An ultra-wide-angle snapshot lens that delivers distinctive image renditions in both close-range and distant photography, while creating a natural, beautiful bokeh effect for such subjects as a seashell-covered beach with a background of breaking whitecaps and the faraway horizon.
This is the first D FA Limited-series lens featuring a 21mm ultra-wide angle.
When used for distant subjects such as landscapes, it delivers a sharp, clear image across the image field, depicting leaves and branch tips in detail and even expressing the dampness of misty mornings. In close-range photography, it lets you approach the subject to a distance of just seven centimeters from lens front, letting you capture images with exaggerated perspective by taking advantage of its ultra-wide-angle focal length. In close-range photography, it provides a mild bokeh (defocused) effect in the background while capturing the main subject in sharp, crisp focus. Since the background gradually and subtly fades out of focus, the image retains the prevailing ambience of the entire scene. This lens lets you experience the pleasure of photography by changing the imaging characteristics depending on the shooting distance and the selected aperture.
Its optics incorporates four ED (Extra-low Dispersion) and one Super ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass optical elements to minimize chromatic aberration and prevent color bleeding, not only in the main in-focus area, but also in the surrounding defocused areas. It also features a large-aperture negative meniscus optical element, a biconvex aspherical glass-mold optical element, and a high-refraction glass optical element in the first lens group, to reduce overall size despite its ultra-wide-angle design, and to deliver outstanding imaging performance for sharp, crisp images without any fuzziness, even in peripheral areas.
The lens was also subjected to a series of image quality assessments to optimize the ambience and rendition of captured images — properties not expressed simply in numerical values.
The exterior design boasts a high-grade texture and a solid appearance made possible by the use of a metallic material. The machined aluminum lens barrel assures the sense of precision; the fine details lead to the impression of reduced size; and the anodized exterior parts* project an image of quality and brilliance. Thanks to these exceptional features, this lens brings greater joy and inspiration to your photography.
* The anodizing process is applied only to the silver model.
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This lens features a KAF4 lens mount compatible with an electromagnetic diaphragm control system. Cameras compatible with this system are K-1 Mark II, K-1, K-3 Mark III, K-3 II, K-3, KP, K-70, K-S2, K-S1 and K-50. For K-1, K-3 II, K-3, K-S2, K-S1 and K-50, the camera’s firmware must be upgraded to the latest version. If this lens is mounted on a camera without proper firmware upgrade, its diaphragm control mechanism becomes inactive, making it impossible to obtain correct exposure. |
*Please apply the latest update of Digital Camera Utility 5 when you handle images taken by this lens on Digital Camera Utility 5. In case the software version is old, the name of this lens can not be displayed correctly. Digital Utility 4 and below can not display the name of this lens correctly.
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A top-grade lens with optimized image rendition and fine texture
True to the design concept of the Limited series, this lens was developed with the goal of providing a distinctive visual expression. This could be achieved only by conducting a series of image quality assessments using a great number of captured images, along with various numerical evaluations using measuring instruments.
To make the exterior design more attractive, the lens barrel, hood and cap have been meticulously machined to perfection. The lens itself is finished with the utmost attention to texture, including a shippoyaki (cloisonné)-finished mount pointer to enhance the ease of lens mounting.
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Varying imaging characteristics based on the selected aperture and subject distance
At infinity, this lens provides uniform image rendition even at the edges, without any trace of fuzziness. At closed-down apertures, it delivers a sharp, clear, high-resolution image over the entire image field.
In close-range photography, it produces sharp, crisp images of subjects positioned on the focal plane, with the distant background gradually and subtly fading out of focus. This creates an image in which the subject appears to float against the defocused background, recreating the true-to-life ambience of that particular scene. This lens lets you enjoy the transition of image rendition depending on the selected aperture and the subject’s distance at the time of shooting.
Exceptional optical design to minimize image fuzziness — a problem typical with ultra-wide-angle lenses — even at the edges
By incorporating a large-aperture negative meniscus optical element and a biconvex aspherical glass-mold optical element, this lens assures outstanding image performance for sharp, crisp images without any trace of fuzziness even at the edges. In addition, four ED (Extra-low Dispersion) and one Super ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass optical elements help reduce chromatic aberration to a minimum.
HD Coating for upgraded imaging performance
This lens features PENTAX-original HD Coating.* Compared with conventional multi-layer coatings, this high-grade, multi-layer coating assures higher light transmittance with minimal reflectance, while effectively minimizing flare and ghost images even in demanding lighting conditions such as backlighting. This coating further upgrades the imaging power of this Limited-series lens for much-improved sharpness.
* HD stands for High Definition.
Eight-blade circular diaphragm for beautiful light beams and bokeh effect
This lens incorporates a newly designed diaphragm unit with a circular diaphragm, which produces a beautiful bokeh (defocus) effect at open and larger apertures. This unit also features an eight-blade diaphragm mechanism to capture beautiful light beams in nightscape photography.
Dependable, airtight weather-resistant construction for use in the rain and mist and at locations prone to water splashes
For use in demanding conditions — such as at waterfronts or in sudden rainfall — the lens features a dependable, weather-resistant construction. The mount section to the camera body and other movable parts, such as the focus ring, are all designed to resist the intrusion of rain and water into the lens interior.
Other features
