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12-22-2014, 06:11 PM   #1
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the great lens conundrum

i have a bit of a conundrum on my hands.

this next year i'm going to be spending quite a bit of time at the racetrack taking pics of racing motorcycles. with my current lenses i don't really have anything long enough to get good shots. (it's a new track so i can't get as close to the action as i could before).

i'm thinking that a da* 60-250 would be a good fit for this kind of shooting.

but here comes the conundrum...


i already have a 50-135, if i get the 60-250 that's a lot of overlap. i understand that the 50-136 is a whole lot faster, but would it be a good option to sell the 50-135 and buy a 77 1.8ltd in its place? now that the 60-250 covers most of the range, i could have a pretty awesome prime instead.


i know that most will probably say to buy both, and i suspect that may happen. but for those who have both the 60-250 and the 50-135, do you find yourself using the latter enough to warrant keeping it in the bag?


Thanks

12-22-2014, 06:16 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by wibbly Quote
but would it be a good option to sell the 50-135 and buy a 77 1.8ltd in its place
I'm thinking about doing that same thing. I've had the DA*50-135 for awhile and always wondered if I could just exchange it for the FA 77 and be OK with it. There are numerous threads about this but most people are 50/50 when it comes to comparing these two lenses. If I did I would have the three Amigo's!

Sandy's going to chime in here any minute and tell me I need both
12-22-2014, 06:20 PM   #3
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I really love the 50-135, its been a fantastic lens. Is it heavily cheapened by a teleconverter? Because that's another option I suppose
12-22-2014, 06:38 PM   #4
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I would suggest keeping the 60-250.

I used to shoot a lot of motorsports with my 70-210 and found it a great range, but a few times I wished for a little bit more (where the 60-250 would be a better option)


even though the 135mm is a bit faster I don't think it would be much help anyway, I found that most races were on bright days where I would be stopped down anyway.

I guess it realy depends on your shutter speed preferences for the task, I rarely would shoot faster than 1/250 as I wanted to keep some motion blur for the impression of speed. Which meant I was usually shooting around F8 or so.

12-22-2014, 06:43 PM   #5
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Yeah for absolute speed I'm not worried for track shooting. A lot of my shots are at around 1/90 or 1/125

But if I lose the 50-135, is the 77 a good fit to add some speed in there?
12-22-2014, 06:48 PM   #6
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Hd teleconverter seems like a traditional option to try. Can you rent one?
12-22-2014, 06:53 PM   #7
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That's a reasonable option actually. Im not sure what rentals are available here but pentax support is brutal. Worth a try though

12-22-2014, 06:53 PM   #8
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Overlap is a fact of life in photography. There are more things to consider than just overlapping focal lengths. I also shoot motorcycle racing, flat track dirt and ice in the winter months, and I'm mostly shooting at 300mm. Do you want to carry that heavy lens on days when a shorter zoom is called for? Will you be happy giving up the versatility of a zoom to go with the FA 77? If I owned those two lenses, I would be using them for completely different types of shots so the "overlap" wouldn't be much of an issue.
12-22-2014, 06:59 PM   #9
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I wasn't implying that the 77 would be used for racing. It would be replacing my 50-135 as a walkabout.

I think using a prime (a 300 for example) for racing would be tricky on a road course because of the range in corners and safe places to stand. It would also limit compositions I feel. A zoom would be obligatory in my case
12-22-2014, 07:25 PM   #10
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HD 1.4x TC might be a viable option. Would give you 70-190 I think @ f/4 .

Not too far off the 60-250 and for quite a bit less money. Those using it over on the 300mm thread seem to feel that there is little iq loss.
12-22-2014, 07:27 PM   #11
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Funny, because I've got the 50-135 and am wanting the 60-250.

If you sell the 50-135 I suspect that you'll eventually buy another one. It's such a versatile focal length and will do stuff that the 60-250 will struggle with, i.e, indoors.
12-22-2014, 07:57 PM   #12
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What about the 55-300? I have the DAL version of that lens and the copy I have produces nice crisp pictures.


For outdoor shooting it is just fine.
12-22-2014, 08:07 PM   #13
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Does the 55-300 compare will with the DA* 300? The 60-250 does from what I hear.
12-22-2014, 08:19 PM   #14
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I am trying to source a dead SDM 60-250 at the moment. I just can't pony up the cash for a new one.

I will look in to other options though. If the 60-250 produces IQ like the 50-135 then its basically a no brainer. That's why I'm hoping for forum input
12-22-2014, 08:26 PM   #15
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sigma 100-300 f4
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