I’m a bargain hunter myself and really worked that angle before making
the decision to go with the 15-30.
I already have an FA 20-35 f4, so I was looking for something that would
do better . The 20-35 is good at the wide end when stopped down to f8 or
11 and is very good at the long end. But at the 20mm end the
combination of CA, distortion, vignetting and poor AF accuracy can
really hurt image quality. I used it on and off for a year and decided
that it fell short of what I wanted.
Initially I considered just getting a good 14/15mm or 20mm prime and
leaving it at that. Contenders were the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 and 20mm f
1.8, Pentax FA 20mm f28 and IRIX 15mm. Without going into details, I
didn’t feel like these lenses offered enough of a boost over the FA
20-35, each alternative failing on its own terms. (Though the IRIX is a
lens I would look at if the 15-30 did not pan out).
You mention a Sigma 14mm f3.5. I own this lens, bought new many years
ago. I liked the results on slide film back in the day but on DSLR’s
it’s no good. Maybe my copy deteriorated (though it was seldom used )
but its bad on APS-C and terrible on full frame. I usually don’t speak
that harshly about a lens but I don’t even want to try to sell this one,
because whoever buys it will be unhappy.
After looking at the alternatives, I settled on he DFA 15-30. It’s not
perfect. You can’t use filters with it without buying into a very
expensive system , the bulbous front element looks like an accident
waiting to happen, and it’s really big and heavy. But it’s super sharp,
has incredible close focus, virtually no CA or light falloff, and an
excellent zoom range. I’m hanging onto the FA 20-35 for situations where
I want to use filters or want a light wide angle.
FWIW - when I got the K1 I was prepared to replace both the the FA 20-35
and also my Sigma EX APO 70-200 f2.8 (the original film version of this
lens, from the late 1990's). The Sigma proved to be a great performer -
exceptionally sharp, great flare control (really surprised me) and while
it has moderate CA wide open its very easily corrected. It's not ideal -
poor close focusing distance (3 meters) and slow cam driven AF - but for
me its fine. Upgrading it is off my list. So I agree there are a lot of
underappreciated lenses out there.
Mark
Darren Addy wrote:
congrats on the enablement!
Alternative purchase:
KEH has a LN- for $1035.
Alternate purchases (2&3)
As a “bottom feeder” I’m more than happy with my Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6
(bought used for $350). B&H has one now for $285.
With the outstanding high ISO PERFORMANCE of the latest Pentax, I don’t see
a lot of sense in paying the premium for the f2.8. (A Sigma f3.5 version is
also available). Even for a K-1 owner, the 10-20mm will cover full frame to
about 13mm, exceeding the FOV of the 15mm.
Darren Addy
Kearney, NE
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