When I ordered this lens, I expected a capable white-angle option for Pentax full frame, a big cousin of the beloved 15 mm Limited for crop sensors. Having shot a number of Pentax wide angles, including the stellar DA* 11-18 mm f/2.8 for crop bodies, I thought I knew what I was getting into.I did not.The D FA 21 Limited is an outstanding lens -- not for its mind-blowing sharpness (which ist does not posses; it is sharp enough, and performs decently on borders and edges even wide-open), but for its astonishing rendering.The lens creates beautiful colours and lovely micro contrasts. Overall rendering is deserving of the near-sacred "FA Limited" monicker, in my opinion. Specifically, the lens does an outstanding job in creating warm tones. Almost all of my Pentax lenses prefer cooler tones in the blue and green colour spectrum (only exception: the fabled smc 77 Limited); not so the 21. It creates beautiful warm tones, and thus offers a wide angle option that is very distinct from the 11-18 on crop. Personally, I salute Pentax for creating a full frame wide angle that renders markedly differently from its crop competitor, thus giving Pentax shooters a range of options when it comes to wide angle photography.Additionally, the 21 works beautifully as a close up lens. Of all wide angles that I shot, it creates the bokeh that I find most pleasing; it has character, but one that noticeably differs from the painterly bokeh of the * lenses. It creates a unique, pleasant look that I can see picking the lens up for a lot.The build is lovely as well. The lens is bigger than I expected from a Limited lens; placed next to my 77, it looks outright humongous. However, it is light enough and handles well, allowing me to concentrate on the image during a shoot, instead of on heavy or hard-to-handle gear. Would I have liked an f/1.4 lens? Sure, who doesn't; but I willingly trade a few aperture steps for the handleability of the 21.Last, this is the first lens that I consider truly "artsy". It has character and it tempts me to shoot subjects with it that I wouldn't normally associate with a wide angle. Being a wide angle, it it a wonderful experimental lens. I have enjoyed using it immensely since I got it.

superb

Das Pentax FA 21 mm F2.4 ist ein kleines Meisterwerk. Diese Haptik und Verarbeitungsgüte findet man - und ich habe wirklich alles verglichen - sonst nur bei Leica.Die Abbildungsqualität ist an der K1 II super und an einer K3 III auch besser als die des DA 21 mm F3.2.Toll ist auch der Spritzwasserschutz!

Es gibt jetzt 21, 31, 43 und 77 mm Limited Objektive für das Vollformat bei Pentax. Während die letzteren drei alte Bekannte sind, runded das 21er die Reihe nach unten ab. Es ist noch kompakt, ist hervorragend verarbeitet und bietet leisen Autofokus. Schärfe und Verzeichnung sind sehr gut, bei einem Limited geht es aber eher um die Wirkung des Bildes. Hier passt es sehr gut zu den anderen drei Amigos. Schön, dass Pentax eine solche Qualität in dieser Form anbietet. Nicht überzüchtet… sondern einfach toll gemacht.Die Gegenlichtblende ist fix, damit passen keine Filterhalter.

This is one of the best lens I've ever been privileged to shoot. Amazing colors and super sharp. from near macros to wide landscapes, this lens is stellar.

Un gran objetivo con un rendimiento óptico excelente. Lo utilizo con el cuerpo de la K1-II y los resultados son excelentes. El conjunto es compacto, te sientes cómodo y seguro. Te acostumbras a llevarlo montado siempre. Por Amazon llegó sin problemas en la fecha indicada. 10 puntos.

This is not what we expected our Pentax HD Pentax DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited Lens outperforms this version is more spot on. We found quite a bit more noise with this highly expensive version. We don’t know if we received a defective product but we are very unhappy with our images being taken with this lens. We are shooting with a Pentax K-3 with all firmware updates. And we are very experienced professional photographers.