K-7, but which super-wide lenses would you go for

I'm very convinced by the K-7, I kind of was waiting for a K-8 but since the K-7 is such a good price now, and really such a brilliant design in terms of robustness and portability I want it. I'm primarily interested in the wide end of things, fish eye up to 24mm in 35mm terms, I wonder which lenses really deliver. I'm trying to minimise bulk as often my camera is in a backpack when I mountain bike. I put together a simple http://www recently with my preferred shots (everything via my tiny GX100 Ricoh). Take a gander :
https://sites.google.com/site/pbphotolife/home

--
Paul Bentley

I can't talk about fisheyes, except that from reviews they seem to be a bit softer than rectilinear UWA lenses. They are very distinctive: if that's what you like the softnes won't be a disadvantage. Look up threads by Phil Zucker for creative use of the 10-17.

For rectlinear UWA my choice is the older (F/4-5.6) version of the Sigma 10-20. It gets good reviews except here on DPR. Some people seem to have suffered quality control variations, although that doesn't seem to be mentioned (except as something that happened a long time ago) in recent threads.
The obvious contenders are:

• Pentax 12-24 - slightly better colours, slightly sharper at the edges, worse CA (but curable in PP) and more expensive - by a lot in some markets.
• Sigma 10-20/3.5. Much bigger, reviews give it lower IQ, huge expensive filter size.
• Tamron 10-24. Broadly similar in IQ.
• Signa 12-24. Huge and designed for FF; good lens but not for APS-C.

For me the two decisive factors were cost and angle of view: 10mm gives an extra 20% both horizontally and vertically - 1.44X the area of view - over 12mm. You will find plenty of people who decry using UWA to capture a wide scene - and within their own terms of reference that's fine - but if you do want the wider view you can't beat 10mm. Yes, you can sometimes stitch; yes, sometimes things look too small; but only a 10mm or fisheye could have caught this.



--
Gerry


First camera 1953, first Pentax 1983, first DSLR 2006
http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne

I am very happy with my Pentax DA 12-24 f/4. The CAs are pretty easy to fix, and my copy is tack-sharp. I've found that somewhere between 12-24mm is the perfect wide angle range for me.

The DA 15 Ltd would be another great choice. If you're biking and want something like, this seems to be the way to go. I am usually hiking or climbing, and this lens was attractive. I chose the zoom because "foot zooming" isn't always an option.

Pentax DA 12-24 f/4 @ 12mm:



--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/serac/

I have a Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6 and while it's a good lens, it's not that sharp at widest end. Now I've come to use a sharp lens and stitch some photos to make a wider image with better results than any wide zoom.

I'll put in another vote for the Pentax 12-24. I also have the 10-17mm fisheye but really haven't used it much.

Only get the fishey if you are looking for that effect. - otherwise the 12-24 would be my first choice (and was my first buy)

Of course if you are looking to minimize bulk the pancakes are the way to go - but no zoom then.

sigma 10-20 here. I use it for all kinds of things but commonly:

1) cars. I do motion shots where the camera is mounted to the car and the car rolled along slowly. Long shutter speeds (longer than 1/4 second) to make it look fast. 10mm is the only way to go. 12mm wouldnt be capable of fitting the whole car in the shot at most of the angles I like.

2) real estate (interiors). I dont always use 10mm here but its nice to have the option. I use a tripod, long exposures

I think its a great lens.

It really depends on size, if you want small get the DA 15, if size isn't as big of a deal, get the older Sigma 10-20 or Pentax 12-24. See this shot:



A few test shots of Sigma 10-20 @ 15mm vs. DA 15 limited (you can save the originals in this gallery, just right click, to compare)

http://LloydShell.zenfolio.com/p417755350

I have the Sigma 10-20 and Love it, but it is not a small lens. Food for thought.

Lloyd
--

“For every problem there is a solution which is simple, clean and wrong.” Henry Louis Mencken

http://lloydshell.blogspot.com/
http://lloydshell.zenfolio.com/

thanks for that reply ... man, that Sigma is massive next to the Pentax 15.

I do like the 10-20 range of Sigma, a bit more than 12-24 of the Pentax alternative.
I will flip a coin ....
--
Paul Bentley

If the rumors are right.

Hi,

Stick to Pentax lenses if you want to use the in camera processing option on the K7. It won't work with 3rd party lenses. I shoot in RAW to prevent slowing the camera down, then process 'in camera' to jpg a great feature.

I have both the 12-24mm da and the 15mm ltd both are truly excellent.

Have fun.

JC

oh no ... I'll have to wait now: 10-16 or 11-16 -that would be IDEAL for me!

by the time that comes, then the K-8 will be here and I'll have to get that instead of K-7 ....

--
Paul Bentley

John Cal said:

Hi,

Stick to Pentax lenses if you want to use the in camera processing option on the K7. It won't work with 3rd party lenses.

Click to expand...

Um.... Not true IIRC it is the CA Correction and Distortion Correction that will not work, but you should be able to take any RAW from ANY lens and process in camera should you desire.

Lloyd

--

“For every problem there is a solution which is simple, clean and wrong.” Henry Louis Mencken

http://lloydshell.blogspot.com/
http://lloydshell.zenfolio.com/

Paul_B Midlands UK said:

oh no ... I'll have to wait now: 10-16 or 11-16 -that would be IDEAL for me!

by the time that comes, then the K-8 will be here and I'll have to get that instead of K-7 ....

Click to expand...

10-16 DA* sealed would be awesome and most likely larger than the Sigma 10-20.... it also is vapourware right now. Better the lens in hand at a decent price, than one coming in a year and with premiium prices for 8 months after.

Lloyd
--

“For every problem there is a solution which is simple, clean and wrong.” Henry Louis Mencken

http://lloydshell.blogspot.com/
http://lloydshell.zenfolio.com/

John Cal wrote:
Hi Lyoyd,

You are correct - what I meant to say was......

Stick to Pentax lenses if you want to use the in camera processing option for CA Correction and Distortion Correction on the K7. It won't work with 3rd party lenses.

This is a great feature that only works with Pentax lenses.

Cheers

Paul_B Midlands UK said:

I'm very convinced by the K-7, I kind of was waiting for a K-8 but since the K-7 is such a good price now, and really such a brilliant design in terms of robustness and portability I want it. I'm primarily interested in the wide end of things, fish eye up to 24mm in 35mm terms, I wonder which lenses really deliver. I'm trying to minimise bulk as often my camera is in a backpack when I mountain bike. I put together a simple http://www recently with my preferred shots (everything via my tiny GX100 Ricoh). Take a gander :
https://sites.google.com/site/pbphotolife/home

--
Paul Bentley

Click to expand...

I have been weighing up my options in regards to a wide angle lens for a while & after a lot of review reading & comparing contenders on this site & others I concluded the Tamron 10-24mm is the best fit for me. The reason being it offers the least distortion (good for archicture etc.) & also the distortion it has is easy to correct with software. The Sigma 10-20 distortion characteristics for example are complex. What you can do is just go to page 3 of say the Tokina 12-24 (virtually identical to the Pentax 12-24) & compare it with the Sigma & Tamron. The Tamron is very soft wide open but frankly who uses a wide angle lens at wide apertures. Look at how good the Tamron is at f/8 & f/11? Now, the corners are a bit soft but a little bit of cropping would sort any issues & the field of view will still be a lot more than the Pentax (2mm makes a big difference). Also I have found with my Pentax 18-55 that DXO is excellent at fixing known issues so when the Tamron is supported by DXO there will be no real major issues to speak about. The Tamron also resists flare very well by the way. As far as weight is concerned the Tamron weighs in lighter than the Pentax & Sigma & will give you a lot more flexibility than a fixed focal length lens. Price wise the Tamron is about $300AU cheaper than the Pentax 12-24 & about the same as the Sigma 10-20.