Need a great "go to" lens for my K100 D

[jennifer_b3]

Any suggestions for a lens that will take me most places and that i will be able to leave on a decent amount of time.

I'm just looking for a good "walk around" lens, if that makes any sense. :) I'm just not feeling it with the lens it came

with.

 

Any ideas?

[mcmanamey]

what's the budget?

 

Our DA* 16 - 50 is on the camera nearly 90% of the time now.

 

Previously, it was a Tamron 28 - 300 we got on ebay for a good deal. The 28 - 300 is my kind of lens: wide & telephoto.

I find it to be a tad slow, but then 80% of our shooting anymore is weddings, and it is not fast enough for that. I've been

forcing myself to shoot with primes, so I haven't been using our "monster" as much, but I still love it.

 

Can't beat the DA* for sharpness, though.

[jennifer_b3]

Ok, you're talking waaaay above my dslr intelligence level. ;) I'm newbie, big time!

 

Right now, I'm just looking around, so there is no certain budget per say. I want to know all my options. I don't have any sort of photo business so it will only be for personal use. Having a wide and telephoto lens sounds like getting the best of both worlds.

[shots worth sharing]

As a newbie, I found the Tamron 18-250mm to be pretty much ideal as a one lens solution. Do your self a favor, though, and get a good prime like the the FA 50mm 1.4 as well just to get a feel for what you can do with a sharp fast fixed focal length lens.

[jennifer_b3]

Yikes! Sounds complicated! Better get the hubby on it.

 

Thanks so much for the info guys! ;)

[andrewg_ny]

Jennifer, perhaps you can tell us how you're "not feeling it." What problem(s) are you trying to address?

Basically upgrades from the kit lens would be longer reach, wider view angle, faster (gathers more light,

allowing higher shutter speeds, etc.). Have you used anything in the past you liked better?

 

<P>Is your K100D a K100D "Super"?

 

<P>Any of these will generally offer better optical quality than the kit lens with the possible exception of the

18-250, which is more about all-in-one convenience.

 

<P><UL>

<LI>More speed: DA* 16-50 f/2.8

<LI>Wider angle: DA 16-45 f/4

<LI>More reach: DA 18-250 f/3.5-6.3

<LI>A little wider, faster, and longer: DA 17-70 f/4, Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4.5

<LI>More speed, more reach (less wide): Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, Pentax FA 24-90...designed for film, etc.

<LI>Much wider: DA 12-24, Sigma 10-20

<LI>Smaller (and faster): primes

</UL>

[jgredline]

I agree 100% with Dave.

[shaloot]

If its just casual photos you want to enjoy at home, just do the 18-250mm and that wont you leaving wanting at certain times. As your time with the camera continues and you learn more and start push the boundaries of the lens, then you can seriously start contemplating the other kinds of lenses such as the ones Andrew describes. If you find after x months you usually find yourself shooting only a certain focal length go for a fixed; if you're shooting in low light go after a fast lens... either way you'll start to develop a good case of LBA and we're all here to help!

[mountainvisions]

For a walk around lens.

 

I recommend a DA Limited Prime (or two).

 

say 21mm and 70mm. You should be able to shoot 99% of stuff you'd shoot with any other walkaround lens, have about equal light gathering to the bigger 2.8 zooms, and get somewhat better (although these days often debatable) image quality.

 

But something like a 21, 40/43, 70 combo will fit in your pocket essentially and be a lot lighter around the neck than a bigger 2.8 zoom.

 

I don't know for me a walkaround lens is something that is unobtrusive, well built, and easy on the neck. I suppose my Tokina 28-70 2.8 could be a walkaround lens but the thought of carrying that around anytime I'm not 100% sure I'll be shooting at f/2.8 and ISO 1600 is just not appealing!

[erik_skipit]

Whoa Stop the bus!!!....Andrew did you say theres a DA 17-70 f/4........Where....And how much????

[revolver]

Pentax 18-250MM.

[kfrog]

I also agree with Dave. Get the Tamron 18-250mm or the Pentax DA18-250mm (I got the Pentax) for your walk around lens. Adding the FA50mm f/1.4 is also what I did to give you some excellent speed and indoor low light performance.

[miserere_mei]

Erik:

 

Pentax DA 17-70mm f/4 ($500):

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/567353-USA/Pentax_21740_SMCP_DA_17_70mm_f_4_AL.html

 

Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 ($369):

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/419584-REG/Sigma_669109_17_70mm_f_2_8_4_5_DC_Macro.html

[miserere_mei]

By the way, Erik, the Pentax 17-70mm won't autofocus on your *istD, only on your (upcoming, I presume) K20D. The Sigma would autofocus on both.

[andrewg_ny]

Sigma 17-70 is f/2.8-4.5 (not -4.0). The Pentax DA is pretty new so few here own it yet and while it is attractive in theory there are some questions about how good it is or isn't.

 

What Mis is alluding to is that the DA 17-70 is Pentax's first SDM-only autofocus lens--meaning it is manual-focus only on bodies older than the K100D Super and K10D.

[erik_skipit]

Why wont the Pentax 17-70 focus on my *ist?

[michael_kuhne]

Jennifer, I suggest you take a read of Karen Yonker's post of 11-1 "What lenses will work with a K100..."

 

Her daughter is looking to increase her zoom range beyond that of her kit lens. Numerous possibilities are suggested, along with the reasons behind each one. These reasons are a key education for making an appropriate choice.

 

Yes there is no simple answer. That is why there are so many lenses, and a camera style like your fine K100D, which enables you to take advantage of so many choices. By "walk around lens" this partly implies something not too large or heavy for easy carrying, and a range of view versatile to suit most common scenes. That pretty much describes your pentax 18-55mm kit lens. But extra-compact design, along with very fine optical quality and good low light shooting, together with good framing for most scenes are the reasons Justin suggested those prime lenses as an addition to your zoom lens. Like Karen's daughter, however, there may be some other aspect you are looking for.

[miserere_mei]

Thanks for having my back, Andrew. You can be my wing man any time ;-)

[personalphotos]

Erik It's SDM only, No screw drive. *istD, K110, K100D (exception the Super) have no SDM drive connections.

 

Back to the question at hand. It would help if you indicated the budget and the uses. If you are looking to get creative and learn more about photography etc, then that would suggest certain lenses.

 

If you are looking for a 1 lens solution that offers convenience and a great travel lens which can basically do it all, Then I agree with Dave and you should get the 18-250. Wide for landscape use and indoors. Long for zooming in to distant objects.

 

Don't disappear. The members here are very patient and will help you no matter how basic the questions.

[snik75]

Jennifer - I've been testing various options

These are the ones I most often grab or leave on my camera:

 

Pentax DA 40mm - great optics, lovely pictures especially of people and landscapes, fast autofocus, tiny and cool looking. Doesn't focus that close. $250 new

 

Pentax F 35-70mm - Good optics, better than the kit lens, has a nice macro mode, great for pictures of people but can get wide enough for some scenes. $50 used (maybe less).

 

Ricoh XR 35mm - very nice but manual focus and exposure only. $10

[thebs]

Jennifer:

 

It would help to know what you don't like about the kit?

Is it too narrow (you want wider)? Is it not getting you close enough (you want more reach)?

 

In my case, when I had the 18-55 kit lens, the 18mm just wasn't wide enough.

I upgraded to the DA 16-45 f/4 and was sold on 16mm -- I highly recommend this $300 lens.

When I bought my K20D, I just opted for the DA* 16-50 f/2.8 (for $600) and absolutely love the f/2.8 speed on the SR body.

 

But if you're finding 55mm is limiting at the long end, there are other options too.

The DA 18-250 f/3.5-6.3 is good enough at everything 28mm or longer, kinda like the kit above 24mm.

I couldn't stand the DA 18-250 below 28mm, much like I don't like the kit below 24mm.

 

A legacy option, which I just pointed out in another thread, is the older FA 28-105 f/3.2-4.5 which runs $209 at Adorama.

It's good speed at the wide end, better IQ than the DA 18-55 kit or DA 18-250 superzoom.

I had the slower FA 28-105 f/4-5.6 and used it more than the DA 18-55, until I went 16mm.