slide_scanner wrote:
> Thanks very much for the images -- that's just the kind of thing I
> wanted to see.
>
> richardday wrote:
> > The DA 12-24 is by far and away the sharpest of them all, also at
> > smaller apertures too. It's a very good lens, probably the best of
> > all the current DA zooms. The DA 16-45 does fall off at the very
> > extreme cornerss at f4.0, but improves rapidly at f5.6 and is
> > excellent at f8.0.
>
> The 12-24 does indeed look the sharpest, though at 12 mm the
> distortion doesn't compare favorably to the
> DA 14. The 16-45 clearly looks the worst (matching my experience),
> but in my experience with the lens, the corners don't recover, even
> stopped down.
>
> > The DA 14 never seems to get as sharp as the DA 12-24 f stop for f
> > stop. I personally wouldn't consider one myself, the DA 12-24 is
> > more useful on all counts except for the extra stop.
> > --
> > Richard Day - 'Carpe Diem!'
> > Gloucester UK
>
> I would definitely opt for the 12-24, except that it's a little
> bigger, a little more expensive, and a little slower -- I would
> really only use it at the wide end, so I'd rather have the prime,
> if the sharpness can hold up, at least when stopped down.
>
> Any test shots of the DA 14 at f5.6 or f8?

Here you go:

DA 14 @ f5.6
http://www.zen70100.zen.co.uk/jpgfiles/lens%20tests/DA14@f5.6.jpg;
DA 14 @ f8.0
http://www.zen70100.zen.co.uk/jpgfiles/lens%20tests/DA14@f8.jpg;

DA 12-24 (12mm) @ f5.6
http://www.zen70100.zen.co.uk/jpgfiles/lens%20tests/DA12-24@12_f5-6.jpg;
DA 12-24 (12mm) @ f8.0
http://www.zen70100.zen.co.uk/jpgfiles/lens%20tests/DA12-24@12_f8.jpg;

DA 12-24 (24mm) @ f5.6
http://www.zen70100.zen.co.uk/jpgfiles/lens%20tests/DA12-24@24_f5.6.jpg;
DA 12-24 (24mm) @ f8.0
http://www.zen70100.zen.co.uk/jpgfiles/lens%20tests/DA12-24@24_f8.jpg;

These are part of a series of tests I have done on all the current Pentax DA lenses including the Limiteds. I shall be creating a website devoted to this and other future Pentax items.

The tests are not just of brick walls! I have many other "real world" shots as well, but brick walls are good to judge lens sharpness, distortion, and vignetting. As you can imagine, there is a huge number of images and the website will take up a considerable amount of space and bandwidth!
--
Richard Day - 'Carpe Diem!'
Gloucester UK