Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA 12mm - 24mm f/4 AL (IF) Super Wide Angle Auto Focus Zoom Lens:

I am a newbie so I dont have a lot to compare it to. This was a tough call between the sigma 10-20 and this one but I decided to go with the Pentax. I am very pleased with it.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA 12mm - 24mm f/4 AL (IF) Super Wide Angle Auto Focus Zoom Lens:

• Did a lot of research before buying this lens and it is everything I was hoping for. My favorite lens in the 35mm film range were the 24 and 28mm. This lens covers that range with some left on both sides with very little distortion, and the edge to edge sharpness I would expect from a fixed focus lens. So far I have not noticed the "purple fringing" problems that others have. Someday I will buy that 15mm LTD, but I like the ability to zoom instead of switching lenses out the the dust dirt and sand I find myself shooting in many times. [...]

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA 12mm - 24mm f/4 AL (IF) Super Wide Angle Auto Focus Zoom Lens:

Needed an ultra wide lense and this fits the bill for me. Very sharp into corners, has exceeded all my expectations. Having said that I am but a beginner at this game.
Only negative is the size and weight. The hood is enormous and I have trouble fitting into my bag. But worth it given the extra width now available.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA 12mm - 24mm f/4 AL (IF) Super Wide Angle Auto Focus Zoom Lens:

Adorama was great to deal with. Will buy from them again.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA 12mm - 24mm f/4 AL (IF) Super Wide Angle Auto Focus Zoom Lens:

This lens produces beautiful, well-detailed images at all focal lengths. Flare is well controlled for a wide-angle zoom. I bought it because I needed a wide-angle lens on the small-sensor Pentax body for landscape photography, travel, etc., and I have not been disappointed. The only negative is I had to buy a thin polarizer as my regular 77mm filter vignetted a fair bit at the wide end. I have read reviews that chromatic aberration is a weakness with this lens, but I haven't found it a problem in my photography.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA 12mm - 24mm f/4 AL (IF) Super Wide Angle Auto Focus Zoom Lens:

Pop Photo (Apr-06) designated this lens the "Wide Winner" for its superb performance on objective tests. I agreed when first documenting home inventory, or picturing dark church interiors.

But once in the field, I was appalled by the pronounced chromatic aberration ['purple fringing'] of trees or power lines outlined against an overcast sky. To make certain this wasn't a user or equipment error, I took manually focused RAW test shots (with a K10D and lens hood) at f4, f8 and f16 each at 12mm, 18mm and 24mm and examined them at 100% magnification in Lightroom. To clinch matters, an identical shot with the 100-buck kit zoom lens at 18mm and f4 had far less edge fringing than this 13-element costly zoom, boasting high-dispersion glass and aspheric lens construction. Only a 10-buck plastic disposable camera demonstrated more notable CA!

Otherwise sterling performance (crisp clean images, minimal vignetting, and indiscernible linear distortion) cannot compensate for the inexcusable edge diffraction. A blotch on Pentax' great glass" reputation.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA 12mm - 24mm f/4 AL (IF) Super Wide Angle Auto Focus Zoom Lens:

Concur with [...]: excellent image quality, sharp contrast, minimal distortion, minor vignetting at 12mm gone by f5.6 -- a remarkable feat of optical engineering. Do check on substantial and frequent rebate offers by Pentax.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA 12mm - 24mm f/4 AL (IF) Super Wide Angle Auto Focus Zoom Lens:

I am completely amazed at this zoom. I'm a prime fanatic, but I'm happy with it. Petty much no correction needed in Photoshop's Lens Correction filter - VERY unusual for a zoom, especially such a wide one. Most situations don't need any adjustment.

I'm impressed.

Just be aware that at full extension it is very long, and the lens hood precludes using the on-camera flash, if that sort of thing is important to you. As a studio photographer, it isn't a concern t me.

Also, flare is almost non-existent. I shot directly into the sun, and there was only one teeny reflection. HOW DO THEY DO THAT???

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA 12mm - 24mm f/4 AL (IF) Super Wide Angle Auto Focus Zoom Lens:

It and the K100d were purchased for a Dec 2006 house hunting trip to Ohio as a replacement for my Hasselblad SWC. Avg 3 houses a day over two weeks. Pics were e-mailed to FL for review. Re-shot 2 houses, one was selected and purchased Jan 2007. ALL inside shots were with this lens and camera flash only. It's also a good "walkin around" lens.

Comments about Pentax Pentax SMCP-DA 12mm - 24mm f/4 AL (IF) Super Wide Angle Auto Focus Zoom Lens:

True wide angle capability (finally!) with digital, either interiors or panoramics.