PENTAX DA 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 ED (IF) Fish-Eye Lens for Pentax Digital SLR

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3 x 3 x 3 inches ; 11.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000CNI016
• Item model number: B000CNI016
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Capture fisheye imagery with a 180-degree angle of view with the Pentax DA 10-17mm fisheye lens. Designed for the Pentax *ist series of digital SLR cameras, the lens creates images with an expanded perspective, including images with a creatively deformed outlook and a sharp pan focus that extends throughout the entire frame. The image circle in DA series lenses, meanwhile, is designed to perfectly match the 23.5 x 15.7mm size of the CCD used in Pentax digital SLRs to optimize camera performance. Plus, the new design contributes to a drastic reduction in size, weight, and production cost compared to 35mm counterparts with similar specifications. Additional features include a 35mm equivalent focal length of 15-26mm; new water- and oil-repellant super-protective (SP) lens coatings for easy cleaning; extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass for superior sharpness and color correction; and a responsive Quick Shift Focus System for switching instantly from autofocus (AF) to manual focus (MF).

• Lens construction: 10 elements in 8 groups
• Angle of view: 180 to 100 degrees
• Diaphragm: Fully automatic
• Blades: 6
• Minimum aperture: f/22-32
• Metering: TTL open-aperture meeting
• Minimum focusing distance: 0.46 feet
• Maximum magnification: 0.23x to 0.39x
• Dimensions: 2.8 inches in diameter
• Weight: 11.3 ounces

Product Description
Capture fisheye imagery with a 180-degree angle of view with the Pentax DA 10-17mm fisheye lens. Designed for the Pentax *ist series of digital SLR cameras, the lens creates images with an expanded perspective, including images with a creatively deformed outlook and a sharp pan focus that extends throughout the entire frame. The image circle in DA series lenses, meanwhile, is designed to perfectly match the 23.5 x 15.7mm size of the CCD used in Pentax digital SLRs to optimize camera performance. Plus, the new design contributes to a drastic reduction in size, weight, and production cost compared to 35mm counterparts with similar specifications. Additional features include a 35mm equivalent focal length of 15-26mm; new water- and oil-repellant super-protective (SP) lens coatings for easy cleaning; extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass for superior sharpness and color correction; and a responsive Quick Shift Focus System for switching instantly from autofocus (AF) to manual focus (MF).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive, but watch out for that front element, November 23, 2006

By	K. Gittins (CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sometimes you just need to go to the extreme - in this case it is really wide angle. In my old Canon film-camera days, I had the 15mm 2.8 fisheye which was an even bigger chunk of glass because of its speed.

Now that I have gone to the Pentax K100D camera, I was pleasantly surprised to see this 10-17mm lens was available. I was even happier because unlike the Canon lens, the Pentax is a zoom, so that not every shot has to be the distorted wide angle that you think of when you hear "fisheye". The lens goes out to the equivalent of about 26mm on a 35mm format, which is a very useful focal length as well.

The lens also allows manually tweaking the focus while in the auto-focus mode - something my 2 Sigma lenses warn against.

The only drawbacks to the lens that I see are that you can not mount a filter and the curved front element is exposed (same for the Canon). So, just use a little caution. And, unlike the old Canon, there are no rear filters either. Finally, for those who like to manually adjust the aperture ring - there isn't one. It's all set through the camera :-)

I could go on about the lens, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I've posted a few photos in the Amazon collection.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Digital Fisheye for Pentax, February 22, 2007

By	G. Chinn (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Every bit as advertised. A most unusual lense. It takes a while getting use to the lack of an apature ring but the lense is everybit worth it. If you are in a small room and need to take in the whole room this is the lense for you. The Lense is as sharp as all of the other pentax lenses that I have and the depth of field is tremendous.

[...]

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Lens to Have, August 15, 2008

By	Jehan Ghouse (Hebron, KY, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Have owned this lens since December 2007 and have had a lot of fun with it. At 17mm, it functions like a conventional wide angle lens, but at 10mm it is truly a fish-eye. The flexibility cannot be beat! Image quality is excellent (color rendition and sharpness). It can produce some interesting perpectives once you learn how to exploit its characteristics.

The lens surface extends (bulges out) beyond the front rim of the lens which can expose it more than a conventional lens. However, Pentax claims that it has a special coating which is supposed to resist scratches. I am ultra careful and choose not to test the strenght of the coating!! The lens cap is a slip-on type vs. a clip-on type. The lens is a tad heavy, but solidy built.

The more I use this lens, the more pleased I am that I purchased it.