The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the HD Pentax-DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED fisheye and the Pentax 12-24mm F4.0 ED AL for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Pentax 12-24mm F4.0 ED AL is the longer of the two lenses at 84mm. The HD Pentax-DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED fisheye with a length of 70mm, is 14mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Pentax 12-24mm F4.0 ED AL also has a larger diameter of 88mm compared to the HD Pentax-DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED fisheye's 68mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. HD Pentax-DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED fisheye weighs 317g, which means it is 113g (26%) lighter than the Pentax 12-24mm F4.0 ED AL which has a weight of 430g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Fisheye Zoom Lenses in Pentax KAF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Ultra-Wideangle Lenses in Pentax KAF Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the HD Pentax-DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED fisheye and the Pentax 12-24mm F4.0 ED AL has the same Pentax KAF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Pentax KAF lenses are Pentax K-3 III Mono, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III.
Focal Range
HD Pentax-DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED fisheye has a focal range of 10-17mm and
1.7X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
15-25.5mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Pentax 12-24mm F4.0 ED AL has a focal range of 12-24mm and 2.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 18-36mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
