Pentax Mirrorless Pentax K-01

This is so lovely and sharp. I need a wider lens but can't decide between the 15 and the 21.

I had problems with the DA15, which others have also reported in the past. Hopefully, Pentax fixed their QC issues. That being said, I really liked the DA21/3.2. Unless you must have a 23mm EFL lens, I highly recommend the 21/3.2 over the 15/4, even though the lens hood for the 21/3.2 is SUPER weird and ugly looking.
 
I had problems with the DA15, which others have also reported in the past. Hopefully, Pentax fixed their QC issues. That being said, I really liked the DA21/3.2. Unless you must have a 23mm EFL lens, I highly recommend the 21/3.2 over the 15/4, even though the lens hood for the 21/3.2 is SUPER weird and ugly looking.



Did you have problems with the DA15 right out of the box, Armando, or a break down later? I did read some of the QC threads... not sure if it was around the Vietnam transition? Maybe some variance like there seemed to be with the Olympus 12mm. Mine seems good now and I hope it stays that way! :eek:

I know technically 35mm is considered a wide-normal (right on the dividing line), but it seems pretty normal to me compared to the 24mm equiv.

You mentioned this before, Armando, but would be nice if there was a fast-ish Pentax Ltd in the 35mm range (maybe a f2.4 to make it smaller/lighter than the 31/1.8). It would be cool to have an all-rounder in the lineup like that.
 
Christilou, Just wondering what app you processed this image in, to get the borders. It is a beautiful image - I love the composition and colors.

IMGP1791-1.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Kyle - My DA15 was bad out of the box. It was soft no matter what aperture I set it on. Nice pull out hood though!

Pentax does need a fast 35mm equivalent lens for its DSLR's. I think there may have been a 20mm or 24mm lens at some point, which is no longer in production. So pretty much the DA21/3.2 is it.

However, if you are looking for a cheaper and/or smaller alternative to the 31/1.8 (which is about a 46mm EFL on the K-01) then there are plenty of options. The FA35/2 is excellent. And the DA35/2.4 is pretty good too. Then there is the Sigma 30/1.4. But the Sigma is a little bigger than all the other lenses, and reportedly soft wide open, which results in some awesome bokeh.
 
Kyle - My DA15 was bad out of the box. It was soft no matter what aperture I set it on. Nice pull out hood though!

Yeah, probably not worth keeping around *just* for the snazzy hood. Thanks for letting me know the circumstances... I was hoping maybe that once you got a good one, especially given the screw drive, you would be good-to-go in the long term.

Pentax does need a fast 35mm equivalent lens for its DSLR's. I think there may have been a 20mm or 24mm lens at some point, which is no longer in production. So pretty much the DA21/3.2 is it.

However, if you are looking for a cheaper and/or smaller alternative to the 31/1.8 (which is about a 46mm EFL on the K-01) then there are plenty of options. The FA35/2 is excellent. And the DA35/2.4 is pretty good too. Then there is the Sigma 30/1.4. But the Sigma is a little bigger than all the other lenses, and reportedly soft wide open, which results in some awesome bokeh.

That FA35/2 was really tempting (B&H has some again). But.... I had a little breakdown a couple days ago and ordered the 31/1.8. I figured I would play with it a bit and return it if I didn't like it, or maybe exchange if I received a bad copy. I will have some time to play around with it this weekend. This is outside of my original plan of using the K-01 as my mini-DSLR for small landscapes and portraits. Dang pixie dust hype got me. :rolleyes:

I can tell you now that I wish I would have started out with full frame DSLR, so this 31/1.8 would seem smaller to me. It feels a bit massive compared to my Panasonic 20/1.7!
 
LOL! Most things are massive compared to the 20/1.7. Somehow, I think you will be happier with the image quality of the K-01 + 31/1.8 than any m4/3 camera + 20/1.7.

I'm totally looking forward to your photos with the 31/1.8!!
 
Christilou, Just wondering what app you processed this image in, to get the borders. It is a beautiful image - I love the composition and colors.

This is Camera Bag. I have it for my iMac. It's really cheap and has loads of options for playing around. I'd really like Nik Colour Efex but can't bring myself to spend the money when there are so many cameras/lenses to buy!
 
... But.... I had a little breakdown a couple days ago and ordered the 31/1.8. I figured I would play with it a bit and return it if I didn't like it, or maybe exchange if I received a bad copy. I will have some time to play around with it this weekend. This is outside of my original plan of using the K-01 as my mini-DSLR for small landscapes and portraits. Dang pixie dust hype got me. :rolleyes:

Can't wait to see the results. I've wanted a 31 forever, but its beyond my meagre income. Have to make do with the DA35/F2.8. Want to see your shots. NOW. LOL.
 
LOL! Most things are massive compared to the 20/1.7. Somehow, I think you will be happier with the image quality of the K-01 + 31/1.8 than any m4/3 camera + 20/1.7.

I'm totally looking forward to your photos with the 31/1.8!!

You're right, not a fair comparison size-wise! I am curious how I will like it versus the PL25...

Can't wait to see the results. I've wanted a 31 forever, but its beyond my meagre income. Have to make do with the DA35/F2.8. Want to see your shots. NOW. LOL.

It is beyond my meagre income too (and also *I* am not really worthy to actually use it)! :D If want to keep it, I am going to have to make some tough choices to sell some of my other gear.
 
This is Camera Bag. I have it for my iMac. It's really cheap and has loads of options for playing around. I'd really like Nik Colour Efex but can't bring myself to spend the money when there are so many cameras/lenses to buy!

Thanks, I have that but have no used it in a long time. I also have Silver Efex Pro, but reluctant to invest in Color Efex Pro.
 
Glad to see they've not been resting on their laurels then. I love it's size, I can hold it with one hand without feeling as though I'm going to drop it. I can also hold it to take awkward macro shots and use my thumb to press the shutter ;)
 
Even with a FF camera the 31mm focal length seems like an odd choice. I wonder how that came about?

For some reason I really seem to like a 32mm equivalent FOV, perhaps even better than 35 or 28mm... I used a disposable film camera by Fuji last year and it had a 32mm lens, and I really like what I'm seeing from it.
 
These are really nice Kyle. Guess you'll be keeping it then? I've found the raws from the K-01 need hardly any pping. I posted one on Blip just as it was, straight out of LR converted to Jpeg.
 
Back
Top