SMC Pentax-DA, AL, 35mm

The SMC Pentax-DA 35mm f/2.4 AL (Aspherical Lens) is a small, lightweight prime made for Pentax APS-C digital SLR cameras.

On a Pentax APS-C body, its 35mm focal length gives you roughly the same field of view as a 53.5mm lens on a 35mm camera. That's very close to a classic standard perspective, making it a natural fit for everyday photography, street shooting, portraits, travel and general walkaround use.

The f/2.4 maximum aperture lets in considerably more light than a typical kit zoom at a similar focal length, which is useful when shooting indoors, later in the day or whenever you want a little more separation between your subject and background.

It's also particularly compact. At only around 124g, it's an easy lens to leave on your camera and take with you without adding much bulk.

Simple, bright and useful, this is a good introduction to prime lenses for someone shooting with a Pentax DSLR.

Best for

• Everyday photography
• Street photography
• Travel
• Portraits
• Family photography
• Indoor photography
• Available-light shooting
• Learning to shoot with a fixed focal length
• Keeping a Pentax DSLR setup small and light

What to expect

A 35mm lens on Pentax APS-C isn't particularly wide or particularly long. Instead, you get a natural-looking standard perspective that's useful across a lot of everyday situations.

Compared with a kit zoom, the f/2.4 aperture gives you more flexibility in lower light and greater control over depth of field. It's not an ultra-fast f/1.4 prime, but it's still noticeably brighter than most standard zoom lenses.

The lens focuses down to approximately 30cm, so you can get reasonably close to smaller subjects and details, although it isn't a true macro lens.

There's no optical stabilisation inside the lens. Compatible Pentax DSLRs instead provide Shake Reduction through the camera body.