[wanderography]

Well long story short, was in college in 2004 pursuing a photography certificate (couldnt afford a degree) got bored joined the military. Realised life is extremely f-uped in this world and gotta live life the best way you can and got my passion for it back. Lucky me got my sinuses fried and am getting an honorable discharge with 15k and free college. So... After about 2 months of researching looking at all the cameras on the net and reviews I've decided the pentax k5 is my camera, durable , small (military gave me the travel bug), and HD video. OK now this is where im stuck, I'm looking to do a lot of documentary/street work and nature work work with some actn sports thrown in. I'm looking at the 15mm limited for my wide angle shots, 40mm for my street shots, and a 50-200 zoom lense for my wildlife and skate shots. Was wondering if the 21mm would be worth getting if i already own the 15. Anything else you folks can suggest to me? I really want a complete setup to not have to ever worry about equipment for the next 4 years, i just want to take pics and learn my gear.

---

Last edited by wanderography; 08-21-2011 at 06:28 PM.

[Barbarosa]

hmm
da* 16-50 and 60-250 zooms
da15 and dfa100 macro wr primes

I think that would be great setup, at last is for me my target setup.

[twitch]

How badly do you want to use primes? When you say " I really want a complete setup to not have to ever worry about equipment for the next 4 years, i just want to take pics and learn my gear" that doesn't suggest primes. Sounds like you are on a budget so you could do a lot worse than using a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 and Pentax DA 55-300 and call it quits at a total lens investment < $800. Perhaps add a Sigma 10-20 later if you love wide.

I like primes, and use mainly the DA15 and FA31 for everyday shooting, and one of 55-300, 50-135, DA70, FA77 for when I need a longer option. The thing is though going all primes is an expensive way to do it especially as a student.

[Frank B]

I think you are on the right track with the compact set up of the DA Limiteds. As for the DA21, it is a very nice lens, and either it or the DA40 are on my K-7 most of the time when I'm traveling. If I need wider or longer the DA15 and DA70 are in my bag. If you can afford to add the DA21, I would say you would not regret it. There are many times when the DA15 is just too wide.

There is a lot to be said for the little lenses when traveling. They may not be as versatile as a couple of zooms, but it's a whole lot easier to keep a low profile, and that is worth a lot. I've tried traveling with zooms, and it never really works out. That said, having the little 50-200 along for the times when you do need the extra reach is not a bad idea, as it is small and light. I have one, and it is great for that. If you plan to use the long end a lot, you might want to consider the 55-300, it is noticeably better (I've used it a lot, it's a great lens). For general "walking around" though, you really can't beat the DA21 or DA40.

[George Lama]

If you prefer primes, your choices are fine, but a DA*16-50 is certainly worth considering, particularly if you only want to travel with a couple of lenses.

Definitely agree that the DA*60-250 is a better choice than the 50-200, though the price difference is considerable. Also, for wildlife and possibly skate shots you might actually want something much longer than either of these. In that case you might have to step to Sigma/Tamron or a used Pentax zoom.

[Adam]

For sports, I'd recommend a 70-200mm F2.8. Sigma and Tamron have excellent versions of this lens, although Pentax has yet to make one:

Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro AF Lens AF001C-700 B&H
Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO OS HSM for Pentax 589109 B&H

[twitch]

The 60-250 is great but I wouldn't want to travel with it. I have a 50-135 which is lighter than the 60-250 and it's still too big IMHO to travel with.

[Eagle_Friends]

I have the 15mm and the 21mm. Although the focal range are fairly close, each lens has its own specialty. Most users here prefer the 15mm for its magical charm, but I think the 21mm really compliment well together, espeically for wide street style photography.

Depending on your budget, i would go DA 40mm and DA 55-300mm first, then figure out how much more you're willing to spend.

[SpecialK]

I'm looking at the 15mm limited for my wide angle shots, 40mm for my street shots, and a 50-200 zoom lense for my wildlife and skate shots. Was wondering if the 21mm would be worth getting if i already own the 15. Anything else you folks can suggest to me? I really want a complete setup to not have to ever worry about equipment for the next 4 years, i just want to take pics and learn my gear.

I like wide and the 15 is not really wide enough. So, I would suggest the 12-24, which also covers the 21 range. It has excellent IQ.

50-200 is not very long for wildlife. The Tamron 70-200 is excellent if you want that range. The Pentax 55-300 is very good for about 1/2 the money, though it is much slower (and smaller and lighter).

The 40 might be a bit long for "street" (whatever that is), so maybe the DA(L) 35 f2.4 would lend itself better? Or the 31, which is expensive.

[richard balonglong]

Hmmm... My suggestion would be get the 15mm, and instead of 21mm get the 55mm. Or better yet, get the 16-50mm or the 12-24mm for wider focal length (good for nature, landscape, documentary, and sports especially skate). And get a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens from Sigma or Tamron. Great for sports and other fields. It would be great if you get the Pentax 80-200mm 2.8 but hard to find, and usually it's over-priced. Cheers!
By the way, it's good to know that you choose to use a Pentax systems! =)

[RioRico]

Everyone has their preferences. Mine include an ultrawide zoom, a superzoom, a Fast Fifty, and a bunch of great old cheap manual primes, fast and slow. My own Bay Area street-shooting kit, which will be exercised the rest of this week, includes: DA10-17 fisheye zoom; Tamron 10-24 ultrawide zoom; DA18-250 superzoom; Kiron 24/2; Komine 28/2; FA50/1.4; Nikkor 85/2 (modded for PK); a tiny Enna 100/4.5; Komine 200/3.5; Sakar 500/8 mirror. My other 210 lenses will just have to wait their turns.

That is the kit that works for me in SF (San Francisco, Santa Fe, San Felipe, etc) and many other places. Each of these has proved its worth. They're mostly compact. The zooms are for dynamic situations; the primes are for stalking and seeing. A pile of Limiteds would be nice but I'm not shooting for a coffee-table publisher so I can't afford them.

And what's absolutely necessary? My usual advice is: get a superzoom and SHOOT!! and note what focal lengths you use most, then get faster primes at those points. I ask myself: where do I want to go, and what will get me there, and how much must I spend to be happy? You already know where you want to go. The other answers are up to you. Good luck!

[wanderography]

wow talk about some awesome advice... i havent read all the post will read em all asap and reply, yes im looking into the primes portability is a def priorit... reason why im choosing pentax is i do a rollerblade and go no where with out my skates im using a skate media backpack which will hold the small primes easily with easy access and a nice spot for a zoom, thanks for all the advice.
edit: i only have a droid for net and its making sound illiterate so bare with me please, and to those who mentioned budget, um 15k so ya im getting what i want...
edit again: money isnt an issue for me, im a post 9/11 gi bill student, instead of paying for school, i get payed to go to school full time and school is free, perks of joining military after 9/11... so like my job will be school, as you can tell im excited and for the first time in my life i dont have to struggle and will be buying and spoiling myself this one time...

[twitch]

Cool, in that case:

DA15, FA31, FA77 or DA70 (I can't split these 2, I love them both for different reasons)

Add a 55-300 for occasional reach

[calsan]

Even with money as no object, it's still a pain to buy the wrong lens and I personally feel a bit guilty if I buy something then decide I need to switch it for something else.
Therefore I recommend just getting the k5 and ONE lens to start with, maybe the DA40 as it's the rare combination of being a cheap (dollar wise) lens that retains value, should it prove completely wrong for you.
You'll soon get a much better feel for what lens you want / need next. You may love primes or feel that you're completely limited by them - after all, image quality may be great, but you may find them inconvenient.

[johnmflores]

First of all, thanks for serving, and good to see that you're going back to school. Regarding the 15 vs. 21... they may seem close in FL but are very different AFAIK. Similar to what RioRico suggested, maybe buy the K-5 with a kit zoom first and spend some time shooting with it to figure out focal lengths you favor. Then plan your prime strategy from there.

Don't forget to budget for a good computer, a couple of hard drives for storage and backup, and a good image organizing/editing program like Adobe Lightroom.

Good luck!