[Chillibones]

Hi all.

I'm new to this forum. I have been using a K7 for several months, and am just starting to feel comfortable with it (its not my first DSLR but is my first Pentax).

My question is for those experienced with various pentax lenses.

Before I ask the question, I do all sorts of photography, from landscape to portrait to street, whatever takes my fancy, it's a hobby for me not a job.

So like all of us, funds are limited, I'd love to own a Pentax DA70 2.4 or similar, but to fund it I would need to let some lenses go.

I have an SMC-A 100 2.8 (non macro, awaiting delivery), SMC-A 35-105 and an SMC-A 50 1.7 these three are keepers and will not be sold.

The two I am thinking of selling are the 18-55WR kit lens and an SMC-F 70-210, what do you think? Considering what I will be keeping does it seem like a good idea to get rid of these two to purchase a DA70 2.4?

I would value any opinions or views on this. Thanks.

[TOUGEFC]

Well if you lose the 18-55 that will leave a big gap between 18-35. And will you be comfortable with having that gap?
Will you be buying the da70 new or used?
You could get around $100 for the 18-55 and i dont know the value of the 70-210? Will it be enough for the da70? Will you put money towards it?

[JeffJS]

Welcome to the forum and a belated welcome to the K7 club. I was going to say that if you are going to sell that A100 f2.8, Contact me (but then I read the rest of the sentence). The two you are considering selling, you aren't going to make much of a dent in a DA70 (or similar with them). It will also leave you without a wide angle of any sort if you've listed your entire set.

You said "or similar", meaning to me, a limited lens. Speaking from experience with my FA77 Ltd, it spends a lot of time in the case. Gorgeous lens, I love using it on my film cameras when I shoot slide film, but it doesn't find it's way to the K7 lens mount often enough. What I would suggest looking into is the DA*50-135 instead. Very different flavor from your 35-105 but is one of the best auto-focus zooms Pentax has made in recent years. If you don't mind going manual focus, the Vivitar (rokanar, samyang, whatever) 85mm f1.4 is a bargain IMO. Can't really argue against the limited glass of course so if it's really calling you, go ahead and dump the two lenses and grab a DA70, especially if the concern is Size.

[Chillibones]

The F70-210 seem to be going for anywhere between $150 and $200 (Aus) and I've seen the 18-55WR going for between $100 and $150 (Aus) so its a reasonable chunk toward a Ltd lens.

I've seen a couple of used DA70 at around the $450 (US) mark.

I love the sound of the DA*50-135 but it's way to pricey for me, I think if I sold all the lenses I own it might be achievable but I don't want to let the 'A' class trio go. Not yet anyway, I figure they will increase in value over the years.

You're right in as much as the biggest concern I have is losing the wide ability that the kit lense offers, and likewise the long end of the 70-210, which in my opinion is a very underated AF zoom, I have has some very pleasing results with it.

Maybe I should just keep what I have and save harder!

[Mike.P®]

Not sure the 70mm will give you much over the 35-105mm tbh apart from being slightly faster, AF and a smaller size.

Actually that's quite a bit when you list it

Personally I think the A 35-105mm is a fantastic lens and gets WAY more use than my DA 70mm.

I also think you should keep the WR lens if it's your only one .. You never know when you may need it.

[bdery]

The main interest of the WR kit is that it's WR. The relevance of this is completely your call. For me, even though I don't use it extremely often, I wouldn't part with my WR lens, if only for the safety it brings me.

You will have a lot of glass covering the 70 mm range if you keep most of your lenses and get the DA70 too. I'd try to rationalize in that range if money is an issue.

Every one of use has his own shooting style, so it's hard to decide for you which lenses to keep or sell. But starting with the lenses you use the least is the way to go...

[schmik]

The 70 is a pretty fine lens. I also have the A-50 and a A zoom. I also have the 40 (amongst other things...) and that's the one that gets used most. At $340 in the usa and the AUD being where it is you may want to consider it.

I rarely use the 50 due to it being manual focus. The quality of the images from the 40 or 70 are great and AF and small size is fantastic.

mike

[Lowell Goudge]

Hi all.

I'm new to this forum. I have been using a K7 for several months, and am just starting to feel comfortable with it (its not my first DSLR but is my first Pentax).

My question is for those experienced with various pentax lenses.

Before I ask the question, I do all sorts of photography, from landscape to portrait to street, whatever takes my fancy, it's a hobby for me not a job.

So like all of us, funds are limited, I'd love to own a Pentax DA70 2.4 or similar, but to fund it I would need to let some lenses go.

I have an SMC-A 100 2.8 (non macro, awaiting delivery), SMC-A 35-105 and an SMC-A 50 1.7 these three are keepers and will not be sold.

The two I am thinking of selling are the 18-55WR kit lens and an SMC-F 70-210, what do you think? Considering what I will be keeping does it seem like a good idea to get rid of these two to purchase a DA70 2.4?

I would value any opinions or views on this. Thanks.

I can't judge based just on the equipment list, but aside from lens speed, you have the focal length covered already and the proposed sell items leave you exposed to nothing below 35 or above 105mm. That is a pretty tight range, and to be honest if that is the range you are thinking, you shoud sell everything but the 50mm and the 100 macro, and pick up a fast 35mm and if you want the 70mm, and just use those 4 lenses. BUT I would think that is just too limiting in my opinion.

I think yoou should keep both the wide angle and tele zooms you are thinking of selling and sell the 35-105 zoom instead, if you really want the DA70. It is the only option that leaves your kit intact, and able to go out and do general photography.

I would not build a kit like this, but that is another story. I still think you need to cover as wide a range of focal lenghts as possible unless your photographic needs are so narrowly defined that you can do it all working between 35 and 105mm.

[JeffJS]

Except the A 35-105 also does Macro.

.....and sell the 35-105 zoom instead....

[tentacles]

The 70-210 has the same macro magnification as the 35-105, 1:4 ratio. His A100/2.8 is listed as the non-macro which is .13x max (~1:8)

[deadwolfbones]

The DA 70 is a fantastic lens, but it's not nearly as versatile as a lot of the gear you'd be selling. The 70 should be a complement to either a pair of zooms or a suite of other primes that cover the range of focal lengths.

[Impartial]

You say that you do 'from landscape to portrait to street', but I am not sure what the DA 70 would be for. Portrait? Your A 50/1.7 would be a more traditional length for portrait, given the crop factor. Is the attraction because of the Limited styling and pancake? The DA 40 or DA 21 would each be more likely for street or landscape, the DA 21 especially, while the DA 40 is less expensive than the others and more able to do 'landscape to portrait to street' all in one.

Or perhaps the attraction of the DA 70 is the 2.4 aperture? The new DA 35 offers the same aperture at a more versatile focal length and a much lower price, or the FA 35/2 is available (used) at the same price as a used DA 70 (or less) but with the extra half-stop of speed and the more appropriate focal length for most landscape or street photography.

So if I were you, I would start by figuring out what I wanted an AF prime to do. And if I didn't really know that for sure, I would keep my existing lenses, buy the new DA 35, and consider restructuring my kit when I had more experience with a versatile AF prime.

YM will of course V

[Lowell Goudge]

This may be heracy but if the OP wants something in this length for portrait, and wants shallow DOF, why not go for an 85mm F1.4 samyang.

I know it is not pentax and not blessed by the gods on MT Fuji or sprinkeled with pixie dust, but in terms of bang for buck, and quality it is not that bad. Other options could also be to look for a used Tak or K mount 85 in the F1.8 to F2 range.

Surely the longer focal length and even wider aperture would be much better for separation of foreground and background than the F2.4 of the DA70.

otherwise, a much more useful option would be any of the zooms that cover 70mm at F2.8 this could be either a 20 something to 70/80mm or something spanning 50/70mm to 135/200 mm

there are lots of options and for the half stop slower there is a hell of a lot more use in a zoom than the da70 will ever give.

[JeffJS]

This may be heracy but if the OP wants something in this length for portrait, and wants shallow DOF, why not go for an 85mm F1.4 samyang.

Suggested in post #3.

Re the discussion on the two zooms, the OPs original quote..

I'm new to this forum. I have been using a K7 for several months, and am just starting to feel comfortable with it (its not my first DSLR but is my first Pentax).

My question is for those experienced with various pentax lenses.

Before I ask the question, I do all sorts of photography, from landscape to portrait to street, whatever takes my fancy, it's a hobby for me not a job.

So like all of us, funds are limited, I'd love to own a Pentax DA70 2.4 or similar, but to fund it I would need to let some lenses go.

I have an SMC-A 100 2.8 (non macro, awaiting delivery), SMC-A 35-105 and an SMC-A 50 1.7 these three are keepers and will not be sold.

The two I am thinking of selling are the 18-55WR kit lens and an SMC-F 70-210, what do you think? Considering what I will be keeping does it seem like a good idea to get rid of these two to purchase a DA70 2.4?

Maybe it's just me but I get the impression he knows what he uses, and doesn't.

[Lowell Goudge]

Suggested in post #3.

touche

Re the discussion on the two zooms, the OPs original quote..



Maybe it's just me but I get the impression he knows what he uses, and doesn't.

Note my closing remark of post 8.
"I would not build a kit like this, but that is another story. I still think you need to cover as wide a range of focal lenghts as possible unless your photographic needs are so narrowly defined that you can do it all working between 35 and 105mm"

It is his choise. And while some people are really sure of what they need and don't, if he was really that sure, he would not be asking should he sell the lenses.

Having said that. He has all the options and issues in front of him, and it's time for him to step up and decide what he wants to do.