[PAO72]

Hello,

I'm new to this forum so first I will introduce myself quickly then I'll ask the question.

I live in Manchester (UK) and own a Pentax K10D with several used secondhand lens. I know there's nothing wrong with buying second hand lens, but I would love to buy a new lens and can't decide which to spend my hard earned cash on.

I am looking to buy a new wide angle/ short range zoom lens in the region of 18-125mm for general purpose use (e.g. Buildings, landscapes etc).

i have noticed that both Pentax and Sigma have a lens which covers the zone that I would like to cover. But which is best?

Do I buy a Pentax lens to match the brand of my camera or do I go to one of the 3rd party lens companies such as sigma?

What are the pros / cons of both...

Your answers on a postcard please.

Best Regards,

PAO72

[eddie1960]

I don't know the sigma lens very well, but the Pentax is a good match for the K10 as it is also WR. given the miserable weather headed your way for the next few months it will be a useful feature i would think

the Sigma has gotten a pretty mediocre review here

Sigma 18-125mm F3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM Lens Reviews - Sigma Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

The Pentax has quite a few more reviews and better ones at that

Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
it does suffer from CA though

sorry i'm out of postcards right now (and too cheap to pay for the stamp )

[ducdao]

Hello,

I'm new to this forum so first I will introduce myself quickly then I'll ask the question.

I live in Manchester (UK) and own a Pentax K10D with several used secondhand lens. I know there's nothing wrong with buying second hand lens, but I would love to buy a new lens and can't decide which to spend my hard earned cash on.

I am looking to buy a new wide angle/ short range zoom lens in the region of 18-125mm for general purpose use (e.g. Buildings, landscapes etc).

i have noticed that both Pentax and Sigma have a lens which covers the zone that I would like to cover. But which is best?

Do I buy a Pentax lens to match the brand of my camera or do I go to one of the 3rd party lens companies such as sigma?

What are the pros / cons of both...

Your answers on a postcard please.

Best Regards,

PAO72

Hi - welcome to the forum. You can find several lenses from well known 3rd parties such as Tamron and Sigma at lower cost than Pentax's, quality on par or even better. It's very hard to summarize in few lines so you might want to have a look at the lens reviews section.

[Adam]

Sigma lenses are very good. Not all of them are amazing, but the high-end ones certainly are. And what's funny is that Sigma has a larger available lens selection than Pentax do themselves.

I would say for (slow) walkaround lenses, stick to Pentax. The Pentax 18-135mm and 50-300mm are both excellent lenses.

Adam
PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide | Site Help | My Photography)



PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

[eddie1960]

Sigma lenses are very good. Not all of them are amazing, but the high-end ones certainly are. And what's funny is that Sigma has a larger available lens selection than Pentax do themselves.

I would say for (slow) walkaround lenses, stick to Pentax. The Pentax 18-135mm and 50-300mm are both excellent lenses.

plus one to this Adam, sigma make some excellent lenses (particularly the fast primes and 2.8 zooms.) but i'm less impressed with their low end like the 18-125 (or the 55-200 for that matter)
thankfully they can just adapt the mount to the lenses they build for canikon giving us a selection of product Pentax doesn't make right now

[PAO72]

Thank you for responding to my enquiry and for pointing me in the direction of both lens reviews.

I will certainly find my local Pentax dealer and will enquire about the Pentax lens rather than that particular Sigma lens.

Best Regards,

PAO72