Pentax Zoom Super Wide Angle SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL (IF) Autofocus Lens USA

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

I am not a pro so take this critique for what it is worth.

I have only one criticism of this superb lens.
When used with the built in flash of my K-5 it casts its shadow in the foreground of the picture commencing at about 18mm and getting progressively worse by 24mm.

That I must remove the lens hood when using flash is only to be expected with a lens this wide hence cannot be criticized. It fits nicely over my arm so there is no danger of losing it.

I would highly recommend this lens for both indoor and landscape and architectural photography.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

Not as wide as some, but excellent image quality within its zoom range-- very sharp. And I like the fact that it zooms to 36mm equivalent, making it more useful to me than those that go to only-- say 28mm.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

Much wider view can be absorbed
can be good at taking photoes with a long leg beauties...

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

I use this super-wide lens for capturing large spaces, such as inside factories and landscapes. It performs very well, with little distortion and no vignetting when using a filter. It's also very cost-effective.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

When looking for a new wide angle lens, I narrowed it down to 3 options:
Sigma 10 -20mm
Pentax DA 15mm prime
and the Pentax-DA 12-24mm
As my other 2 digital lenses are both Tamron, I decided that I would really like to own a Pentax for a change. I also read an interesting article that mentioned how nothing quite compares to Pentax glass on a Pentax camera. While the 15mm seemed like a very nice alternative, I thought I might prefer the versatility of a zoom lens. After reading a number of reviews of these 3 lenses, I was convinced that the 12-24 would be the best option for me. I've only had it for about 3 weeks, but so far I am very happy with it.
There are many good things about this lens:
The image sharpness is outstanding, especially considering that this is a zoom lens; most reviews remark that it rivals that of fixed focal length lenses.
For a wide angle lens, lack of visual distortion is very good. It really excels for interior shots, landscapes and street scenes.
Focusing is fast compared to my Tamron digital lenses (90mm macro and 18-200mm zoom).
Depth of field is very good, even at widest aperture F4, though this is an inherent feature of wide angle lenses.
A few cons, but one must bear in mind that most of these would apply to any ultra wide angle lens of this nature, regardless of brand name:
The front element is quite vulnerable to scratches; it has a dramatic convex shape and is very prominent. A filter for protection is pretty much a necessity.
The 77mm filters are quite expensive, though if you shop around you can find good quality UV filters for a decent price.
A lens of this design is quite susceptible to lens flare, especially outdoors. The provided hood does a good job in minimizing this, though it is bulky and a bit awkward...at least for me, as I never liked using them. Also the lens hood can cause vingetting, particularly at the 12mm end of the zoom range.
If you like to shoot wide angle, this is a great lens to have. So far I have not regretted the decision to buy it, and I'm sure to get lots of good use out of it.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

Landscape lens
Sharp. Great colors. Great contrast.

Should have been waterproof since it is a landscape lens.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

great for landscapes, streetscapes, and anywhere you need wide angle. clear, crisp color..well made.....it's just that dang distoration in the corners at 12mm that keep it from being a 5 star lens.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

This is absolutely the lens I needed to round out my Pentax K10 camera gear. I love how I get the whole room for those indoor shots and the whole lay of the land with my outdoor shots. This lens captures the the picture in an instant with the autofocus and the clarity is perfect. I highly recommend this camera lens to even the newest of new photographers. No worry...just shoot.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

After 1 year use, this lens is must-take for me now.
Less distortion and good color sturation and balance is good for any subjects.

Now the latest softwear come with K-7,K-x can correct distortion which is good only for pentax lens. So it is worth buying genuine lens.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

Clarity is wonderful - it's a versatile wide angle......

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

Primarily I shoot wide angle in the portrait (vertical) position while backpacking and climbing. I purchased this lens with the Pentax K-7 to replace my aging Zeiss and 10 megapixel system.

Pros: This lens performs admirably compared to the Zeiss. The narrow zoom range and excellent image quality really makes this lens comparable to several primes. Small details in the center and corners are excellent. Stopped down, this lens has the capability to outresolve a 15 megapixel sensor (haven't tried bigger sensors).

Cons: Yup. This lens is prone to chromatic aberations (purple fringing) at high contrast intersections. For me, this is not a show-stopper. CAs are relatively simple to fix postprocessing if you shoot RAW, and fixed in-camera if you shoot JPEG. The resolution capabilities of this lens far outweigh the CAs.

Recommendations: If you need a quality wide angle lens, and do not need anything faster than f/4, this lens is an excellent choice.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

This lens is an excellent ultra-wide. It has a great FOV and overall sharpness.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

Very good optics, rendering and build quality. the only noticable optical flaw is CA in the 12-14 range. Photozone pretty much nailed their assesment of this lens. (see [@]).I would give 4.5 if I could.It is a heavy lens but I dont think you can design a lens like this lighter.I would prefer a 10-20 or 10-22 type of range.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

I'm using this lens on my K10D - The quality of the optics is great - but I was surprised to see very significant vignetting when set at 12 mm, by the supplied lens hood, even without using any filters. I was using shake reduction, and I did note the vignetting occurred only at the top of the frame - quite mysterious.

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

This is an optically superb lens that out-performs its counetrparts with both Canon and Nikon - I've owned them both. Color saturation is excellent and sharpness is great throughout the range. I have used this lens to photograph salt water fishing events and, matched with the K20D, I am totally satisfied

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

Pop Photo (Apr-06) designated this lens the Wide Winnerfor its superb performance on objective tests. I agreed whenfirst documenting home inventory, or picturing dark churchinteriors.Once in the field, I became disturbed by the pronouncedchromatic aberration ['purple fringing'] of trees or powerlines outlined against an overcast sky. To ensure thiswasn't a user or equipment error, I took manually focusedRAW test shots (with a K10D and lens hood) at f4, f8 and f16each at 12mm, 18mm and 24mm and examined them at 100%magnification in Lightroom. To clinch matters, an identicalshot with the 100-buck kit zoom lens at 18mm and f4 yieldedfar less edge fringing than this 13-element costly zoom,boasting high-dispersion glass and aspheric lensconstruction. Only a 10-buck plastic disposable camera hadmore notable CA!Its otherwise sterling performance (crisp clean images,minimal vignetting, and indiscernible linear distortion)cannot compensate for the inexcusable edge diffraction. Anugly blotch on Pentax' great glass reputation.

Expertise: Semi-pro

Problems Encountered: Inexcusable chromatic aberration for this advanced designand construction lens. Correctable only with much effort inPhotoshop or Lightroom.

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Pentax 18-15mm 50-200mm Sigma 17-70mm; f1.7 A-lens

Items I Recommend: don't bother

Comments about Pentax SMCP-DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL Autofocus Lens:

Huge by Pentax standards, it is well built and both zoom and focus rings feel right after 8 months of use. Quick shift cam mechanism for switching to manual focus works as expected - no-nonsense. The lens does not focus past infinity mark.Image quality is very good at 18mm, good at 24mm, mostly good at 12mm. Resolution would match the 10 MP sensor if not for the significant chromatic aberration, particularly visible in the corners at 12mm. Once corrected however the image is quite usable for large prints, with excellent resolution in the center.This lens has excellent contrast when shooting against light sources even if it exhibits a well defined, flare spot with sun at 15-30 degrees. There still is no haze veiling the image however.

Expertise: Advanced amateur

Problems Encountered: Significant chromatic aberration with K10D requiring an additional, time consuming step in the workflow.

Items I Recommend: FA 35/2