HD Pentax-DA 21mm F3.2 Limited

Conclusion

The DA 21mm Limited is first and foremost a pancake lens, small enough to slip into a pocket and second only to the absolutely diminutive Pentax 40mm lenses. Also like the 40mm pancakes, the DA 21mm Limited has an ingenious hood, offering protection while maintaining a slim profile.

The DA 21mm Limited's hood keeps the pancake profile. (Click for larger image.)

The DA 21mm Limited is sharp, has surprisingly pleasant bokeh, is well-controlled for flare, has better-than-usual close-up magnification, and is acceptably corrected for aberrations. It has an average amount of barrel distortion or vignetting, and only has screw-drive auto focus, but does offer Quick Shift full-time manual override.

In some ways the DA 21mm Limited only suffers from its nearest neighbors, with the mind-controlling DA 15mm Limited on one end and the Second-Greatest All-Time FA 31mm Limited on the other. In fact, the DA 21mm Limited seems more a compromise of its two siblings, the 15mm and 40mm DA Limiteds. It isn't as dreamy or dramatic as the 15mm nor as utterly consistent (and tiny!) as the 40mm, but it is good as a wide angle and good as a compact street shooter. Add in some flavor from the DA 35mm Limited macro, and the 21mm produces surprisingly decent close-ups with excellent bokeh.

The go-anywhere DA 21mm Limited. (Click to enlarge.)

It seems the DA 21mm Limited was designed to do it all, and it does. It might not have the same panache, but this little wide angle pancake is versatile and competent, and begs to be taken virtually anywhere.

Pros

• Pancake size and light weight
• Exceptional center sharpness
• Excellent close focus ability and 0.17x magnification
• Smooth bokeh
• Relatively low chromatic aberration
• Rounded aperture blades deliver smoother bokeh when stopped down
• Ingenious hood and cap

Cons

• Wide open corner softness
• Some fringing, more pronounced wide open
• Non-silent focus
• Rounded aperture blades lead to non-distinct points of light compared to SMC version
• Not full-frame compatible

Rating

The Bottom Line

As mentioned in the introduction, the DA 21mm Limited is the only currently-produced Pentax prime lens between 15mm and 31mm. With such a large gap, many photographers rely on it to fill multiple photographic roles.

Luckily, the DA 21mm Limited can give sharp edge-to-edge landscapes when stopped down. It works well as a stealth street shooter, small and lightweight while offering excellent center sharpness even wide open. It also boasts decent magnification and at close focus produces consistently pleasant bokeh.

The lens does show some chromatic aberration, and at wide apertures has noticeable but not outrageous vignetting. It utilizes a non-silent screw drive auto focus, and due to the rounded aperture blades doesn't produce sharp geometric starbursts like the SMC version.

While the lens was launched with a US MSRP of $649, its street price is considerably lower and the lens is consistently sold with a $100 to $150 rebate. This brings the price of a new HD 21mm closer to that of a second-hand SMC 21mm.  The price is not unreasonable for a quality prime made of metal.

Overall, the negatives are mild and expected, and the positives are surprising. In other words, the DA 21mm Limited is simply a great all-around wide angle lens.

Click here to order your HD DA 21mm F3.2 AL Limited at B&H Photo

Have Your Say

What do you think about the new version of the Pentax 21mm lens?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.