Pentax DA 21430 70mm

Pentax DA 21430 70mm

Pentax
45 Overall Score
vs
Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm

Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm

Meike
88 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Pentax DA 21430 70mm

85 out of 100 medium confidence 12 reviews

The Pentax HD DA 70mm f/2.4 Limited is a compact prime lens that delivers outstanding sharpness, beautiful color rendition, and smooth bokeh, making it ideal for portraits and travel photography. Users praise its weather-resistant build, fast autofocus, and the retractable hood, though some note it can be a bit long on APS-C cameras for tight spaces. The HD coating improves flare resistance and color transmission compared to the older SMC version. Overall, it is highly recommended for Pentax shooters seeking a high-quality, portable telephoto prime.

Pros
  • Outstanding sharpness
  • Beautiful color rendition
  • Smooth bokeh
  • Compact and portable
  • Weather-resistant build
Cons
  • Slightly long on APS-C for tight spaces
  • Bokeh not spectacular for some
  • Focus ring feel not premium
  • Lens cap can fall off if hood retracted
  • Only for cropped sensor cameras
👍 Image quality 8
👍 Build quality 6
👍 Portability 5
👍 Autofocus performance 4
🤔 Bokeh quality 4
👍 Hd coating 3

Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm

88 out of 100 medium confidence 22 reviews

The Meike 55mm f/1.4 AF lens for APS-C Nikon Z cameras is a compact, fast-aperture portrait lens that delivers excellent sharpness and creamy bokeh at a very affordable price. Autofocus is quick and reliable, with good eye detection, and the lens handles well on smaller bodies like the Z30. Some users noted the minimum focus distance is a bit limiting and the build feels plasticky, but overall it offers outstanding value for money.

Pros
  • Excellent sharpness
  • Creamy bokeh
  • Fast and reliable autofocus
  • Great value for money
  • Compact and lightweight
Cons
  • Plasticky build feel
  • Limited minimum focus distance
  • No image stabilization
  • Some chromatic aberration wide open
  • Vignetting at wide apertures
👍 Sharpness 12
👍 Bokeh 10
👍 Autofocus performance 14
👍 Value for money 15
🤔 Build quality 8
👎 Minimum focus distance 4

Scores

Portrait
Pentax
37
Meike
89
Macro
Pentax
37
Meike
83
Budget
Pentax
41
Meike
78
Wildlife Sports
Pentax
33
Meike
73
Street
Pentax
44
Meike
71
Video Cinema
Pentax
39
Meike
71
Professional
Pentax
38
Meike
70
Landscape
Pentax
30
Meike
55
Travel
Pentax
40
Meike
52

Specifications

Pentax DA 21430 70mmMeike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm
Optics
Typeprimetelephoto
Focal Length Min70 mm85 mm
Focal Length Max70 mm85 mm
Elements65
Groups58
Aspherical Elements01★
ED Elements—2★
CoatingHD coatingMulti-layer coating
Aperture
Max Aperturef/22f/1.4
Min Aperturef/2.4f/1.4
Constant✓★✗
Diaphragm Blades911★
Build
MountPentax KL-Mount
FormatAPS-Cfull-frame★
Weather Sealed✗✓★
Weight0.15 kg★0.91 kg
Filter Thread49 mm77 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeAutofocusSTM★
Stabilization✗✓★
Focus
Min Focus Distance701 mm85 mm★
Max Magnification1:8★—

Pros & Cons

Pentax DA 21430 70mm

  • Strong build (89th percentile)89th %ile
  • Below average aperture (22nd percentile)
  • Below average bokeh (25th percentile)
  • Below average optical (31st percentile)
  • Below average versatility (33rd percentile)

Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm

  • Strong bokeh (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong aperture (97th percentile)97th %ile
  • Strong macro (92nd percentile)92nd %ile
  • Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile
  • Below average versatility (33rd percentile)

Pricing

Pentax DA 21430 70mm

No current pricing available

Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm

Verdict

★ Winner: Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm

Scores 88 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 8 of 21 specs.

Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm Better at:

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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