HD Pentax-DA 35mm F2.8 Limited Macro

Introduction

At some point prior to 2008, engineers at Pentax faced a tall challenge: to design a walkaround prime lens worthy of the “Limited” badge, suitable for portraits and landscapes, with true macro capabilities.

The result was the SMC Pentax DA 35mm F2.8 Limited Macro lens, which was upgraded in 2013 to an "HD" version with improved coatings, rounded aperture blades, and a slightly altered external look, including the option to order a silver finish in addition to the usual black.

The HD Pentax DA 35mm F2.8 Limited Macro is in a league of its own. Along with the older version, it is the only macro lens in the Limited line (though many argue that the SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR is also worthy of the "Limited" name). While being very compact, it is not a pure pancake like its other DA Limited siblings. It has an uncommon focal length for a macro and it is not as wide as most landscape primes. In short, it sits somewhere between all the established standards.

This does not prevent it from being an extremely well-regarded lens by the Pentax community: the SMC version has an average user rating of 9.49, and the HD version earns nearly perfect scores!

Macro lenses always come with high expectations when it comes to image quality. Does the HD 35mm F2.8 Limited macro deliver? Read on and find out!