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05-04-2016, 10:51 AM   #1
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Next lens purchase, a prime or two for portraits, macro, etc.

Hello!

Looking to add a prime lens or two. I currently have:

K3
Pentax 18-135mm WR
Pentax 40mm XS
Sigma 70-300mm

I use the 40mm a lot around the house and at family gatherings and the 18-135mm a lot more when travelling or going into the city.
I've determined a majority of my pictures are portraits, where I take pictures at weekly family gathering, and around the house plants/insects macro stuff. Lots of the pets.

My order of importance would be:
1. Bust portraits, maybe something higher than 40mm so I can take candid shots without being so close.
2. Macro flowers/insects or wide angle general outdoors stuff.
3. Something fast for the dogs.
4. Landscapes and cityscapes, though this only happens once or twice a year.

I've been leaning towards the 77mm 1.8 for the extra length in portraits, and maybe the 35mm macro for the general macro and outdoors stuff too. Then I had the itch for something weird like the Zeiss T*Planar 85mm 1.4 just to make things interesting and force some manual focus.

I can get 1 maybe 2 if they don't total over $1000.

Thanks much for the time!

05-04-2016, 10:54 AM - 1 Like   #2
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my prime lens exploration adventure:


https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/291019-prim...ere-prime.html


my budget has been a bit less than yours, but it has been fun just the same!
05-04-2016, 11:00 AM - 1 Like   #3
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It's addicting for sure. Selling off guitars to fund lenses!
05-04-2016, 11:08 AM - 1 Like   #4
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I would seriously consider DA*55 for portraits. Not much experience with Macro but the DFA100WR comes into mind. Together will be around your $1000 range, maybe under.

05-04-2016, 11:10 AM - 1 Like   #5
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FA 77 is a killer lens for portraits. Long enough to be good for what you want without being too long. The f/1.8 is sufficient for thin dof but the f/1.4 85's are even thinner and longer. I would not hesitate however to buy the FA 77 and keep AF options open. As a second prime with what you already have I might suggest the DFA 100 WR or the DA 15. If you like wide, then the DA 15 gives you more than you have now with the 18-135, and the 100 Macro brings macro and a telephoto prime to the table. The 77 is pretty close in length so my personal direction would be towards the 15. Then you have a nice three prime kit for the bag - 15, 40xs, 77 and a great walk about zoom with WR.

EDIT - the DA* 55 is a superb lens also but for my thinking too short with what you already own. If you owned the DA 21 rather than the DA 40xs I might point you there. The 77 is more versatile with what you already have.

EDIT 2 - Adding a Raynox 250 or 150 would help with the 77 when trying to use it for macro and I have tried - it's not bad but it isn't the DFA 100.

Last edited by UncleVanya; 05-04-2016 at 11:55 AM.
05-04-2016, 11:10 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by fcweissbach Quote
Hello!

Looking to add a prime lens or two. I currently have:

K3
Pentax 18-135mm WR
Pentax 40mm XS
Sigma 70-300mm

I use the 40mm a lot around the house and at family gatherings and the 18-135mm a lot more when travelling or going into the city.
I've determined a majority of my pictures are portraits, where I take pictures at weekly family gathering, and around the house plants/insects macro stuff. Lots of the pets.

My order of importance would be:
1. Bust portraits, maybe something higher than 40mm so I can take candid shots without being so close.
2. Macro flowers/insects or wide angle general outdoors stuff.
3. Something fast for the dogs.
4. Landscapes and cityscapes, though this only happens once or twice a year.

I've been leaning towards the 77mm 1.8 for the extra length in portraits, and maybe the 35mm macro for the general macro and outdoors stuff too. Then I had the itch for something weird like the Zeiss T*Planar 85mm 1.4 just to make things interesting and force some manual focus.

I can get 1 maybe 2 if they don't total over $1000.

Thanks much for the time!
77 Ltd plus Raynox DCR150.
05-04-2016, 11:41 AM - 1 Like   #7
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100mm is currently the go-to for insect macro. It's not in any sense of the word wide-angle. It can be used for portraits, but you'll have to be pretty far away, or if you just want portraits of people's eyes....

The FA50mm macro is an option to do both, though it's still not wide-angle. For that you'd want something like the Sigma 28mm macro.

05-04-2016, 11:42 AM - 2 Likes   #8
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macro + portraits: Tamron Adaptall 2 72B or any of the AF versions of Tamron's 90mm f2.8 macro lens....
05-04-2016, 12:18 PM - 1 Like   #9
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I'll definitely put in a +1 for the FA 77mm! However, price to performance ratio is really amazing on the DA 50mm f/1.8! If you're convinced you don't mind splurging, go for the FA 77, DA * 55 or something awesome like that, but for around $99, the DA 50 is really incredible!

If you want to do some forced manual focusing, don't overlook the Samyang, Vivitar (etc.) 85mm, f/1.4. They are really a bargain for the price!

Have fun!
05-04-2016, 12:27 PM - 1 Like   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by K57XR Quote
Not much experience with Macro but the DFA100WR comes into mind.
The optics are beautiful, the handling less so. Unless your focus point is right on the object and you're fairly close to begin with, you run the risk of very noisy focus hunting. Thank God for quick-shift, which will get you most of the way, then you touch up with AF.

Portrait work with the 100 Macro is probably not on for crop cameras, as it has the field of view on crop of a 150mm lens, just too tight for most portraiture, especially indoors. It may find a new niche in that respect on the K-1.

QuoteOriginally posted by TER-OR Quote
The FA50mm macro is an option to do both, though it's still not wide-angle. For that you'd want something like the Sigma 28mm macro.
The 35mm DA Macro Limited is my go-to lens when I need ultra-close shots of non-moving subjects but still need a wide field of view. Granted if you want an even wider macro, then yes, the Sigma may be the way to go - but the Pentax has a built-in hood, and now that the original SMC version has been replaced by an HD-coatings variant, you may be able to find one on the cheap.

Fast and cheap is 50mm f/1.8 DA lens; plastic, but nice plastic and really nice optics for a mind-bogglingly low price. Just long enough for portraits on the crop cameras (75mm FOV equivalent). I own it and love it.

Fast and expensive is the DA 55*; half a stop faster, considerably more expensive but also WR, and hopefully better optical quality to go with it - you'd have to talk to someone who owns both to see if the difference is worth it for you.

If you think a K-1 is in your future, it seems the DA* 55mm is not quite optically a full frame lens at all apertures (heavy vignetting at some f-stops); the 50/1.8 may be slightly better in this regard. The D-FA100 WR is, of course, definitely a full-frame compatible lens, and the WR makes it a good match for current Pentax DSLRs.

I used the DA21 a lot around Melbourne, Australia recently, and that let me suck in a nice spread of my surroundings. The DA15 drinks in even more, of course, but people, dogs etc. tend to get minimised and blended into the picture; IMO it really isn't a people lens unless you're specifically trying to photograph a lot of them in a very small space. It is currently one of my least-used lenses, but there are times when I've found nothing else in my collection will do and then this gets reached for. Consider carefully and do not buy in haste.
05-04-2016, 12:32 PM - 1 Like   #11
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There is also the sigma 70macro(discontinued?). If you want to chase bugs you want the longest macro you can get to increase working distance, which for pentax is the 100wr. For portraits the Da*55, Da 70ltd, Fa70ltd and sigma 85/1.4 and Da* 50-135 are your options. I'd check out photos from them and see what you prefer.
05-04-2016, 12:39 PM - 1 Like   #12
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Thanks for the insight!

My thoughts so far:
77mm - Highly praised but I worry about indoor shooting with that length sometimes. A bit pricey, though, over $700 new
DA* 55mm - The lens I originally considered. This might be a good compromise if I find the 77mm a little too far. Can be had under $500 used.
DA* 16-50mm - A zoom, but in that same niche area. I get a little scared that either this or the 18-135mm would never get touched. Also around $500 used.
DA 20-40mm LTD - Another I considered early on to handle all my open and wide shots that would be almost prime. Around $500 used as well.
FA 100mm macro - Looks like a great macro lens. I've used my Sigma 70-300mm macro range (280-300) in the past and felt it was too long. Decently priced at $400 new

I think I'm going to set my 18-135mm to various lengths and see what shooting each feels like and start from there. I also wouldn't mind an inexpensive wide angle for the few landscapes/cityscapes opportunities and spend the extra dough on a workhorse portrait/macro

Thanks again
05-04-2016, 02:44 PM - 1 Like   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by fcweissbach Quote
Thanks for the insight!

My thoughts so far:
77mm - Highly praised but I worry about indoor shooting with that length sometimes. A bit pricey, though, over $700 new
DA* 55mm - The lens I originally considered. This might be a good compromise if I find the 77mm a little too far. Can be had under $500 used.
DA* 16-50mm - A zoom, but in that same niche area. I get a little scared that either this or the 18-135mm would never get touched. Also around $500 used.
DA 20-40mm LTD - Another I considered early on to handle all my open and wide shots that would be almost prime. Around $500 used as well.
FA 100mm macro - Looks like a great macro lens. I've used my Sigma 70-300mm macro range (280-300) in the past and felt it was too long. Decently priced at $400 new

I think I'm going to set my 18-135mm to various lengths and see what shooting each feels like and start from there. I also wouldn't mind an inexpensive wide angle for the few landscapes/cityscapes opportunities and spend the extra dough on a workhorse portrait/macro

Thanks again
One caveat. The 18-135 exhibits some focus breathing so at 135 it is not operating with full magnification when shooting at short distances. I have not taken the time to check at what focal length this is first noticed at.
05-05-2016, 07:21 AM   #14
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I had purchased some inexpensive Bower filters, UV and polarization, and when I'm at 18-25ish on the 18-125mm I get some vignetting. Is this because the inexpensive filters or the lens?
05-05-2016, 07:24 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by fcweissbach Quote
I had purchased some inexpensive Bower filters, UV and polarization, and when I'm at 18-25ish on the 18-125mm I get some vignetting. Is this because the inexpensive filters or the lens?
Easy to check, pull the filters and do a test with and without.
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