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Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4 AL ED [IF] - Review / Test Report - Sample Images & Verdict |
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Lens Reviews -
Pentax
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Page 3 of 3
Sample Images
Here're some quick'n dirty sample images taken with the K10D and RAW-converted via ACR 3.7.
Click on a thumbnail to view the original file (opens in a separate window). Please note that the originals are FULL SIZE
(=several megabytes) which requires quite some bandwidth for downloading so please don't waste the limited resources here.
| Make |
PENTAX Corporation |
|
| Model |
PENTAX K10D |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
12.0mm
|
| Exposure Data: |
f/9.0 @ 1/60s |
| Size |
2592x3872 |
|
| Make |
PENTAX Corporation |
|
| Model |
PENTAX K10D |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
12.0mm
|
| Exposure Data: |
f/9.0 @ 1/200s |
| Size |
3872x2592 |
|
| Make |
PENTAX Corporation |
|
| Model |
PENTAX K10D |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
24.0mm
|
| Exposure Data: |
f/9.0 @ 1/250s |
| Size |
3831x2565 |
|
| Make |
PENTAX Corporation |
|
| Model |
PENTAX K10D |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
12.0mm
|
| Exposure Data: |
f/4.0 @ 1/400s |
| Size |
2592x3872 |
|
| Make |
PENTAX Corporation |
|
| Model |
PENTAX K10D |
| ISO Speed |
100 |
| Focal Length |
12.0mm
|
| Exposure Data: |
f/9.0 @ 1/400s |
| Size |
2592x3872 |
|
| Make |
PENTAX Corporation |
|
| Model |
PENTAX K10D |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
14.0mm
|
| Exposure Data: |
f/9.0 @ 1/200s |
| Size |
3872x2592 |
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VerdictSimilar to the Tokina variant the Pentax SMC DA 12-24mm f/4 AL ED [IF] is great
ultra-wide zoom lens although it isn't free of flaws. The sweet spot of the lens is at the
wide end of the zoom range where the center quality is outstanding and the borders and
even the extreme corners reach very good levels and that's already straight from f/4. The center
quality decreases slightly towards the long end of the zoom range. At 24mm it is advisable to
stop down a little to lift the contrast level and to get a little extra kick in terms of
resolution. Typical for most ultra-wide zooms the vignetting is quite pronounced at 12mm @ f/4
but the problem is already mostly gone by f/5.6. The level of distortions is slightly better
than average. The primary weakness of the Pentax lens are chromatic aberrations (color shadows
at the image borders) which are fairly hefty at 12mm and a little less so also at 18mm.
This isn't a principal show-stopper you are willing to invest a little time to reduce or even
eliminate the problem during post processing (most RAW converters can help you here) but it can
be visible at times if you prefer untouched JPEGs straight from the camera. It seems as if
the lens is less prone to flare compared to its Tokina variant - surely an effect of the
SMC coating. The build quality of the lens is very fine and regarding the moderate price tag
you're getting lots of bangs for your bucks here.
| Optical Quality: |  |
| Mechanical Quality: | |
| Price/Performance: |  |
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