For more than 10 years, this was the lens I used the most (say 70%) shooting landscape and architecture. This is a very easy lens since it is quite sharp right from f4 in most of the range (does get a bit softer above 20 mm). When it came out, you could find primes that were sharper in the centre; but this lens actually performed better out to the edge - something I appreciate for landscape. It does have a bit of CA (most of which can be corrected); but probably the thing I miss the most is weather sealing. (I now use 15-30 on K1).
Very interesting images, there's always something in your photos that catches the eye and makes the shot. Came here from snappiness on youtube, thank him...
That's a good data point! I think I might have mounted it on full frame cameras (film, and on the A7ii) but since I don't have a K-1 I never really paid attention to that.
Excellent video on a classic lens. I understand why Pentax needed to release the DA* 11-18, but I wish they had kept this medium-budget wide angle in the catalog, too. The DA 21mm you mention at 1:42 is probably my favorite street photography lens; I love the color and the starburst pattern at f/8 and smaller.
I really appreciate that you take care and time to produce informative content for a wee baby Pentaxian such as myself. This video in particular is one I've been searching for, as there aren't many people out there making a lot Pentax branded content. It's great to find another person who has shot with this system, that I'm just NOW getting into. I too also shoot on Fuji, they're color science is lovely. But the image quality/the natural skin tones that my K3 can get, practically make me weep. Anyway, great stuff, my guy!
Thanks, I'm happy the videos are useful in some way! I've been changing jobs in real life so it's been hard to keep up any kind of pace, hopefully with the new year I'll be making videos more often.
This was my wide-angle lens to go until I bought Sigma 8-16. Since then I rarely take it with me. But the image quality is quite good. It resolves fine details and has plenty of contrast, but with some aberations included. But that Sig 8-16 simply is much wider, also has very good resolution and less CA.
I went with the Sony 10-18 when I moved to mirrorless, on the A6000 and later A6500. I found the 18mm was too wide, so I'm sure I'd find the 8-16 to have the same problem for me. What I loved about the 12-24 is that at 24mm you are basically in wide-but-almost-normal territory, and that makes it a super versatile lens.
Everyone I know who has used the DA12-24mm f4 has been happy with. I never got around to buying it as I was more interested in the Pentax primes. Then in 2016 I got the K-1 full frame and sold my K-3 so not use for APS-C coverage lenses (but still hold onto my DA15mm and DA21mm for a time when Pentax release a replacement for the K-70. I want a light weight, small Pentax DSLR to complement my K-1. In the meantime I’ve dipped my toe in the FujiFilm water with an X-E4 with 27mm f2.8. It’s small and cute but I haven’t fallen in love with an EVF yet
Hopefully the k90 will be our soon. I'm a Panasonic shooter but have been interested in trying a pentax dslr for something unique. Never experienced a dslr yet.
I originally bought a Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 and it was not very sharp, it had good ambience but it had front/back focusing problem. I bought this Pentax 12-24mm f4, man what a lens, just a night and day comparison. I consider it a stack of primes. It can actually produce 3D pop if you know how to get the scene right. It's brothers to my DA*16-50mm which I really really like for the ambience, and DA* 50-135mm 2.8 which is my favorite Pentax lens of all time. I can't say that I own any DA limiteds, I just haven't felt the need for one, especially when the DA* line is 2.8 while the limited's don't go that wider aperture except for the 70mm. The 12-24mm is actually a Tokina designed lens. Pentax went to work with Tokina to produce the following Pentax designed lenses: 11-17mm Fisheye; 16-50mm 2.8; 50-135mm 2.8; 100mm 2.8 macro. The Tokina version 100mm 2.8 macro is highly regarded with Nikon users. I got a lot of respect for Tokina lenses after my 12-24mm f4. I do not know if Tokina actually makes these lenses for Pentax, or whether Pentax makes theirs in their own factory, but there is angry debate about who makes what where so I will not speculate. I also have the 11-17mm fisheye which is also very sharp and a joy to use. I think that these iterations of lenses for Pentax has been its best. The more modern DA and DFA lenses seem to be missing the ambience of these older DA and DA* lenses. I too bought into the fuji hype and system but I've put most of it for sale. I just don't like the output from the bland but sharp lenses that lack ambience, and I'm not too fond of its IQ and film simulations. To be honest Fuji IQ and color science makes me want to puke and go cuddle my Pentax's! Plus there is an issue with false colors on X-Trans which Peta Pixel describes - which is real BTW. Replacing my Fuji gear is a Sigma SD1 Merrill which eats Fuji's for breakfast! lol If you get a K-? apsc I can thoroughly recommend the DA 12-24mm f4 ultra wide. I even recommend the 11-17mm fisheye which when composing horizontally to the horizon is almost like an ultra wide, plus theres a full frame version now.
@@stevenjohnson4283 thank you for the suggestions. I will look into those lenses since I recently picked up a Pentax k70. I have the 20-40 limited coming today. I will definitely look into the 12-24 and the 50-135. I've also been curious about the 15mm red or green ring. But that 12-24 could give what I'm looking for in street / cityscape. I've recently came from Panasonic mirrorless to Pentax. Searching for a unique look
It will vignette a lot at 12mm in full frame. But from what I remember, it becomes usable around 16-17mm. I don't have the lens anymore so I cannot check again, but I did try it on a full frame film camera.
For more than 10 years, this was the lens I used the most (say 70%) shooting landscape and architecture. This is a very easy lens since it is quite sharp right from f4 in most of the range (does get a bit softer above 20 mm). When it came out, you could find primes that were sharper in the centre; but this lens actually performed better out to the edge - something I appreciate for landscape. It does have a bit of CA (most of which can be corrected); but probably the thing I miss the most is weather sealing. (I now use 15-30 on K1).
Thanks for this and I love your pictures ...we both love clouds :)
I enjoyed your video and love the South, Central and North American images. Good to see it, some iconic images in your books.
Many thanks!
Very interesting images, there's always something in your photos that catches the eye and makes the shot. Came here from snappiness on youtube, thank him...
Important advantage of this lens: form 18mm up to 24 mm it is even cover the full frame of a K1
That's a good data point! I think I might have mounted it on full frame cameras (film, and on the A7ii) but since I don't have a K-1 I never really paid attention to that.
Very nice pictures🎉
Excellent video
12-24 it is.
Nice review thanks for sharing!
Excellent video on a classic lens. I understand why Pentax needed to release the DA* 11-18, but I wish they had kept this medium-budget wide angle in the catalog, too. The DA 21mm you mention at 1:42 is probably my favorite street photography lens; I love the color and the starburst pattern at f/8 and smaller.
I really appreciate that you take care and time to produce informative content for a wee baby Pentaxian such as myself. This video in particular is one I've been searching for, as there aren't many people out there making a lot Pentax branded content. It's great to find another person who has shot with this system, that I'm just NOW getting into. I too also shoot on Fuji, they're color science is lovely. But the image quality/the natural skin tones that my K3 can get, practically make me weep. Anyway, great stuff, my guy!
Thanks, I'm happy the videos are useful in some way! I've been changing jobs in real life so it's been hard to keep up any kind of pace, hopefully with the new year I'll be making videos more often.
Never was interested in this lens before but now you have me interested! Great photos! Cool to see some of them from the zine I got :)
Ugh this channel is making me really happy. Again, amazing work.
Wow, thank you!
@@JuanBuhler No, thank you.
This was my wide-angle lens to go until I bought Sigma 8-16. Since then I rarely take it with me. But the image quality is quite good. It resolves fine details and has plenty of contrast, but with some aberations included.
But that Sig 8-16 simply is much wider, also has very good resolution and less CA.
I went with the Sony 10-18 when I moved to mirrorless, on the A6000 and later A6500. I found the 18mm was too wide, so I'm sure I'd find the 8-16 to have the same problem for me. What I loved about the 12-24 is that at 24mm you are basically in wide-but-almost-normal territory, and that makes it a super versatile lens.
Everyone I know who has used the DA12-24mm f4 has been happy with. I never got around to buying it as I was more interested in the Pentax primes. Then in 2016 I got the K-1 full frame and sold my K-3 so not use for APS-C coverage lenses (but still hold onto my DA15mm and DA21mm for a time when Pentax release a replacement for the K-70. I want a light weight, small Pentax DSLR to complement my K-1.
In the meantime I’ve dipped my toe in the FujiFilm water with an X-E4 with 27mm f2.8. It’s small and cute but I haven’t fallen in love with an EVF yet
Hopefully the k90 will be our soon. I'm a Panasonic shooter but have been interested in trying a pentax dslr for something unique. Never experienced a dslr yet.
I originally bought a Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 and it was not very sharp, it had good ambience but it had front/back focusing problem. I bought this Pentax 12-24mm f4, man what a lens, just a night and day comparison. I consider it a stack of primes. It can actually produce 3D pop if you know how to get the scene right. It's brothers to my DA*16-50mm which I really really like for the ambience, and DA* 50-135mm 2.8 which is my favorite Pentax lens of all time. I can't say that I own any DA limiteds, I just haven't felt the need for one, especially when the DA* line is 2.8 while the limited's don't go that wider aperture except for the 70mm.
The 12-24mm is actually a Tokina designed lens. Pentax went to work with Tokina to produce the following Pentax designed lenses: 11-17mm Fisheye; 16-50mm 2.8; 50-135mm 2.8; 100mm 2.8 macro. The Tokina version 100mm 2.8 macro is highly regarded with Nikon users. I got a lot of respect for Tokina lenses after my 12-24mm f4. I do not know if Tokina actually makes these lenses for Pentax, or whether Pentax makes theirs in their own factory, but there is angry debate about who makes what where so I will not speculate. I also have the 11-17mm fisheye which is also very sharp and a joy to use.
I think that these iterations of lenses for Pentax has been its best. The more modern DA and DFA lenses seem to be missing the ambience of these older DA and DA* lenses.
I too bought into the fuji hype and system but I've put most of it for sale. I just don't like the output from the bland but sharp lenses that lack ambience, and I'm not too fond of its IQ and film simulations. To be honest Fuji IQ and color science makes me want to puke and go cuddle my Pentax's! Plus there is an issue with false colors on X-Trans which Peta Pixel describes - which is real BTW. Replacing my Fuji gear is a Sigma SD1 Merrill which eats Fuji's for breakfast! lol
If you get a K-? apsc I can thoroughly recommend the DA 12-24mm f4 ultra wide. I even recommend the 11-17mm fisheye which when composing horizontally to the horizon is almost like an ultra wide, plus theres a full frame version now.
@@stevenjohnson4283 thank you for the suggestions. I will look into those lenses since I recently picked up a Pentax k70. I have the 20-40 limited coming today. I will definitely look into the 12-24 and the 50-135. I've also been curious about the 15mm red or green ring. But that 12-24 could give what I'm looking for in street / cityscape. I've recently came from Panasonic mirrorless to Pentax. Searching for a unique look
Love the video and images. I just picked up a k1. How will this work with it. Don't want to break the bank with the 15-30.
It will vignette a lot at 12mm in full frame. But from what I remember, it becomes usable around 16-17mm. I don't have the lens anymore so I cannot check again, but I did try it on a full frame film camera.