This week, Ricoh announced the updated HD PENTAX-DA FISH-EYE 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED zoom lens for K-mount digital SLR cameras.
The new lens is actually a redesign of the original PENTAX-DA FISH-EYE 10-
17mm F3.5-4.5ED. The new redesign claims to be a “compact” and “lightweight” fish-eye lens, featuring the latest HD coating and a redesigned body.
HD PENTAX-DA overview
Getting into the specs, the lens offers a 180-degree angle of view in the APS-C format at a focal length of 10 mm. It has a minimum focusing distance of 14 centimeters. That should allow photographers to get as close as 2.5 centimeters from the front of the lens. The lens should lend itself to close range photography.
There’s also a Quick-Shift Focus System that Ricoh says provides an instant shift to manual-focus after locking a subject in focus during autofocus operation.
What’s been upgraded?
Since, the HD PENTAX-DA FISH-EYE is an upgraded PENTAX-DA FISH-EYE, we have to talk about the differences. A new high-grade, multi-layer HD Coating has been applied to the optical elements of the lens. That’s where the HD comes from in the title. The new coating should allow capture of high-contrast images with “edge-to-edge” sharpness and minimize flare and ghosting, according to Ricoh.
Also, an SP (Super Protective) Coating has been applied as well. That coating should repel water, grease and dirt. The coat has been applied to the lens’s front surface as well, so it should be easier to wipe off any stains or fingerprints.
The lens has been redesigned to match the design of the PENTAX K-mount digital SLR models too. Its lens hood is removable now. When on a PENTAX K-1 or PENTAX K-1 Mark II, the lens hood can be removed to “produce nearly circular fish-eye images,” says Ricoh.
Pricing and availability
The HD PENTAX-DA FISH-EYE 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED lens will be out at the end of July for $499.
Image courtesy Ricoh
