Claypot Rice Stall

Singapore is a foodie paradise and one of my favorite food stalls is one that sells Claypot rice at the Beach Road Hawker Centre. Never mind the warm air and food aroma from all the stalls cooking, or the 20 to 30 minute wait before you get your food. Once you tuck in, you'll forgive all the minor inconveniences of sweating like a pig while you sit waiting. Ok this little pre-amble is just an excuse to try out my new DA 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 fisheye lens.

I got this compact wonder because I came away impressed by the one I borrowed from my friend at the recent Pentax outing that I figured that I just had to have one myself. I've come to realize this lens has pretty much held it's price amidst the recent spell of Pentax price hikes for their lenses, so I'm feeling pretty pleased about it. Build quality is very good and the 100 degree to eye-popping 180 degree coverage makes this zoom more versatile than if it were a straight up fixed focal length fisheye. Images are surprisingly sharp and flare control is good. This lens has the unique feature of being able to shoot subjects as close as 25mm from the front element. This shot was taken with the built-in B&W image finishing tone on the K-7.