[newarts]

Many of us agree that you might prefer "A" series lenses, at least to start.

A fast 50 might be nice for interior lighting & shallow depth of field work, or a macro lens - any macro lens is probably ok (the A series recommendation still holds as it permits automatic flash for macros.)

Do you have any special needs like theater or other interior performance work?

The Tamron 28-75:2.8 is a fast, sharp, versatile normal-portrait lens which is a good complement to the K-x.

Dave

PS I concur with jolepp's recommendation of a Raynox 150, which, in conjunction with the 55-300mm kit, is excellent for a wide range of macro work up to about 2x - for general purpose macro work I carry & use the Raynox 150 + 55-300mm zoom in preference to my fine macro lenses.

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Last edited by newarts; 11-27-2010 at 06:00 AM.

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

any of these worth it? or can i get much better deals?

Pentax-M 50mm f1.7 £55
Pentax-A 50mm f1.7(with hoya skylight filter) £65
Pentax-A 50mm f2(with hoya skylight filter but no caps) £40
Pentax-FA 80-200mm f4.7-5.6 £35
Pentax-M Takumar 135mm f3.5(M42 mount) £55
Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm f3.5(PK mount) £65
Pentax-FA 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 £90



oh and il look out for the a 28 2.8 for sure! thanks

M 50/1.7 Fine lens, but you should be able to get it for 25-40 £ Numerous Pentax bodies was sold with this as kit lens.
A50/1.7 Same lens with A contacts. Apperture ring can break down due to plastic part inside it (the rest is metal). Mine still work after 26 years. Can be fixed. Price may be OK, but I could get it cheaper in Sweden.
A50/2 Better than its reputation, but the price is too high.
FA80-200 Avoid it. Best Pentax lenses (besides the expensive pro FA*) in this range are the M80-200/4.5 and the A70-210/4 (constant 4, make sure it says SMC Pentax on the lens, there is an uncoated version that is the same as the A Takumar, which is not such a good lens)
Pentax-M Takumar Does not exist. Seller is probably trying to get rid of a Takumar bayonet, which is both a simple 4-4 lens solution and does not have SMC. Alternatively, if it is a Pentax-M 135/3.5 (no Takumar), it is a nice and very compact lens and then the price is OK.
CZJ 135 Lens with good reputation, some say it has the best bookeh of all 135mm's. Simplified sonar solution.
Pentax-FA100-300. Avoid. See M80-200 and A70-210 above.

I am not that impressed by the M/A28/2.8 or the M28/3.5. One of the best 28mm's Pentax made is the K28/3.5, but it goes for a bit more. 70-120£. Incredibly sharp.

What I usually recommend as the best bang for the buck of Pentax made K mount lenses:
M50/1.7
K55/1.8
FA28-70/4 (constant 4). This is a really great lens optically though a bit plastic, but mine is still in one piece after 15 years.

[alohadave]

OK, I get fungus isn't good in anything, but why does oil in a lens cause problems, as I have seen a few mentions suggesting that a lens might need lubricating?

The oil problems come when it gets on the aperture blades. The aperture blades need to be dry to move properly. When oil/lubricants get on the blades, it slows them down and over time, it can gum up and cause sticking.

[alohadave]

When a lens lists Appertures say for instance F3.5 - 5.6 - is that the range of the lens? I get that if one apperture is listed, than that is probably the widest it will go, but when more than one is listed?

The two numbers are the aperture values at the widest and longest focal length. For the kit lens, at 18mm, the widest aperture is f/3.5 and at 55mm, the widest aperture is f/5.6. It's a sign of a less expensive lens (not a bad thing). It's known as a variable aperture lens.

When you only see one aperture, it means that the aperture listed is available throughout the
focal range.

With an 18-55 lens, why buy anything in that range as I have it covered.

Is the picture IQ equal at 18 and then at 55, or is it only sharp at say the middle (35)?

It varies. Most lenses are fine when they are stopped down 2-3 stops from the widest aperture, and the vast majority of lenses are pretty much the same by the time you get to f/8. The kit lens is best stopped down to around f/8 to avoid vignetting, and it is a bit soft at 55mm. Overall, it's a good lens for a kit lens.

Where the differences in quality come in is at the widest aperture, and at the edges and corners.

[NaClH2O]

Hi Dupazb ita and welcome to the forums

Here are some specific lenses to look for. I own all these lenses and use them regularly.

Pentax "K" 135 f/2.5: Very sharp lens, excellent color rendition, good bokeh. Did I mention sharp?

Pentax "K" 300 F4.0: Sharp, not terribly expensive for a 300mm lens, relatively fast (for 300mm) at 4.0. Light enough to hand hold.

Pentax "A" 35-105 f/3.5: Another very sharp lens, very good zoom range for Pentax digital cameras, probably the best color rendition of any lens I own, it does reds especially well. As an added bonus it has a close focus feature throughout the entire zoom range.

Pentax "A" 70-210: f/4.0 Sharp, contrasty lens. Excellent bokeh for a zoom, good color rendition, close focus function at 70mm.

Pentax "A" 50mm f/1.7: I used to own the Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4. Outside of auto focus the "A" 1.7 out performs the FA 1.4 in every category; sharpness, contrast, etc.

Finally one not so old but still no longer made: FA 20-35 f/4.0: Very sharp, excellent close focus. Superior color rendition (to every lens I own except the A 35-105) fast and accurate auto focus, excellent zoom range for architecture and landscape. It would be a perfect lens except for it being relatively slow at f4.0.

NaCl(there are others of course, but these I can personally vouch for)H2O

[GeneV]

Here's one other for someone who needs some tele on a budget: M 75-150/4. These regularly show up used for under $100. The aperture is not wide enough to be please the portrait crowd, but the reach is nice, the build is great, the built-in hood is handy and this little jewel is as sharp as my Misono chef's knife. If you are all right with mf, it beats the heck out of any of the inexpensive DA zooms that cover this range.

[SpecialK]

... ive been trying to buy everything so that when it comes i will have everything....

That rarely happens. It's called LBA :-)

[Phil1]

You have a ton of good advise above. Personally I would go slow on aquisitions and stay with what you need and stay with Pentax 'A' or better lenses. You will likely find that what you buy today you will be selling and trading for something else later.

Just a footnote, I would avoid third party lenses that were Pentax/Ricoh mount. Some have a Ricoh locking pin that will hang up on your digital Pentax and you will have lens removal issues. There are ways to use them but I would not attach anything to your body until you understand what the problem is and can correct it up front. Not all E sellers are knowledgeable or disclose everything.

The board community here is a great place to shop over fleabay.

[paperbag846]

+1 On the K55 suggestion. It's quite a nice lens as well. I tend to use the A 50 1.7 because it is more convienient, but the K55 1.8 is sharper and has better out of focus rendering. It is my preferred portrait lens (besides the DA 70 but that's a totally different thing).

[dupazbita]

lol i cannot believe how great this forum is!!!!!! you guys are fantastic! thank you so much. Honestly i thought i was going to get flamed like crazy like i did in dpreview....horrible forum......everyone is being so helpful and im def going to stick around!!! ive learned so much already! thanks again! im going to look up EVERYTHING you guys are saying in depth....
for now im waiting for my delivery of my K-x with 18-55 + 55-300 kit lenses (which i got for 399 pounds) and 2 hoya uv filters....also a ACMAXX display protecter...some eneloops...and still deciding between Sandisk ultra 8gb or Transcend class 10 16gb. (dont think i need a sandisk extreme III)........and after i get that look for a 50mm 1.7...play with the kit lenses and the 50mm for a month or few and then start looking for lenses....by then il have researched all i need to know (thanks to you guys) and had experience to know what i want from shooting. im so happy and cant wait.
again im very thankfull!

[tentacles]

I've always had very good luck with Transcend brand cards, I have a class 6 card here that performs like other companies' class 10 (16-17MB/sec) and it's already several years old. I've always been leary of sandisk cards as they are so ambiguous about labeling them.

[newarts]

...and after i get that look for a 50mm 1.7...play with the kit lenses and the 50mm for a month or few and then start looking for lenses...

I recommend you get the Raynox 150 right away too. It'll allow you to easily wet your feet with macros...

Dave

[jolepp]

I've always had very good luck with Transcend brand cards...

+1 (so far so good :-)

[ultraviolet]

Before you start looking at old lenses to buy, use the lenses you have for a few months and find out what you like to shoot and where you want to focus on. Buying random lenses because someone tells you to usually means that you will have lenses that you use a few times and then they sit on a shelf.

Sounds like LBA can never touch you or you just recovered.

[alohadave]

Sounds like LBA can never touch you or you just recovered.

I had a mild case.