Pentax HD PENTAX-D FA 15-30mm F2.8 ED SDM WR Review

Pentax HD PENTAX-D FA 15-30mm F2.8 ED SDM WR Handling and Features

This is an impressively chunky lens, with a huge bulbous front element that is what we would expect from any 15mm ultra-wide. It looks and feels very well made. 

The wide zoom ring operates smoothly and, interestingly, although the length of the optical unit changes as we zoom, the overall length of the lens does not. This is achieved with an ingenious double lens hood, integral to the lens body. The outer hood stays in a fixed position and the inner lens hood moves in and out within it. Thinking about this, it means that the lens could be supported on any surface and the moving parts will not be impeded nor will they become scratched by moving against, say, a gritty support such as the top of a wall. This double level of shielding does improve the protection for that large and potentially vulnerable front element.

Closer to the camera body is the manual focus ring, which is as smooth as the zoom action. It is ideally placed to make adjustment convenient and can be operated after AF has locked to make final tweaks to the focus point. This Quick Shift feature can be very useful, especially at closer distances. The distance scale is under a clear plastic window and gives distances in both feet and metres.

One interesting point is that the lens focuses in the opposite direction to every other Pentax lens. We have to go back to the pre-Spotmatic days of the late 1950s/early 1960s to find a Pentax lens that focuses this way round. In the days of manual focus this would have been an issue in handling as it can cause confusion in operation. However, it goes to show how AF has taken over in that I almost missed this. The number of times I would want to manually focus this lens are few and far between, so it may no longer be an issue at all.

The lens has the latest HD (High Definition) multi-coating, plus an SP (Super-Protect) coating on the front element to repel water, grease and dirt. There is no possibility of using screw-in filters. The lens cap is a large plastic push-on design that fits well and is unlikely to fall off in use.

AF is achieved with the latest version of the in-lens SDM (Supersonic Direct Motor) system, which is fast and silent. There seems to be no tendency to hunt and the system locks on every time.

Each section within this WR (Weather Resistant) lens is sealed to prevent the ingress of water and dust, so we can continue to shoot in rain and mist, or anywhere where water splashes are likely.

Optical construction is 18 elements in 13 groups. There are three Aspherical elements and three ED (Extra Low Dispersion) elements. The diaphragm has nine rounded blades, which helps to improve bokeh, the smoothness of the out of focus areas. This is a constant aperture zoom, with a bright f/2.8 maximum aperture, so it is ideal for lower light levels and for calculating flash levels manually.

Closest focusing distance is a useful 0.28m, a magnification of 0.20x. There is no filter thread. Finally, the lens weighs 1040g.

15-30mm on 35mm-format equates to 23-46mm on APS-C, and this lens can of course be used on all the previous crop sensor Pentax DSLRs. For older cameras, the AF system needs a K10D (with firmware 1.3) or later, otherwise it will be manual focus only. This means that all Pentax bodies from the last few years will be fully compatible.

Pentax lenses are always very simple in use, there generally being no special switches or mechanisms that have to be considered. This lens is no exception and is basically hassle-free. It focuses snappily, zooming and focusing actions are smooth and positive. Balance on the K-1 is excellent and the combination is easily manageable despite the weight of the combination of lens and body. For Pentax users used to APS-C sized lenses this new lens may seem large and heavy, but it works well as a unit.

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