Need a Zoom Lens

DSims · 06-24-2014, 08:12 PM

Originally posted by mellowyeahlow

the sigma 18-250mm has a really nice discount on B&H right now.... going for 350....

but looks like most/all of these lenses have some serious issues with quality/lens creep.

You'll get better IQ if you split the range up, but if you still want a single lens the 18-250 lenses from Sigma, Tamron, or Pentax are usually the better choice.

ChristianRock · 06-25-2014, 12:18 PM

Until they make that 8-1000mm f/1.2 constant aperture zoom with a 49mm filter size, changing lenses that are primes or shorter range zooms, will give you the best quality. You just have to balance what you want more... quality or convenience? That will dictate which direction to go.

Andi Lo · 06-25-2014, 12:28 PM

From your post you want two things, zoom and bokeh.

For zoom there were already plenty of superzoom suggestions from other members. I'm guessing you just want a longer reach when you need it, not all the time. For that I recommend the 55-300 L version, they're cheap and plentiful in the marketplace. If you splurge for the WR version you get to keep your WR setup! I personally use the new Tamron 70-300 VC but i dont think it's available for Pentax, and the thing creeps horribly anyway. However with all of this cheap zooms, you'll find that it really doesnt do bokeh all that well, which is why I recommend taking a look at a prime lens too.

For bokeh on the cheap you should get any pentax 50mm/1.7, I recommend the A (cheapest manual with body-controllable aperture) or DA (cheapest AF) version. If you think a 35mm will be more useful, I recommend the DA 35/2.4 instead

If I'm you I'll go with the DA 50/1.8, for many reasons that you don't know yet until you have one!

Good luck!

PS, here's a page with a list of pentax alphabet soup:
http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/technology/lens_terms.html

**clackers** · 06-25-2014, 07:09 PM

Originally posted by Andi Lo

For bokeh on the cheap you can get any pentax 50mm/1.7

IIRC, the DA50 is an AF re-tooling of this very lens - and very affordable.

ChristianRock · 06-26-2014, 07:11 AM

Originally posted by clackers

IIRC, the DA50 is an AF re-tooling of this very lens - and very affordable.

It's actually more than that, it's got new coatings to reduce reflections so there's pretty much no CA of PF, and since he mentioned bokeh - the DA 50's got rounded blades (7 I think?) instead of the 6 straight ones of the 50 1.7 models - so bokeh is quite a bit better when stopped down. Wide open, of course, it's gonna be similar.
And the new DA also has that extra coating (SP or Super Protect) that makes it much easier to clean up the lens. Don't underestimate that - it's on the DA 35 2.4 as well and since my wife uses it with the kids I have to clean the lens all the time, and it doesn't have a single scratch yet. I'm impressed

**clackers** · 06-27-2014, 03:54 AM

Originally posted by ChristianRock

It's actually more than that, it's got new coatings to reduce reflections so there's pretty much no CA of PF, and since he mentioned bokeh - the DA 50's got rounded blades (7 I think?) instead of the 6 straight ones of the 50 1.7 models - so bokeh is quite a bit better when stopped down. Wide open, of course, it's gonna be similar.
And the new DA also has that extra coating (SP or Super Protect) that makes it much easier to clean up the lens. Don't underestimate that - it's on the DA 35 2.4 as well and since my wife uses it with the kids I have to clean the lens all the time, and it doesn't have a single scratch yet. I'm impressed

Very interesting to know, CR.

My sling bag usually has the DA15,35,50 and 70. Great IQ and they take up so little room.

ChristianRock · 06-27-2014, 10:58 AM

That's a good sling bag setup, clakers

You just need to add a 135 there and you're golden!

Does the OP still want a zoom after all the prime praising we've given here?

Andi Lo · 06-27-2014, 11:41 AM

Originally posted by ChristianRock

That's a good sling bag setup, clakers

You just need to add a 135 there and you're golden!

Does the OP still want a zoom after all the prime praising we've given here?

My impression is that rather than zoom, he wants more reach

I might be wrong of course so we'll see what he gets when he comes back!

mellowyeahlow · 07-01-2014, 07:34 PM

Okay guys I need some opinions.

I'm contemplating between Pentax DA 55mm 1.4f to a Pentax DA 35mm 2.4f as my first prime purchase.

Concerning my walk around lens. I can't decide between Tamron/Sigma.

Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro HSM for Pentax K Cameras
Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 II DC HSM Lens for Pentax AF
Tamron Zoom Super Wide Angle 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Lens for Pentax Digital SLR

**mwilky55** · 07-01-2014, 07:50 PM

The DA 35 Limited Macro is a very fine lens. Having a macro capability is a bonus.
I did similar research on the "everything" lens - it pointed me to the Sigma 18-250 and I've been pretty happy with it.

mellowyeahlow · 07-01-2014, 07:55 PM

Hey guys.
So I actually ended up purchasing a Pentax 35mm lens for low light/indoor shooting.
I was considering the 55mm but I just didn't feel right using a 55mm indoors. I'm sure the 1.4F would of been the best for indoor/low light. But I can't imagine myself being able to get shots I want using that lens (thought I'm sure i'll eventually want to buy that as well).

Concerning the Zoom lens. I've decided to hold off and buy the Pentax 18-135 one day. I just read alot of reviews on sigma/tamron alternatives. And honestly people kept on talking about sharpness being bad. So I'm going to save a little money and buy a zoom lens later on this year.

On top of the prime 35mm lens, I've actually bought filters for my 18-55mm kit lens. I've been walking around with them without a UV filter. I actually also purchased some polarized filter as well so I can go shooting pictures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Would hate to see reflections on glass cases while trying to take pictures.

You guys have been awesome with the input. Thank you guys SO much. I learned so much just by reading all the replies here.

mellowyeahlow · 07-01-2014, 07:57 PM

Went on a hike on sunday.
Took some sweet photos of the trails.
Using my 18-55 kit lens.

I REALLY wished I had a real zoom lens. But I tried my best with what I had.

ChristianRock · 07-02-2014, 08:15 AM

To be honest, an 18-250 will not perform much better than your kit lens. In some ranges in fact I'm sure it might be worse. It'll just give you a bigger range.

Congrats on getting the 35, I find it very useful indoors. Indispensable in my setup, even.

Andi Lo · 07-02-2014, 08:50 AM

The 18-55 is a respectable zoom lens when used at f/8

mellowyeahlow · 07-02-2014, 04:00 PM

I'm really excited about the 35mm lens. I've only read good things about it.

I'm just wondering how good it will be with my k 30 in low light conditions. I'm also going to try out night sky photography as well.

06-25-2014, 12:28 PM	#33
Andi Lo Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 2,924	From your post you want two things, zoom and bokeh. For zoom there were already plenty of superzoom suggestions from other members. I'm guessing you just want a longer reach when you need it, not all the time. For that I recommend the 55-300 L version, they're cheap and plentiful in the marketplace. If you splurge for the WR version you get to keep your WR setup! I personally use the new Tamron 70-300 VC but i dont think it's available for Pentax, and the thing creeps horribly anyway. However with all of this cheap zooms, you'll find that it really doesnt do bokeh all that well, which is why I recommend taking a look at a prime lens too. For bokeh on the cheap you should get any pentax 50mm/1.7, I recommend the A (cheapest manual with body-controllable aperture) or DA (cheapest AF) version. If you think a 35mm will be more useful, I recommend the DA 35/2.4 instead If I'm you I'll go with the DA 50/1.8, for many reasons that you don't know yet until you have one! Good luck! PS, here's a page with a list of pentax alphabet soup: http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/technology/lens_terms.html Last edited by Andi Lo; 06-26-2014 at 04:29 AM.

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06-24-2014, 08:12 PM	#31
DSims Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Southern California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,236	Originally posted by mellowyeahlow the sigma 18-250mm has a really nice discount on B&H right now.... going for 350.... but looks like most/all of these lenses have some serious issues with quality/lens creep. You'll get better IQ if you split the range up, but if you still want a single lens the 18-250 lenses from Sigma, Tamron, or Pentax are usually the better choice.

06-25-2014, 12:18 PM	#32
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910	Until they make that 8-1000mm f/1.2 constant aperture zoom with a 49mm filter size, changing lenses that are primes or shorter range zooms, will give you the best quality. You just have to balance what you want more... quality or convenience? That will dictate which direction to go.

06-25-2014, 07:09 PM	#34
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by Andi Lo For bokeh on the cheap you can get any pentax 50mm/1.7 IIRC, the DA50 is an AF re-tooling of this very lens - and very affordable.

06-26-2014, 07:11 AM	#35
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910	Originally posted by clackers IIRC, the DA50 is an AF re-tooling of this very lens - and very affordable. It's actually more than that, it's got new coatings to reduce reflections so there's pretty much no CA of PF, and since he mentioned bokeh - the DA 50's got rounded blades (7 I think?) instead of the 6 straight ones of the 50 1.7 models - so bokeh is quite a bit better when stopped down. Wide open, of course, it's gonna be similar. And the new DA also has that extra coating (SP or Super Protect) that makes it much easier to clean up the lens. Don't underestimate that - it's on the DA 35 2.4 as well and since my wife uses it with the kids I have to clean the lens all the time, and it doesn't have a single scratch yet. I'm impressed

06-27-2014, 03:54 AM	#36
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by ChristianRock It's actually more than that, it's got new coatings to reduce reflections so there's pretty much no CA of PF, and since he mentioned bokeh - the DA 50's got rounded blades (7 I think?) instead of the 6 straight ones of the 50 1.7 models - so bokeh is quite a bit better when stopped down. Wide open, of course, it's gonna be similar. And the new DA also has that extra coating (SP or Super Protect) that makes it much easier to clean up the lens. Don't underestimate that - it's on the DA 35 2.4 as well and since my wife uses it with the kids I have to clean the lens all the time, and it doesn't have a single scratch yet. I'm impressed Very interesting to know, CR. My sling bag usually has the DA15,35,50 and 70. Great IQ and they take up so little room.

06-27-2014, 10:58 AM	#37
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910	That's a good sling bag setup, clakers You just need to add a 135 there and you're golden! Does the OP still want a zoom after all the prime praising we've given here?

06-27-2014, 11:41 AM	#38
Andi Lo Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 2,924	Originally posted by ChristianRock That's a good sling bag setup, clakers You just need to add a 135 there and you're golden! Does the OP still want a zoom after all the prime praising we've given here? My impression is that rather than zoom, he wants more reach I might be wrong of course so we'll see what he gets when he comes back!

07-01-2014, 07:34 PM	#39
mellowyeahlow Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 79 Original Poster	Okay guys I need some opinions. I'm contemplating between Pentax DA 55mm 1.4f to a Pentax DA 35mm 2.4f as my first prime purchase. Concerning my walk around lens. I can't decide between Tamron/Sigma. Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro HSM for Pentax K Cameras Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 II DC HSM Lens for Pentax AF Tamron Zoom Super Wide Angle 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Lens for Pentax Digital SLR

07-01-2014, 07:50 PM	#40
mwilky55 Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Southeastern Connecticut Photos: Albums Posts: 816	The DA 35 Limited Macro is a very fine lens. Having a macro capability is a bonus. I did similar research on the "everything" lens - it pointed me to the Sigma 18-250 and I've been pretty happy with it.

07-01-2014, 07:55 PM	#41
mellowyeahlow Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 79 Original Poster	Hey guys. So I actually ended up purchasing a Pentax 35mm lens for low light/indoor shooting. I was considering the 55mm but I just didn't feel right using a 55mm indoors. I'm sure the 1.4F would of been the best for indoor/low light. But I can't imagine myself being able to get shots I want using that lens (thought I'm sure i'll eventually want to buy that as well). Concerning the Zoom lens. I've decided to hold off and buy the Pentax 18-135 one day. I just read alot of reviews on sigma/tamron alternatives. And honestly people kept on talking about sharpness being bad. So I'm going to save a little money and buy a zoom lens later on this year. On top of the prime 35mm lens, I've actually bought filters for my 18-55mm kit lens. I've been walking around with them without a UV filter. I actually also purchased some polarized filter as well so I can go shooting pictures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Would hate to see reflections on glass cases while trying to take pictures. You guys have been awesome with the input. Thank you guys SO much. I learned so much just by reading all the replies here.

07-02-2014, 08:15 AM	#43
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910	To be honest, an 18-250 will not perform much better than your kit lens. In some ranges in fact I'm sure it might be worse. It'll just give you a bigger range. Congrats on getting the 35, I find it very useful indoors. Indispensable in my setup, even.

07-02-2014, 08:50 AM	#44
Andi Lo Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 2,924	The 18-55 is a respectable zoom lens when used at f/8

07-02-2014, 04:00 PM	#45
mellowyeahlow Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 79 Original Poster	I'm really excited about the 35mm lens. I've only read good things about it. I'm just wondering how good it will be with my k 30 in low light conditions. I'm also going to try out night sky photography as well.