Writing a recent review of the Pentax 31mm Limited lens did something strange to me that I would never have imagined happening, as I opened my laptop to begin writing down my thoughts. It becomes stranger when I factor in that the lens is by no means a recent acquisition, having been in use by us for more than a decade. The 31 along with a 15mm Limited and 100mm macro have been Ethan’s staple equipment for his Pentax K3 Prestige for all of this time, so I was used to seeing and using his system. Before this, he also had the 20-40mm Limited and 16-50mm zooms, which were sold to help finance what he uses now.

As is usual practice for me when writing a review for PhotoArk, it is important that I have the item in front of me as it helps with descriptive elements and provides some inspiration when typing out a few thousand words. Along with hands-on long-term experience garnered when using an item, these aspects form the core values of my writing. So when it came to taking the 31mm lens from its pouch and looking at it closely, I found a new appreciation in its design philosophy and engineering. I think it was at this this point that my fascination with Pentax was reborn.

I often spend time looking around the many camera brand websites, as I like to keep informed of new equipment and new features that may be of interest. In more recent months I have been doing this for the purpose of building a second system to compliment my existing Leica gear. My primary reason for this is that I have recently become a little disillusioned with the reliability of some components in my Leica collection. Problems have ranged from major to minor and have affected several different items which, in a couple of instances, have required returning to Germany for repair. This has resulted in a significant amount of time without certain items. 

With this in mind I decided to inventory all of my existing Leica gear with view to reducing it, allowing me to build a completely separate system from the proceeds of any sale. I will always retain a core Leica system as the handling, build and results speak to me in a way that few other systems do.

Many people have and use more than one camera system as each has their strengths and weaknesses. There is also a log of superb gear available that is simply plain fun to use. What was odd was that I had never ever combined disparate systems, typically buying into a brand and remaining loyal to it. Any shortcomings were either ignored or a workaround was found. In retrospect this seems a bit weird given that other brands would have provided a solution.

Top of my list of second systems was the Hasselblad X2D with a couple of lenses. Having never used a large sensor camera, I figured the challenge would provide a very interesting learning curve. However the high investment cost was more than I was comfortable with particularly as I would remain invested in Leica gear. I also wanted a second system to be more affordable, allowing me to explore it on my pension without breaking the bank. With this in mind, my focus shifted from Hasselblad to more affordable brands. I had a much closer look at traditional companies such as Nikon, Canon, OM System and Fuji, as well as untraditional ones such as general electronics companies like Sony and Panasonic. But none appeared to have a unique selling point or fired my enthusiasm to use them, even from an aesthetic point.

The answer of course was hiding in plain sight. It was the one player that I had not even considered until I started writing about the 31mm limited. I had been staring at the solution the whole time without knowing it. 

When I took a deeper dive into Pentax, it soon became apparent that they had more than one USP I found appealing. It was the FA and DA Limited lenses that were the initial attraction. Leica aside, there is nothing else quite like them offered by other brands today. Tiny and beautifully engineered, each was like a work of art. I also quickly found out how well received the DFA* lenses were. A complete departure from Limited lenses, the DFA*’s were built to a similar standard but were weather sealed, brand new optical designs aimed at the professional photographer. Between both of these lens lines, they more than fulfil my requirements. And that is before I scratch the surface of an enormous back catalogue of glass from the 1970’s/80’s.

As other brands have embraced mirrorless technology, Pentax have made it clear that they will remain committed to the DSLR design, ergo the optical viewfinder. This brings me to the final USP, the pentaprism viewfinder. There is no doubting that a true optical finder is a pure delight to use, and one that I have pretty much forgotten about as I started using Leica’s Q, CL and SL cameras. The last optical finder I owned was the Olympus E-1, which was not a great experience for someone who had used their OM film cameras. 

Optical finders do not exhibit the WYSIWYG convenience of the newer electronic counterparts but the clarity and lack of battery dependance puts them in a league of their own. Pentax have gone to great lengths to ensure the continue evolution of the optical finder and this is evidenced when comparing that of the original K3 with the K3iii. The K3’s finder was very good, but the mkiii clearly shows that more could be done with the clarity and brightness. It will be interesting to see what further gains can be made from the K1iii that is under development.

It appears that Pentax are becoming a niche brand, but one that remains very much alive despite the many doom and gloom forum posts and reviews that should be read from a purely entertainment viewpoint. Clearly written by biased souls who have never used a Pentax camera, they remain blind to the brands lineage and business model. While there are several gaps in the lens line up and we are long overdue a K1 body update, what Pentax are bringing to market are products of very high quality.

Considering the current Pentax offerings, I initially shortlisted and ordered the following;

• K3iii body
• 20-40mm Limited Lens
• DFA* 50mm Lens

As all three were available in a silver finish, I opted for this as it gave the whole system a slightly retro feel, particularly the 20-40mm lens due to its nod toward the 1960 ‘Takumar’ style zoom ring. Looking to the future it is my intention to buy into both DFA* and Limited lens lines as they are designed with very different goals in mind. Of further interest to me are;

• DFA* 85mm Lens
• DFA 21mm Limited Lens

The 85mm lens will replace my twice repaired Leica SL Summicron 75 APO - hopefully it will prove to be  more trustworthy. The 21mm lens will address an itch I intended to scratch with the recently released Leica SL Summicron 21mm APO. Not wishing to repeat the disappointment gained with the 75mm, I am far more optimistic going down the Pentax route. 

Of course, a K1iii body would be much appreciated (if/when released), especially if a silver version is produced.

At the moment, I am in the initial stages of a learning curve with my new Pentax system. The Pentax Forum is a fantastic resource and Ethan’s experience is invaluable. The K3iii could not be more different to my Leica cameras in terms of design, handling and functionality. Learning to use a second system is a fun project and one whose components I will review individually once I have become more experienced. It will be interesting at some future point to compare the image quality of the two brands, especially my SL Summilux 50 1.4 and DFA* 50mm 1.4 lenses.

My next overseas trip is to the Greek Island of Kalymnos that is scheduled in a couple of weeks time. Similar to May’s trip to Ibiza, I will be taking along Pentax equipment only. It will be another fantastic opportunity to evaluate the systems strengths and weaknesses in a wonderfully photogenic environment.