[eddie1960]

well if you put it that way

if i could only have one lens in my kit (whether I own it or not) it would be a toss up between an FA24 and the FA31. for my purposes they are ideal lengths and i can zoom with my feet most times. I'm largely a prime shooter

[Irish Pride]

I have the 2 zoom lenses coming this week and i cant wait to play with them, but i really do love the FA 50mm that i have. What would be the next prime lens that i should look at and did i make a mistake by buying both the 16-45mm and the 18-135mm at the same time?

[Irish Pride]

well if you put it that way

if i could only have one lens in my kit (whether I own it or not) it would be a toss up between an FA24 and the FA31. for my purposes they are ideal lengths and i can zoom with my feet most times. I'm largely a prime shooter

i just got that. LOL

[elpolodiablo]

50mm for car pix? wouldn't it be a bit tight(Field of View wise)?

[JohnBee]

I have always been fasinated by photography but i am just now starting to jump into it. I have a K-r and am slowly seeing how crappy the kit lenses are. My question is what is the #1 lens i should have invested in first and why?

I know there is no perfect answer so i am really looking for personal opinions here.

-Chad

Oh that's easy...

The DA 18-55mm AL II is by far the most versatile and capable lens not only to start off with but for a long long time afterward

[Irish Pride]

50mm for car pix? wouldn't it be a bit tight(Field of View wise)?

It can be yes, but when i'm not trying to get the whole car in the frame it works out great.

[elpolodiablo]

Righto, speaking from experience I started with DA 18-250, to see what I like taking picture the most, I now use it for travelling when zoom with my feet is not always possible, kit 18-55 is in most case a very capable lens but I eventually got a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 because of the speed and IQ. DA 16-45 f4 I had one for a short while, I remember it having pretty good IQ and goes to 16 which is rather nice, I think it will serve you very well. shoot with the zoom lens you have(or will have) for a while, if you are not satisfy with the IQ or speed or Focal Length, go for something else.

My 2 cents

[DaveHolmes]

A fast fifty deffo changes the game... Teaches you a lot about the way you comfortably shoot and points you at the focal length that suits your style...

[kaiserz]

I have the 2 zoom lenses coming this week and i cant wait to play with them, but i really do love the FA 50mm that i have. What would be the next prime lens that i should look at and did i make a mistake by buying both the 16-45mm and the 18-135mm at the same time?

Awesome (: you have a 50 prime, which I said is one of the best first lens to invest in.

"What would be the next prime lens that i should look at." I have a M50 1.7 and a DA35 2.4. My favorite is the 50, it's when I take my time to compose, focus and do all those stuff, very time consuming nonetheless fun, but when I'm up and about, at parties or shooting kids and panning cars I use my DA35, its a good lens, it's always on my camera cause most of the shots I need is under its range, fast enough and fun. So I would say getting the DA35 as your next prime is gonna be cheap and good, but I would also say this, If you have the money, and is serious about this hobby get the DA35mm limited, I'm pretty sure you're gonna love it. (Cause I wish I spent the extra money on the limited)

"did i make a mistake by buying both the 16-45mm and the 18-135mm at the same time?" Only you can answer that, try playing with them, and you'll know what you need and what you don't need, and then you can sell one of them (To be honest I don't think you made a mistake, if you have the money for it, why not right?)

[Drom]

Thanks very much. I know it's just a kit lens and not a limited prime or something, but honestly, I haven't found anything to dislike about the humble 18-55. It's a "go to" lens for me & I use it often.

I can tell you one thing for sure, it's put together MUCH better than the Canon or Nikon 18-55 kit lens. I played around with those in a store & they might take good photos, but they feel like a cheap toy. The focusing rings in particular, suck greatly.

Sadly, I haven't gotten much that doesn't look like a very nice snap shot with the 18-55mm, but this gives me some inspiration to get out with there with it.
And the way the kit lens focus ring felt on the entry level Canons really bugged me too when I was looking for a camera. It felt really cheap and flimsy. The Nikon seemed ok.

[Drom]

Dont get me wrong, i have made good use of the 18-55 lens that came with my camera. I guess i shouldnt have said the kit lens was crappy. What i was really getting at is that i am investing in better lenses now because i think i am getting the hang of the camera and i want better quality lenses. I currently have the 18-55 DAL kit lens, and the FA 50mm f1.4 lens. I love the 50mm!! This week i bought the DA 18-135mm and just yesterday i bought the DA 16-45mm but i'm still waiting for them to arrive so i havent had a chance to play with them yet. I take a lot of photos for my business which is what got me wanting to upgrade my camera in the first place. My inital thinking was to replace the kit lens with the 16-45mm for my business and have the 18-135mm for when i go out walking around. I bought the 50mm exclusively for photographing my car which is my other hobby.

My original post was suggesting if you were just starting out in DSLRs and you could only have one lens in the bag, what would it be and why? What lens would give the best overall happy medium for everyday photography? The kit lens is getting much respect. Mine is the bottom level DAL and i am just not happy with the overall lens(quailty and construction). I guess i will hold onto it for now because it does take decent pics for what it is and it is pretty lightweight.

Well, this provides a little more context and insight in to the application of the lens. So you can knock the long zoom off of my list; unless of course you want to capture images of those things racing on a track. The cars, not the bikini model; although that brings up an amusing visual.

[RioRico]

My original post was suggesting if you were just starting out in DSLRs and you could only have one lens in the bag, what would it be and why? What lens would give the best overall happy medium for everyday photography?

Ah, so that's the context! We get that question a bit: IF YOU COULD ONLY HAVE ONE LENS, WHICH ONE? And the answer is, IF YOU ONLY WANT ONE LENS, GET A P&S.

My original K20D (my first dSLR) kit didn't include the 18-55, but: DA10-17, the lens that drove me to Pentax; FA50/1.4 for low light and action; and the DA18-250 for almost all else. Now my minimal-est kit also includes the Tamron 10-24 and a Raynox DCR-250, sometimes the small cheap agile sharp F35-70, plus whatever choice manual primes seem right for the day. If you'd like some recommendations for manual primes, I'll be happy to blather.

BUT NONE OF THESE ALONE IS ENOUGH. The DA18-250 is my basic lens, indispensable for travel and dynamic|unknown situations. But it's not enough. I'll maybe save up for a Tamron 17-50/2.8. But it won't be enough. The Bigma 50-500 wouldn't be enough. Such is life. That's why I have a few zooms and a huge pile of primes. EDIT: On further reflection, I'll skip the 17-70. Unless I'm wangled into shooting weddings [shudder].

[whojammyflip]

I'd say the 18-55 is a great lens...relative to the Olympus 14-42mm which I now use (still love my Pentax primes). Low distortion, fast focussing, sharp, great near focus abilities. I think Pentax people are spoilt with the primes, but its best to use a zoom to begin with. Primes can come later. In a way, you want to postpone the LBA for as long as possible, its an intoxicating hobby which knows no bounds.

Primes are no doubt sharper for ultimate quality, but sharpness depends on many other factors like shutter speed, camera shake, controlled lighting, sensible range of contrast, sensible selection of aperture, object movement. This means its unlikely you will be accessing the higher levels of sharpness of a prime until your skills exceed the kit zoom. Even then, you will discover you are constrained by the resolution of the sensor.

[HEEGZ]

My original post was suggesting if you were just starting out in DSLRs and you could only have one lens in the bag, what would it be and why? What lens would give the best overall happy medium for everyday photography?

If I could only have one single lens for my K-7 it would be the 43mm. I find 50mm too tight and 35mm a tad wide for everyday shooting. I recently shot my daughter's ballet recital with my 35mm and I ended up cropping most of the images a little around the edges. My 50mm is too tight indoors.

I am also very attracted to the 40mm simply due to it's small size with the lens hood. I will be buying a new lens with my tax refund come Feb. and I haven't decided yet whether to get the 40 or 43... So I guess I've got it narrowed down to two. However, the faster 43mm probably seals the deal for best single lens in my mind.

[Marc Sabatella]

If I could only have one single lens for my K-7 it would be the 43mm. I find 50mm too tight and 35mm a tad wide for everyday shooting. I recently shot my daughter's ballet recital with my 35mm and I ended up cropping most of the images a little around the edges.

Yes, but ballet recitals hardly count as "everyday shooting". I mean, even if they are literally an every day occurence, it is still a very specialized usage photographically, and indeed, you normally want something more telephoto, sice you are shooting peoeple from a bit of a distance. But the type of lens that works perfectly from a distance isn't necessarily so hot for true "everyday" usage.