[csa]

You can see in my signature the lenses I currently have. I would like to get a wider lens, below the 18mm; could be either zoom or primary (no fisheye). Possibly a replacement for my 18-55WR is in my thoughts also. Now on the other end, don't know how well a 1.4-1.7 TC would work with my 55-300?

I can't afford the highest priced lens, and am very gunshy of the SDM lens, with them failing. I'm very partial to zooms, but that is not a must.

So, my fellow Pentaxians, throw me your thoughts as to what my next purchase(s) should be, either Pentax or third party are fine.

Thanks in advance!

[bertwert]

What sort of budget when you say not the highest priced lenses?

For wider I would suggest (I don't have any of these, but would go for the Sigma if I needed one):
Sigma 10-20
Pentax 15
Pentax 16-85 (bit much to pay for just 2mm wider)

For longer I don't think a TC will work with the 55-300 that well, you might need to focus manually, some options are:
DA* 300 (Or F* 300) + 1.4x
Sigma 50-500 / Sigma 150-500
Seeing my thread here may help. (only current lenses though).

[northcoastgreg]

If you want to go wider, the best relatively inexpensive option are the Sigma 10-20 and the Tamron 10-24. But my top recommendation would be the DA 16-85. Right now it's going for $530 at B&H -- which not much more than a new Sigma or Tamron wide angle zoom would cost. The 16-85 is the best one lens solution for landscape photography available for the K-Mount.

[csa]

I don't think a TC will work with the 55-300 that well, you might need to focus manually,

Focusing manually is not a problem.

DA* 300 (Or F* 300) + 1.4x

The DA*300 is definitely way out of my price range, plus it's SDM.

F*300, would depend what a used one would go for, & I'd need a TC.
The Sigma's are also a consideration (used). I do really like zooms!

The Sigma 10-20 does interest me! I'll have to check the reviews on it.

[pepperberry farm]

DA 10-17mm; I know it's a fish-eye, but I've just spent the last month Singling with this lens and the distortion is actually quite controllable....

[csa]

If you want to go wider, the best relatively inexpensive option are the Sigma 10-20 and the Tamron 10-24. But my top recommendation would be the DA 16-85. Right now it's going for $530 at B&H -- which not much more than a new Sigma or Tamron wide angle zoom would cost. The 16-85 is the best one lens solution for landscape photography available for the K-Mount.

I have been considering this lens. It's wider than my 18-55, longer reach; and would replace it quite nicely!

[bertwert]

The DA*300 is definitely way out of my price range

Thought it might be.

plus it's SDM.

I haven't heard many reports of SDM failure on other lenses than the 16-50, plus they replaced the motor with a different one.

I'm not sure what a used 50-500 runs for right now $500-800?
A used 10-20 is quite a bit cheaper $300-500?

[timb64]

Plus 1 for the 16-85,you won't be disappointed.

[boriscleto]

I haven't heard many reports of SDM failure on other lenses than the 16-50, plus they replaced the motor with a different one.

The 17-70, and 50-135 had the same SDM issues as the 16-50.

Used Bigmas and 10-20s are hard to come by in Pentax mount. There are currently 2 Bigmas listed on eBay for ~$1000 (both in Japan). There is 1 10-20 listed (in the UK) for over $300, the slower F4-5.6 version.

[bertwert]

Used Bigmas and 10-20s are hard to come by in Pentax mount.

I saw a couple 10-20s in the Marketplace recently...

The 17-70, and 50-135 had the same SDM issues as the 16-50.

I thought th 50-135 might have had some, but my point was that the DA* 300 and 200 didn't...

[pathdoc]

If you don't mind a completely manual focus prime lens, I recently bought an RMC Tokina 17mm f/3.5 in plain old K mount and I'm having a fair bit of fun with it. Damn, that thing is smooth to focus, and if you can get bright enough weather to close it down all the way, DOF is huge and it's practically focus-free for anything beyond the reach of your arm. I mostly bought it for my K mount film bodies (I will probably buy an M42 version for my Spotmatics if I stumble across one cheap), but even on the K-5 the FOV of this thing is like nothing I've experienced before. Even my 18-to-whatever zooms don't seem anywhere near as wide as this. Distortion, however, is shocking at the edges - you have to watch your horizontals and verticals very carefully, or your photos look like someone's playing silly-buggers with reality.

Makes me wonder what's going to happen to my brain when the DA(HD)15/4.0 arrives; no wonder they talk about it controlling your mind.

[csa]

I'm wondering how much difference I would see between 17mm and 18mm? Seems pretty close.

[csa]

10-20 listed (in the UK) for over $300, the slower F4-5.6 version.

I'll have to read the reviews, as to which version is sharper. (slower or faster).

I would be buying from a US seller, as that's easier for me; but it gives me a ballpark figure!

[oscaletrains]

What is the widest normally used for Landscapes? You obviously don't want to go so wide that you have distortion of any kind due to the lens, so what IS the widest any lens out there CAN go with zero distortion?

[Quartermaster James]

My Sigma 10 -20 F3.5 is my favorite of my non-legacy lenses, and was my first upgrade from the 18-55 & 50-200 kit lenses.