| Author: | | New Member Registered: January, 2020 Posts: 5
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 8, 2020 | Not Recommended | Price: $256.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | build , small size | | Cons: | CA | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: pentax Kp
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 | | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2021 Posts: 119
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 10, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | SHARP | | Cons: | Meh Manual Focus, very short working distances for easily startled insects | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: KP
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The best DA Limited Lens, I ever used. It was inseparable from my KP & spent many mornings chasing bugs and bumble-bees in the community garden by my house. I can't speak ill of this lens, other than the manual focus isn't spectacular like a truly dedicated manual macro lens, but it work's fine for 1:2-1:4 range subjects and portraits/landscapes.
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2022 Location: Glyfada, a southern suburb of Athens Posts: 208
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 11, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | ultra sharp, chromatic accuracy, "the best nifty-fifty of APS-C" | | Cons: | focus hunting, light hungry, demanding | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 5
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K20D, KP
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- purchased with the 100$/€ discount by B&H @ US$396.95, translated into 500$/€ including shipping and customs for Greek/EU delivery; more economical than the best local price at 649$/€ delivered.
- allow me to explain and show why I consider this "glass" one of the best lenses ever made in Pentax history.
a) It's the macro lens that allows you to shoot at "hood distance" ie you can literally have the subject as close as physically possible and fill the sensor with all that matters. The 14cm working distance that Pentax dictates officially is just "playing safe".
b) Its 35mm focal length and being a DA (digital APS-C DSRLs) simply means that it gives you the same photographic results had you had/use a Full Frame camera and a "nifty-fifty" lens due to the crop factor of ~x1.5. That simply means that if you want to have the same natural magic of photography shooting with 35mm films this is it and nothing else.
I recently purchased the "legendary" Pentax-A 50mm/1.2, mint, at 600$/€ while the special edition of this lens in mere silver (and in a box with a useless film camera) costs as much as 5000$/€ today and it's TBH for collectors only.
c) Many people fail to realize that a 50mm lens in non full frame cameras (ie most of current Pentax's collection) is actually a smalll telephoto lens at 75mm ie not a true "nifty-fifty".
d) The photos taken with this lens are OMG! Sharp like nothing I've ever seen in Pentax lenses. At the same time though it's not just "ultra sharp". You see the photos and you feel as if they are 3D. Not to mention that is chromatic accuracy and ability to capture light is jaw dropping.
I dare to say that this is one of the best lenses ever made by Pentax since it produces mere magic not just in macro but equally in portraits, landscapes and casual shootings.
Frankly this lens is undervalued and I bet that its price will be increasing as years go by. It's today the living legend of tomorrow.
Let the photos speak of themselves. 
In the Exif of the photos you will see that from wide open F2.8 to "sweet" F5.6 or extreme F22 and from K20D to "pixel shift/125MB DNG" in KP this lens is magical. The lens can handle superbly shutter speeds from eg 1/350s to 24 seconds. (4 x 6 seconds per image in Pixel Shift)
     | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: October, 2015 Location: Calgary Posts: 23 | | Review Date: December 6, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Build quality, size, sharpness | | Cons: | too short a focal length for macro | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-3
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I have owned at different times various Pentax macro lenses, the DA 35/2.8 Limited, the DFA 50/2.8, DFA 100/2.8 WR, DFA 100/2.8. While the Limited has a nice size and feel associated with the build, it isn't the one that I kept. The biggest issue is just the short focal length, which means that at high magnifications (ie 1:1) you need to get too close to the subject, getting in the way of light, casting shadows, or disturbing the subject. I also prefer weather sealing, so the one that makes the most sense to meis the DFA 100/2.8 WR, which also has the added benefit of being full frame compatible.
Like most macros, sharpness is good. Built in lens hood is nice. I just didn't find this one as practical as the others. Would recommend? In isolation yes, it's a good lens, but there are lots of good macro options available for Pentax and I think better choices available.
| | | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Posts: 23,920
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 17, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Compact, Excellent Limited design and durability, Razor sharp | | Cons: | Subject needs to be very close to the lens at 1:1 precluding lens hood use | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-1
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What a phenomenon.
It has all the attributes of the best of the best glass, all in a little yet quality package.
Certainly leaving no doubt as to its durability and longevity, it is built to be a legacy lens.
This implies image quality that is worth keeping such a lens for the next generation, and that it seems to exude with every shot.
In fact, from first shot, it was first love.
The amazing detail even from f/2.8 just blows the mind every time the image is reviewed on the camera screen.
It is best suited to close focus work, although it doesn't do too badly for infinity focus images too.
Congrats to Pentax for this little gem.
shot at f/2.8
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: March, 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Posts: 9,362
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 7, 2020 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Build quality, small size, Limited IQ, macro | | Cons: | Not as sharp as other macro lenses | |
A versatile jack-of-all-trades with few flaws and much of the Limited quality.
The DA35 Macro is compact enough to be carried around without taking too much space in a bag. Its focal length makes it a nice normal lens on APS-C, and its full macro capabilities means one can leave the house with only that lens and be able to face many situations.
Sharpness, while excellent, isn't quite up there with other macro lenses. Also, the 1:1 focus distance is very, very close to the front element.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: June, 2016 Location: Gislev Posts: 87
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 22, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $555.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ, Build Quality, Ergonomics, Weight and Size | | Cons: | None | |
One of go to-lenses in the Pentax system:
Wonderful sharpness, great bokeh, excellent handling, superb value. Aberrations are next to non-existent.
I use it as a standard focal length lens, mostly - and the macro capabilities are an added bonus.
This lens really shines regardless of use; macro or non macro photography.
Highly recommended!
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2012 Location: Cirebon Posts: 29
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 13, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ, Size and Price | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-3
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Outstanding sharpness at wide open. Very cheap premium grade lens.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: September, 2009 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 7,594
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 3, 2018 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size, IQ | | Cons: | Standard macro focus search but not too bad | | New or Used: New
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It is just pure pleasure to put this lens on the K-3ii and go for a walk. It is a macro so the focus can be a little jerky but the pictures are clear, clean and full of detail. It is probably not for those who look for lenses with lots of individual character but that is not normally what we seek in a macro lens. I normally take the DFA 100 when I plan to do macro but this one is also nice for macro. A great all around lens!
 | | | | | amateur dirt farmer Registered: December, 2014 Location: probably out in a field somewhere... Posts: 41,766
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 30, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $249.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | build quality, color rendition, clarity | | Cons: | 1:1 requires you to be sooooo close... | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-3
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I bought my copy on a lark; I was hoping that this lens would stave off the interest I had for the DA20-40 Limited zoom, so I was watching/waiting for an SMC copy of this lens to show up at my price-point, when an HD copy on eBay turned up: I can't tell that it was ever used, but that's fine with me...
firstly, as a Limited lens, it's all you would expect: small, metal-build, exquisitely machined, but with red highlights rather than the green I've become accustomed to (HD vs SMC) - it does give the K-3 a bit of snarkiness, but all Limiteds do that...
the built-in hood is well-executed, as is the bespoke push-on front cap, especially when compared to the DA 40 Limited... no WR, but since I've switched to BBF, the quickshift has rapidly become useful for me...
overall, the color rendition, sharpness, bokeh, and the general usefulness of this lens is amazing - and the fact that it is a true 1:1 macro lens only increases its utility for me, even if that macro ability increases the size of the lens from what you would normally expect from a Limited lens... in shooting all month, I've noticed that subjects are captured with a distinct 'pop', a true separation from the background, and its ability to render fine details borders on the amazing...
I thoroughly enjoyed shooting with this lens (Esmerelda) all month, without the normal third-or-fourth week doldrums settling - I will probably revisit this lens as a Single In lens later in the year....
in fact, the ONLY negative I have found in the last month is the macro facility of the lens: in order to pull a true 1:1 macro shot from this lens, you have to be quite close to your subject... while inanimate objects aren't a problem, frogs & insects may not sit still while you invade their personal space... beyond that, there is absolutely not reason to not have a copy of this lens in your bag...
some of my favorite shots so far:
 onions by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
 Finn, Stormy, and Laney by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
 lily by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
 mockingbird, in flight by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
and the rest of my flickr album for this lens:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperberryfarm/albums/72157696313578554/page1
(and if you are curious: yes, I am no longer in the hunt for a DA20-40mm Limited zoom - this lens is that good)
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2017 Posts: 2,034
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 9, 2018 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Image quality, construction, Manual focus override, close focus capabilitiy | | Cons: | Cost, AF, 1:1 reproduction ratio | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K3
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I got this lens as a treat to myself. I really did not need it. I already have the bargain DA35mm f2.4 and a Sigma 28mm f1.8 Ex Dg Macro. I normally use a dedicated macro lens for close up photography so the 1:1 capabilities were not why I bought it. I got a nearly new example for £300, which is a bargain for what they go for new today in the UK. I have had it a couple of weeks now and I love it, despite certain matters (which are personal to me).
So let me get one thing straight off my chest:- My favourite focal lengths on APSc is 28mm or 50mm, NOT 35mm. However, I moved to a very photogenic part of the world last summer and felt the need for a high quality "standard" lens for taking pictures of things, rather than places. The DA 35 f2.4 was and is perfectly good for this function but then this bargain came along so I took the plunge.
IQ is superb, not just resolving power but also colour reproduction I use less tweaking of the RAW images now than I do on any other lens. Even at high (1600 is high for me) ISO ratings images are clean, sharp and true to life wide open.
Build quality is also superb. The manual focus over ride is much appreciated. This leads to one of this lenses minor faults. It sometimes hunts for focus even in good light. Its not as good as the cheapy f2.4 or my Sigma. It does nail the focus but it can take a bit of time on occasion.
I like a lens that focuses closely, but really 1:1 on a standard lens is ridiculous. No worries just don't use it.
The biggest compliment I can pay to this lens is that i find myself using it when normally I would use another focal length. If you can afford one or find a used bargain get one!
UPDATE OCTOBER 2023
Having had the lens for sometime now, and in the meantime acquired numerous other standard lenses (and a K1 ii) I feel an update is required. I have downgraded the sharpness from a 10 to a 9. The lens has not got worse it's just that I have more to compare it to. My HD FA 35mm f2 is sharper at f2.8 than the and just as sharp stopped down a bit more. That is it, my update, nearly.
The Ltd still produces nicer looking images than the HD FA SOOC. It must be something to do with the coatings and optical formula. Whatever. The Ltd is more versatile than the HD FA and feels much better built and obviously focuses a lot more closely. However, I now choose to carry the HD FA over the Ltd for 2 reasons:-
1. I value the low light capabilities of the HD FA over the macro capabilities of the Ltd
2. The AF of the HD FA is snappier than the Ltd
Number one takes more precedent with me than number two.
Despite the fact that for me the HD FA is my standard of choice on APSC, I still cling onto the Ltd. There is just something very special about it.
I am in the process of selling all my 28 to 35mm (standard for APSC) lenses except for the HD FA, F 28mm f2.8, the K 35mm f3.5 and the Ltd. So the Ltd is still very much recommended.
| | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2017 Posts: 32
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 17, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $445.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp at F/2.8, small, light, good value | | Cons: | not Splash-proofed, lens cap a bit too easy to remove, loud Autofocus | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K3
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I uploaded some pictures here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/99546618@N08/albums/72157682605956356/with/34050235626
There are already a lot of good reviews on this lens so I just wanted to add some more pictures and a short feedback:
Positive:
- Extremely sharp already at F/2.8!
- Very small and lightweight
- Quick and precise Autofocus
- Nice haptic and feels robust
- Integrated lens hood
- Good value for 445 USD
- For this focal length, there are a lot of applications
- Macro lens with a magnification of 1:1
Neural:
- Not splash- and dustproofed
- Lens cap is sometimes too easy to remove, but still ok
- The felt surface of the lens cap and lens hood is not that easy to clean
- The autofocus is quite loud
This lens really makes me happy! The optical quality is just insane!
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: May, 2013 Location: Makati City Posts: 44
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 17, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness, colors, build | | Cons: | not as sharp at subject around 60 feet away | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-S2
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I find the HD Pentax-DA 2.8/35 Macro Limited perfectly sharp at smaller apertures where macro work is usually done. At macro distance, the center is already sharp at f/2.8, the extreme edges trail behind. By f/8 the image is sharp across the APS-C frame. Extreme edges are as good as the center. This edge-to-edge sharpness continues to f/11, then drops by f/16 and f/22.
I also had the chance to compare the HD Pentax-DA 2.8/35 Macro Limited with the Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35, on APS-C (Pentax K-S2).
UPDATE: At portrait shooting distance, from f/2.8 to f/8, looking at 100% crops, the Pentax can equal the Zeiss's sharpness in the center, but not at the edges. The Zeiss edges are noticeably sharper. At f/11 and f/16 the Pentax is able to match the Zeiss in the center and edges.
UPDATE: Pointed at a wall around 60 feet away (focus at infinity), the Zeiss was sharper than the Pentax at all apertures from edge-to-edge. Not by much, but noticeable when looking at 100% crops. I believe this is the weakest spot of the HD Pentax-DA 2.8/35 Macro Limited. Not that the Pentax was lacking in sharpness. It's just that the Zeiss was sharper all around.
Different story at distant subjects (focus at infinity). At infinity, the Pentax was hands down much sharper than the Zeiss at f/8 and below. At infinity, from f/2.8 to f/5.6, 100% crops from the Pentax are significantly sharper than the Zeiss's from edge-to-edge. By f/8, the Zeiss's center had caught up with the Pentax, but the Zeiss's edges still trail behind. Art f/11, the tables turn and the Zeiss is sharper than the Pentax. Both the Pentax and Zeiss degrade by f/16. I'd call it a tie at f/16 and f/22.
Seems that the Zeiss behaves differently for distant subjects, although I never noticed until I pixel-peeped.This is not to say that the Zeiss is bad for landscapes. I have used the Zeiss extensively for tighter landscapes and it has been impressive, likely because I used smaller apertures, or maybe because there's not much real value to pixel-peeping in the first place! In any case, compared to the Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35, the HD Pentax-DA 2.8/35 Macro Limited is much better at distant subjects.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: February, 2010 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 6,174
11 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 20, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $360.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Nearly perfect in almost all respects | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-5iis
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This is the best SLR lens I've ever used. It's nearly perfect, providing excellent sharpness and contrast with only very minor and largely negligible aberrations or distortion. For those who regard the lens as too slow to be an optimal APS-C normal, well, such photographers would probably be better off with a fast fifty on a full-frame camera. The DA 35 Limited is not a low light/narrow DOF lens. It's a lens for nature photography: macro and landscapes. You won't find a better lens for that kind of work.
Auto-focus is not blazing fast, but at least on my K-5iis, it's spot on accurate. Manual focus is surprisingly well dampened for an AF lens (it's comparable to the manual focus on the DFA 100 Macro), and this lens easily fulfills the goal of Limited glass to combine the virtues of older, manual focus Pentax lenses, with their beautiful craftsmanship and extremely solid construction, in an AF package.
The lens is not only sharp, but its sharpness is rendered in a beautiful, natural way. Contrast and color are also superb. Color rendition is very close to the Pentax DA standard, except that the colors in the middle of the spectrum are a bit richer than is usually the case with SMC coated glass. When used under beautiful light, images from this lens have a richness of color and a depth of beauty matched by very few lenses. Mike Johnstone and Carl Weese, in their review of the SMC version of the DA 35 Macro, compared the lens to a Zeiss 28mm and found the Pentax Limited to be the better lens. In other words, for around $400, you can acquire a lens that can hold it's own with high-end German glass. That's astonishing if you reflect upon it.
Some samples:
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: January, 2016 Posts: 66
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 13, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $380.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Macro, Metal Construction | | Cons: | Somewhat slow at 2.8, pretty pricey | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 7
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-50
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Second lens review, please go easy on me! At the time of this review I have the K-50 body with the following lenses: 18-55 WR, 50-200 WR, 35/2.8 LTD, 50/1.8, and 55-300 WR.
I bought this lens as a wider framed walk around to complement my 50mm. I probably could have gone wider, but I wanted the macro abilities as well. I've had the lens for a few months and find it to be a very sharp lens, and I've been enjoying the macro pictures I've gotten with it, it's super fun to use that way. I'm found that I'm just not a huge fan of this focal length and I end up using this lens the least of my lenses. I would likely use it more if it were a bit faster, but it's hard to use indoors on people without an external flash. I just haven't found a reason to use this lens very much because I haven't been in an opportunity to use it as such. Perhaps I like the further background separation of the 50mm focal length more.
It's a damn good lens, I'm just not used to it yet, it's something I need to exclusively use for a bit I'm thinking.
http://i.imgur.com/ywrBPYY.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1UQ5QqG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ThF3YUP.jpg | | |
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