PENTAX Limited Lens SPECIAL SITE

I have special affection for Limited-series lenses.

I was wondering if progress was being made on the development of a new 21mm lens, one that had previously been unveiled to the public. Then after a little more than a year had passed, I finally received the new lens and had my first look at it.

At first glance, it seemed like a larger version of the 31mm lens. After doing some tests indoors, I discovered a few things about it. The lens had no distortion at the edges, and the image it produced changed dramatically depending on the F number I selected.

Working up close to a subject at open aperture, the lens produced a soft-focused image. As I closed the aperture down, it enhanced the sharpness and delivered more crisp images.

This was exactly what I had been told earlier about the lens. The images taken at closed-down apertures were similar to those captured by the 31mm lens. I was confident that this lens would provide me with tremendous imaging power, regardless of the subject. Even though it had a wider angle of view and a stronger sense of perspective, it would let me capture subjects in a variety of applications, including portraiture, still-life shooting and scenic photography. I was eager to try it out in real settings. This was the kind of a lens that could be very inspiring!

The day of shooting finally arrived. Because, like everyone, I couldn’t go out often under unfortunate circumstances, I felt a great deal of excitement and expectation about the upcoming shooting session. Looking forward to a great outing, I checked all the equipment and got everything ready for the upcoming shooting.

I quietly sneaked out of my house at 2 a.m., and headed for the shooting destination. The weather forecast predicted favorable conditions. Judging from the weather conditions of the previous day, I could expect a good shooting session. With high expectations, I took off in my car.

After I arrived the destination, I picked up my gear and stepped into the forest. Since it was my first visit to this woodland, I was overwhelmed by excitement. When I entered the forest, I was greeted by fantastic scenery, illuminated by beams of light. Shafts of light poured through as if welcoming me, while sunbeams danced on wood-covered trails as if inviting me to move on. I had been looking for this kind of damp, tranquil morning atmosphere for a long time. After taking a long and deep breath, I adjusted the camera settings and looked into the viewfinder. What I found was an already completed work of photography.

It was so beautiful! That’s the only possible description for this image. There was no distortion or aberrations at the edges — something that has always been a problem in wide-angle photography. I could capture images as widely, and as beautifully, as I wanted. With a sense of satisfaction, I just kept releasing the camera shutter.

I had always believed that the 31mm lens, which I frequently use in my photography, was the best lens I had. But I was convinced that this 21mm lens was as good as the 31mm. Whether closing in on a subject or moving away from it, it constantly delivered beautiful images.

I felt right away that this lens had immeasurable potential. While I was fascinated with the beautiful beams of light, I also realized that my time was limited, and I couldn’t stay here any longer. The final destination lay further ahead.

After traveling down the light-filtering trail and moving through the forest, I found a pond blanketed with morning mist, which drifted and flowed on the water’s surface. Although I regretted not arriving here much earlier, I was able to capture a dreamlike image of the pond with the sun reflecting on the surface.

When I talked to other photographers I met there, I learned that the mist wasn’t as thick that day as it usually was. But I was totally satisfied by this image. I believe that there is no single best image for the scenes created by nature, and that all images should be treasured as the products of once-in-a-lifetime encounters. I walked around the pond, while sensing the power of light.

I headed for the bushy area, intending to capture images of more minute subjects. I shot some tiny flowers at F2.4.

With the flower in perfect focus, I was able to create an impressive work of art by using a natural, soft-focused image rendition. As I was taking photos of the flowers, I realized that this lens produced a distinctive visual effect, different from that created by soft-focus lenses or soft-focus filters.

When I photographed a thistle using a closed-down aperture, the lens created a crisper, sharper image. This was amazing! The solid status of the 31mm lens, which I always carried with me, was now in jeopardy. The 21mm lens was slightly heavier than the 31mm lens, but otherwise there were no disadvantages. When I came out of the bushes, the mist was already gone.

I moved on to the next location, feeling the ever-changing scenery with now red-hot sunshine. I wanted to capture broader scenes with this lens. I reached a place known as the Lake in the Sky. Because this location allowed me to take pictures from an elevated position, it was a perfect place to try out the lens. I decided to capture two versions of the lake: one with a vast sky, and another that included the shore in the foreground.

The first version gave an excellent depiction of the clear blue sky, and highlighted the shifting shapes of the clouds. The second version sharply captured the subtle nuances of the shore, without spoiling the texture of the stones on the ground. This wide-angle lens performed just as I expected. It proved its merit in these wide-angle shots of a vast area. As I mentioned earlier, there was no distortion at all. I walked down to the edge of the lake and attempted to capture an image from the level of the water’s surface.

As I expected, this lens demonstrated tremendous imaging power.

Finally, I moved to a path cutting through the forest. Paths like this are among my most familiar and favorite subjects. Because of the way it is created, this kind of path isn’t covered by overhanging trees, so the sunlight can filter directly through. That’s why it can be very difficult to correctly adjust the light level on sunny days.

Because this lens drew out the full potential of the camera, it was not difficult to capture the images I wanted of subjects such as the sunlight shining on the path, the branches and leaves sparkling overhead, and a white flower blooming along the path.

No matter what subject I choose, this lens could produce a fine work of art. It’s true that the photographer’s skills are important in capturing good pictures, but it’s also a fact that better equipment allows the photographer to capture finer images much more easily. “Better equipment” may be somewhat misleading, because what I really mean by this phrase is the equipment that makes photography more enjoyable, and that gives you greater inspiration in taking photographs.