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Digital Lenses

Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 11:13 pm
by John
Digital DA series lenses for Pentax are now available from 10mm fisheye right up to 300mm primes. The quality is outstanding, but of the ones I've used the following comments apply:

SMC Pentax-DA 10-17mm Fisheye This zoom is a fisheye lens at the widest setting but gradually straightens up as it is zoomed towards 17mm. It is an excellent creative tool, but needs very careful handling to get the best from it.

SMC Pentax-DA 12-24mm A superb professional quality zoom with almost perfect drawing, that is, virtually no distortion.

SMC Pentax-DA 16-45mm The professional alternative to the kit lens. This lens does 95% of the photography I do.

SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm This is probably the best of the kit lenses from any manufacturer. A little soft wide open, it sharpens up very nicely as it is stopped down. Inexpensive and very good.

SMC Pentax-FA 43mm Limited A superb optic for film or digital. This exceeds the performance of Zeiss and Leica lenses.

SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f1.4 Another superb prime, ideal for low light use.

SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm Compact, inexpensive and superb.

SMC Pentax-FAJ 75-300mm Inexpensive and very appealing, this may not be the world's sharpest lens but it has a very pleasing character. It is ideal for close ups of flowers and small animals at close range.