Originally posted by StevenMatchett So, I have been shooting for Pentax for roughly 9 months now. I love all my primes and they each have there own special place in my bag, but I am looking for a decent zoom lens to compliment my lens. I try to shoot a little bit of everything basically whatever tickles my fancy at any given moment.
I have been looking into buying either a Pentax 16-50 or a Tamron 17-50. But looking down at my lens collection I feel like I have those focal distances covered with my primes. Should I be looking at something longer than 50mm?
- Sigma 15mm f/2.8
- Pentax 35 f/2.4
- Pentax DA * 55 f/1.4
- Pentax 50 f/1.4 M
- Pentax 200 f/4 M
From looking at your collection, which is pretty spiffy, I'd say go with the Pentax A 70-210mm f/4 and the Pentax M 35-70mm 2.8-3.5. I've owned them both but sold them in favor of having all primes. That covers more than enough range for general shooting, I would say. They're both cheap (but are nice, functional pieces of glass) and will introduce you to zooms. If you're a smart shopper, they can cost you about $200 for both.
If you must have autofocus, then go with a cheap FA zoom.
I wouldn't buy any DA zooms, since none of them work with full frame.
If you're feeling like splurging, go with the 77mm f/1.8 Limited. You won't ever be sorry for buying a limited FF lens. To me it's the next logical move in your prime collection. I think building on a basic 3 or 4 prime kit to start with would be:
~35mm, ~50mm, and ~85mm for APS-C sensor. The 35 becomes your "normal" lens, while the 50 and ~85 become a short and mid telephoto respectively. In addition, I would suggest an, optional but useful, ultra wide also (which, like the 35 and 50, you already have) to be your wide angle lens on the APS-C.
Anyway, sorry, this may be TMI. Take it all with a grain of salt, since I'm a prime guy.