Designed for exclusive use with PENTAX digital SLR cameras, the unique pancake style standard lens measures a mere .59 inches in length and weighs just 3.17 ounces. Combined with the popular PENTAX *ist DS digital SLR, the PENTAX DA 40mm F2.8 Limited lens will offer the smallest and lightest digital SLR combination available from any manufacturer.

As part of the PENTAX Limited Series, the lens will offer exceptional image quality and construction, high contrast, high resolution, and minimal aberrations. Also compatible with the *ist D digital SLR, this ultra thin lens will offer overall maneuverability during shooting as well as portability and storage convenience. This everyday standard lens will provide outstanding performance in a range of applications including snapshots, portraiture, indoor shooting and landscape photography.

Featuring a sophisticated appearance that incorporates an aluminum lens barrel, hood and cap, the lens offers a perspective similar to the naked eye with its 40mm focal length (equivalent to 61mm in the 35mm format), a large maximum aperture of F2.8, and a minimum focusing distance of 40 centimeters.

The PENTAX DA 40mm also features the PENTAX Quick Shift Focus System for instant switching to manual focus operation, a nine blade diaphragm to assure true-to-life reproduction of out-of-focus areas, and filter attachment versatility (a 49mm-size filter on the lens or a 30.5mm-size filter on the lens hood).

Features

• Equivalent focal length to 60mm in the 35mm format with *ist D/DS
• The image circle is designed to match the CCD used in PENTAX digital SLRs
• Ultra-compact pancake-type design weighs just 3.2 ounces
• Exceptional high contrast, high resolution optics with minimal aberrations
• Responsive “Quick-shift Focus System” allows instant shift from AF to MF

Read more at Pentax

Reviews

Pentax SMC-DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited – Review / Test Report by photozone.de

The Pentax SMC DA 40mm f/2.8 exhibits a very harmonious optical performance combined with excellent build quality. It is capable to produce very sharp images across the frame straight from the max. aperture. Distortions are marginal and CAs are a non-issue. Vignetting is quite pronounced at f/2.8 but not a show-stopper. The bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is pretty smooth. The biggest “problem” of the lens is not quality but its application. It is a comparatively slow lens and not faster than many zooms and classic “normal” lenses are about as good at comparable apertures but with a lot more potential for low light photography … at a lower price. Some users may argue with its size and weight but even with the DA 40mm f/2.8 a DSLR is not a pocketable camera. That all said it remains an excellent performer and as such it is a welcome addition to the Pentax lens lineup.