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03-19-2012, 06:36 AM   #1
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The one lens.... under 400.

Hello!

I have read plenty of threads on the subject but just cant get my head to form a desicition. Hoping for some help on the way, atleast to narrow it down a bit more

The thing is, i´m a student (nursing so i wont get rich after either), with in my oppinion a pretty decent lineup of lenses that perform very well when i got time and nothing changes...

Lineup:
K-5 with Canon matte screen + kps 1.3
18-55 WR kitlens (was chaper to get the house with it for some reason)
16-45/4 (man that thing is huge!)
PK 50 1.7 (maual)
Samyang 85/1.4 (A mode)
Porst 200/3.5 (manual)
Tair-3 300/4.5 (manual, PK modded none-sniper verson)

Both the M pentax 50/1.7 and the Samyang 85/1.4 i find to perform very very good. The samyang at 20/2.8 is just blowing my socks off, and the color of the 50 is just amazing!

As you can see my lineup got some decent, some good and some suprisingly good lenses, especially considering the money as i sadly have to do. Keeping my hopes up thoe, playing the lottery next week!

Now what i am looking for is something that will blow my socks off just like the samyang and the manual pentax did, but with autofocus. A dear friend asked if i could take some pictures on her wedding, end of next month, i said yes but reminded them to get a pro and not rely on my feeble attemps but that was alright. Just want some pictures of the guests and what is going on and so forth.

Now i want to perform well, and see this as the perfect excuse to but one more lens. Just one more...

Since i am a macrohead (got the cheap china bellows for my 50/1.7 for dedicated macro) i would love to be able to use this new lens as walkaround in the city, the parks, and the wild aswell as beeing able to kneel down for that "on the spot sighting". And use it at occations as weddings.

My eye fell on the 35 macro limited! It is just in my pricerange new with shipping and is limited!
Been reading up alot on the reviews and i somehow got the feeling this is mostly celebrated by those who had no limited before...The focal lenght is great, but i am worried that i will get sad when seeing what it performs in everyday settings compared to my manual ones, and fear the realy cheap 35 might just aswell do the trick.

As you probably figured i hope of the non-existant -The One Lens And It Comes Cheap- but that wont happend. Am i asking to much out of a prime when i want both walk-by macro ability and lovely folks in the distant to print? Any tips and hints would be most appriciated! The budget is realy streched a notch just over what i can afford so i realy can not go a penny over £400.

Thank you for reading all this rambeling

03-19-2012, 08:01 AM - 1 Like   #2
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Location: Lyon area, France
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I'm not quite sure what the question is here, but if you're asking "is the 35 limited good?" then the answer is: Yes! I also use it everyday as a general purpose lens, it's so versatile (I shoot macro, portrait and landscape with it without even thinking about it, and I do have other limiteds) and it's also so light and small...
However, if I were to shoot a wedding, with only one camera, I really think I would go for a high quality zoom like the Tamron 17-50 or 28-75 f/2.8. These two should also fit your budget nicely.
Good luck making your decision and showing what you're capable of at the wedding!

EDIT: I just noticed you already own the 16-45, so, if you get the Tamron 17-50, you could also consider selling this one and you'd end up paying no more than 100-200 EUR net... Wouldn't that be cool?
All that said, if I could keep only 1 prime it would definitely be the 35
03-19-2012, 09:03 AM   #3
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I agree, the 35mm ltd is a great lens and was the first "limited" I purchased. It is very versatile, allowing for group shots and portraits along with its macro function...perfect for capturing close up of a bouquet or ring shots. I also own the 15 ltd and the 70 ltd, both awesome lenses, and it looks like you don't current have a lens in those focal lengths. I have not used the 35mm 2.4, however I really do enjoy the build and macro capabilities of the 35 ltd.

Another lens you may want to investigate is the Sigma 10-20. It also falls outside of your current focal range and would give you a bit more flexibility for wide sweeping shots and close up portraits.
03-19-2012, 11:20 AM   #4
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Probably the sigma 17-70 since it's wide enough, 70mm @ f/4 can have some bokeh and it has a limited macro function.

03-19-2012, 11:45 AM   #5
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Hello

I have answered the same in another post and context just minutes ago: tamron 28-75 2.8.
03-19-2012, 12:04 PM   #6
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Join Date: May 2010
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Well, I refuse to answer the question. :-) Why not spend your budget on two lenses -- a manual focus 100mm macro (any of them will do, though I prefer the fantastic plastic f3.5 by Phoenix/Cosina/Vivitar) and an autofocus 35mm, 28mm or 24mm (the DA-L 35, the FA 28, or the Sigma Super Wide 24, for instance). These would compliment the 50mm and 85mm that you already have and give you some autofocus normal-wide goodness in the bargain . . .

P.S. edited out Sigma purchase link from B&H. I wonder how that got there?

Last edited by Impartial; 03-19-2012 at 12:24 PM.
03-19-2012, 12:21 PM   #7
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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Go with a great Powerfull Flash for Wedding

Just read your note about picking up an AF lens to shoot at a friends wedding. I've shot a few weddings for my friends over the years....as an amateur, here is the one thing I learned about getting great wedding photos....you need a great flash! Before spending money on a new lens, I would make sure you have a great powerful flash...its best to have an off camera flash that is held by an assistant...but if you are working solo....the you need a flash bracket to get that flash beam off to the side of the lens....just so you don't end up with "harsh lit" and "flat" photograps. I'd recommend the old Pentax 400T flash....however, I am sure you can pick up a Metz or even Samsung flash that offers a powerfull burst of light. Next I'd recomend pickup up a battery pack for the flash...to get quicker recycle times...enabling you to catch those "natural moments" that come and go so quickly.

Overall, I think your existing lens inventory is sufficient....however, I would strongly advise to make sure your lighting equipment is up to snuff.

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