A practically vintage fisheye lens for K-mount cameras gets an update with new coatings
(Image credit: Ricoh)
Say goodbye to the Pentax 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 fisheye lens and hello to the HD-Pentax DA fisheye 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED. Ricoh has announced refreshed version of its affordable fisheye zoom for APS-C K-mount cameras.
When mounted on an APS-C body, it provides an equivalent focal range of 15-25.5mm, and boasts a 180-degree field of view at its wide end. The main differences to the lens include the application of the multi-layered HD coatings we see as standard on modern Pentax lenses. These, according to Ricoh, will greatly reduce flare and ghosting in order to produce impeccably sharp, high-contrast images.
A Super Protect (SP) coating has also been added to the front element in order to repel dirt and grease, ensuring the lens is well-suited for outdoor work and making it easy to quickly wipe off stains or fingerprints.
(Image credit: Ricoh)
The other main change from the previous lens is that the lens barrel has been redesigned to bring it more in line with contemporary Pentax lenses, with updated grip patterns on the zoom and focusing rings, and a new removable lens hood. According to Ricoh, when the new lens is mounted on a Pentax K-1 or K-1 Mark II it’ll produce near-circular fisheye images, opening up some real creative possibilities.
There are other interesting features on board as well. The HD-Pentax DA fisheye 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED has a minimum focusing distance of 14cm and also offers a Quick-Shift Focus System, which allows the user to quickly swap to manual focus for fine-tuning once a subject has been acquired with AF. It also has a six-bladed diaphragm.
The HD-Pentax DA fisheye 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED will be available from the end of July, priced at £499.99 in the UK and $499.95 in the US.
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Jon spent years at IPC Media writing features, news, reviews and other photography content for publications such as Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera in both print and digital form. With his additional experience for outlets like Photomonitor, this makes Jon one of our go-to specialists when it comes to all aspects of photography, from cameras and action cameras to lenses and memory cards, flash diffusers and triggers, batteries and memory cards, selfie sticks and gimbals, and much more besides.
An NCTJ-qualified journalist, he has also contributed to Shortlist, The Skinny, ThreeWeeks Edinburgh, The Guardian, Trusted Reviews, CreativeBLOQ, and probably quite a few others I’ve forgotten.
