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10-05-2015, 07:27 AM   #1
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Looking for input

Dilemma #1 - Pentax 55-300 or Sigma 18-300 ?


Dilemma #2
Pondering the following:
Pentax 16-85
Sig 10-20
Pentax 10-17

I'm wondering if I get the Pentax 16-85 and 10-17 if the sig is a waste of money. Could use that for the 15 instead

10-05-2015, 08:02 AM   #2
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#1 Sort of apples / oranges perhaps because of the different focal ranges. Normally I would say go with the 55-300 because I like that lens a lot. But the 18-300 gets fairly good reviews even though with the super-zoom range you would expect not. It is a bit slower though @300.

#2 10-17 is a fish eye, the 10-20 is not so not really a good comparison. The 16-85 is superb within the restrictions of it's rather slow aperture. It has largely replaced the DA*16-50 for my work except when I need wider apertures.
10-05-2015, 08:02 AM   #3
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It depends on which end you do most of your shooting at, doesn't it?

If you're a one-lens person, then 18-300 is the way to go (unless you need WR, in which case get the HD Pentax 55-300).

The answer to that question may resolve the second dilemma. If you won't miss those two millimetres from 16-18 much, the 18-300 would render the 16-85 superfluous. On the other hand, if you go for the 55-300, then you'll need something at the short end and the 16-85 would fill that in with some useful but not wasteful overlap.

Bear in mind also that the Pentax 10-17 is a fisheye lens, which may not be what you want.

You might consider 18-300 with the DA15 to handle the really wide angle stuff. If you got the 16-85 plus 55-300, the 15mm might not have a place in your lineup unless you succumb to the "15mm DA controls my mind" philosophy.

Of course at the end of the day a two-Sigma kit - 10-20 and 18-300 - would cover a hell of a lot of ground with only minimal FOV duplication, if that's not a budgetary issue for you.
10-05-2015, 08:34 AM   #4
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Personally I would go with a 3 zoom kit.

Get either the 10-20 or 10-17, plus the 16-85, and the 55-300

For me you will likely find that you take always 2 of the lenses but never all 3.

18 mm is not long enough and there are too many compromises in an 18-300 lens to really make it shine

10-05-2015, 09:04 AM   #5
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The Sigma 18-300mm would be great if you don't ever want to change lenses. However, I wouldn't expect exceptional IQ from a 17x super-zoom. I have the DA55-300 and it's image quality is certainly adequate, but I rarely get a "Wow!" from it. To be fair, all zooms are a compromise. If you really want good IQ at 300mm, the best bang for the buck is the old SMC Pentax-M* 300/f4

The Sigma 10-20 and Pentax DA10-17 Fisheye are not interchangeable. I have both and I still want the new DA16-85.
10-05-2015, 10:04 AM   #6
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Sigma 18-300 (I have the older 18-250) is great when you need to shoot for memories sake and convenience counts, not necessarily for displaying or printing. I use it for Renaissance Festival and such, changing lens walking in a crowd is a pain, and the mileau is generally dusty.
10-05-2015, 12:01 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by realitarian Quote
Sigma 18-300 (I have the older 18-250) is great when you need to shoot for memories sake and convenience counts, not necessarily for displaying or printing.
I absolutely agree. This is 95% of what my shooting is anyway. If there'd been an 18-300 or even better a 16-300 in the store instead of the 18-250 I actually bought, I'd have got that instead. But LBA has bitten, and my 18-250 has gone from being my almost-everything to spending a lot of time on the shelf. Except on our last family holiday - it covered itself in glory then. On the other hand, my screwmount lenses have migrated out of my camera bag and more often find themselves on my Spotmatic.

I don't think even 1% of the shots I print are above 6x4, and most of the ones that were, I did purely to see what would happen. The results haven't been too bad. Obviously others have far more exacting requirements, and they will direct you to lenses which will meet them.

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