RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: DC Watch "New" HD 15 Limited First Test with Full Samples

Friday, October 04, 2013

DC Watch "New" HD 15 Limited First Test with Full Samples

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/review/lens_review/20131004_618007.html

It seems that the lovely 14-stroke starbursts of the original SMC DA15 Limited lens has gone! :-(

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0 Vote up Vote down

Yoku · 600 weeks ago

No any photos to discuss....ISO500, 800, 1250, 1600 or f9, f11, 13, 16...
It seems to me they used AUTO mode in JPEG.

-1 Vote up Vote down

Gaz · 600 weeks ago

Hate when these reviews are in Japanese rather than English, one of my criticism with pentax is that they still can't get over their Japanese centric view of the market.

Either way we gotta play with the new HD lenses in the CRK office with the K-3 demo unit, to be honest can't see any difference between the original coated ones.

16 replies · active 600 weeks ago

+13 Vote up Vote down

Vyl · 600 weeks ago

Wait... you're bitching about a Japanese person, living in Japan who posted on a Japanese website, a review written in Japanese?

-1 Vote up Vote down

Gaz · 600 weeks ago

We've communicated this to pentax time and time again and they don't listen, torn out hairs in frustration! They need to ensure these early reviews and releases leaks etc make it to the English speaking markets first and foremost if they want to get more market penetration and exposure.

The Japanese market only approach they've followed is rather crap for lack of a better word, if it wasn't from a lot of pushing and pressuring the 645d would've been Japanese release only, they are glad they listened.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Arn · 600 weeks ago

Congratulation Gaz, you win the award of the most stupid comment of the week.

-1 Vote up Vote down

WalKal · 600 weeks ago

Couldn't agree more.....

-1 Vote up Vote down

Richard · 600 weeks ago

Agree. The bulk of their market is in Japan..they need to address that market first. It takes 30 seconds to go to google translate to get a quick translation of the page.

0 Vote up Vote down

Stevo · 600 weeks ago

So you've been playing with a demo k-3 unit? Can you shed any light on what the left-side hump behind the raw button is?

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jaad75 · 600 weeks ago

it was told it's a headphone jack.

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Gaz · 600 weeks ago

People are idiots, the hump is simple part of the grip, people are looking for all sort so crazy features, the answer is simple it's for grip purposes.

End of story

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jaad75 · 600 weeks ago

But there is still a headphone jack inside.

0 Vote up Vote down

jaad75 · 600 weeks ago

http://digicame-info.com/picture/pentax_k3_s001.j...

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Alex · 600 weeks ago

It definitely is, and there's a headphone symbol on its cover.
Maybe Gaz never saw the camera?

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Sony camera do mundo · 600 weeks ago

I wonder if Pentax/Ricoh is trying to make a GH3 equivalent for their APS-C, meaning having both excellent photo and video capabilities. Since K3 has got a head phone out , they might as well up the video codec AVCHD to 80MB/s. Now that will be a game changer.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Sony camera do mundo · 600 weeks ago

the difference between a red strip and the green in MSRP is about $200US. I think Pentax/Ricoh is trying to pull that 120 colour thingy on their lens line up too and while at it , price hike!

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Mike Kawasaki · 600 weeks ago

No, it s more like $50-100 differenze. Pleaze check factz.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Mike Kawasaki · 600 weeks ago

Gaz haz a point. Now 92% of all Pentax market is Japan, 8% the rest of world. In global economy, that is very dangerouz for them.
Decadez ago, their market was the world, they were no.1 camera brand, and they were more global.
Pentax is imploding in itself, and in few yearz they will advertize in Tokyo only, next to their head quarterz.
They are silly, and don't believe there iz a huge old Pentax market in the West that wantz their cameraz and lensez like crazy!

+2 Vote up Vote down

Gaz · 600 weeks ago

They live in a bubble still, even though now ricoh has taken over the pentax team is still stuck in it JDM bubble,me had hoped that ricoh control would rapidly change this but sadly it is a VERY slow process.

As I'm sure you'd appreciate the internal politics of Japanese companies would drive most western company types to suicide wig frustration.

0 Vote up Vote down

Mike Kawasaki · 600 weeks ago

That test was uselezz becauze by itself, it tellz nothing.
Old SMC lensez should be tested at the same time, pointed at same subjectz. But most likely, we'll see no real difference between them. DA15 is excellent lenz, no matter red ring or green.

-6 Vote up Vote down

Fpentax · 600 weeks ago

The real question is why? Who in the world will be anything new from Pentax as their existing costumers bail out selling their gear on the used market. They are doing this so that they can purchase new gear that is new or current tech rather than old tech.
Pentax by offer this old cropped or amateur lens line has force any real photography to another brand.

1 reply · active 600 weeks ago

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zosX · 600 weeks ago

Amateur lens line? Pffffffft. Go back to canon rumors troll.

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Oliver · 600 weeks ago

Oh yeah sample at f11. The DA15mm doesn't get any better than f8 so, unless you are a depth of field fanatic, you're losing quality. (Dpreview is the absolute worst offender of all time at providing tons of full size samples way off the sweet spot of reviewed lenses. Super-dumb over and over again. ) Drop the coin. Buy from B and H or Amazon and find out for yourself. The internet is a stinky trashpile.

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FA series is better · 600 weeks ago

The da15mm is a decent lens, one of the two DA lenses worth getting IMO. The other is the DA*300. All my opinion and something you need to find out yourself.

The issue is the pricing and the HD hype. HD on some of these lenses (DA21, DA40) is like lipstick on a pig. Check the optical formulas. There is hardly any glass in a lens like the DA40. Why the high cost? The DA21 is painfully slow and hardly any glass in it. There is no reason for the high prices. I used to like the DA40 until I tried the FA35, FA43LTD lenses. They absolutely are worth the extra size and so much better (more character, sharper, better QA).

Pentax is all about the FA LTDs and remaining FA lenses. As a user on dpr said, the FA43 saved the company in the late 90s. The sooner they realize this, the better. The HD coating is as they say re-arranging the chairs on a certain boat.

If they want to go full APS-C, they ironically need to get rid of all the FA, FA-LTD and DFA lenses. Otherwise, they will continue to have users like me that aren't fully satisfied with the APS-C cameras. Choose one and stop teasing the full frame. Pentax, you can't have it both ways. BTW, the 645D is under serious pressure from the D800. What's going on there? Is there a 645DII?

How do you stop people complaining about Full Frame? Well, you release a full frame camera. Or extinguish the hope and possibilty by discontinuing all FF lenses.

Over at the other forums, the APS-C crowd are pounding their chests and posting at a breakneck pace. "You don't need FF". "What size do you print?" What size do you print at is repeated over and over again. It's almost funny.

PS: The quality of users left on those forums has really gone down, IMO.

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Friday, October 04, 2013

DC Watch "New" HD 15 Limited First Test with Full Samples

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