Old vs New

OK I am being tempted to get a pancake lens for my K10D - possibly a 40mm or the 21 mm as I want a light and small lens for general use.

At the moment the 40mm Ltd is looking good but I already have a 28mm f2.8 Pentax A lens so all it lacks is the autofocus and that's not really a deal breaker as I reckon I can focus pretty quickly.

Will the Ltd lens be better quality than the A lens which was after all designed for full frame? Otherwise the 28 is OK, it's equal to 42mm full frame which is an OK walkabout lens length and while it isn't pancake it's small and light.

Any thoughts?

Mike

He's my thoughts for what they are worth, the 28mm can almost be preset or fixed focus and left alone in normal light conditions, where everything will be "apparently" sharp. It don't get quicker or better than that for a walk around lens Also no cost implication, it allows LBA to used elsewhere on a another must have.

The pancake can be a sod to focus if you've got shovels instead of hands like me, especially if you have the grip fitted. That is without sticking your digits all over the front element and leaving fingerprints,

That's of course assuming the pancake is not autofocus version, i.e. A series or before manual types.

There's a bit of a contradiction here as the lenses mentioned are quite different. The 28mm becomes a slightly wide standard lens on a DSLR and the 40mm becomes a slight telephoto. These are different things and don't have interchangeable function.

The 21mm becomes a rather wide standard lens or a very mild wide angle, depending on your taste, but is a different beast again.

I think the decision depends on what sort of images you are hoping to capture. If you wanted a multi purpose everyday catch-all lens then the 18-55mm kit lens would be a better choice. The K10D is hardly light and compact to begin with, again depending on your point of view and what you compare it with, so a compact lens is not going to make it pocketable.

The pancake would be new and AF - I can quite see why you'd get your mitts all over it with manual focus.

But will the Ltd be a sharper lens.

I guess I should just use the 28 for a while - good enough is good enough

Mike

I take your point about the differences between the 21 and 40 and their use. Blush, the plan would be to get the 21/40/70 over a period so which comes first is a bit academic.

I have replaced the kit lens with a Tamron 17-50 which is quite big but does offer f2.8 and I do want that wider aperture which would rule out the kit lens anyway.

Also the kit lens is also quite lengthy especially with its hood on while the 28 is quite compact and the pancake would be negligible.

Mike

It looks like you have your plan then. The 21/40/70 set is a nice choice if you like primes and they are all excellent quality and very compact.

How can you go wrong?

By spending money on something I don't as I already have the 28 mm lens!

That's the nub of the issue. I don't mind spending the ,money but will I get a sharper lens?

Mike

From all accounts you will get a better lens, one designed for digital and from a line up of superior quality.

The 28mm f2.8 design is not regarded as one of the best Pentax lenses ever.

However, "sharper" is not the only thing to look for in a lens. Sharpness, resolution, contrast, drawing, field flatness, chromatic abberation, resistance to flare, bokeh.....all are part of the picture as well. Overall I would expect the limited digital lenses to possess a better balance of properties for your K10D.

Thanks John - I have used the 28mm and I didn't much like the images it made they seemed a bit over exposed and washed out. They were sharp no question but a bit unsatisfactory.

I can hear the siren call of the LTD lenses

Mike

Mike,
Maybe lady luck is singing to you. Just E-bayed the 21,35 and 70 Ltd.
You can find them: here, here and
here. If you have any more questions, just pm me.

Martin.

But why? No good, never use them, got something better?

Mike

Funding some other fine glass, thats all. Not leaving Pentax (in case anyone wonders)

Martin.

Sadly I have to wait for my Leica lens to sell before I can buy even one of these.

Mike

Well, you've got almost 7 days for it. Just wanted to let you know. E-bay always was good for me, no reason to think otherwise this time.

Good luck with your quest.
Martin.

I appreciate you drawing me attention to it - but I'll have to wait and my lens is being sold on commission.

Mike