Comments on OK1000 Pentax Blog: The DA LImited 15mm F4 Round-Up

DA15 does well without bright sunlight, too! Posts...

2009-05-01T13:32:00.000-04:00

DA15 does well without bright sunlight, too! Posts on my MORA blog for April 30 and May 1 were all done with this lens.

One striking feature is the near absence of linear distortion. I also enjoy the smooth, 'natural' rendering of detail (opposite of the Flickr school of digital exaggeration).

Also important is the compact size, since I always have my camera with me.

[Found a rubber Nikon 54mm lens cap that just fits tightly over the collapsed lens shade.]

Anyway, I follow the Carl Weese philosophy in testing: put the lens on the camera and go shoot the sort of pictures you normally take, then see how you like those.

I like what I'm seeing.

Thanks for your thoughts on it. As you mention, th...

2009-04-26T00:02:00.000-04:00

Thanks for your thoughts on it. As you mention, the overall handling of light, color, and contrast seem on par with other limiteds. And this is always very welcome.

We discussed the review some with Andy :
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=31682688

Seriously, you're right. Andy Westlake took some v...

2009-04-24T20:13:00.000-04:00

Seriously, you're right. Andy Westlake took some very crisp photos for the DP Review sample section of that review. I was surprised that they went almost purely by what they saw in the tech measurements and hesitated at giving the lens a "Highly Recommended" instead of just "Recommended." All the more personal comments about the lens design and its craftsmanship tell the story as if they were really impressed. But they hedged their bets: "it's also a finely crafted piece of kit which is a delight to use - a somewhat frivolous reason to choose one, perhaps, although still perfectly valid in its own way."

Anyway, Yvon, please post more pics from it when you get the chance!

If you look at the pictures posted by DPReview, so...

2009-04-24T19:08:00.000-04:00

If you look at the pictures posted by DPReview, some are great pictures. Look at the close-up of the red flower. You want Chromatic Aberration, shoot tree branches with a blue sky or better yet with a white cloud and at maximum aperture. You will have CA for sure. Although technical testing can be useful, alway rely with what your pictures look like. Take real world pictures and compare.