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SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF] Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF]

Sharpness 
 8.5
Aberrations 
 8.2
Bokeh 
 7.9
Autofocus 
 8.8
Handling 
 8.8
Value 
 8.2
Reviews Views Date of last review
48 222,993 Fri December 31, 2021
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
94% of reviewers $474.82 8.72
SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF]

SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF]
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SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF]
supersize
SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF]
supersize
SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF]
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Description:

The DA 14mm is one of the earlier DA lenses and it is still the widest Pentax prime. It offers fast speed and a very wide angle of view.


SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED[IF]
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
APS-C
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
No
Diaphragm
Automatic, 6 blades
Optics
12 elements, 11 groups
Mount Variant
KAF
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F2.8
Min. Aperture
F22
Focusing
AF (screwdrive)
Quick-shift
Yes
Min. Focus
17 cm
Max. Magnification
0.19x
Filter Size
77 mm
Internal Focus
Yes
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 92 ° / 81 °
Hood
PH-RBH 77 mm
Case
S100-120
Lens Cap
Lens Cap A 77mm
Coating
SMC
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
84 x 68.5 mm (3.3 x 2.7 in.)
Weight
420 g (14.8 oz.)
Production Years
2004 to 2022
Pricing
$649 USD current price
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-DA 1:2.8 14mm ED [IF]
Product Code
21510
Reviews
User reviews
In-depth review
Unofficial Full-Frame Compatibility Tests by Pentax Forums
☆☆☆ No coverage at any setting
Show details
Notes
One ED element and one high-refraction low dispertion element.

Features:
Screwdrive AutofocusQuick ShiftInternal FocusingAutomatic ApertureAPS-C Digital OnlyDiscontinued
Purchase: Buy the SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF]
In-Depth Review: Read our SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF] in-depth review!
Sample Photos: View Sample Photos
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF] Buy the SMC Pentax-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF]
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New Member

Registered: April, 2020
Posts: 2

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: December 31, 2021 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Colours, sharpness, speed, minimal focus distance, its a macro, metal build quality
Cons: nothing
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: Ist* Ds, K20, K5, K1   

perfect 10: colours, sharpness, speed, metal build quality
if possible 11: minimal focus distance, its a macro

not 10: stability of front construction, but donīt let it repair if damaged, just clew it

I really donīt understand some comments, they may have had very bad luck with a wrong one. for me itīs still a sleeper and enough reason to buy a PENTAX crop camera again and anyway.

You canīt see here, how sharp they really are, donīt know how I can show the quality, but on the wall as a a2 print just perfect:






   
Senior Member

Registered: December, 2010
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 141

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: March 23, 2020 Recommended | Price: $200.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Nice wide angle, fast enough under dark conditions
Cons: None, custom hood is expensive to replace
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: Pentax K3   

I have only just acquired this lens.
Time to retire the old trusty SMC 18mm F3.5
Images are lovely at F8 to F11 as I usually stopper down

I had to purchase an original Pentax Hood as generics just didn't cut it.
Definitely needs UV and/or a CPL under normal daylight conditions

And I'm hoping it will be a stellar performer under the night skies
IQ is much better than the DA 10-17 and distortions are well handled for such an UWA
Can't compare to the DA 15 Limited, this was my first choice as I need the speed

Recommended Pentax Quality
   
New Member

Registered: October, 2017
Posts: 1

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 4, 2018 Recommended | Price: $650.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Very sharp
Cons: None
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K3   

This is a very good wide angle lens.

For the purpose of landscapes it's absolutely perfect.

Compared to my DA 15 ltd, it's bigger but color's rendering is better at any aperture.

Correction for geometric distortion is really as good as possible.

I love this lens.
   
Junior Member

Registered: January, 2018
Posts: 47

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: January 29, 2018 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: general handling, image quality, brightness
Cons: some reservations about softness
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: New    Camera Used: KP, K-50, K-3 II, K-7   

The DA14 is one of my favorite lenses with the crop sensor Pentax. Having read the mixed reviews, I bought it with some initial hesitation. I see why some reviews would say it is soft and have seen a few images myself which I could consider a bit in that style.. However, I am convinced most of my soft images are caused by difficulties in catching the right focus. DOF on f/2.8 is actually rather narrow, especially if focusing very close, and it is possible get unlucky with moving object in the foreground, or moving yourself and the camera little bit axially. Anything a bit farther away, in the middle range, like a person from more than a couple of steps away (not filling the whole frame), and I have been succesfull with F/2.8. In sunlight or for landscape shots (with tripod), I would still suggest stopping down to f/8 or somewhere close to get really crisp.

I have no regrets for purchasing this lens. For those occasions where f/2.8 is needed, it really shines. I think this lens is worth its price.



   
amateur dirt farmer

Registered: December, 2014
Location: probably out in a field somewhere...
Posts: 41,131

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 31, 2017 Recommended | Price: $275.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: clarity, color rendition, even bokeh (yes)
Cons: large size
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-3, K-50   

review for my lens of the month: DA 14mm f2.8 ED(IF)

I bought this lens to end my quest for a good UWA - everybody's solution for a UWA on APS-C is to buy the DA15 Ltd.... in fact, it almost seems to be a reaction: UWA? DA15!

I'm contrary, I can't help it and somedays, I just revel in it...

I even bought the Tamron 151B in the hopes of staving off the obvious... I almost bought a copy of the Tamron AF 14mm lens.... then I stumbled across the DA14, both the lens club for it here and on Flickr.... I was sold...



Let's get the elephant in the room handled up-front: this lens is NOT svelte by any definition. it weighs nearly a full pound on the front of your camera, while the DA15 Ltd is less than 7oz... the DA14 has a 77mm filter ring, while the DA15 Ltd is only 49mm, so if you are ready for a larger prime vs smaller debate, here it is...

with that out of the way - this lens is amazing!

internal-focus, ED glass, quick-shift, reasonable minimum-focusing-distance, fast at f2.8..... this list goes on...

I found it to be quite versatile, both at the wide/landscape end and the candid/in the face shots - either way, it is crisp and renders colors so very vividly.... and decent bokeh, especially from UWA (unheard of!)...

there is some distortion of straight lines at the edges of the lens' view in wide shots, but nothing that isn't manageable or expected...

one other issue with my copy, and I've read that it is not unusual, is that it does have difficulty focusing close to/at infinity in low-contrast shots; overcast or clear skies seem to confuse it occasionally (I am usually in manual-focus mode then anyways) so be aware of that of you like to shoot sunrise/sunsets/sky like I do...

my favorites of the month:

Finn by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr

blue skies, cherry blossoms... by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr

Foremost milk truck by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr

sunrise by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr

spring storm pano by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr

a couple of this month's shots were tagged for flickr's explore.... I highly recommend the lens!


the rest of this len's shots:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperberryfarm/albums/72157676407425784
   
Pentaxian

Registered: December, 2012
Location: IOWA Where the Tall Corn Grows
Posts: 3,664

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: February 22, 2017 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Beautiful Colors, Sharp
Cons:
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-3   

This lens is so much nicer than the DA 15 because of its wide aperture of 2.8. It is much sharper than the DA 15 at F4 and it should be. I can take great photo's indoors because of the wider aperture. I've owned the Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 and found it to be de-centered and soft in the corners. This is a common problem with the Sigma. I ended up selling it. The DA 14 is soooo much nicer in every way. Colors, sharpness, and it's not that large. It's about the same size as my FA 31. So don't trash this lens for it's size. It's my only wide aperture lens that I use. I usually take the DA 14, FA 31 and F*300 as my 3 prime lenses when I go out. All three are fantastic in their own right.

Indoors at F4

IMGP1953 by frankweiser, on Flickr

IMGP2024 by frankweiser, on Flickr
   
New Member

Registered: February, 2015
Posts: 15

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 8, 2015 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Great image quality with 3D effect
Cons: A bit high CA wide open
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-01   

Great lens, one of the greatest ever tried.
I bought it with a bit of scare due the reviews, sometimes extremely positive, sometime not.
Now I understand: this lens is not sharp as today expected (micro and macro contrast push-up), it's closer to film era than the digital one, with an excellent sharpness with amazing 3D effect.
Thanks to its min. focus distance I can take picture playing with perspective planes.
Well corrected, it suffers only of a bit high CA wide open.
I could buy it hundreds times.
It has a soul.
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: October, 2009
Posts: 137

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: June 16, 2014 Recommended | Price: $230.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: close focus; nice colors; AF
Cons:
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K5IIs   

I have used the 12 24, DA 15, Sigma 10 20 and all UWA's of SamYang....and they are all outstanding items

why then use this DA 14? Well.....it's a joy to use this lens I like the close focus, F2.8, quick AF and it fits very well on the K5 (good handling)

Great for strolling around (walking, cycling) and catching the landscapes & street photography combinations

Sharpness is OK in the center and I haven't encountered any abberation problems

I was able to get real close to this Girl & Golden Eagle





and close to our little rabbit


   
New Member

Registered: January, 2014
Location: istanbul
Posts: 1

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: April 17, 2014 Recommended | Rating: N/A 

 
Pros: Image quality, fast and close auto-focus.
Cons: little soft f2.8
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 7    New or Used: Used   

_IGP9279 by bora şahin, on Flickr

SG105452 by bora şahin, on Flickr

SG103625 by bora şahin, on Flickr

SG101164 by bora şahin, on Flickr

SG109489 by bora şahin, on Flickr

SG108246 by bora şahin, on Flickr
   
Senior Member

Registered: July, 2010
Location: Pacific Northwest USA
Posts: 261

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: September 20, 2013 Recommended | Price: $425.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Color, rendering, angle of view, not too big, not too small
Cons: complex moustache distortion, A little soft at borders, ridiculous big hood
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 9    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-30, K20D   

I've owned 2 of these lenses. The first one was simply awful and I returned it. The second one was so wonderful that it seemed like a different lens, so beware of copy variations. I bet most of the bad reviews of this lens online are of bad copies.

My lens is pretty sharp wide open in low light especially for close-ups. In brighter light and distance shots it's somewhat softer but usable. Over and over again on this forum people recommend the 15mm limited over this lens claiming that f2.8 is not that big a difference from f4. Only a really ignorant person would make such a false and utterly foolish claim. It's like insisting that 20mph is really not that much different than 40mph! F2.8 makes all the difference in the world. I live in a rainy and overcast part of the USA and f2.8 is often crucial to getting the shot. This is the first very wide lens I have ever owned that I can use for hand-held dusk and night photography.

The DA15mm pancake is a great lens but if I have to carry a tripod to use it in challenging situations then that makes it's small size less attractive to me.

The bokeh is pretty decent on the DA 14 and the close focus is closer than the specs say and extremely useful. It's one of the strongest characteristics of this lens. Some lenses do some things better than others. Often it's a trade off. If you are pixel-peeping edge-to-edge sharpness freak you probably wont care for this lens, but some great lenses cannot be defined by resolution charts alone. The versatility factor is often not taken into consideration. I use the DA 14mm for landscapes, street shooting, close-ups, low light, and sometimes even studio portraits.This lens is a great tool. The designer of this lens Jun Hirikawa is a true genius. It may not be his best lens design but I think it is very fine one indeed. Very underrated and under appreciated.

PS. I would not pay current new prices for this lens!
   
Junior Member

Registered: September, 2013
Location: Brwinow, Mazovia, Poland
Posts: 46

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: September 15, 2013 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Image quality, metal body, color rendition, auto-focus
Cons: Hoya polarizing filter tends to get stuck, difficult access to filter with the sunshade on
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-5   

When I was building my lens base, I needed fast lenses. Since my choice for standard telephoto was the 28-75 Tamron, I needed something for the wide end. There were not many choices, regarding availability, quality, and the price. Driven by positive reviews at PentaxForums, I bought a new DA14 from an online store. Yes, the price was pretty high for me.

Initially, I could find not much use for the lens. Some concert photography at best. The situation has changed when I started riding bicycle with the camera hanging on my neck. The focus set to hyperfocal distance, a polarizing filter on, and then I could start taking nice pictures even during the ride.

I found the lens extremely useful over the time. It is, for instance, great with dispersing point light sources into rays; not much problems with flaring. Great for landscapes and indoor scenes. Now, the DA14 is my primary lens when I go out. It does very well for candids, too; I have never complained on the image quality even with the aperture fully open - you do not expect corners top sharp during a gig in a club. Image quality becomes excellent with the lens slightly stopped. The autofocus is quiet and precise.

What I perhaps do not like is the handling of the Hoya polarizing 77mm filter. Once the filter is in place, it gets somewhat stuck in the thread. To unscrew the filter, I need patience and many attempts with fingers. No chance to remove the filter with the sunshade on. Also, handling fiters is hard when the sunshade is on.









   
Veteran Member

Registered: April, 2011
Location: Arizona
Posts: 888

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 25, 2013 Recommended | Price: $450.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Wide, fast, well-corrected, AF
Cons: corner sharpness wide open
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 8    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-5   

A brilliant lens by pentax IMO. You'll be hard pressed to find a similarly wide, fast and affordable AF wideangle prime from any other manufacturer. The lens performs admirably, and while it isn't the absolute strongest performing lens I've used (makes sense considering how I've owned/handled Canon L, Pentax DA* and Nikon G glass), its combination of wide, fast, AF and build make it a gem of a lens. I see a lot of reviewers calling it a bulky lens. I'd just like to call absolute BS on that, the lens feels perfectly balance on my K-5. I f you want to know what actual heft feels like, try hauling a Nikon or Canon 14mm f/2.8 on a prosumer body. This is leagues more compact than the competition, feels solid and balanced in the hands and handles brilliantly enough for my day-to-day shooting in the real world.
To be honest, this has to be my second favorite street shooting lens behind the 21mm Limited, as it offers a FoV that i think is perfect for my style of shooting. That, combined with the responsiveness of its AF make it my go-to lens when shooting normal just seems too tight.
Onto performance:
AF- Fast and accurate, what's not to love?
Sharpness- slightly soft corners wide open, but seriously, who's pixel peeping corners when you're shooting this wide? You really have to be looking for it to notice. Stop it down a bit and its sharp all over.
Abberations- Never were an issue in use, easily corrected when it does show up.
Distortion- You get perspective distortion, its what you want when you're shooting this wide. Surprisingly though, barrel distortion has been a non-issue with this lens. This is especially nice considering how I had shot the Samyang 14mm before this and had to deal with the ungodly barrel distortion on that thing.
Bokeh- Actually quite decent, good enough for when you want those super-close-up shots.
Flare- What flare?
Handling- As I've said, close to perfect. Quick shift makes manual focusing easy and the solid metal build is perfectly balanced on my K-5.
Overall- Is this the best Pentax lens I've ever owned? No, that honor is currently held by the DA*55. But is it a great lens? Hell yes
   
New Member

Registered: March, 2009
Posts: 4
Review Date: April 24, 2013 Not Recommended | Price: $250.00 | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: resolution, metal body, quickshift, flare resistance, contrast
Cons: purple fringing, bokeh, weight & size
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 3    Bokeh: 1    Autofocus: 7    Handling: 10    Value: 3    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-5   

I have bought this lens in a quiet bad condition concerning autofocus (quickshift and AF got stuck permanentely). Optically there was nothing to complain.

I never liked it very much because it's so heavy and bulky (and for the fact that the manual focus didn't work properly).

The optical quality is pretty decent though. Pretty good resolution and contrast even wide open, low vignetting, low moustache distortion and almost no lensflares (if there were some they were beautiful).

On the downside we have pretty strong purple fringing and never really sharp (outtermost) corners. I also think there's some field curvature but I never tracked that problem.

Bokeh is not a very important aspect for a lense with this focal lenght but concerning it's very close focus distance one should also consider that. It's horrible wide open but gets pretty smooth at f/4 - so never forget to stop down a little when doing close-ups.

In summary I can not recommand this lens to many people. For the price and size of this lens there are zoom lenses that even beat the DA14 in resolution.

When you really need f/2,8 and a very wide focal lenght theres no option though. I'd prefer a tokina 11-16/2,8 but since there has never been a pentax version of this lens the DA14 is one lens that gets close to it. Another would be the also pretty good sigma 10-20/3,5.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: May, 2010
Location: Hong Kong / Irvine, CA
Posts: 636

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: February 4, 2013 Recommended | Price: $520.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: close focus (15cm), exploding bokeh, glass, neglible distortion
Cons: heavy, big
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K30   

I rate it 9.5/10, but take 0.5pts off because I don't like the starburst from 6 blades.

Close focus ability is excellent.
With about 15cm in real life (oppose to 17cm from spec)
I will say this is 2x better than DA15 (20cm in spec and it does stop right at 20cm)

20secs, f11


handheld 1.3secs


close focus f2.8
   
Veteran Member

Registered: June, 2012
Location: Boise Idaho
Posts: 466

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: January 15, 2013 Recommended | Price: $475.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: low light ability, great focal length, stepped up verry sharp
Cons: 77mm thread, Not weather seal rated,
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 6    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 8    New or Used: New    Camera Used: Pentax K-5   

What a great lens. I take it with me everywhere. Road trips, day trips, in the car, hotels, out to dinner. it's an all around great lens to just have fun with! I had a little problem with some photos having semi-dramatic CA but stepping up to f5.6-f8 removes it instantly. Lens cap sucks, so I recommend getting one that detaches from the center rather than the edges. Great for astrophotography so far. This summer I will update this review when the clouds break in Oregon. The choice to go to 77mm threads was good and bad. lots of filter options but expensive.

A photo of my 14/2.8 copy

My favorite sunset. A little bit of CA was present but PS took it out. One image on the k5, not an HDR, I used the Dynamic Range found in the K5.

A waterfall in Oregon. The nice thing about this lens is the 77mm thread. it makes filters possible like the long exposure filter (big stopper by lee + hitec wide angle adapter77mm + hitec filter holder.
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