[Taelorh12]

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Howdy,

Hate to beat an old horse as Im sure this topic has been brought up plenty of times. Anyways I am looking to get a secondary lens to the one that came stock with my Pentax K-50. Do you guys have any advice on something that is affordable (100-200) and will be good for landscape and wildlife shoots? Thank you all for the help.

[rbefly]

Hello Taelorh12, welcome to the Forum!
Likely the next best lens after the kit 18-55mm is the other kit lens, DA 55-300mm. I've heard and read (mostly here) that the 55-300 is a sharper and overall better lens than the DA 50-200mm, and for wildlife, 200mm isn't nearly long enough.
I'd avoid the 18-135's and 18-200-250's for another reason; They duplicate the (short, 18-55) zoom range you already have, for no gain and super-zooms aren't generally considered the best overall solution to increasing the focal range. Two shorter zooms (or, several primes) are faster, lighter and sharper.
Yes, you must change lenses more often. That's why we buy IC's in the first place, isn't it?
Jmo,
Ron

[nicoprod]

18-55 II is a better lens, and inexpensive.
Next up in IQ (on a small budget) would be a used tamron 17-50 2.8 or used Sigma 17-50 2.8. Both excellent lenses.

[normhead]

Affordable means 50-200. It's a perfect companion to the 18-55 and very in-expensive.

I don't avoid the 18-135 or the 18-250. The 18-135 from 20-50 is close to prime quality. The 18-250 is a one lens solution when you don't want to carry more than one lens. There are times when they are useful and taking something better is overkill.

But if you want to travel with one lens, the 18-135 is it. Excellent centre sharpness all through it's range, very good edges sharpness from 20 to 50mm. A bit more CA than most primes but functional. The overlap means far fewer lens changes, and you have your choice of the 50-200 or 55-300WR , and with the 1.4 TC you can use any of the DA*60-250, DA*200 ƒ2.8 or DA*300 to make a nice 2 lens WR kit, good for almost any outdoor shooting expedition.

But for affordable... ad the 50-200 and go from there. My first lens was a Sigma 70-300. I believe Tamron still has a similar lens available..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-TAMRON-70-300mm-Di-LD-LENS-Pentax-K-x-K-5-K-r-K-...item1c47baa199

For under $200 , my Sigma kept me happy for years. If you keep at it you'll eventually want better, but they are more fun for the money than about any other lens you can buy.

[c.a.m]

Welcome!

I would also suggest the DA 50-200 WR. I bought one when I acquired my first Pentax DSLR, and it served me well until I could afford a better long focal-length lens. No, it's not the sharpest lens on the planet and the 55-300 reaches further. However, for someone on a (tight?) budget, it serves its purpose, offers a useful range of focal lengths, and complements the standard 'kit lens' (DA 18-55). Here on Pentax Forums, you'll find plenty of good images taken with this lens.

With a bit of searching, you'll likely find a good used copy for a very reasonable price.

Almost any lens can be used successfully for landscapes - it doesn't need to be a very wide angle. If you already have the 18-55, the 50-200 will provide a versatile kit. As your interests (and budget) grow, you could look at higher-quality lenses at a later time.

Happy shooting!

- Craig

[kh1234567890]

+1 for the DA50-200. If cash is tight that's the one to get.

[Taelorh12]

I like the Tamron one quite a bit and seems to be up my alley in price. But it didnt say that it fit for the k-50. Do you think it would? Also thank you all for the awesome advice. I had also started looking at the

• Pentax 21870 DA 50-200mm F/4-5.6 AL Weather Resistant Lens

, mainly for its weather resistance.

Affordable means 50-200. It's a perfect companion to the 18-55 and very in-expensive.

I don't avoid the 18-135 or the 18-250. The 18-135 from 20-50 is close to prime quality. The 18-250 is a one lens solution when you don't want to carry more than one lens. There are times when they are useful and taking something better is overkill.

But if you want to travel with one lens, the 18-135 is it. Excellent centre sharpness all through it's range, very good edges sharpness from 20 to 50mm. A bit more CA than most primes but functional. The overlap means far fewer lens changes, and you have your choice of the 50-200 or 55-300WR , and with the 1.4 TC you can use any of the DA*60-250, DA*200 ƒ2.8 or DA*300 to make a nice 2 lens WR kit, good for almost any outdoor shooting expedition.

But for affordable... ad the 50-200 and go from there. My first lens was a Sigma 70-300. I believe Tamron still has a similar lens available..
New Tamron 70 300mm Di LD Lens for Pentax K x K 5 K R K 30 | eBay

For under $200 , my Sigma kept me happy for years. If you keep at it you'll eventually want better, but they are more fun for the money than about any other lens you can buy.

[nicoprod]

But it didnt say that it fit for the k-50

Make sure it says "for Pentax" (or K-mount) and it will fit.

[normhead]

I don't know how it happened but I posted the ling for the Sony Mount. It's corrected now.... but any K-mount lens will fit the K-50, including all the old manual ones.

[Driline]

The 18-135 from 20-50 is close to prime quality.

Norm.....April Fools day is months away