[k5astro]

Check out the K3 review here on Pentaxforums. At the end ( Pentax K-3 Review - Conclusion - PentaxForums.com ) they recommend some lenses - some of the recommended lenses are Sigmas. If you're going to buy extra lenses you should try to get the best you can. They will be keepers for many years.

EDIT: The lenses they recommend aren't cheap. I find good lenses by looking at the dpreview and photozone reviews. If they "Highly recommend" it then its worth buying. I have the FA50F1.4 and FA35F2.0 (love it!) which are around $400 - and they are full-frame SLR compatible.

---

Last edited by k5astro; 12-18-2013 at 07:46 AM. Reason: adding cheaper alternative.

[grahame]

I use Sigma 30/1.4 and DA55/1.4 for low light. although the AF on DA55 is slow, MF can save life and feels great.
Maybe the sigma 1.8 zoom works for you when it is available for pentax if you need wide?

[Na Horuk]

OK, make that three now I'm more obviously missing something

Well you can get more than one prime. And sure, you sacrifice some shots, but at least you get more keepers. ISO 6400 is pretty high, but going from f3.5 to f2.8 will not bring it down very much.

[starbase218]

I think it's pretty hard to give sensible advice. You say the 18-135 is too slow, so you want to go faster. But that could mean anything. Is it the f/5.6 at 135mm that's too slow, or do you also want more speed at "normal" focal lengths? If you want a faster lens, you generally have to give up range, because nobody makes an f/2.8 zoom with more than 3x range. A 16-50 (or 17-50) and 50-135 would provide more or less the same coverage as your 18-135, but that's an expensive combination. If you don't want to go for that, you have to decide what you do want. Where do you need the speed most?

[mrNewt]

Primes are great for street photography and other activities...
For events with crowds, a zoom is more helpful ... I would go as well for the Sigma 24-70. It has a nice zoom range and is a good performer as well. Plus is fast enough for low light.

[schnitzer79]

Some good info guys here thanks.well I do know that I certainly don't want 2 DSLRs when shooting stage photography.I would consider it if I was doing it for a living but that isn't the case.I also would prefer not having to change lens for different stage scenarios, that's why I opted for a zoom lens. f2.8 across the whole range isn't bad, considering that my kit lens has f5 when shooting at 68mm.have a similar gig coming up soon so I might give my 50mm f1.4(MF) a try and decide from there what to do

[schnitzer79]

one last question guys. I was using centre-weighted metering for the show.do you think i would have got better results if I had switched to spot metering?

[sterretje]

one last question guys. I was using centre-weighted metering for the show.do you think i would have got better results if I had switched to spot metering?

Show us some sample images

It highly depends on the scene and the light what will work better. But I think center weight will, in general, be fine. Remember that in any metering mode, you can use eV compensation depending on the requirements.

All images in https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/12-post-your-photos/163422-people-toyota-...mb-photos.html were shot using center weight metering. Although the light conditions and the action probably does not match yours, I can't remember that any of them was shot wide-open (most stage shots were ISO3200, around f/4 and shutter speeds around 1/300s). Lenses used were FA31Ltd and DFA100WR.

Note:
You can always push a bit in PP if necessary, so underexposing a tad to achieve better shutter speeds is also an option.

[schnitzer79]

the first 3 pictures are the unprocessed ones.just cropped to 4x6. the last 3 have been processed in cs6.
would appreciate any advice for future shots

[mrNewt]

Center weight metering should do just fine for those kind of conditions...

[Void580]

I agree with Ron's post (rbefly) - I love my prime lenses but in your situation, prime is not what you want. You need flexibility, to capture your kid on stage or get the whole scene. And forget what was said about f2.8 only being half of f3.5 at 18mm. At 135mm your lens is only getting f5.6. At 70mm, f2.8 should make a huge difference. If money is no problem, consider a 70-200mm f2.8. Imagine how great a portrait shot of your kid on stage would look! My kid is only 2 now, but by the time she's in a dance show, I intend to own a 70-200. I also like the suggestion of the monopod.

[formercanuck]

What focal range are you looking to primarily cover ? The 18-135 is a big range.
Are you typically shooting at the longer end (~70mm) ?
An 85mm f/1.8 might do well there.

[Na Horuk]

I think you did really well, especially with the processing! Don't be afraid to do some more edits, though. I would add a little bit of vignetting (darkened edges) to make the subjects stand out more.

[schnitzer79]

I think you did really well, especially with the processing! Don't be afraid to do some more edits, though. I would add a little bit of vignetting (darkened edges) to make the subjects stand out more.

ive sent samples to be viewed. the photos that will be chosen will undergo some more PP. thanks for the tip and the compliment.i feel a lot better

[schnitzer79]

What focal range are you looking to primarily cover ? The 18-135 is a big range.
Are you typically shooting at the longer end (~70mm) ?
An 85mm f/1.8 might do well there.

most of my shots were above 48mm. i think 85mm is a bit too high especially pricewise
im mostly leaning towards the 24-70 sigma actually since I want that 2.8 aperture at higher reaches. And I also have the 50mm f1.4 for backup if the sigma isnt sufficient