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01-26-2008, 10:19 AM   #1
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3rd Lens advice?

I have the standard kit lens that came with my k100, and a few months back I purchased the 77 Limited 1.8 and absolutely love it. I use it mainly for indoor basketball pictures.

But, I am finding that it is a bit too long in some instances, outside of basketball pictures, so I am looking for another low-light lens for wider shots.

I am considering the 50mm 1.4 AF lens that gets rave reviews, but I'm not sure that is wide enough for standard indoor shots in a "regular room"

Any other suggestions to look into?

01-26-2008, 10:31 AM   #2
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50mm is definitely too tight for a "regular room"; many people have come to that finding.
The FA35/2 often gets suggested, but for me the DA21 is not a bad choice. See this sample:

01-26-2008, 10:31 AM   #3
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For standard shots you should look at the F/FA 50/1.4 or 1.7. The DA 40/2.8 Limited and the FA 43/1.9 Limited are also very good options. Although remember that the FA 43/1.9 Limited is considerably more expensive than the other three lenses. Nonetheless, all three of them are very good lenses. I would recommend going for the DA 40/2.8 Limited or the FA 43/1.9 Limited. Due to the 1.5x crop factor on dSLRs, any 50mm lens has a field view of 75mm. So, it may still be a bit longer than you'd like. A lot of people use the DA 40/2.8 Limited or the FA 43/1.9 Limited for normal shots. They certainly are in the normal range, but have quite a bit more coverage. In the end, it's your call, but you can't go wrong with any of the lenses I recommended.

Last edited by tux08902; 01-26-2008 at 10:44 AM.
01-26-2008, 10:41 AM   #4
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If you have the standard kit lens, do you feel like 50mm is good for a walk around lens?

Also, how much other kind of shooting do you do? A telephoto may be another good choice because it would bring a whole new kind of shooting into the game.

But if you are getting a prime, there are plenty of good suggestions above.

01-26-2008, 12:08 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by varnco Quote
I have the standard kit lens that came with my k100, and a few months back I purchased the 77 Limited 1.8 and absolutely love it. I use it mainly for indoor basketball pictures.

But, I am finding that it is a bit too long in some instances, outside of basketball pictures, so I am looking for another low-light lens for wider shots.

I am considering the 50mm 1.4 AF lens that gets rave reviews, but I'm not sure that is wide enough for standard indoor shots in a "regular room"

Any other suggestions to look into?
I would also consider the FA35 f2. On a APS-C is closer to a normal lens and is quite sharp wide open.
01-26-2008, 12:25 PM   #6
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I guess the question is, exactrly how fast a lens do you want?

you will pay a lot for F2 or faster primes below 50mm.

As others have advised, for inside shots, a 50mm is a little too long.

So I'll throw another curve at you.

What about a 16ish - 50ish f2.8?

makes a great walk around, is fast and wide enough for most interior shots,

BUT not as fast as a bag full of expensive primes.
01-26-2008, 02:10 PM   #7
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First and foremost, how much are you willing to spend? Every forum member can throw options at you, but all of them are useless unless you tell us your price range. So far, the best options seem to be the DA 40/2.8 Limited, FA 43/1.9 Limited, DA* 16-50/2.8, and the FA 35/2.

01-26-2008, 06:30 PM   #8
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Sigma makes a 30mm 1.4 for under $400. I have never used it, though it is on my distant LBA list (after a 600mm mirror) though I have no primes, desire no primes, and have a 2.8 lens in that range.
01-26-2008, 06:40 PM   #9
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I'll second the point that the FA 50 is not wide enough. Got it for christmas and it was great for portraits but didn't do well with group shots.
01-26-2008, 08:27 PM   #10
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Just looking for options, so not really concerned about price point too much. I'll look at the value of the lens once I see recommendations and reviews.

I do have the 77 limited and love it.

I was afraid the 50 wouldn't be "wide enough", but it does get awesome reviews.

I really like taking photos without a flash, so a fast lens is necessary, and I do want AF.

I'll check out those recommended... and let me know if there are others.
01-26-2008, 10:02 PM   #11
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The 50 1.4 is really good.

I recently picked up a used (70$ from B+H) manual Sigma 28mm 2.4 - its manual but performs really well picture quality wise. I use that instead of the kit lense since it seems to take better pictures. Also, gives a wider option as the 50 can be a bit to minitelephoto indoors or for close group shots.
01-26-2008, 10:23 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by varnco Quote
Just looking for options, so not really concerned about price point too much. I'll look at the value of the lens once I see recommendations and reviews.

I do have the 77 limited and love it.

I was afraid the 50 wouldn't be "wide enough", but it does get awesome reviews.

I really like taking photos without a flash, so a fast lens is necessary, and I do want AF.

I'll check out those recommended... and let me know if there are others.
I'd definitely go for the DA 40/2.8 Limited or the FA 43/1.9 Limited. The DA 40/2.8 Limited is a relatively fast lens, so I wouldn't be too worried about low-light photography.
01-27-2008, 03:36 AM   #13
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Hmm... Interesting, we are about at the same spot right now. Currently I have a 18-55, FA 50, and 77 (amazing, is it not ?). Anyways, if you can find a frys next to you I would highly advise you to try to get the 50 for 90 bucks. But yeah, its a great lens that even matches up nicely to my 77. Between the 50 and the 43, I think its smart to save a little and go for the 50 since it is a bit faster and still of superb optical quality. If you want something wider, go for something in the 30 range (you should be able to assess your needs through the kit lens).

Also, have you considered a telephoto? I'm really interested in the 70-200 tamron right now to cover that need, I feel that's been lacking in my current lineup.
01-27-2008, 08:26 AM   #14
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What 50 is this for 90 bucks?
01-27-2008, 07:19 PM   #15
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the brand new FA 50 1.4, its sort of amazing.
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