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**distorted_vision** · 11-21-2007, 03:11 AM

hey guys/girls,. how are we all??

well, as the title suggests, i just recently purchased a k100d. its a fantastic camera and i couldnt be happier with it..at the moment i have a sigma 18-50mm f3.5-5.6 lense. As i am fairly new to digital photography, and also pentax, i was wondering what you guys would advise me to get, in the way of additional lenses.

i would love to get into macro photography , so a decent entry level lense is needed? any suggestions on models etc??

also, i do a lot of ocean/surf/sunset photography, so i would love a nice wide angle lense. i would also love a decent zoom lense also. perhaps a 3-400mm zoom?
again.. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated,, as far as my budget goes, i would be buying these lenses one at a time (unless they are a reasonable price). setting a budget for AU$200-400 for each one is realistic or not?? and is it considerably cheaper to buy at online shops , compared to me walking into somewhere like TEDS or CAMERA HOUSE??

thanks alot in advance,,

kevin,.,

arbutusq · 11-21-2007, 04:11 PM

Well for $200-400 you are pretty well limited to the70-300 lenses from Pentax, Tamron and Sigma. None of these lenses will give you stellar results, slow maximum aperture, soft at maximum telephoto etc. The Pentax DA 50-200 is also an option and is sharper and contrastier, but has vignetting issues.

You could tru the 50-135 but it probably wouldn't have the reach to do surf photography effectively. The Sigma 100-300 f4 is also supposed to be quite good but I don't know if it comes in Pentax mount, and both of these lenses are well out of your budget.

You could also try some old lenses (manual focus etc) and see what you come up with.

As for wide angle, the only one that I can think of that fits in your budget is the 16-45 which I have and love.

kjao · 11-21-2007, 06:48 PM

Hi Kevin

With your budget, the only new telephoto lenses you can get are Pentax DA50-200, Sigma/Tamron 70-300. You will probably have trouble finding a brand new 1:1 macro lens for less AU$400. I think your best bet might be Tamron 70-300/4-5.6 Di LD Macro. It goes to 300mm and has got 1:2 macro if I remember correctly.

cheers
Kenny

little laker · 11-21-2007, 08:09 PM

Have you thought about 1 good new lens (I'd advise the macro since they seem to be the hardest to find) and top up your collection with a few used lenses.

I do understand that any used Pentax is hard to find in Australia, so my idea might be impractical. But if you don't mind importing it there are several good used stores in the USA anyways.

Deni · 11-22-2007, 02:15 AM

At your budget, you might be better of with the tamron 70-300 4-5.6. If you need more light just increase the the iso.

As for macro, find a cheap fast fifty and a vivitar 2x macro converter. This will give you a 1:1 100mm macro lens.

Good luck!

Deni

**distorted_vision** · 11-23-2007, 06:10 PM

thanks alot guys, i will take all of this into concideration.. i really appreciate it

**NaClH2O** · 11-23-2007, 06:21 PM

DV, I'd also think about the Tamron 28-75 F2.8. Great lens, (I have it) not quite macro, but it does focus pretty close about 0.33m. I don't know what the exchange rate is but it's going for about 375USD here. And at 28 it should be wide enough for most of your surf shots. At F2.8 constant aperture, it's moderately fast as well.

NaCl(my preferred "walk around" lens)H2O

Snowcat · 11-23-2007, 06:37 PM

DV, it is obvious that you have rather limited bugdet to spend on camera and accessories. So I'd recommend to search for some good old lenses, you really can get great ones for little money.
You could get a old macro lens with manual focus. Macro usually does not require autofocus, so it really can be used. Something like SEARS 135 2.8, said to be a very nice lens.
For casual shots I'd recommend old autofocus Tamron 28-200, which I have myself. A very descent lens. Note that it became worse, after it got "Macro" word in it's name, only just "Aspherical" are good versions.
As for wide angle, there is no good choice perhaps among old ones, because focal ranges became shorted for digital SLRs, so here you should get something new.

**distorted_vision** · 11-24-2007, 05:19 PM

Originally posted by Snowcat

DV, it is obvious that you have rather limited bugdet to spend on camera and accessories. So I'd recommend to search for some good old lenses, you really can get great ones for little money.
You could get a old macro lens with manual focus. Macro usually does not require autofocus, so it really can be used. Something like SEARS 135 2.8, said to be a very nice lens.
For casual shots I'd recommend old autofocus Tamron 28-200, which I have myself. A very descent lens. Note that it became worse, after it got "Macro" word in it's name, only just "Aspherical" are good versions.
As for wide angle, there is no good choice perhaps among old ones, because focal ranges became shorted for digital SLRs, so here you should get something new.

thanks for the reply snowcat

. You would be correct in assuming i have a rather limited budget to spend on my camera and accessories. I am only new to digital photography and i simply cannot justify spending semi pro/pro prices for camera and lenses at the moment. prior to my k100d, i was using a cannon a530 powershot for all my photoghraphy, and i was really impressed with it,, so you can imagine how im feeling about this new pentax i have just recently purchased

a huge upgrade for me..
however,I really want too see vast improvements in my photographic technique and capabilities etc, before i take the plunge with a 'bank loan' camera set up. Im still getting used to all the manual settings with my k100d, so i look at this camera as my 'guinea pig' camera.. a learning camera. My other hobby is drag racing ,so the majority of my wage gets sucked into my engines,tools,machinery and cars.

and unlike the majority of people in the world today, i refuse to use credit cards, so it always takes me longer to save up for things..

i will most defineatly look into 2nd hand lenses etc, as it seems like the logical choice for me, concidering my financial situation at present. i just did a search on the SEARS 135 2.8, and i found a few for sale, so i might have to buy one on your recomendation

i will also look into the Tamron 28-200 "Aspherical" lense..

once again, thank you for your responce ..

kevin..

**distorted_vision** · 11-24-2007, 05:24 PM

Originally posted by NaClH2O

DV, I'd also think about the Tamron 28-75 F2.8. Great lens, (I have it) not quite macro, but it does focus pretty close about 0.33m. I don't know what the exchange rate is but it's going for about 375USD here. And at 28 it should be wide enough for most of your surf shots. At F2.8 constant aperture, it's moderately fast as well.

NaCl(my preferred "walk around" lens)H2O

heymate. thanks alot for the reply...
i have seen the Tamron 28-75 F2.8 so i will defineatly look into that,,

atm, the exchange is fairly similar to us, so it would only be slightly more expensive. Thats good to know about the apeture,

once again, thanks alot ,

kev

shefaet · 11-24-2007, 10:30 PM

I'll second the vote for the Sears 135mm f/2.8. I picked it up on eBay for $25 (incl. shipping) and, though it's my first manual lens, the results have been nothing short of outstanding from day one. Couple with a cheap set of macro extender tubes, and you've got a decent setup for less than $50. (For an even higher mag. ratio, there are some cheap 80-200mm f/4 lenses floating around on eBay with pseudo-macro modes that, when coupled with the extension tubes, give very high magnification ratios and focal distances less than four inches).

Sample picture using Sears 135mm
User Photo Gallery - Nature

roentarre · 11-25-2007, 12:42 AM

Ditto for Tamron 28-75 f2.8 ; it is sold for 300 AU dollars in Australia (ebay store).

You are welcome to try some of my lenses when the melbourne pentax groups meet up weekly (I will be returning to melbourne in 1 week).

Cheers

Mike Cash · 11-25-2007, 01:50 AM

Are you familiar with the great-glass-at-budget-prices Takumar option? For what you'd spend for a single brand new middle-of-the-road lens you can fill up a camera bag with Takumars.

Some of my images shot with Takumar glass.

**distorted_vision** · 11-26-2007, 03:51 AM

Originally posted by roentarre

Ditto for Tamron 28-75 f2.8 ; it is sold for 300 AU dollars in Australia (ebay store).

You are welcome to try some of my lenses when the melbourne pentax groups meet up weekly (I will be returning to melbourne in 1 week).

Cheers

ok, i will defineatly look into the tamron 28-75 .. as far as trying your lenses..that would be great!

thanks alot for the offer mate!
send me a PM when you get back to melbourne,,,

kev

**distorted_vision** · 11-26-2007, 03:52 AM

Originally posted by Mike Cash

Are you familiar with the great-glass-at-budget-prices Takumar option? For what you'd spend for a single brand new middle-of-the-road lens you can fill up a camera bag with Takumars.

Some of my images shot with Takumar glass.

no im not mate, so i will have a look now

that sounds ideal for what i want tho...

11-21-2007, 03:11 AM	#1
distorted_vision Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Moving around Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,308	additional lenses for my k100d hey guys/girls,. how are we all?? well, as the title suggests, i just recently purchased a k100d. its a fantastic camera and i couldnt be happier with it..at the moment i have a sigma 18-50mm f3.5-5.6 lense. As i am fairly new to digital photography, and also pentax, i was wondering what you guys would advise me to get, in the way of additional lenses. i would love to get into macro photography , so a decent entry level lense is needed? any suggestions on models etc?? also, i do a lot of ocean/surf/sunset photography, so i would love a nice wide angle lense. i would also love a decent zoom lense also. perhaps a 3-400mm zoom? again.. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated,, as far as my budget goes, i would be buying these lenses one at a time (unless they are a reasonable price). setting a budget for AU$200-400 for each one is realistic or not?? and is it considerably cheaper to buy at online shops , compared to me walking into somewhere like TEDS or CAMERA HOUSE?? thanks alot in advance,, kevin,.,

11-21-2007, 06:48 PM	#3
kjao Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 423	Hi Kevin With your budget, the only new telephoto lenses you can get are Pentax DA50-200, Sigma/Tamron 70-300. You will probably have trouble finding a brand new 1:1 macro lens for less AU$400. I think your best bet might be Tamron 70-300/4-5.6 Di LD Macro. It goes to 300mm and has got 1:2 macro if I remember correctly. cheers Kenny Last edited by kjao; 11-21-2007 at 08:05 PM.

11-24-2007, 05:19 PM	#9
distorted_vision Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Moving around Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,308 Original Poster	Originally posted by Snowcat DV, it is obvious that you have rather limited bugdet to spend on camera and accessories. So I'd recommend to search for some good old lenses, you really can get great ones for little money. You could get a old macro lens with manual focus. Macro usually does not require autofocus, so it really can be used. Something like SEARS 135 2.8, said to be a very nice lens. For casual shots I'd recommend old autofocus Tamron 28-200, which I have myself. A very descent lens. Note that it became worse, after it got "Macro" word in it's name, only just "Aspherical" are good versions. As for wide angle, there is no good choice perhaps among old ones, because focal ranges became shorted for digital SLRs, so here you should get something new. thanks for the reply snowcat. You would be correct in assuming i have a rather limited budget to spend on my camera and accessories. I am only new to digital photography and i simply cannot justify spending semi pro/pro prices for camera and lenses at the moment. prior to my k100d, i was using a cannon a530 powershot for all my photoghraphy, and i was really impressed with it,, so you can imagine how im feeling about this new pentax i have just recently purchased a huge upgrade for me.. however,I really want too see vast improvements in my photographic technique and capabilities etc, before i take the plunge with a 'bank loan' camera set up. Im still getting used to all the manual settings with my k100d, so i look at this camera as my 'guinea pig' camera.. a learning camera. My other hobby is drag racing ,so the majority of my wage gets sucked into my engines,tools,machinery and cars. and unlike the majority of people in the world today, i refuse to use credit cards, so it always takes me longer to save up for things.. i will most defineatly look into 2nd hand lenses etc, as it seems like the logical choice for me, concidering my financial situation at present. i just did a search on the SEARS 135 2.8, and i found a few for sale, so i might have to buy one on your recomendation i will also look into the Tamron 28-200 "Aspherical" lense.. once again, thank you for your responce .. kevin..

11-24-2007, 10:30 PM	#11
shefaet New Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 15	I'll second the vote for the Sears 135mm f/2.8. I picked it up on eBay for $25 (incl. shipping) and, though it's my first manual lens, the results have been nothing short of outstanding from day one. Couple with a cheap set of macro extender tubes, and you've got a decent setup for less than $50. (For an even higher mag. ratio, there are some cheap 80-200mm f/4 lenses floating around on eBay with pseudo-macro modes that, when coupled with the extension tubes, give very high magnification ratios and focal distances less than four inches). Sample picture using Sears 135mm User Photo Gallery - Nature Last edited by shefaet; 11-24-2007 at 10:38 PM. Reason: Added sample picture

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11-21-2007, 04:11 PM	#2
arbutusq Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Vancouver BC canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 380	Well for $200-400 you are pretty well limited to the70-300 lenses from Pentax, Tamron and Sigma. None of these lenses will give you stellar results, slow maximum aperture, soft at maximum telephoto etc. The Pentax DA 50-200 is also an option and is sharper and contrastier, but has vignetting issues. You could tru the 50-135 but it probably wouldn't have the reach to do surf photography effectively. The Sigma 100-300 f4 is also supposed to be quite good but I don't know if it comes in Pentax mount, and both of these lenses are well out of your budget. You could also try some old lenses (manual focus etc) and see what you come up with. As for wide angle, the only one that I can think of that fits in your budget is the 16-45 which I have and love.

11-21-2007, 08:09 PM	#4
little laker Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,697	Have you thought about 1 good new lens (I'd advise the macro since they seem to be the hardest to find) and top up your collection with a few used lenses. I do understand that any used Pentax is hard to find in Australia, so my idea might be impractical. But if you don't mind importing it there are several good used stores in the USA anyways.

11-22-2007, 02:15 AM	#5
Deni Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Tirana, Albania, South Europe, Planet Earth Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 621	At your budget, you might be better of with the tamron 70-300 4-5.6. If you need more light just increase the the iso. As for macro, find a cheap fast fifty and a vivitar 2x macro converter. This will give you a 1:1 100mm macro lens. Good luck! Deni

11-23-2007, 06:10 PM	#6
distorted_vision Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Moving around Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,308 Original Poster	thanks alot guys, i will take all of this into concideration.. i really appreciate it

11-23-2007, 06:21 PM	#7
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	DV, I'd also think about the Tamron 28-75 F2.8. Great lens, (I have it) not quite macro, but it does focus pretty close about 0.33m. I don't know what the exchange rate is but it's going for about 375USD here. And at 28 it should be wide enough for most of your surf shots. At F2.8 constant aperture, it's moderately fast as well. NaCl(my preferred "walk around" lens)H2O

11-23-2007, 06:37 PM	#8
Snowcat Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Moscow, Russia Posts: 239	DV, it is obvious that you have rather limited bugdet to spend on camera and accessories. So I'd recommend to search for some good old lenses, you really can get great ones for little money. You could get a old macro lens with manual focus. Macro usually does not require autofocus, so it really can be used. Something like SEARS 135 2.8, said to be a very nice lens. For casual shots I'd recommend old autofocus Tamron 28-200, which I have myself. A very descent lens. Note that it became worse, after it got "Macro" word in it's name, only just "Aspherical" are good versions. As for wide angle, there is no good choice perhaps among old ones, because focal ranges became shorted for digital SLRs, so here you should get something new.

11-24-2007, 05:24 PM	#10
distorted_vision Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Moving around Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,308 Original Poster	Originally posted by NaClH2O DV, I'd also think about the Tamron 28-75 F2.8. Great lens, (I have it) not quite macro, but it does focus pretty close about 0.33m. I don't know what the exchange rate is but it's going for about 375USD here. And at 28 it should be wide enough for most of your surf shots. At F2.8 constant aperture, it's moderately fast as well. NaCl(my preferred "walk around" lens)H2O heymate. thanks alot for the reply... i have seen the Tamron 28-75 F2.8 so i will defineatly look into that,, atm, the exchange is fairly similar to us, so it would only be slightly more expensive. Thats good to know about the apeture, once again, thanks alot , kev

11-25-2007, 12:42 AM	#12
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	Ditto for Tamron 28-75 f2.8 ; it is sold for 300 AU dollars in Australia (ebay store). You are welcome to try some of my lenses when the melbourne pentax groups meet up weekly (I will be returning to melbourne in 1 week). Cheers

11-25-2007, 01:50 AM	#13
Mike Cash Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,950	Are you familiar with the great-glass-at-budget-prices Takumar option? For what you'd spend for a single brand new middle-of-the-road lens you can fill up a camera bag with Takumars. Some of my images shot with Takumar glass.

11-26-2007, 03:51 AM	#14
distorted_vision Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Moving around Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,308 Original Poster	Originally posted by roentarre Ditto for Tamron 28-75 f2.8 ; it is sold for 300 AU dollars in Australia (ebay store). You are welcome to try some of my lenses when the melbourne pentax groups meet up weekly (I will be returning to melbourne in 1 week). Cheers ok, i will defineatly look into the tamron 28-75 .. as far as trying your lenses..that would be great! thanks alot for the offer mate! send me a PM when you get back to melbourne,,, kev

11-26-2007, 03:52 AM	#15
distorted_vision Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Moving around Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,308 Original Poster	Originally posted by Mike Cash Are you familiar with the great-glass-at-budget-prices Takumar option? For what you'd spend for a single brand new middle-of-the-road lens you can fill up a camera bag with Takumars. Some of my images shot with Takumar glass. no im not mate, so i will have a look now that sounds ideal for what i want tho...

additional lenses for my k100d

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