[philodragon]

Hi All!

I am new to the Pentax family. I switched less than a year ago and have had some really good results with some lenses. However, I wanted to get your opinions. What are the best bang-for-buck lenses for the K-5? I'm thinking of the following categories and really want high image quality:

• $100 or less
• $100-$300
• $300 and above

Are there any zooms with high image quality that won't break the wallet? I'm open to buying used as well

[bertwert]

What type of shooting do you do?
What type of lens do you want?
What lenses have you got already?

[jatrax]

AF or manual? Zoom or prime? Specialist lens or carry around all in one?

Have you looked at the lens database here: Pentax Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

For all around general purpose in a modern zoom the 18-135 is hard to beat.
In older but still auto focus glass the Pentax-F 35-70 and Pentax-F 70-210 are a hard pair to beat and if you are careful can be bought for maybe $150 total.
In manual focus glass, most zooms are not as good as modern ones so I would stick with primes there. And there are a large number of very good, very inexpensive lenses available.

You can also look at M42 mount glass which with a simple adapter can be used on your camera.

[Kay350]

SMC DA50 1.8 or "plastic fantastic". You can't go wrong with this one. I have it and I absolutely love it - from portrait to product shots, it just continues to amaze me. The performance per dollar is just mind blowing! When it comes to zooms the 18-135 is a great choice quality - wise, with the WR added as a cool bonus.

[skierd]

>$100 - New DA 50 f1.8 or 35mm f2.4
$100-300 - Used SMC DA 21mm Limited (eBay), SMC DA 40mm f2.8 Limited, SMC DA 70mm Limited. Shop well can you can get all three for $500-600 total.
<$300 - Used DA*50-135, since they're trending at $400-500 is my suggestion. I love this lens.

[FantasticMrFox]

Based on my very limited experience:

• $100 or less

Mostly old manual lenses - usually no autofocus, but good optical performance and high build quality. For example the SMC-A 50 f/1.7.

• $100-$300

The DA 35 f/2.4 and DA 50 f/1.8 are no brainers at about $100 to $130. Very high image quality, autofocus, decent enough build quality. Samyang primes, like the 14 f/2.8 or 16 f/2, are manual focus, but offer amazing optical performance and decent build quality. They are very good for landscapes and among the best lenses for landscape-astrophotography there are.

• $300 and above

The Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 is an amazing standard zoom for the money - optically better and with faster AF than the Pentax 16-50 f/2.8, which has weather sealing and better build quality but costs about three times as much.

That's lenses that come to mind. There certainly are many more.

[AldaCZ]

IMHO:

$100-$300
Tamron 17-50/2,8 - Light,fast, sharp (very usable 50/2,8 xD ),good flare resistance, relatively cheap
- I plan Pentax 50-135 to complete the kit
Pentax 18-135 WR kit, sealed, silent AF, good range, good sharpness

$100 or less
Pentax M/A 50/1,7 - a cheap "portrait" option

[Rupert]

DA 55-300....I see great shots with this lens and it is very cheap for the IQ it delivers. Covers a lot of range in one lens.

Regards!

[DeadJohn]

What type of photography do you do? Do you want wide angle or telephoto? Do you shoot in bad weather and want WR (weather resistance)?

DFA 100mm WR Macro: Recent sale prices have this at $350 new. It's an amazingly sharp lens for close-ups and general use. An older 100 f2.8 has the same great optical performance, without weather resistance, if you find it used.

DA Limited 15mm: Prices have been jumping around a lot. Available for $400 in silver from B&H. This lens has outstanding flare resistance, color, and contrast.

The DA 55-300 (or almost identical DAL version) was a very good performer for the price. That lens has been replaced by a newer WR version so you should be able to find good used prices; here's one :https://www.keh.com/shop/pentax-55-300mm-f-4-5-8-smc-da-ed-k-mount-autofocus...-dslrs-58.html. Sample image with the 55-300 on a cloudy day

[Dipsoid]

I'll try something different, on the ultra-cheap end of the spectrum.

The non-SMC Takumar-F Zoom 70-200 is a fantastic lens, and despite not having SMC, I've never had too much of a problem with flare. It's built like a tank with good quality plastics and a tight tolerance, the focus ring isn't loose and wobbly like the F and FA zooms with the ugly circular divots on the zoom ring. The images are nice and crisp with good colors and nice bokeh for a zoom. The image quality is on par with my 18-135 at similar focal lengths. The sharpness is far and away better than most seventies and early eighties zooms, I used to lug around a heavy Vivitar Series 1 70-210 f/3.5, the lenses are close in sharpness, but the Takumar is lighter, has auto-focus, and A contacts. I bought an SMC-F 80-200 to compare, and while the SMC is certainly much smaller, the build quality is awful, it feels loose and jangly, and image quality is mediocre in comparison. The best thing of all, the Takumars constantly go for less-than 20$ online because they don't have the word "Pentax" printed on them.

If you want to buy new with peace of mind, you'll get a lot of love for the 18-135, the 55-300, and the plastic-fantastic primes.

[Outis]

Yeah, in the $100-300 range, I'd definitely go with the 21mm Limited (used), the 40mm XS or Limited (new or used), and the 55-300.

[robgski]

I love the 40mm XS, super sharp, useful in many different situations, even good for informal portraits/close ups with no distortion, I've kept this lens on my camera for weeks at a time.

[bertwert]

My suggestion is the 'plastic fantastic' duo.
DA 50/1.8 and DA 35/2.4

[AldaCZ]

I have the 40 .. and 28 but still the Tamron 17-50 wins mainly because...When you shoot portraits in freezing winter having only one body and gloves...zoom wins If you value versatility and 2,8 is fast enough for you..

I belive that two bodies with 17-50 and 50-135 or similiar is the best in usability

[Adam]

Hi All!

I am new to the Pentax family. I switched less than a year ago and have had some really good results with some lenses. However, I wanted to get your opinions. What are the best bang-for-buck lenses for the K-5? I'm thinking of the following categories and really want high image quality:

• $100 or less
• $100-$300
• $300 and above

Are there any zooms with high image quality that won't break the wallet? I'm open to buying used as well

Any recent prime made by Samyang is an amazing value...just no AF.