[-kb-]

Hi!

I currently have K-X with basic kit lens 18-55 AL.

I want something that is sharper wide open, good bokeh, nice colours etc. Something that is a noticeable upgrade compared to my kit lens. I'd be taking photos of portraits and groups, our dogs and landscapes. Mostly still objects. I have currently Tamron 90mm macro which is wonderful and I use it much. But I need something shorter and something which costs max ~200 euros.

Which lens would you suggest? I have thought those three. Takumar is of course much cheaper but which is the best bang for the buck? Are there better alternatives. Anything that can be mounted to my camera with or without adapter.

And if you can recommend a reasonably priced lens which has superfast and accurate AF (running dogs), I'll be glad.. Will 35mm or maybe 40mm limited to be good for this?

Thanks.

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Last edited by -kb-; 06-29-2013 at 01:50 PM.

[Na Horuk]

Well the DA 35mm f2.4, DA 40mm f2.8 XS, and DA 50mm f1.8 are kind of budget/inexpensive lenses, but deliver great IQ, according to tests and user reviews. I can't really recommend the 35mm for close up portraits (distortion, can make people look "fat"/round) or landscapes (at least for me, I just can't get this lens to give me the landscapes I would like. Its probably just me, though, I have seen some great landscape shots made with this lens posted on the forums). But its a great lens for everything in between. Its sort of wide, but not really wide on APS-C. Its significantly sharper than the kit, but not blazingly sharp. Should be good for full body photos or small group photos. It renders colours better than the kit, shows more detail. I hardly ever use my kit lens since I got the DA 35mm prime, I only use the DA L kit when I really need the zoom capabilities. But I now have a couple more primes. Like the DA 40mm XS.
The 40mm XS is also a great "budget" lens. Metal mount and good build, very good optics, almost no distorton, fast AF, very compact, rounded aperture blades for great bokeh at any aperture. Great for a certain type of landscape photography, but not very wide at all. For portraits? Maybe, but its so sharp it can be unflattering, it shows all blemishes. This lens is often found unreasonably cheap.
The DA 50mm f1.8 has the same optics as the older variants of the 50mm f1.7. Its sharp and has good resolution, decently fast AF. It should be great for portraits, but not very wide, so for group shots you would have to be a certain distance away. Also has great low light capabilities and allows bokeh-centric photos.
These three lenses all have fast digital AF (so, short focus throw, no distance scales, made for AF) and great performance at the price, often beating much more expensive lenses of similar focal length from other brands. I doubt you would be disappointed by any of them, and they will all be significantly better than the kit lens in all respects.
Also feel free to look at the lens reviews database on these forums

Oh and btw, the kit lens has the "sweet spot" at 35mm around f7.1. And the DA 35mm still beats it.

[-kb-]

Well the DA 35mm f2.4, DA 40mm f2.8 XS, and DA 50mm f1.8 are kind of budget/inexpensive lenses, but deliver great IQ, according to tests and user reviews. I can't really recommend the 35mm for close up portraits (distortion, can make people look "fat"/round) or landscapes (at least for me, I just can't get this lens to give me the landscapes I would like. Its probably just me, though, I have seen some great landscape shots made with this lens posted on the forums). But its a great lens for everything in between. Its sort of wide, but not really wide on APS-C. Its significantly sharper than the kit, but not blazingly sharp. Should be good for full body photos or small group photos. It renders colours better than the kit, shows more detail. I hardly ever use my kit lens since I got the DA 35mm prime, I only use the DA L kit when I really need the zoom capabilities. But I now have a couple more primes. Like the DA 40mm XS.
The 40mm XS is also a great "budget" lens. Metal mount and good build, very good optics, almost no distorton, fast AF, very compact, rounded aperture blades for great bokeh at any aperture. Great for a certain type of landscape photography, but not very wide at all. For portraits? Maybe, but its so sharp it can be unflattering, it shows all blemishes. This lens is often found unreasonably cheap.
The DA 50mm f1.8 has the same optics as the older variants of the 50mm f1.7. Its sharp and has good resolution, decently fast AF. It should be great for portraits, but not very wide, so for group shots you would have to be a certain distance away. Also has great low light capabilities and allows bokeh-centric photos.
These three lenses all have fast digital AF (so, short focus throw, no distance scales, made for AF) and great performance at the price, often beating much more expensive lenses of similar focal length from other brands. I doubt you would be disappointed by any of them, and they will all be significantly better than the kit lens in all respects.
Also feel free to look at the lens reviews database on these forums

Oh and btw, the kit lens has the "sweet spot" at 35mm around f7.1. And the DA 35mm still beats it.

Thanks! I found out that there is 60 euro price difference between 40mm XS and limited versions. Is limited worth it for the difference?

[Na Horuk]

Thanks! I found out that there is 60 euro price difference between 40mm XS and limited versions. Is limited worth it for the difference?

Really? Only 60? The limited might be worth the jump. You get distance scales, metal barrel (overall better build, I guess), and Quickshift (can be a very useful feature). Optics might be marginally better, too (some users report this), but according to official specs they are "optically the same."

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Last edited by Na Horuk; 06-29-2013 at 02:51 PM.

[ManuH]

Really? Only 60? The limited might be worth the jump. You get distance scales, metal barrel (overall better build, I guess), and Quickshift (can be a very useful feature). Optics might be marginally better, too (some users report this), but according to official specs they are "optically the same."

And a 49mm filter thread which is much more practical than the (40.5mm?) of the XS.

[Na Horuk]

And a 49mm filter thread which is much more practical than the (40.5mm?) of the XS.

Yes, especially that! The XS has 27mm filter thread, so you can get some filters (which are actually made for camcorders), but usually not high quality ones, and usually only through online stores. Very fiddly for things like polarizers, though. and hard to get a fitting hood