Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited

Today I received my first Pentax DA Limited: the minimalist 40mm pancake. This lens and the two other Pentax pancake lenses (DA 21mm and DA 70mm) are the reason why I decided to buy a Pentax K100D camera.

After playing for a week with the K100D and the DA 18-55mm I decided to invest in some fine Pentax lenses. This K100D is just too much fun and the Pentax DA Limited are irresistible!

The lens comes with a very clever lens hood, an annoying yet cute screw-in lens cap and a very elegant leather soft case. It is very light and tiny and made of metal. The build quality seems to be excellent.

Auto focus is very fast and accurate. The few test shots I took show very good contrast, great resolution and apparently a very smooth rendering of out-of-focus areas.

I only had time to take few test shots around the house but I already like it very much. The relatively fast aperture combined with the K100D Shake Reduction (SR) and high ISO performance make a very nice low light combo.

I can't wait to try the DA 21mm and 70mm!

All images shot with Pentax K100D and Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8.


Specifications


Mount:PENTAX KAF
Lens Construction:5 elements in 4 groups
Angle of View:39 degrees
Diaphragm:Fully automatic
Blades:9
Min Aperture:F22
Metering:TTL open-aperture metering
Min Focus Distance:15.7 inches (0.4m)
Max Magnification:0.13X
Filter Diameter:49mm
Size Max Diameter Length:2.5 inches (63mm)
(Maxium Length: 0.6 inches (15mm))
Weight:3.2 oz. (90g)
Filter Size:49mm
Lens Hood:MH-RC 49mm (included)
Lens Case:33944 (DA 40mm Lens Soft Case)
Catalog Number:21550

2 comments:

jchristian said...

A fantastic lens... I shoot the DA 40 limited on the K100d, and love the light-weight and small size. I use it wide-open a LOT, and I have no complaints on AF speed, sharpness, color, light-gathering ability. I know there are faster lenses, but this is a perfect setup for me.

Ben Low said...

I just ordered mine!