Pentax DA HD 10 17mm F 3 5 4 5 ED Fisheye Review | 54 Data compared

The HD Pentax-DA Fish-Eye 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 ED is a compact (323g) and creative lens offering excellent value, with a key update being the detachable hood that allows for unique, partial-circle fisheye images on full-frame cameras. Performance highlights include high central sharpness throughout the zoom range, excellent flare resistance from the HD coating, and fast autofocus, with very good edge sharpness achieved at f/8–f/11. However, the lens has limitations, such as the inability to use standard front filters due to the bulbous element and minimal protection from the shallow, detachable hood. Further compromises include a thin manual focus ring, a lack of a depth-of-field scale, a rotating front element during autofocus, and degraded corner sharpness at f/22.

The HD Pentax-DA Fish-Eye 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 ED lens update offers a compact, lightweight, and well-built design with impressive sharpness across the frame. Key advantages include fast, accurate autofocus, excellent resistance to flare via HD coatings, and versatility for both APS-C and full-frame, where removing the hood produces nearly circular images. Cons include heavy, non-rectilinear barrel distortion and the lack of a standard filter thread, which is typical for lenses with a bulbous front element. While generally well-controlled, some color fringing can occur in complex lighting, and resolution drops significantly at minimum apertures.

The HD Pentax-DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 Fish-Eye ED offers significant upgrades over its predecessor, featuring HD coating for improved contrast and reduced flare, while providing exceptional center sharpness and a 14 cm minimum focusing distance. The compact, lightweight lens includes a removable hood, enabling near-circular, non-vignetted images on full-frame cameras. Cons include noticeable purple fringing and chromatic aberration in high-contrast scenes, alongside soft edge performance at wider apertures that requires stopping down to f/8 or f/11 for maximum sharpness. Furthermore, the bulbous front element lacks a filter thread, limiting the use of filters and requiring careful handling to prevent damage to the glass.

The HD Pentax-DA Fisheye 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED is a rare APS-C format fisheye zoom lens that offers specialized creative utility but delivers mixed performance. On the positive side, it provides an exceptionally wide diagonal angle of view, stretching from an extreme 180 degrees at 10mm to 100 degrees at 17mm, which grants photographers excellent compositional and perspective control. It also features a smooth zoom action, a high-quality build feel, remarkably even illumination across the entire frame, and good central sharpness. However, the lens suffers from several prominent drawbacks, particularly regarding its autofocus and optical flaws at the edges. Because it lacks an internal AF motor and relies entirely on the camera body's drive, the autofocus performance is noisy, choppy, and hesitant. Optically, the lens displays significant edge softness and uncorrected purple fringing near the borders of the frame. Additionally, the manual focus ring has a short distance scale that lacks precision, and the usefulness of the less-extreme 17mm setting remains questionable for a dedicated fisheye lens.