Fashion in Motion – DA 70/2.4

I recently did a fashion show shoot using the DA 70mm at f/2.4 on my K10D. Frankly, I find the autofocusing capability to be way better than the Canon 30D which I used together with 24-105L and 70-300 IS USM lenses.

The K10D was set to AF-S, right-most AF point (non-cross type) and shot in portrait orientation (with battery grip). Focusing was fast and accurate with the DA 70. I love the nice creamy bokeh which seems like a standard characteristic of all Pentax lenses.

The DA 70 is designed without any fancy glass elements, just pure simple optics, minimal glass, superior coating (smc) which is the guaranteed formula for sharpness, high contrast and resolving power. The fact that Pentax can make it so small makes me wonder why other lenses has to be so much bigger. The only other lens that comes to mind is the Sigma 70mm f/2.8 macro…and surely it’s way bigger and bulkier.

Translating to an angle of view of 105mm (in 35mm terms), this is almost the perfect lens for portrait photography. At the largest aperture of f/2.4 I don’t see myself struggling with a shallow DOF, which actually makes it very practical for fashion shoots like the above.

One of the best part of this lens is the price, which is really hard to beat by any other makes. There’s really almost no incentive to go third party in the Pentax DSLR system given the excellent optical quality, build and simplicity in design that one can find in Pentax lenses.

Check Availability, Price and Reviews

Tags: Pentax 70mm f/2.4 DA