[fannibal]

K20d- 1089$
sigma 17-70 - 369$
pentax da 55-300 - 349$
transcend 8gb sdhc- 33$
tiffen 58mm UV filter- 7$
canon 72mm UV haze filter- 25$
lowerpro slingshot 100 DC backpack- 70$

Total- 1943$ from amazon(free shipping).

Would you do anything differently with my lens lineup with 2000$ + or - a few hundred dollars?

This will be a wedding present from my parents and my fiance/wife-to-be made it clear that I won't be allowed to buy any lenses/new dSLR for 10 years. What would you do? I was thinking of getting maybe the da*16-50 and the 50-135(because they are higher quality glass that will last), but that would cost me more than 2500$, and I know I won't regret it. Money isn't an issue, as my parents set a max budget of 3000$. But they are my parents after all, and I don't want to waste their money any more than I would waste my own. any thoughts?

[gokenin]

well there is no nifty-fifty in your list if you are looking for fast low light picture taking then would add the Fa50 to your list amazon has it listed for less than $200

[ve2vfd]

Can't go wrong with the DA 55-300

You may want to consider a slingshot 200... I have the K110 and with the 55-300 attached it's a REALLY tight fit. If the K20 is even a fraction deeper, it won't fit in the bag with the 55-300 attached.

I agree with gokenin! FA50 1.4 is definetly a must!

Pat

[audiobomber]

I suggest you add a Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Lens. I'm betting you will want a fast lens for low light shooting. You'll also reach for the FA50 whenever you feel you want to equal limited lens quality. That would give you a lens lineup to last 10 years.

I expect to have the same lenses shortly, except I'll probably get the Pentax 17-70mm instead of the Sigma. Personally I wouldn't give up the 300mm end for the higher quality 50-135. I love those long shots.

EDIT: LOL! Two responses while I was typing, both suggesting the 50mm.

[fannibal]

Thanks for the quick responses guys!(you guys are faster than the dpreview folks. 0 responses there so far), I updated the lineup to include the slingshot 200, and the FA 50 1.4. Now the shopping cart shows 2158$.

[yenemy]

I'd recommend getting a Sandisk Extreme III 8gb SDHC card instead of the transcend; they have a rebate going right now that brings it right down to the same price range. Just make sure the card you buy from Amazon is sold through Adorama: here's the rebate form.

[PentaxPoke]

Looks good but I would really get a 133x sdhc card. The Transcend one you mention is too slow at 45x. You will notice a difference, and it may cause problems when doing sequential shots. It will also slow download time. Go for something like the Extreme III. You get what you pay for...

Wow, sorry yenemy for stating the exact same thing you did. I didn't see your post when I first scrolled the page! I hate it when people do that to me!

Oh Wait: How about a good flash? The Pentax 360 and 540 are great. Also, the grip is very affordable, and you won't believe how much more comfortable it is to hold the camera.

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Last edited by PentaxPoke; 06-08-2008 at 08:54 PM.

[fannibal]

Looks good but I would really get a 133x sdhc card. The Transcend one you mention is too slow at 45x. You will notice a difference, and it may cause problems when doing sequential shots. It will also slow download time. Go for something like the Extreme III. You get what you pay for...

Wow, sorry yenemy for stating the exact same thing you did. I didn't see your post when I first scrolled the page! I hate it when people do that to me!

Oh Wait: How about a good flash? The Pentax 360 and 540 are great. Also, the grip is very affordable, and you won't believe how much more comfortable it is to hold the camera.

The 33$ transcend SDHC card I mentioned is class 6, which is the same as the sandisk extreme III card. they should be the same speed correct?

[PentaxPoke]

Maybe they have a fast version. The one I saw was slower.

BTW, were you serious when you said that you are marrying someone who "won't allow you to buy" something for 10 years? I hope you were joking...if not, good luck with that

[DJey]

Why not get the K10D or the K200D.. Here's my set for the money!

Pentax K200D - $628.11
DA* 16-50mm F2.8 - $689.99
DA* 50-135mm F2.8 - $750.22
lowerpro slingshot 100 DC backpack- 70$

Total = $2150 ( if 2500 is your max )

You still have $350 to dispose..
You can get a good flash or even the FA 50mm F1.4 for that plus some filters, SD,

With that you pretty much have everything..

[alohadave]

This will be a wedding present from my parents and my fiance/wife-to-be made it clear that I won't be allowed to buy any lenses/new dSLR for 10 years

I don't want to rain on your wedding, but is this even realistic? You may as well get a P&S if you can't get any new glass or bodies for 10 years.

Is she going to balk at accessories? There's no tripod or remote on your list.

This is just the tip of the iceberg

[schmik]

Just throwing an idea out to you...

In either of your scenarios look at the price of the body vs the total cost spend. It's not much is it? Once you get into this more you will be drooling over the nice lenses so that you can make the body that you have.

In the future what will be more expensive to replace, the body or the lenses? What will be obsolete first?

My 2c worth, get the best lenses you can afford and then decide on the body. IMO, bodies will/have become just another computer... they will update in performance every year and the price won't go up much. 2nd hand they will be cheap. The lenses will last though.

mike

[Eaglerapids]

If you've rolled over and accepted the idea that you can't get anything else for ten years you have much greater problems ahead than which body or lenses to get now.

[Gimbal]

The 33$ transcend SDHC card I mentioned is class 6, which is the same as the sandisk extreme III card. they should be the same speed correct?

Note that class 6 only requires 6MB/s, but that is not enough for continues shooting in jpeg with a k10d. So unless you are absolutely sure it won’t slow the camera down I suggest you buy the Sandisk extreme III instead.

(I have tested a class 6 card (don’t remember the brand) on my k10d but returned it since it slowed down the camera. With the extreme III the camera don't slow down.)

[benjikan]

K20d- 1089$
sigma 17-70 - 369$
pentax da 55-300 - 349$
transcend 8gb sdhc- 33$
tiffen 58mm UV filter- 7$
canon 72mm UV haze filter- 25$
lowerpro slingshot 100 DC backpack- 70$

Total- 1943$ from amazon(free shipping).

Would you do anything differently with my lens lineup with 2000$ + or - a few hundred dollars?

This will be a wedding present from my parents and my fiance/wife-to-be made it clear that I won't be allowed to buy any lenses/new dSLR for 10 years. What would you do? I was thinking of getting maybe the da*16-50 and the 50-135(because they are higher quality glass that will last), but that would cost me more than 2500$, and I know I won't regret it. Money isn't an issue, as my parents set a max budget of 3000$. But they are my parents after all, and I don't want to waste their money any more than I would waste my own. any thoughts?

I would replace the Sigma with the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 lens. If you can spring for a bit more money, I suggest the Pentax 16-50 f2.8 lens. Be sure you can exchange it if you get one that is not up to scratch. That actually applies to both.

Ben