Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

If I were to pick just one Pentax limited lens to walk around town with I think it would be this one. I've long been a fan of 24mm and 35mm lens for film cameras, but if forced to choose just one for an afternoon stroll, I think it would be the DA 21 f3.2 (32mm on Full Frame). It's vey sharp and contrasty, and slots nicely between 28 and 35mm lenses. Beautifully built and a very useful wide angle. To me this may be the perfect landscape lens.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

I use the 21mm f3.2 at our local commercial boat basin as well as for seascapes. Sharpness and contrast are excellent. At 32mm equivalent, I like the angle of view-- a nice compromise between 28mm and 35mm. I use it in conjunction with the also excellent 15mm f4 and 35mm macro ltd(s). AF is very good and not overly noisy for a screw drive.

Another limited Gem by Pentax, the build quality and small size are excellent. It would be nice if it were f2 wide open, but that would make it larger. Weather proofing would be a bonus too.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

Landscape & Portrets

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

Using this as one of 2 main lenses on my Pentax K-5. After shooting daily for 2 weeks with this lens, I must say, it's good.

It's not flawless: corner CA is noticeable at moderate magnifications onscreen (but that can be easily remedied in RAW conversion or even in-camera, for the K-5 at least..). There is also slight barrel distortion (so slight that it's almost always negligible).

Also, a minor niggle-- the hood which comes with the lens is a gorgeous metal shield with a cutout, which click-locks onto the front of the lens, and complements its style perfectly. Unfortunately, the hood design prevents simultaneous use of the hood and a polarizing (or any other rotating) filter.

Now the good parts. Wide open, it is sometimes capable of the so-called "pixie dust" look often associated with Pentax limited lenses. This is to say: pleasing bokeh and very nice tonality. (The bokeh isn't of the butter-smooth type, you really have to test the lens in person to see if you like it. I did.)

Stopped down, it is a very sharp lens. Sometimes a bit *too* sharp for my taste actually, but its sharpness and contrast is never harsh-looking as some Nikkors can be.

In common with many Pentax lenses, color transmission is gorgeous. This trait it shares with my other main lens, that old gem the Pentax-A 35-105mm f/3.5, which has also acquired a quiet reputation for good color. This shared trait gives my images a consistent look when I change lenses.

I have not noticed flare from this lens in any instance. Reviewers have noted that this lens can flare sometimes, but in practice it's never been a problem for me so far. I do, however, consistently use the hood; your mileage may vary.

Lastly, I've heard that some samples of this lens have a back focus problem. If so, I must be very lucky, since mine focused exactly right.

Some folks have complained that this lens does not perform quite as superbly as its Limited brothers. With its slight CA and barrel distortion, perhaps that's true, but it still compares favorably with non-Limited lenses of this focal length. I chose this lens because of its more than good enough optical quality, durable build and unmatched compactness (more than a trivial advantage when I go hiking or do street photography! It is quite unobtrusive). You'll have to test it in person to decide if it's for you.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

I purchased the three limited in one time. This, for my use, is a wide-normal lens, with a classic 30-35mm perspective, in FF terms
The great thing is the size, colors, construction and the hood, very interesting for me.

It´s a pity the lens has a weird distortion, for a fixed lens, and the so small aperture. 2.8 would be nice...

Sorry my poor english

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

In ancient times I considered a fixed 35mm lens and my prime lens. The 21/3.2 fits the bill perfectly and its small size is great for everyday shooting and easy to carry around. This is one solid, small lens with great proformance.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

The product might produce not the very best quality pictures available on the market.
But for me, as an ambitous amateur the pictures are wonderful. And the very best is, that the lens is so light and small that I really like to carry my photo equipment around with me...
I had 1kg lenses from other companies and I don't want to miss my new small and light limited! Great!!! Pentax rocks!

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

It's lightweight, it's tiny, it's sharp as a tack... granted, it's wide angle, so there's some distortion around the edges, and at f3.2 it's not exactly fast, but its small size and tank-like build lead me suspect that it will be my everyday lens moving forward. [...]

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

I already have some nice lenses for my Pentax D-SLR, but all of them are big and heavy. So I would buy something useful but compact and light-weight. After meticulous seeking I chose SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited. And I am not disappointed! This pancake lens is really cool: fast, sharp, pretty tiny, solid and multipurpose. It is able to shot panoramas and landscapes, street photo, parties, portraits and even some macro with close-up lens! All-in-one, now it's my favorite lens for everyday use.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

I bought this lens after purchasing the DA 15 limited. The longer focal length is great for snapshots.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

The compact lens, specific blend. A minus that it is impossible to use the filter of 49 mm together with blend.
Excellent lens for photographing of mountains.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

I bought this lens for general walkaround and street photography, for which it is perfect. Deserves the "pancake" label. With the 21mm on my K-5, and the DA 40 in my pocket, I have a discrete, compact kit with top image quality, that suits most of what I need for general purpose photography. Images are sharp, with rich colours, and soft bokeh - a typical Pentax Limited, which I am delighted to own.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

perfect for discrete photography. beautiful colors - just a high quality, easy to use, lightweight, and small lens. it's hard to imagine a more useful lens!

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

Great for street photography. Great for indoors where the action is compact (got that wide angle). Overall a great lens.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

Good for walking in the street or for small spaces.
Discreet, small.
I like wide (luminous) objectif, more than f/3.2 but it has other things (see above) to like it !

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

This lens is producing really clear and sharp photographs in all lighting conditions. It's expensive especially with tax but it's worth it as it makes your camera more compact and not as obvious. Also, low light situations are now not an issue. Using only my flash on my Pentax K-x I shot for a t-shirt website, models wearing the t-shirts at night in the city streets. Almost all of the photographs came out excellent.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

This is a great wide angle lens. It is perfect for interior shots and landscapes! The focus is fast and accurate and sharp.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

How many tourists have I seen in Europe cradling 77-filter-size zooms like a drunk protecting his bottle? Also, it doesn't shout "show-off foreigner with a bigger-is-better lens". A newer Pentax DSLR is so compact that you can wrap your hands around it and, with a pancake lens, be very inconspicuous. The DA 21 will do for 80% of what I shoot. If you're used to the 35 and 28 focal lengths in 35mm, this lens crops to about a 32, right in between. Make up the difference with shoe leather zoom. If the photo is worth shooting, it's worth RAW. Fix the barrel distortion in your RAW processor. My particular sample doesn't look too bad in this respect.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

Great for landscape and other wide angle shots. Very useful for street photography. Close focus is very nice as well. Very well built and will fit in any camera bag. definitely a winner.

Comments about Pentax Wide Angle SMCP-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Series Autofocus Lens:

I use this on my k-7 and it works great. It's tiny which is good for carrying it around but also means it's harder to hold without touching the focus ring. At f/3.2 it's not the best for low light but with pentax's in-body shake reduction I can go down to 1/4 of a second so it works pretty well. Sharpness falls off a bit wide open but I find it very tolerable, better than some 1.8 lenses I've used at the same aperture. I like that sharpness seems to be consistent across the frame and not softer toward the edges. My only issue is that it looks like it would be very easy for dust or sand to get in the gap between the focus ring and the lens barrel.