[Adk X]

Was going to buy a K7 but now am going to pick up the K 5 by the end of the month.Am going to take advantage of the special price that I found on your homepage.My question is that since there is a different sensor in the K 5 what are the "Sweet " lenses that the K 5 owners have found that really shine on the K 5.I'm thinking about buying the body only and purchasing a lens separatly.Right now I'm thinking about the DA* 55 mm F 1.4 to start out with.I have NO lenses....can experienced users with the K 5 get back to me and recommend lenses that they are really impressed with on the K 5.Most of my photography will be outdoors...shooting some wildlife,outdoor activities etc in the Adirondack Mts.Not alot of really close-up things like flowers,insects etc.Can't wait to check back and see what lenses are recommended.Thank you.( I may eventually pick up 4 lenses to cover what I need )

[Eagle_Friends]

The DA* 55mm f1.4 is a sweet lens, but if you're going to be shooting outdoors mostly, you may not need the large aperature. I would recommend the 50-135mm for zoom or the DA 35mm Marco and DA 15mm for primes.

[Eagle_Friends]

PS. Although a Macro lens, you'll be surprise to see how versatile the 35mm is. =)

[paperbag846]

I would say if you are going to be outdoors a lot in the mountians, you will want one of the wide angles - DA 15, DA 21, or the DA 12-24 (much more versatile, but much more bulky).

For overall versatility in a small package, the DA 21 is going to be the one.

For nice pictures with character, a fast 50 (or 55) would be great. The DA* 55 is the king of them all in my opinion, but if you want to budget yourself, the FA 50 1.4 is a great lens too (USE A HOOD). The fast aperture isn't just about light - it will help you single out people (maybe fellow hikers?)

For wildlife, you will want something long. The K5 has great high ISO, so the DA 55-300 is going be very flexible in not-that-great light. (Consider the shutter speeds you will need at 300mm).

The aformentioned DA 35 macro is expensive for a lens if you aren't going to be using the macro feature IMHO. The DA L 35 2.4 is really good at non-macro. However, I would suggest that a 21 + 50 should have your wide-normal covered pretty well for the out-of-doors (considering you have a lot of flexibility with movement.

Also with the DA 12-24, the 24mm end is essentially a wideish normal, very flexible.

Tough choices! When you are shooting landscapes, people, and wildlife, you need to cover a lot of focal lengths.

Aside - you could safely replace the DA12-24 / DA 21 and FA 50 / DA* 55 with the Tamron 17-50. Paired with the 55-300, you would have a lot of options with only 2 lenses.

[sterretje]

If you don't know what to start with and want a prime lens, get a 31mm or 35mm. More universal. FA31Ltd is perfect for me; wide enough and long enough for normal shooting. DA35Ltd, DA(L)35/2.4 and Sigma 30/1.4 are other options in that range.
I can work with a 55mm as a walk around although it's sometimes a bit too long for my liking. Indoors it will definitely be too long; so that lens would not be on my list as the only lens.

If you want a bit more flexibility or want to find out what your sweet focal length is, get a zoom like a Tamron 17-50/2.8 or a Pentax DA17-70/4 if you want a better quality than the kit lens. Tamron is a bit faster, Pentax has a bit extra reach.

[SpecialK]

For a single lens I would say 17-70, which is fairly wide of scenics and enough telephoto for portraits and similar shots. Use that for a while to see what focal lengths you like or use most. You could expand with a 12-24 which is very versatile and significantly wider than the 15 prime for the wider end, and a 70-200/55-300 or more for the longer end eventually.

Or if you want a primes you could go 15/21/40/70 or similar but still have no really ultra-wide coverage. If you really want that 50, you could go 15/21/35/50/70, but now you may be swapping lenses frequently. You could pick up the Tamron 28-75 (used for about $310) which has some close focusing ability and thereby eliminate the 40/70 pair.

[Adk X]

Thank you Special K.I went to give you credit for answering me and the site said I had to spread some reputation around before giving you any more ????? Anyways THANK YOU and what you said about the 17-70 seems to be true from what I gather.

[Vylen]

If you're going to be shooting wildlife and outdoor activities, you might be needing a lens with reach. As SpecialK said, the 17-70 is "enough telephoto for portraits" - unless you can get your wildlife to pose for you as you walk up to them or you're going to be standing on the field to take your outdoor activity shots, you're gonna need something like the 55-300 or the 50-135 (depending on how much money you've got to spend).

[creampuff]

Buy your K-5 with the 18-55mm kit lens rather than body alone.
The kit lens is better than no lens, optically it is quite all right and is the cheapest wide angle available. Many might not give a second thought to the kit lens but it does come in handy and a great backup.

[Adk X]

Thanks alot for the help..you guys were a BIG help.I have gone wild researching lenses for the last day or so and other than what I first considered( the 55mm f 1.4)...the 35 mm Macro limited just may get the nod...(the wife wants to do some close-up photography she said) from what I've researched,people really love it for a walkaround.The 17-70 will stay on my list ( would get it for sure if it was WR)Also have my eye on an 18-250 ...I know it's big but it covers a wide range without changing lenses.Planning on getting my K5 this week !!

[dadipentak]

All of my lenses love the K-5. The 35 macro would be a good choice if you want a prime and I can vouch for the Tamron 28-75mm.

[hcc]

If you ike to shoot outdoor and want an all-around lens, there are a few choices:
- Pentax DA18-135mm WR,
- Pentax DA18-250mm (and Tamron 18-250mm)
- Sigma 18-250mm OS HSM.

Each lens is an all-around lens. No lens swapping. The first one is an obvious choice with the K-5 WR body, but the DA18-250mm has a solid record of outdoor usage without issue.

I shoot outdoor primarily and this type of all-around lens is my favorite. 80% of my shots are done with the DA18-250mm. The absence of lens swapping is a blessing when the weather is foul: rain, dusty, muddy.

If you want more than one lens, you may consider a combination of zoom lenses and prime lenses. A prime lens has a single focal lens. It tends to have a higher image quality (IQ) than a zoom lens because the latter needs to compromise over the focal length range.

Pentax has a very nice offer of prime lenses, compared to other brands and you may consider these once you become more familiar with your camera.

Hope that the comments will help...

[garethwebber]

I second the idea of getting the 18-55 kit. Not only is it not that much more money but the 18-55 has what none of the wide angle lenses have - waterproofing which may be invaluable doing outdoor activities. Also being a zoom, you don't need to take it off the camera in bad weather to swap lenses.

Also it gives you time to look at what sort of photos you like. If you like wide, there are tons of lenses to chose from; normal, I like the sigma 30 but if you like close up then the 35 macro is a good lens by all accounts. If you end up doing lots of people shots then that 55 you mentioned may be best afterall.

If you want wildlife you will probably want something longer. I don't have the experience to help beyond portrait lengths.

G

[alexeyga]

Very simple... 18-135... There's no better all-around WR'ed lens in Petnax linup... and it's the fastest focusing Pentax lens yet...

[atlnq9]

Just out of curiosity why do so many people invest in the high end camera to get the resolution rather than good glass? Get the cheaper body for now and buy good glass. The body will be obsolete in 2 yrs, ask half people in the lens forum and glass is for a lifetime if buy right first. I recommend the Kr or K7 and good lenses, use the money to buy something like the 16-50mm, 15mm, 21mm, 31mm, 43mm, 70mm, 77mm, etc.