Pentax 15

Expert review by : Andy Westlake (dpreview.com)

Pentax smc DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited Lens Review

The smc DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited is Pentax's latest lens, which was shown in prototype form at Photokina 2008 and formally introduced in March 2009. It's a rare beast indeed: a wide angle fixed focal length ('prime') lens that is purpose-designed for...

Compact and lightweight ; High quality aluminium construction ; Quick shift manual focus system ; Built-in sliding hood (but see below) ; Good flare resistance ; Almost no distortion ; Small 49mm thread, doesn't require slim filters

Rather soft at F4 - F5.6 ; Hood design causes problems with filter use (particularly square systems)

The Pentax smc DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited is a unique lens in the current market, a small, lightweight wideangle prime for APS-C cameras. And let's make it clear from the outset that Pentax should be applauded for producing such a lens, to provide a...

Apr, 2009

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Expert review by : Szymon Starczewski (lenstip.com)

Pentax smc DA 15 mm f/4 ED AL Limited

When digital cameras with sensors smaller than full frame appeared on the market they forced some changes in the offer of lenses as well. Plenty of instruments, designed for small detectors, have been launched ever since but, what is interesting, the...

Very solid and well-done casing ; Sensational image quality in the frame centre ; Moderate chromatic aberration ; Low distortion for such an angle of view ; Negligible astigmatism ; Very fast and efficient autofocus

Weak image quality on the edge of the frame ; Distinct coma

Aug, 2011

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Expert review by : photozone.de (opticallimits.com)

Pentax SMC-DA 15mm f/4 AL ED Limited - Review / Test Report

The SMC-DA 15mm f/4 AL ED Limited is a another desirable pancake lens by Pentax. The lens is capable of producing very sharp and contrasty images at medium aperture settings. At large apertures the border quality is somewhat softer so it may not be the...

Oct, 2009

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Consumer review (lenstip.com)

Pentax smc DA 15 mm f/4 ED AL Limited

This is a fantastic lens! I won't bore you by repeating what everyone else on the internet has said. If you're looking for an ultra-wide with amazing qualities...buy it! You won't be disappointed!

Everything! I love the flare control and sunburst it produces stopped down at f/8.0 or greater

Lens cap is a screw off/on cap. Very high quality metal, but can become a slight pain sometimes. Nice when not shooting though

Aug, 2012

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Consumer review (lenstip.com)

Pentax smc DA 15 mm f/4 ED AL Limited

This is a fantastic lens! I won't bore you by repeating what everyone else on the internet has said. If you're looking for an ultra-wide with amazing qualities...buy it! You won't be disappointed!

Everything! I love the flare control and sunburst it produces stopped down at f/8.0 or greater

Lens cap is a screw off/on cap. Very high quality metal, but can become a slight pain sometimes. Nice when not shooting though

Aug, 2012

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Consumer review (lenstip.com)

Pentax smc DA 15 mm f/4 ED AL Limited

As expected, this Pentax Limited lens is extremely well-constructed and works very smoothly. It's a pleasure to use it.Optically, the edges are rather soft until stopped down to f8, at which point it's quite sharp. Contrast is excellent at all...

Very sharp and contrasty at f8 for an ultrawide angle lens. Exceptional build quality, just a pleasure to work with. VERY small and light compared to zooms

Soft edges at wide apertures, some curvature of field

Dec, 2011

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Consumer review (lenstip.com)

Pentax smc DA 15 mm f/4 ED AL Limited

As expected, this Pentax Limited lens is extremely well-constructed and works very smoothly. It's a pleasure to use it.Optically, the edges are rather soft until stopped down to f8, at which point it's quite sharp. Contrast is excellent at all...

Very sharp and contrasty at f8 for an ultrawide angle lens. Exceptional build quality, just a pleasure to work with. VERY small and light compared to zooms

Soft edges at wide apertures, some curvature of field

Dec, 2011

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Consumer review (lenstip.com)

Pentax smc DA 15 mm f/4 ED AL Limited

I really like this lens for its size, build quality, but where it impresses me most is the optical quality, I had problems with unsharp corners until I have found out manual focus setting for sharp picture corner to corner from 1,5 m to infinity and am...

optical performance, minimum focus distance, low distortion, build quality, integrated hood, quick shift

none

Dec, 2011

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Consumer review (lenstip.com)

Pentax smc DA 15 mm f/4 ED AL Limited

I really like this lens for its size, build quality, but where it impresses me most is the optical quality, I had problems with unsharp corners until I have found out manual focus setting for sharp picture corner to corner from 1,5 m to infinity and am...

optical performance, minimum focus distance, low distortion, build quality, integrated hood, quick shift

none

Dec, 2011

Read the full review

Consumer review (lenstip.com)