[DanielT74]

Hello Folks,

This year having chased after the "perfect lens", my lens collection grew to a ridiculous size (at least for an amateur of my standard) . We have a mortgage to pay and other commitments and unfortunately most of them will have to go.

I am asking for suggestions to slim it down to 5-6 lenses.

Here it is

1. Tamron 10-24/3.5-4.5
2. Pentax FA 20-35/4
3. Pentax 17-70/4
4. Pentax F24-50/4
5. Pentax 31Ltd
6. Leica 35/2
7. Leica 35/1.4 (hasn't arrived or gotten adapted yet - lets see if it works!)
8. Asahi Super-Takumar 50/1.4
9. Pentax A50/1.2
10. Leica 50/1.5
11. Leica 60/2.8 macro
12. Pentax A*85/1.4
13. Tamron 90/2.8 macro
14. Vivitar Series 1 70-210/3.5
15. Tamron 70-200/2.8
16. Pentax A*200/2.8
17. Pentax A*200/4 macro
18. Pentax A*300/2.8
19. Pentax A400/5.6

My idea is

1. Tamron 10-24mm (or possibly upgrade to Pentax 12-24mm)
2. Pentax 17-70/4 (lovely lens and my wife doesn't have to worry about MF)
3. Leica 35/1.4 (if it is so fantastic, otherwise 31Ltd)
4. Leica 60/2.8 macro (relatively cheap and very nice especially portraits)
5. Pentax A*85/1.5 (well what can one say - pentax classic)
6. Pentax A*200/4 macro (shooting with a flash is possible - very sharp_).
7. Tamron 70-200/2.8 (mine focuses well and is very sharp with a little CA)
8. Pentax A400/5.6 (great reach and quality for the price)

OK so this is 8. Any suggestions from experienced people? Of course it depends on what we shoot but I am hoping to stick with these for a while even if we shoot different things.

((was sein muss, muss sein! - what must be, must be))

[imtheguy]

The only error I see is with the macro lenses. If you keep the Tammy 90/2.8 (great lens, I have one too) and sell the A*200 macro (to me of course as my way of helping out) you will have a more balanced cabinet of lenses.

That is unless you are a macro shooter first and everything else second.

Other than that, looks like you filtered it very well. I look forward to the day I have the same "problem".

[openyourap]

If you just needed the $$, you'd sell all of the A*, Leica and limited glass, but that wouldn't be much fun.

To bring your top 8 down to 6, I'd sell the 2 macro lenses. The 400 would go if I had to go to 5.

[Pentaxor]

the A*200/4 macro is useless. you should sell it.

[TOUGEFC]

Number 9 is useless too, you should sell it to me
Where bouts in Oz are you?

[DanielT74]

Number 9 is useless too, you should sell it to me
Where bouts in Oz are you?

I am in Melbourne. Not quite at the point of letting this beauty go but I guess I will have to sooner or later.

Pentaxor, are you serious about the A*200 macro? I know it is tricky to handhold such a long macro but with a tripod and/or flash, one can get pretty amazing pictures, I think.

[Pentaxor]

Pentaxor, are you serious about the A*200 macro? I know it is tricky to handhold such a long macro but with a tripod and/or flash, one can get pretty amazing pictures, I think.

Yes, I'm serious. that's why you are going to give it to me for free.

on a sidenote, the Ziggy 150/2.8 has me pretty torn up with my stay with Pentax or might consider the SD1 body + Sigma lens combo as another body alternative. I'm just hoping that Sigma releases that lens for the K-mount. Ugh !

[DanielT74]

SD1 may just be an amazing DLSR!

I used to have the old SD9 and the colours that chip rendered were gorgeous!

[Pentaxor]

SD1 may just be an amazing DLSR!

I used to have the old SD9 and the colours that chip rendered were gorgeous!

this is one of the several reasons I held off the K-5 eventhough the K-5 looks like a beast. only wished the K-5 was released earlier last year. but anyways, the possibilities are wider now. the SD1 and X100 plus the potential of a better than K-5 Pentax camera is on the works. but damn, I wanted that 150mm. I dunno how it would render on either cameras. :ugh:

[Nick Siebers]

Daniel, what a great collection of lenses! Obviously there are redundancies, but still, nice work!

I love my FA 20-35; does the DA 17-70 work as well for you?

What I try to do is think about the purpose of each lens, and then get rid of the ones I don't use much and have no clearly designated purpose. In truth I am not that successful, I have a lot of lenses that are on my "to be sold list" that I haven't gotten around to selling, and some when I get them out to photograph and take samples, I put back in the drawer.Still, it is a place to start.

Good luck!

[DanielT74]

the A*200/4 macro is useless. you should sell it.

My son's silk worms, taken in the garage this morning, hand-held with a flash at f11.

[bhairavp]

^I think Pentaxor was being facetious.
Unless, of course, you want to sell it to me...

[Mike Cash]

I gleefully indulge my LBA....I just limit it to lenses I can afford to keep.

[DanielT74]

Daniel, what a great collection of lenses! Obviously there are redundancies, but still, nice work!

I love my FA 20-35; does the DA 17-70 work as well for you?

What I try to do is think about the purpose of each lens, and then get rid of the ones I don't use much and have no clearly designated purpose. In truth I am not that successful, I have a lot of lenses that are on my "to be sold list" that I haven't gotten around to selling, and some when I get them out to photograph and take samples, I put back in the drawer.Still, it is a place to start.

Good luck!

Yes, very sensible. Often I get a lens to compare it to one I already have and then I can't decide between them...

As for the FA20-35mm, I just got it and haven't tested it yet. I have shot a bit with the DA17-70 and found it excellent so far. Took some pics of my son swimming and they were tack sharp and no CA that I saw (can't upload at the moment due to the donation thing having expired...)

[Nick Siebers]

Often I get a lens to compare it to one I already have and then I can't decide between them...

Yes, this explains much of my LBA too. It is easier to "sell" a lens in your head when buying a putative replacement than to actually let it goes when the "replacement" arrives. I have considered getting a DA 16-45 or 17-70 to test against the FA 20-35, but as I know that most likely I will end up wanting to keep both, I have so far resisted.

What a fun hobby!