New to digital, what lenses to purchase

houstonmacgregor · 07-09-2008, 05:51 PM

Just bought the k10 without a lens and am totally new new digital. Now I can purchase the The PENTAX smc P-DA 16-45mm F4.0 ED/AL and the DA 55-300mm ED zoom lenses. Or I simply purchase the smc PENTAX DA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 ED AL alone.

Open to comments and suggestions.

deudeu · 07-09-2008, 05:53 PM

It is very hard to give you some proper advice without knowing what kind of photography you shoot.

Welcome though!

Aegon · 07-09-2008, 06:01 PM

The 16-45, by all accounts, is fantastic. The 55-300 is well reviewed (I've got one in the mail, myself).

The 18-250, on the other hand, is "pretty good" and "super easy".

By my scorecard, I'd go with the 16-45 and 55-300.

SpecialK · 07-09-2008, 06:30 PM

I would do the 16-45 and 55-300 as well. The 2 mm difference at the wide end is proportionately more than it sounds, and the 55-300 is very nice.

If wide angle (or speed, either) is not so important or you hate to change lenses, the 18-250 may be the better choice.

babelphotos · 07-09-2008, 06:32 PM

Like i said in another part of this forum.
You might want to check the Tamron 70-300mm
Its a great lens. Gave me a lot of great pictures.
If you want to check it out, go to my site and check the karting 2007 pics i took with it.

audiobomber · 07-09-2008, 07:37 PM

Originally posted by houstonmacgregor

Just bought the k10 without a lens and am totally new new digital. Now I can purchase the The PENTAX smc P-DA 16-45mm F4.0 ED/AL and the DA 55-300mm ED zoom lenses. Or I simply purchase the smc PENTAX DA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 ED AL alone.

Open to comments and suggestions.

The two-lens combo would be my choice:
- lower distortion at 18mm
- sharper up to 45mm
- sharper above 135mm
- 2mm wider
- 50mm longer reach
- quick-shift focus

The 18-250 is convenient, minimizes lens changes.

audiobomber · 07-09-2008, 07:44 PM

Originally posted by babelphotos

Like i said in another part of this forum.
You might want to check the Tamron 70-300mm
Its a great lens. Gave me a lot of great pictures.
If you want to check it out, go to my site and check the karting 2007 pics i took with it.

The Pentax DA 55-300mm outperforms the Tamron by a significant margin. Sharper, better bokeh, nicer colours, wider fov, quick-shift focus. I know this because I own both lenses. Mind you I paid 3X the price for the Pentax lens, so it should be better.

Entropy · 07-10-2008, 06:34 AM

Originally posted by audiobomber

The Pentax DA 55-300mm outperforms the Tamron by a significant margin. Sharper, better bokeh, nicer colours, wider fov, quick-shift focus. I know this because I own both lenses. Mind you I paid 3X the price for the Pentax lens, so it should be better.

Yeah.

To the OP - It really depends on your budget.

The nice thing about the Tamron 70-300 is that it is a low-risk buy. $150 or so for a very good lens. It's not "great" or "excellent", but it is *amazing* for a lens in its price range. To find anything that competes with it you have to go into significantly higher price brackets.

The Sigma 17-70 is an extremely popular replacement for the kit zoom range. I have one and love it. It and the Tamron form my "super kit" combo.

If you travel a lot, you may want to consider the Tamron or Pentax 18-250 instead. Probably Pentax - worse warranty but better coatings and same price. Its IQ and flexibility (speed) will not be as good as a Sigma 17-70 + Tamron 70-300, but it is a lot smaller and more portable than a combo of two lenses. Personally I'd go for a two-lens combo instead of this until you absolutely need the portability.

07-09-2008, 05:51 PM	#1
houstonmacgregor Forum Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 97	New to digital, what lenses to purchase Just bought the k10 without a lens and am totally new new digital. Now I can purchase the The PENTAX smc P-DA 16-45mm F4.0 ED/AL and the DA 55-300mm ED zoom lenses. Or I simply purchase the smc PENTAX DA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 ED AL alone. Open to comments and suggestions.

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07-09-2008, 05:53 PM	#2
deudeu Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Paris Posts: 222	It is very hard to give you some proper advice without knowing what kind of photography you shoot. Welcome though!

07-09-2008, 06:01 PM	#3
Aegon Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,416	The 16-45, by all accounts, is fantastic. The 55-300 is well reviewed (I've got one in the mail, myself). The 18-250, on the other hand, is "pretty good" and "super easy". By my scorecard, I'd go with the 16-45 and 55-300.

07-09-2008, 06:30 PM	#4
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,481	I would do the 16-45 and 55-300 as well. The 2 mm difference at the wide end is proportionately more than it sounds, and the 55-300 is very nice. If wide angle (or speed, either) is not so important or you hate to change lenses, the 18-250 may be the better choice.

07-09-2008, 06:32 PM	#5
babelphotos Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 57	Like i said in another part of this forum. You might want to check the Tamron 70-300mm Its a great lens. Gave me a lot of great pictures. If you want to check it out, go to my site and check the karting 2007 pics i took with it.

07-09-2008, 07:37 PM	#6
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by houstonmacgregor Just bought the k10 without a lens and am totally new new digital. Now I can purchase the The PENTAX smc P-DA 16-45mm F4.0 ED/AL and the DA 55-300mm ED zoom lenses. Or I simply purchase the smc PENTAX DA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 ED AL alone. Open to comments and suggestions. The two-lens combo would be my choice: - lower distortion at 18mm - sharper up to 45mm - sharper above 135mm - 2mm wider - 50mm longer reach - quick-shift focus The 18-250 is convenient, minimizes lens changes.

07-09-2008, 07:44 PM	#7
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by babelphotos Like i said in another part of this forum. You might want to check the Tamron 70-300mm Its a great lens. Gave me a lot of great pictures. If you want to check it out, go to my site and check the karting 2007 pics i took with it. The Pentax DA 55-300mm outperforms the Tamron by a significant margin. Sharper, better bokeh, nicer colours, wider fov, quick-shift focus. I know this because I own both lenses. Mind you I paid 3X the price for the Pentax lens, so it should be better.

07-10-2008, 06:34 AM	#8
Entropy Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Owego, NY Posts: 976	Originally posted by audiobomber The Pentax DA 55-300mm outperforms the Tamron by a significant margin. Sharper, better bokeh, nicer colours, wider fov, quick-shift focus. I know this because I own both lenses. Mind you I paid 3X the price for the Pentax lens, so it should be better. Yeah. To the OP - It really depends on your budget. The nice thing about the Tamron 70-300 is that it is a low-risk buy. $150 or so for a very good lens. It's not "great" or "excellent", but it is amazing for a lens in its price range. To find anything that competes with it you have to go into significantly higher price brackets. The Sigma 17-70 is an extremely popular replacement for the kit zoom range. I have one and love it. It and the Tamron form my "super kit" combo. If you travel a lot, you may want to consider the Tamron or Pentax 18-250 instead. Probably Pentax - worse warranty but better coatings and same price. Its IQ and flexibility (speed) will not be as good as a Sigma 17-70 + Tamron 70-300, but it is a lot smaller and more portable than a combo of two lenses. Personally I'd go for a two-lens combo instead of this until you absolutely need the portability.