[Sonic]

Well i think i'll be looking into getting a 12-24mm & the 17-50mm lens's

But which brands will be a good choice?

The Pentax lens is very expensive & the sigma is the next best but what about the others?

& where is the best place to find good second had older models (not ebay) as im looking at around the £300 mark.

Cheers

[Schmidlapper]

The Tamron 17-50/2.8 is well regarded by many as a good kit lens replacement that is reasonably priced, I know that I am very impressed with mine. The Sigma you mentioned is the other one most often mentioned. I have no idea if they fall within your price range, but they are pretty much cheaper than many primes alone.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

The longer the focal length, the more you will be at the mercy of the crowd in terms of getting a shot of the entire car without any gawkers in front of the car. For this reason, I would go with something wide if I was restricted to one lens. In my case, I would probably take my Sigma 10-20mm, and if I had room I'd also pack my Sigma 30mm 1.4.

The Sigma 10-20mm is a great lens and an incredible value. You would not regret it.

[drugal]

I would suggest using a polarizer to reduce reflections for indoor shots. I'm often happier with the results I get when I do.

It doesn't always help because of the angle of reflections

[tclausen]

I would suggest using a polarizer to reduce reflections for indoor shots. I'm often happier with the results I get when I do.

It doesn't always help because of the angle of reflections

Note also, that a polarizing filter does not remove reflections in metal surfaces (I think that this includes car paint?) but it will remove them from windows, tires, dashboards, ....

[Na Horuk]

Note also, that a polarizing filter does not remove reflections in metal surfaces (I think that this includes car paint?)

A polarizer is an interesting idea. From my experience, it does affect reflections on cars, but in a slightly odd way sometimes. It could be useful, though.

[lesmore49]

The Pentax 12-24 is pricey, but it is ...very good. I have one and for vintage cars...it's hard to beat. I also have a Pentax 16-45....better than my 18-55, not as good as my 12-24.

[Reliant K1000]

Since I live on the wet west coast, we "enjoy" a lot of rainy weather, and as such you have to be prepared for that. I went to a local car show and it was pouring, which kept the crowds down and stopped a lot of harsh glare.

I think you can get caught up in "I have to get the BEST shot" and miss out on opportunities. Here's an example of the show I went to a few weekends ago...it didn't have large crowds but those that were there were very chatty and wanted to converse with the owner. Hence, a lot of people milling around the cars and it made it hard to get great shots.

But, as with this one - I wish I could have had the full car in there, and framed it better, and that the tents in the background weren't there, etc etc., but it captured a moment, and I got to see the E Type's long, lovely hood (the XKE's bonnet, if you like ) repeated. When do you see so many of the same car in the same place?

And the beading of the hood, and the less glare of a rainy day - it won't win any awards but I like the image anyway. And I was there to socialize with my friend who came along to see the MGBs and get tips and info for his restoration.



And this one...everybody takes a pic of a cool car - I just liked the way the non-standard colour of the car set off the chrome, so I captured that...


BTW this is the standard "kit" WR Lens - 18-55mm. And no post processing, or cropping.

[SpecialK]

Both probably have been mentioned, but the DA 15 is about the right focal length, and the 12-24 is right there, too, with a bit of flexibility.

[jaywes]

Though it was my first time out with lens, this entire set was shot with my Tamron 17-50 f2.8.

Subaru Wicked Big Meet 2012 - a set on Flickr

See here also. A similar conversation- https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-beginners-corner-q/219324-lens-cho...ml#post2326525

It had since become my go to lens.

[Sonic]

I've been looking around & found these ones............but what is the real difference between them when taking car photos?

Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 Di II LD AF SP Aspherical Lens (IF) - Pentax Fit
Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 Di II LD AF SP Aspherical Lens (IF) - Pentax Fit - Wex Photographic

Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 EX DC Lens - Pentax Fit#
Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 EX DC Lens - Pentax Fit (201945) - Wex Photographic

Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4 DC Macro HSM Lens - Pentax Fit
Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4 DC Macro HSM Lens - Pentax Fit (884961) - Wex Photographic

thanks again for every ones help & advice.

[Na Horuk]

but what is the real difference between them when taking car photos?

Well, some of these are wider angle (10mm is very wide, 24mm is still wide. Looks like you are standing a couple steps further back, means you have to get really close to the subject. This is good and bad. Its good because you can move past the crows and still get the whole car in the frame. Its bad because you have to push past the crowd and get really close), the 17-70 is much more tele (it goes from decently wide to a little tele) and even allows closeups (near focus means that what you can photograph appears very big, because it is close. Thats what macro is).
Also, lower f number means better low light performance, so if the show is in-doors or not well-lit..

[Sonic]

Cheers for that Na Horuk, just trying to get my head round them & what i think will be the most useful for my needs.

im thinking the 17-70mm is going to be more like my standard 18-55mm lens with a tiny bit more movement each end.

[RonHendriks1966]

I only made one carshot last year:

With FA31mm


Basicly you can work with wichever you want, but when learning the 17-70 is probably a very versatile lens.

You want a lens that makes the car look like it is and not to much lensfaulds in it.

[joe.penn]

My favorite was the Sigma 15~30, I also used the Sigma 8~16, I now use a Tokina 11~16 2.8. I really liked using the sigma as the 15mm end gave me plenty of wide'ness while the 30mm end just seemed to work for better close up's, also it is extremely close focusing (a couple of inches) and acted like a UWA macro lens.

Here are a couple of pictures made using the Sigma 15~30:







Unfortunately this lens is about as rare as a pink spotted giraffe in pentax mount.