The Pentax SMC-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited is a very good lens but it is not as special as its longer cousins (specifically the Pentax FA 31mm f/1.8 Limited) nor is this really possible because of the increasing design problems when pushing things towards wide and ultra-wide angles.

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Consistent Output; Durable; Lightweight; Rugged; Sharp Focus; Strong Construction

Very tiny, light, and sharp wide angle lens.

A very bizarre little gem, this is by far my most-used lens. Everyone else has already covered the aspects of this lens to death (weird hood, small size, etc), so there's no reason for me to re-hash that here.

Size; Metal Construction; Sharpness; Colour Rendering

Finicky Hood; Small Max Aperture

This is a lens I had been considering for use on my K-5 as a moderate wide walkaround for some time. Every time I just about pulled the trigger on it, I would read some so-so review and look at the price and think, no way.

In a recent review of the Pentax DA70 Limited lens, I discussed the time in history when lenses were

Excellent quality metal construction; Great optics; Compact and lightweight.

Too bad it's not f/2.8 or faster; but at this size who can complain

An absolutely brilliant lens. I bought mine as a used item from Amazon.Com. Superb for street photography and urban landscapes. Razor sharp from f5.6 to f8.0 and pretty damned good at around f4.0-f4.5. Great colour rendition, ultra fast and silent focusing.

The limited series is a must have if you own a pentax dslr. This DA21mm shoots exceptionally sharp pictures and is great for landscape photography.

Pancake size Very sharp Outstanding quality

price

Since I favor the 35 and 28mm focal lengths for many of my travel shots on film, this lens covers both, making up the difference with a little shoe-leather zoom. Barrel distortion mentioned in some reviews is unnoticeable.

very good wide angle lens (not so wide on an APSC) Pros: top picture quality you can get at this price; super slim design only from pentax (cannon's pancake is ....); top grade build quality includes lens cap and hood; cons: too small for some bigger hands; small aperture (hard to build a big one in...