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09-28-2010, 09:07 AM   #1
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Lens Advice - couple of options

Everyone - i have gained so much from reading around this forum, so i'm looking for a little advice on some impending purchases. I've searched as much as i can, and am still unclear on the "right" answer, if there even is one.

I currently shoot primarily with my K10D and Pentax DA 18-250. The lens is such a great walkaround companion since it covers so much. However, lately i have been more and more inclined to upgrade my glass and am having some decision making issues.

I'm going to be purchasing the K5 upon its release. I primarily do a lot of street photography and action shots of kids and family.

I also own the Pentax 50mm 1.4 which i love for portraits.

So i'm weighing selling either or both lenses, and investing in either a pentax or sigma wide zoom (some thing in the 10-24 range) and either the pentax or sigma tele zoom (60-250 or 70-200).

Problem is i can't make up my mind which of these lenses is going to make the most sense. I really like the range and construction of the Pentax 60-250, but i worry that F4 is going to be a little limiting. The added ISO strength of the K5 may make this a irrelevant concern, but i wanted to see if people in general felt that they wished their 60-250 had a wider aperture.

As for the wide end - i have never owned a fisheye, and am thinking i would really like having something that drops down into the low teens, but am also looking for low light capability.

Any thoughts, or am i pretty welled covered either way? Weather sealing is obviously a bonus with Pentax....but i'm more concerned with IQ.

Thanks for any advice.

09-28-2010, 09:27 AM   #2
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Before you buy another lens, look at your pictures and try to determine what focal length you shoot most of your pictures at. Then start looking at lens that fall into that range.
09-28-2010, 01:20 PM   #3
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Ask yourself, "What do I want to do that I can't do with what I have?" Will the lenses you're considering do much more for you than what you have?

My original K20D 'kit' of the DA10-17, DA18-250, and FA50/1.4, are still my most-used lenses. True, the zooms aren't as fast as I might like on gloomy days, so I'm usually to be found carrying a Zenitar 16/2.8 instead of the 10-17, and a modded Nikkor 85/2, maybe a Tak 135/2.5 and Enna 240/4.5. And a Macro-Tak 50/4 (1:1) or Schneider Betavaron 50-125 enlarger zoom, for macros and utter sharpness. These are the answers to that "Whatcha wanna do?" question. Sometimes the superzoom is best, for general use. And sometimes I want to shoot wide, long, close, far, fast, slow, weird, whatever.
09-28-2010, 01:36 PM   #4
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You are hitting both ends of the spectrum there with long tele and ultra wide.

I don't have experience with the 10-24, (I own a sigma 10-20) and it is a main lens when travelling in cities.

I also own a sigma 70-200F2.8 (non DG Non macro) and use it on its own and with sigma 1.4x and 2x TCs. this gives ultimate speed when needed and length when needed without sacrificing speed like what happens on the 100-300 or 130-400 lenses. which leave you at F4 or 5.6 all the time.

For me the F2.8 lens is a o brainer, but I am physically able to carry the weight, and it is heavy.

you will also need a gap filler, between 24 and 70, I personally use the tamron 28-75F2.8 but there are other options.

Once you sort this out you can sell the super zoom, but I would personally keep the 50

09-28-2010, 01:44 PM   #5
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My problem in trying to narrow it down specifically to my "style" is that i vary a lot depending on subject. If I'm out taking photos of the kids (mine and others) then having a mid range zoom is really helpful to properly frame a shot without having to tip them off and ruin the candid moments.

But i also end up shooting indoors a lot, which is why i'm concerned about the F4 vs 2.8 between the Sigma and Pentax tele-zooms. I don't shoot professionally, but have done a few weddings as sort of a backup for friends to catch things that sometimes the wedding photog isn't around for.

Then there's the wide end - i try to travel as much as time allows, and will be spending 2 weeks, for instance, on a cruise through Spain, Italy and Greece next summer, and have actually found that the 18 on the 18-250 isn't quite wide enough.

I really love the lens for its versatility, but i think I'm looking for some higher speed glass.
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