The Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 lens is one of the oldest “Nifty Fifty” lenses still in production today. Read on to find out if it’s worth the price of admission.

If you’re in the Pentax K-Mount system and looking for a first lens or an affordable prime to compliment your kit lens, you may be checking out the DA 35mm f/2.4. If you are, it’s not a bad place to be looking. Let’s dive in and see what it has to offer.

The good

• It’s super affordable, and used copies are common
• Light weight
• Great value for money
• Works fine on Full frame (K1, K1ii) and some film bodies
• Has a nice rendering with some character

The less good

• No weather resistance
• Front element is really exposed, easy to touch or scratch on accident
• Plastic lens mount
• Screw type AF can be a little noisy and may be slower on some bodies
• f/2.4 isn’t crazy fast, it would be awesome to see a new 35mm f/1.8 or similar

SMC Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 AL- TL;DR

I have had the DA 35mm f/2.4 for quite some time now. I’ve used it on a Pentax K1, K70, K3iii, and my trusty old SF1n 35mm film body. If I want a simple and versatile, lightweight setup for the day, this lens is one of the first I go to. It’s sharp, has some character, nice bokeh, weighs next to nothing, and is almost affordable enough to be expendable.

The biggest downsides to this lens are probably some of the reasons that it’s so affordable. First, it’s got a very plastic build. While mine has been chugging along for ages, the plastic lens mount is still a little off putting. Also, the lack of weather sealing means that I don’t want it on my camera when the weather is acting up. Finally, the front element is weirdly almost flush with the front of the lens, making it really easy to fingerprint up and perhaps scratch.

Having said all of that, it really is a great bang for your buck. Used copies of the DA 35mm f/2.4 can be had anywhere from $30-$80 these days, and new ones are running $146 on Amazon as of writing this review. There aren’t many decent first party primes like that anymore, and certainly not in that price range. When I weigh the pros and cons against the cost, it comes out a winner every time.

SMC Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 AL – Does it photo?

Having owned the SMC Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 AL for several years now, I feel pretty confident when I say it can photo, and do so well. I have used and loved this lens both on APS-C and full frame cameras, film and digital as well. It’s remarkably versatile, it covers the most common focal lengths (about 50mm on APS-C in terms of full frame equivilance), and it is sharp from wide open.

Autofocus

This lens uses an older AF design, pioneered back in the early days of autofocus on film cameras. The lens has a small screw located at the lens mount plate, and the body has a “screwdriver” driven by an electric motor. This allows the lens to be super light and uncomplicated. However, it does have it’s caveats.

The DA 35mm f/2.4 is heavily reliant on the body to accomplish autofocusing. On my K3III, it is blazingly fast and trustworthy whether in continuous or single autofocus modes. On my Pentax SF1n and K70 bodies, it is still pretty fast for point to point autofocus in single focus mode. However, in continuous (or servo) mode, it tends to be a little slow and less confident on these older cameras. This is particularly true on the 35mm film SF1n body. The Pentax K1 sits somewhere between the K70 and K3III, as you might imagine.

Bokeh

The SMC Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 AL is a lens with some nice character in its out of focus areas. The bokeh is generally nice and smooth. Also, I find that the transitional areas from in focus to out of focus fall off nicely. There is a little bit of a catseye effect towards the corners, which shows up more on full frame. It’s not something that bothers me, and sometimes I quite like the “swirly” effect it can have.

Of course, with a maximum aperture of f/2.4, the DA 35mm isn’t going to wow anyone with how crazy it can blur things out. On the full frame K1, it does of course get some extra bokeh points. However, don’t count it out on APS-C. Most of these bokeh example photos were taken on my K3iii. Only a few were made with the K1. I think it does the job fine on both.

Optical imperfections and characteristics (flare, fringing, etc)

There isn’t a ton to say about the SMC Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 in the imperfections department. It’s not as sharp as a DA* or FA* lens. However, it costs a fraction of the money. The Super Multi-Coating does a good job at keeping flare and ghosting in check. Also, it keeps the contrast holding up well. There is a small amount of longitudinal chromatic aberration (where there is purple fringing in front of the focus point and green behind). It’s pretty easy to take care of in post.

The sunstars are another characteristic that I’ll say is not quite so good. As you can tell from the long exposure photo above, closing down and getting larger, bright points of light yields some smudgy looking star shapes. If you look at the smaller lights around the perimeter of the building, you’ll notice that those actually look pretty good. Also, the highlight bloom in the other night photos is due to me using a black pro miste filter on that particular outing.

Sharpness and contrast

When it comes to sharpness and contrast, the Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 AL always surprises me a little bit. For such an inexpensive little plastic-y lens, it sure does perform well. Whether it is on the 36mp Pentax K1 or the 25mp Pentax K3III, it holds up to scrutiny. However, I do have to say that on the K1 in the extreme corners, pixel peepers will discover some softness there. Much less than you would expect for a lens designed for a smaller sensor, though.

The lens really doesn’t lack in contrast, either. It is relatively contrast-y but it doesn’t give up that little bit of “older lens” character. Perhaps it’s even safe to say it has nice micro-contrast like some more famous lenses out there. Realistically, it isn’t the sharpest or best contrast lens around. However, it’s a lens that you can buy under $100 all day long and it’s certainly good enough for most purposes.

Performance on full frame

Please check out this older YouTube video of mine. If you’re wanting to get more info and photos about how the DA 35mm f/2.4 performs on full frame, this video is for you. Also, if you’d like to see higher quality photos from my Pentax cameras, check out my Flickr page. I have albums there sorted by camera and I am working to sort them by lenses as well.

SMC Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 AL – Touch Test

The touch test is probably the weakest area of performance for this lens. Of course, one can’t expect world class build quality from an entry-level priced lens. The Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 is a simple lens. It’s just glass, plastic, and a few electronic bits to communicate with the camera body. The focus ring is actually focusing the lens directly. However, it is barley damped at all and also has a somewhat rough, plastic on plastic, feel.

The build quality of the Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 is probably as low as a Pentax lens will ever go. That’s not to say it’s bad. Compared to other nifty fifty type lenses from other brands, this lens is probably a little better feeling. However, if you compare this lens to the mid and high end Pentax lenses, it’s obviously further down the totem pole. There is no weather sealing. The lens mount is even plastic. Also, it doesn’t have that buttery smooth feel of a Pentax Star lens. Regardless, I have had mine for years now and have yet to have a single issue with it.

SMC Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 AL – A lightweight champion

When it comes down to it, I think Pentaxians are pretty lucky. We have access to a lot of amazing and inexpensive glass. We can go back to the M42 days using an official adapter even. No worries about what works or won’t like that brand who loves gold. Not only that, but the current production lenses offer a ton of value for the cost.

Mirrorless lenses just keep going up. The DA 35mm f/2.4 is still selling new for $146. It’s really hard to beat that cost for a lens this good. Mine has been on a ton of walks, hikes, and bike rides with me. I never really have to worry about it. It always works and if I break it, it’s not the end of the world (or my bank account). Is it perfect? Nope. However, it is certainly good enough. When you factor in the cost, it’s a no brainer. Go pick one up if you haven’t yet!

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