Pentax has been making K-mount lenses for a long time – over 50 years in fact – and the best ones are very good indeed, able to rival those made by Canon, Nikon and Sony. Many current Pentax lenses have aspherical and extra-low dispersion glass elements, along with advanced coatings for superior light transmission.
Some older Pentax lenses rely on mechanical autofocus drive rather than AF motors. If you want fast and quiet autofocus as a priority, look out for acronyms like SDM (Supersonic Direct-drive Motor), DC (Direct Current motor) and PLM (Pulse Motor) in the lens names. Many also offer a handy Quick-Shift focus feature that allows manual focus override.
Some Pentax lenses have a WR (Weather-resistant) construction to guard against dust and moisture, as well as an SP (Super Protect) coating on the front element, to repel grease and water. For the ultimate in performance and durability, Pentax offers Star-series lenses, their premium build commanding premium purchase prices.
I've divided my list of lenses up into categories, with suggestions for the best telephotos, standard zooms and wide-angles, as well as lenses for specialist applications like macro and portraiture. Let's get started!
Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has personally tested and reviewed the majority of the lenses on this list!
Telephoto zooms
A telephoto is usually the first ‘extra’ lens people get for their DSLRs and it's ideal for fans of wildlife and sports photography. Some of Pentax’s kit lenses for its APS-C format DSLRs actually offer pretty good telephoto reach already, like the 18-135mm zoom which gives an effective range of 27.5-207mm in full-frame terms. For action sports and wildlife photography, however, that’s likely to come up a bit short, so this is where the next three lenses come in.
Best APS-C telephoto
A sublime balance of price and performance, this zoom lens for Pentax APS-C DSLRs earned a glowing write-up in our review. It's impressively lightweight for a lens with this much reach, weighing in at 442g and stowing down to just 89mm in length. This means it's small and light enough to take everywhere with you. Its resolving power impressed me when I tested it – sharpness is best around 100mm, but generally pretty good all around.
The light weight, good performance and modest cost of this lens means it's one that any Pentax user shouldn't hesitate to pick up and throw in their kit bag. It basically fulfils the function of a 70-300mm with a bit more latitude at the wide end, meaning it'll prove highly useful for walkaround photography, for sports and action, and for plenty of other applications.
Read our full HD Pentax DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE review
Best full-frame telephoto
This high-end 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom (a classic combination for pro photographers) has a star designation (*) in its name, which is usually only given to Pentax's pin-sharp, top-shelf prime lenses. Does it earn it? According to our lab results, yes (just about) – we gave the lens a thorough resolution test, and found it to deliver excellent centre sharpness throughout the zoom range. The autofocus system is swift and quiet, making use of a DC motor, and having Pentax’s ‘Quick-Shift Focus System’ is handy for moments when you want to quickly override the autofocus with manual operation.
All this sophistication does make the HD Pentax-D FA* 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW a relatively expensive lens. If you're working to a budget, Pentax's cheaper HD Pentax-D FA 70-210mm F4 ED SDM WR could prove an excellent alternative.
Read our full HD Pentax-D FA* 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW review
Best super-telephoto
It might be a big and heavy lens to cart around, but the HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm is a powerful enough tele-zoom to be worth a little backache. Mount it on an APS-C Pentax DSLR, and that zoom reach expands to a beefy 225-675mm equivalent, which is more than enough for wildlife, airshows, motorsport and other genres of shooting where practicality dictates a considerable distance between you and your subject.
Of course, all this reach does come with a few compromises. In our review of the lens, we subjected it to lab-controlled resolution testing, and our overall impression of its sharpness and resolving power was: good, but not great. There's also the autofocus, which is powered by a DC motor and is definitely not the fastest on the market. Still, the tough and weather-sealed construction makes it a solid outdoor performer, and that reach means it's one of the most versatile lenses in the whole Pentax stable.
Read our full HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 ED DC AW review
Wide-angle zooms
Ultra-wide zoom lenses are great for capturing sweeping vistas in landscape photography and for shooting indoors, where space is cramped and you have little room for manoeuvre. They’re also great for exaggerating perspective in creative shooting, making close foreground objects really stand out against a rapidly receding background. Here, though, you need to choose an APS-C or a full-frame format zoom to match your camera’s sensor size. If you put a full-frame wide-angle zoom on an APS-C Pentax, you’ll lose the wide-angle effect. The Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL IF is my top choice for APS-C cameras. It's now been discontinued so I'm not featuring it in this buying guide, but it makes a great second-hand buy.
Best wide-angle
This full-frame wide-angle zoom completes the ‘holy trinity’ of constant-aperture f/2.8 lenses for full-frame bodies, along with the 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses in Pentax’s line-up. It features a classic, robust DSLR design that aligns with Pentax’s reputation for durability. It is fully weather-sealed, making it a reliable choice for landscape and outdoor photographers.
Key design elements include a built-in petal-shaped lens hood and a physical focal distance scale – a feature often missing in modern lenses but highly valued for manual focusing and astrophotography. However, this durability comes at a cost: the lens is exceptionally heavy at 2.29 lbs (1,040g), which can make for a cumbersome kit when paired with a body like the K-1 Mark II.
The 15-30mm focal range allows for dramatic ultra-wide perspectives at the short end and more natural wide-angle views at 30mm. The constant f/2.8 aperture provides excellent light-gathering capabilities and respectable background blur for an ultra-wide. But while sharpness is generally solid across the frame and vignetting is well-controlled, the lens suffers from chromatic aberration, with purple fringing frequently visible in high-contrast areas, such as tree branches against a bright sky.
Read our full Pentax FA 15-30mm f/2.8 ED SDM WR review
Standard zoom upgrades
Pentax APS-C format DSLRs usually come as complete camera kits which include either an 18-50mm or 18-135mm standard zoom lens. Both are of good quality, with built-in DC autofocus motors and weather-resistant construction. However, they’re not so great in terms of aperture range, dropping from f/4-5.6 and f/3.5-5.6 across the zoom range, respectively. So for quality and added versatility, I’ve picked two ‘fast’ standard zooms with a constant-aperture design, making f/2.8 available throughout the zoom range. And for a more travel-friendly option, I’ve also selected an APS-C format superzoom lens with a monster 18-300mm zoom range.
Best APS-C standard zoom
![Best Pentax lens: Pentax DA* 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL [IF] SDM](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KtEtumj73wsdWBdtjbc4S5-1200-80.jpg.webp)
It’s been around for a decade but this is a lens that’s designed and built to last. It’s robust with a weather-sealed construction but not overly big or heavy, making it an ideal everyday lens for use with APS-C format bodies. An SP (Super Protect) coating is applied to the front element to repel water and grease, adding to its rainy-day suitability. The SDM (Super Direct-drive Motor) autofocus system is quick and ultra-quiet, and features Quick-Shift for manual override.
A bonus over most standard zoom lenses is that this one gives a noticeably wider maximum viewing angle, thanks to a minimum focal length of 16mm instead of the more usual 18mm. 2mm might not sound much but it makes a big difference. The only drawback is that image quality suffers a little at the shortest zoom setting, with noticeable barrel distortion and increased colour fringing. Even so, the relatively fast and constant f/2.8 is great to have, adding versatility for creative shooting.
Best full-frame standard zoom
Constructed with a rugged, weather-sealed barrel, the Pentax-D FA 24-70mm f/2.8 ED SDM WR is designed to withstand harsh environments. While it is not lightweight at 1.73 lbs (787g), it balances well on larger DSLR bodies like the Pentax K-1 Mark II. The lens features a traditional design, including a physical focal distance scale and a zoom lock switch at 24mm to prevent lens creep during transport.
Sharpness is strong in the center, even when shooting wide open at f/2.8, and holds up reasonably well toward the edges. However, it doesn't achieve the clinical, tack-sharp precision of the latest mirrorless competitors, and there is noticeable barrel distortion at the 24mm end. It also suffers from notable vignetting, with darkened corners on light backgrounds, though these can be partially mitigated through lens profiles. And while reliable for stationary subjects, the autofocus system struggles with fast-moving action or low-light scenarios, leading to more misses than modern systems.
Despite this, its beautiful color and versatile aperture make it an essential tool for Pentax landscape, portrait, and general-purpose photographers, and it remains the top standard zoom choice for those committed to the Pentax DSLR format.
Read our full Pentax-D FA 24-70mm f/2.8 ED SDM WR review
Macro lenses
For revealing the finest levels of detail, you can’t beat a ‘true macro’ lens that delivers 1.0x or 1:1 magnification at its shortest focus distance. This replicates a small object at full life size on the image sensor. When shooting with an APS-C format body, the 1.5x crop factor further boosts the magnifying effect. Although 1.0x magnification might not sound much of a big deal, it enables an incredible degree of enlargement when viewing the resulting images on screen or in print. In the weird world of macro photography, tiny bugs can take on the appearance of alien invaders.
Best macro lens
Unlike most recent macro lens designs, this Pentax lacks an internal focus mechanism, so it does extend in physical length as you focus closer. On the plus side, like other high-end Pentax lenses, this one is beautifully engineered and finished. It features an aluminum outer barrel, a comprehensive set of weather seals and an SP (Super Protection) coating on its front element to repel muck and moisture.
However, it lacks a built-in autofocus motor, instead relying a noisy mechanical drive from the host camera body. Image quality is very good overall and sharpness remains excellent right to the edges of the frame when using an APS-C body. However, corner sharpness is less impressive over the larger sensor area of a full-frame body.
Read our full Pentax D-FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro WR review
Portrait lenses
Effective portraiture isn’t just about a studio setup where you have full control over the lighting and background. Often, you’ll be shooting under natural lighting in a ‘real world’ environment and, all too frequently, the backgrounds can be overly detailed or cluttered. With a focal length of around 75-85mm on a full-frame camera, and a wide aperture of f/1.4 to f/1.8, you can blur the background with a tight depth of field. The combination also enables a natural working distance between the photographer and portrait sitter. If you’re shooting with an APS-C format camera, a 50mm prime lens with a similarly wide aperture rating gives the same benefits, taking the crop factor into account.
Best for full-frame portraiture
A member of the high-end 'Star' series, the Pentax-D FA* 85mm f/1.4 ED SDM AW is built like a tank. It is a substantial lens, weighing 2.76 lbs (1.25 kg) and featuring a large 82mm filter thread. Its All-Weather (AW) construction ensures durability in various environments. The traditional physical design includes a focal distance scale window and a dedicated AF/MF switch.
The lens produces impressively sharp subjects even at the wide-open f/1.4 aperture, which then melts off into incredibly creamy, smooth bokeh. Colors are rich and accurate enough that they require very little post-processing. However, it exhibits some purple fringing (chromatic aberration) on high-contrast, backlit subjects, such as tree branches against a bright sky.
The Pentax 85mm f/1.4 is a premium tool with a price tag to match. While the weight and occasional aberration are drawbacks, the enchanting portraits and beautiful, straight-from-the-camera colors make it a must-have for Pentax portrait photographers.
Read our full Pentax-D FA* 85mm f/1.4 ED SDM AW review
Best for APS-C portraiture
You might be used to portrait primes being hefty, expensive things, but this lightweight lens provides a cost-effective portraiture solution for Pentax APS-C DSLR users. Its 50mm focal length works out to 76.5mm when the crop factor is taken into account, which hits the sweet spot for flattering facial portraiture, and having an f/1.8 aperture gives you plenty of latitude for creating shallow depth of field.
This lens had found a good niche. It's so lightweight that you can take it just about anywhere, and while sharpness is best in the middle of the range, a little softness at f/1.8 is no bad thing when it comes to portraits – it's an asset if anything. The lens is well-priced too, which goes to excuse some of the more basic features like its noisy, motorless autofocus system.
Read our full SMC Pentax DA 50mm f/1.8 review
Lab data and comparisons
The graphs below show the comparative performance of the lenses in this guide, based on our in-house lab tests. The 24-70mm and 70-200mm f/2.8 zooms and the 100mm macro prime lenses lead the way for sharpness. Color fringing and distortions are controlled pretty well in all cases.
Scores for sharpness and color fringing are averaged from data taken across the entire image frame, from the center to the edges and corners, throughout the aperture range. For zoom lenses, the scores are also averaged from data measured at all marked focal lengths, and the same applies to distortion.
Bear in mind that these average values don't fully reflect specific areas of performance. For example, a zoom lens might have noticeable barrel and pincushion distortion at its shortest and longest focal lengths respectively, which tends to average out when looking at the data overall. For more detailed graphs of each lens's performance, which give the full picture, check out the graphs in our full standalone lens reviews.
How we test lenses
Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.
We test lenses using both real world sample images and lab tests. Our lab tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. We find the combination of lab and real-word testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics.
