Customer Reviews

Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 Ultra Compact Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras

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After using the old Pentax-M 40mm pancake for a while, I decided to get this DA Limited version. 40mm on a Pentax dSLR is a great focal length for portraits and for regular walk-around use. The 1.5x multiplier of Pentax dSLRs makes the focal length work out to the equivalent of 60mm on a 35mm film camera.

The f/2.8 aperture is nice and fast, especially if you're coming from the kit lenses. It's fast enough to take pictures indoors (shake reduction doesn't hurt either) and creates a pretty narrow depth of field for portraits.

The super compact size makes my K100D feel very light and easy to carry around. It's perfect for outings where you'll end up taking pictures of people and close objects.

The autofocusing is super fast and I haven't seen it hunt around like my DA 18-55mm and 50-200mm lenses.

Pros:
- Very fast autofocus. Doesn't seem to hunt around like the kit lenses.
- f/2.8 makes it pretty fast and very usable, especially with shake reduction. The sharpness is decent at f/2.8.
- Super compact and light. It makes my K100D a lot easier to carry around all day.
- Great focal length for portraits.
- "Limited" means that it's all metal in construction, which definitely helps this diminutive lens feel nice and solid.
- Works great on some film bodies! See below.

Cons:
- The lens is so small that there's nothing to hold on to. I often find myself gripping the focus ring while the lens is trying to autofocus.
- I've seen a good amount of purple fringing with this lens wide open. Stopping down a bit quickly clears it up though.

Overall, this is a great lens for traveling. The cons that I listed can easily be fixed with some practice and good technique.

Edit 11/27/07: One interesting thing to note is that this lens works on film bodies without vignetting. However, keep in mind that this is a DA lens so there is no aperture ring! Cameras like the ZX/MZ-5n, ZX-10, etc. don't have a dial to control the aperture so this lens is really only useful in full auto or Tv modes. This lens works perfectly on the *ist film, ZX-L/MZ-6, MZ/ZX-7, PZ-1(P) or any other Pentax film body that has a dial for aperture control.

I just purchased this lens this week, so this is something of a preliminary review...

My initial impression of this lens is very positive. It focuses faster than any other Pentax lens I've tried, including the DA* zooms with the hyper-sonic moter. The lens doesn't turn very far at all in either direction - this, along with the small-and-light construction, means that even when hunting the lens can travel all the way to infinity and back very rapidly.

It performs fairly well in low-light, thanks also to the low aperture. The build quality is excellent, as the construction is all-metal, and it comes with a unique hood and cap. The construction conveys quality and confidence when shooting, and I've actually had no problems manipulating the small focus ring.

The pictures I've gotten so far have met my expectations. The 60mm equivalent makes for a versatile lens, but you might have to shoot a little bit tighter than you're used to (a good thing IMO). I also own the 50mm 1.4 and the 10mm wider makes a lot of shots possible that aren't feasible there. In addition, it focuses much more quickly, allowing you to catch the shots that don't stick around and wait - a super-wide aperture doesn't count for much if your autofocus is hunting the whole time.

My only complaint about this lens is the focus distance - I often wish it could go a hair closer. Of course, the excellent 35mm Macro fills this niche, but I would've put up with a little bit more size for close range improvements. Also, in very high-contrast situations keep an eye out for purple fringing.

Overall, this lens is a great deal. The build quality is awesome, it is very versatile and convenient, and the price, like most Pentax lenses, is super low for what you get. I'm anticipating this lens will be my most used, even more so than my 18-250. You won't be disappointed.

More sample images and updates to follow...

I have had it for more than a month, bought right before the price surge (lucky me). No doubt this is a great lens - sharp, high-grade build quality, extremely compact. I think the sharpness, color and CA control out-perform my SMCTak 55/1.8 and 50/1.4. Most appealing to me is the combination of size and quality - I mount it on my istDL, making an almost-pocketable, high-quality shooting device.

That said, I would like to share some thoughts on what could make it even better. They are precautions for those interested, but not to be taken as drawbacks (the price is gentle anyway).

Focal length: with 60mm equiv on 35mm, it is a little too long for wide-angle shots. This limits its versatility. For a walk-around lens, I think 30 or 35mm on APS-C would cover the wide end better.

Macro: if it has some macro ability, I would be much happier. There are times when I walked around in parks with it dangling from my wrist and saw a beautiful flower or leaf, but couldn't get close enough to capture its detail.

Speed: f2.8 is not fast enough for shooting in door. You need ISO 800 to get enough shutter speed, but with downgraded IQ.

Portrait: in my opinion, it doesn't replace your 50/1.4 in DoF, Bokeh and creamy feeling. 50/1.4 is reportedly less sharp wide open. but isn't it what we need for human portait shooting?

This is my second Pentax limited pancake lens, the first is the 70mm limited. The 40mm focal length on digital gives a 60mm view which is very good for candids and the like. The lens is very well built and focuses very quickly, this apparently is one of the fastest focusing lenses Pentax has but the AF is a bit loud since it is old screw drive. The lens did need some AF adjustment on my K20D but all lenses seem to need some minor adjustments to focus perfectly.

Sharp at F2.8 but shines at F5.6 and the sharpness is very even across the frame, it's not as sharp as the 35mm in the center but it's far more evenly sharp across. As for it's slowish F2.8, this really is not a low light lens like the FA35mm F2 or 50mm F1.4 but passable since SR works to 1/30 sec well with this lens and it's sharp enough wide open.

Optically the lens performs well with minimal Ca's but does ( like the 70mm ) purple a touch wide open on shiny objects, not bad but noticeable enough. Barrel distortion is low but still there tho it does not affect the corners which are almost as sharp as the center. I like the way this lens renders it's bokeh and the "LOOK" of the images.

My real complaint is about the size and minimum focus distance, Even tho this is not a macro lens it could focus closer as the focal length is great for some close up work, and the lens really is that tiny, one could forget it was a lens as it's no larger when mounted than the body cap. I would like to see a F2 slightly larger version, I think that would be the perfect lens but for the price this sells at it's a bargain and I can recommend it highly.

I bought this after getting the Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4. The Pentax FA was slow on autofocus, but the DA's (this lens and the kit lens) are much faster. It's a little bit wider but not by much. Most things you photograph are not 1.4 so 2.8 is still really good. The lens is rather flat with a small lens cap, which I'll probably lose at some point.

Pros: small, lightweight, fast autofocus, wide aperture, strong build


Cons: none found yet.

The Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 Ultra Compact Lens for Pentax *ist Digital SLR Cameras is a great prime lens. Gave me nice clean, clear photos with excellent detail and color reproduction. Comes with a lens pouch and a lens cap that also doubles as a lens hood.

I don't have much to say that hasn't been said before. This is the sharpest lens I own and it has become my "gold standard". The image quality of all of my other lenses get compared to this one.

This is also the first lens that I have owned which has exceeded the capabilities of my camera. As I zoom in, my other lenses would lose sharpness before the image would pixelate. With this lens, I was sharp down to the pixel level. This inspired me to upgrade from a 6MP K100DS to a 12MP K-r.

The images from this lens are extremely lifelike and the colors are superb. I get more "keepers" using the DA 40mm than with any other lens.

I had already been using the Pentax SMC DA* Series 50-135mm f/2.8 ED IF SDM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Pentax and Digital SLR Cameras and Pentax SMC DA* Series 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL IF SDM Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras lenses regularly when I purchased the DA 40. I had a little bit of experience with the FA 50, but didn't really like it much, due to lack of contrast. I thought there was no way that I would become a "prime shooter."

Well, this lens changed that. It is tiny, easy to handle hold, even with one hand, incredibly sharp. Even though it is not very long, it can be used as a portrait lens. It has great edge to edge sharpness and amazing micro contrast. Build is very sturdy.

The two quibbles I have with this lens are that it only goes to f2.8 and that the screw on lens cap could be easily lost. I have put away my screw on cap and purchased a Adorama 30.5mm Plastic Snap-On Lens Capto replace it.

This is the perfect walk-around lens to turn you from a zoom shooter into a prime shooter!

I've gone sort of nuts buying Pentax lenses for my k5 and kx. I have the 10-17 Fisheye, 15mm Limited, 21mm Limited, 35 mm Macro Limited, 40 mm Limited, 70 mm Limited, 200mm DA*, 50mm Takumar m42 and just bought the 50mm f1.2 SMCA. I take a lot of events/street, flowers and nature shots. With the exception of the 21mm, I have liked all of them. The 40mm used to be my most used lens, but over time I have shifted to the 35mm Macro Limited. It works better for me. The size of the 40mm is unbeatable and I think for candid photography it still has the advantage of being less threatening and thus results in better pictures. You can even sometimes sneak the camera with the 40 into events that prohibit cameras with detachable lenses since it looks like a less expensive point and shoot. The other thing that stands out for the 40mm is the contrast. It has very very high contrast (except when wide open). This can be good or bad, depending on what you like. The 35mm Macro has a bit less contrast but can be more pleasing subjectively. And I've tested both side by side in a variety of shots and have found that the 35mm Limited has much greater sharpness, particularly at a distance/focused on infinity. And the 35mm Limited also of course is a Macro lens. And I have a different perspective on the Takumar lens vs. the 40mm. They are really apples and oranges but suffice it to say that the old Takumar has truly magical bokeh (out of focus areas). Much better than any of the recent Pentax lenses. So if you can afford it, I recommend the 35mm Macro over the 40mm unless the size or price are a factor. And I don't think that the size is often a factor in real life usage, especially if you're like me and carry multiple lenses when you go out and shoot. You can see my photos with EXIF info here: [...]

Pentax 40mm Limited f/2.8 lens is an exotic lens which can produce a really nice image quality even wide open at f/2.8. Physically, it is very small and thin even with the lens hood attached. (When you buy this lens you will get the lens hood and also nice small leather pouch). It can focus pretty close 30cm to infinity. When you focus in, the lens will rotate and protrude around 1/2 inch. At around 165g, this lens is very light, basically you'll feel like you are only carrying a camera without lens, which is excellent for travel or walking.

This lens is capable to produce very good quality image with nice background blur at f/2.8. It is also very sharp that it can capture speckles of dust. The focal length is equivalent to 60mm which is considered a standard lens.

Being a standard lens, there are many things you can do with the lens, portrait, still life, general travel are some of the application. But for indoor, wide landscape or architecture shots, this lens is not wide enough.

Tried with Pentax k100D, the lens focuses accurately but not as quickly as lens with SDM (Supersonic Drive Motor) or other lens-based motor. In some situation, it takes almost 1 second for the lens to focus. It also create a some noise in the process. So this lens with Pentax k100d is not ideal for action or candid shots. For general photography such as still life, travel, portrait, the lens will do very fine.

Build Quality
The built quality is also impressive, it is all metal construction, no plastic or rubber. Due to the size of the lens, the focusing barrel is quite small, but it is very smooth and easy to work with.

The other not so good about the lens is the lens cap. It is screw cap, means that you need to screw out the cap by hand. It takes me at least 5-10 seconds. the lens cap is very small and if you're not careful, you could lose it.

Overall this lens deliver a very impressive image quality, detail and sharpness with reasonable price. I will highly recommend this lens.

Other alternative will be Pentax 50mm f/1.4 which is slightly bigger, longer, sand cheaper but 2 stop faster. Also consider Pentax 70mm f/2.4 Limited pan cake lens which is ideal for portrait.

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Image Quality : Excellent 5/5
Build Quality : Very Good 4/5
Price value: 5/5