another lens that is much better on film than it is on digital.
Very sharp in the centre from one stop down, but the corners never really catch up even on a crop sensor.
See https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/lens-sample-photo-archive/162116-pentax-k...ml#post2401122 for a full test.
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2012 Location: Berlin Posts: 9 | | Review Date: March 6, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $125.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | build, size, great colours | | Cons: | could be sharper | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: Canon 5d mkIII
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I used this lens for a while on a crop sensor camera, then on my Canon 5D MkIII (It hits the mirror so I use it in Live View mode). On a full frame body it has a great field of view, very wide indeed. The build quality is superb, beautiful focus action although I wish the throw was a bit longer.The SMC does a good job of flare resistance. I've used it a bit for video and it has a rich, saturated look, quite classically cinematic with a lovely falloff and background blur. Basically it has a great character and takes lovely rich pictures.
It's not blazing sharp: My K28 and Takumar 35/3.5 are both quite a bit crisper, but this one is pretty good.
I give it a 7.5/10, so rounded down to 7 : )
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