Among this week's trips was a walk in the Wyre Forest Reserve. I've been intending to look for Knowles Mill for about 3 years. I finally got round to doing a circular walk for which the end point was just past the mill. I must say, it didn't disappoint!

Probably my favourite 5 from the album.


002 by Daniel Perlak, on Flickr


008 by Daniel Perlak, on Flickr


011 by Daniel Perlak, on Flickr


015 by Daniel Perlak, on Flickr


022 by Daniel Perlak, on Flickr

The single shot was a result of my looking for anywhere I could stand to get as close to what I wanted with the panorama as possible . If I'd had something like the DA50 plastic fantastic I would have had plenty of space!

Thanks!

I thought it'd be best to have smallish images that's fit on a 1080p size screen with the rest of the forum as I think that is probably a very common screen resolution these days.

So I used to be an almost exclusively zoom lens user. For a long time I have had the DA*16-50 and DA*50-135 as my two go everywhere lenses. I also have a DA18-135 but it is on 'long-term' (permanent :lol loan to my father. For a long time I'd been umming and arring about the Limited primes. Every time I got my hands on one to test I'd be irritated by the tzzz-tzzz of the in body AF motor knowing how silent my zooms are. Then I'd be disheartened by the lens speeds thinking "my zooms are constant f/2.8"!

In 2015 having been waiting a long time for a 100mm macro with WR and silent AF I gave up walked into my local camera shop and forked out for the DA100 WR Macro. Not my first prime lens as I had the DA*300 which sadly hardly ever saw, nor still sees, much use . It is just a bit too big and specialised to carry around all the time. I fell in love with the build quality, all metal outer construction, the old fashioned DoF markings and completely solid tank-like construction. Since then my DA*50-135 has basically not seen any use ! It became my permanent travel companion with my DA*16-50, my most used lens.

I started occasionally only taking the 100mm macro and nothing else. I found I because a lot more creative thinking with my framing, composition and looking for details that would work with that focal length. I started thinking "maybe there is something more to primes" and again looking around at the Limited series. Later that year I travelled to Mexico taking only two lenses. A borrowed DA35 plastic fantastic and my DA100 WR. This furthered my thinking about shooting with primes. This is because I wanted to travel light and because I realised that I use zooms like double primes! Photos taken with my DA* zooms are over 90% from 16, 50 or 135mm. I didn't really use the rest of the zoom range much at all.

Fast forward to the end of 2017. I'm looking to start travelling light. I am getting very fed up of carting around a lot of big and heavy kit. I am finding my kit large, obtrusive, difficult to pack and very 'in your face' (and it is still very small compared to digital FF!). I start looking at moving system, or adding a camera from another system. The Fuji fixed-lens APS-C X100 'range finder' or just upping and moving to Olympus and their OM-D EM1.

Both the above are impressive! The Fuji is a thing of beauty and the Olympus feels like a techno-marvel. My aunt is an Olympus shooter, strangely on my recommendation as she wanted small and light but to move up from a Panasonic.

Then the stark realisations. The Fuji is £1000; it doesn't have interchangeable lenses and isn't much smaller or lighter than my K-5's body! The Olympus kit to replace what I have in Pentax mount is well over £4000 !

Solution? I liked the focal length of the Fuji and the speed of the lens. Closest Pentax equivalent? The DA21 Limited.

Looking at the prices I was a bit shocked at the increases over the last few years for new lenses. Then reading reviews and doing my research i discovered people praising the DA Limiteds for producing some special results the HD Limiteds do not. The new coatings are great but the rounded bladed on the wide angles took away their 'star-bursts'.

I decided to look around for the old DA Limited 21mm instead of the new one. I found one at SRS and I've not looked back!

The seeming lack of speed doesn't matter. I can get some wonderful shallow DoF framing correctly and getting close to my subject. The tzzz-tzzz of the AF motor is now a reassuring sound that this solid built lens is doing its work. The DoF scale helps me get the right aperture in all situations for the result I want. The small size makes it unobtrusive. It is great for travel as it is light and takes up so little space. The DA21 Limited made me fall in love with my camera and photography again.

I was no longer looking around at other systems. I am still tempted by a newer camera but my K-5 seemed to be reborn and more capable than ever. Yes, my set-up isn't WR any more but I'm not really trekking around in all weather. I can also put the camera away quickly and easily in a small bag. Obviously not pocket-able, but a good size.

Unfortunately, I have LBA again! After my first taste of the Limiteds I want to get all the original DA Limiteds. Only because it feels wrong to mix and match the old DA and new HD Limiteds . I managed to find a DA15 Limited locally recently. I love this lens for its field of view and flare resistance. The screw on lens cap is an annoyance I have learned to cope with. Especially as I get a bit of OCD annoyance because the 'PENTAX' lettering doesn't sit the right way up !

Other positives about the Limiteds? 49mm filter thread! Got myself a circular polariser. I can use it on the 15, 21 and 100. It makes a big difference in a lot of different scenarios. Small filters are also much cheaper. That is the main reason I never got a 77mm polariser for my DA*16-50 (which incidentally is a flaring monster compared to the DA15).

Next challenge is finding a DA35, 40 and 70 to complete the set. I also want to get the two plastic fantastics as they'll compliment the set. It is a shame the 50mm has a 52mm thread though. I now also understand why the DA100 WR Macro is referred to as an 'honorary' Limited lens. If it had a green/red ring and Limited slapped on it it would fit right in.

Basically, I'm finding there is much more to the Limiteds than I ever really expected. They are not incredibly fast lenses, they are not quiet. With the two I own, have I ever been left wishing for F2.8 or faster? Nope. The DoF difference at 15mm would be minimal and the size increase would be huge. Just look at the size of the DA14. The 21mm is perfectly adequate at f/3.2 and an extra 1/3rd of a stop isn't going to make a damned bit of difference.

There is something really special to these small, light all metal 'tanks' of lenses. Pentax's problem? People, the press and the industry can't get over the need for speed, silence and specifications. I for one am glad I jumped onto this ship. I'd recommend to anyone getting on the Limited bandwagon. But, don't out-bid me on any lenses !

I was out and about at Shrugborough Estate about a week ago to play with my new 'old' (second hand) DA15 Limited. Weather was changeable and kept going from nice blue skies to drab flat featureless grey clouds. After a couple of test shots I decided that there wasn't anything I could do to make the skies look interesting in my photos. So out came the DA100 WR Macro. If you can't have something in the frame because it looks bad, frame tighter! Ok, 100mm is very tight on APS-C even outdoors so I had to stitch some panoramas. I was only travelling with two lenses, as I often do now, so didn't have any other choice.

Single frame (drab sky a bit visible):

017 by Daniel Perlak, on Flickr

4-shot panorama:

018 by Daniel Perlak, on Flickr

3-shot panorama. This was inspired by a photo I saw recently with the same composition and low DoF but shot with a DA50 (plastic fantastic). Panorama because I couldn't get far enough away:

020 by Daniel Perlak, on Flickr

Single frame, the one place I could stand to get a similar effect to the above shot. I think I actually prefer this one to the one above:

021 by Daniel Perlak, on Flickr

More detailed:

023 by Daniel Perlak, on Flickr

And something else:

024 by Daniel Perlak, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!

Holy WOW!

Sigma 180mm macro? How'd you get that kind of magnification? That is definitely past 1:1!

You make me miss living by the sea...

Really lovely colours in that sunrise!

Where is that? They are very good! A lot of ambience.

Given that my most used lens is my DA*16-50 at 16mm focal length then the DA 15mm Limited is likely to be right up my street.

Still, this 21mm is my new go-to lens. That and the DFA 100mm WR are going to be my new light travel kit.

Yeah, there is a little bit of flare, but that is nothing when compared to the DA* 16-50:

Take a look here.

Aye, did a search for that on flickr when thinking about it purchase and return.

I now want to get more 'Limited' lenses, especially the 15mm (smc version).

I wasn't sure I'd like this lens. At first I found the focal length and speed awkward. Not very wide and not very fast. Was about to send it back but something stopped me. I'm glad I kept it.

1. Star-burst on point light.



2. Flare resistance and star-burst stopped down for landscapes.



3. Costrast and detail.



4. Bokeh and close focus.



Plus, as with all fixed focal length lenses, it forces you to be more creative and thoughtful with composition. Laziness reduction guaranteed. My 'keeper' rate with it is about 40% compared to my normal 15% 'keeper' rate. My published photos on flickr are about 16% of all my photos. Next best is my DFA 100mm f/2.8 WR with 20% and that is low because of DoF and shake (hand-held macro is hard).

On my recent trip to Berlin I only took this one lens.