[Dericali]

I've bought a K1, and due to hefty prices in Germany on new lens, have been happily shooting with old SMC-m prime lenses that I've picked up in second-hand camera shops in Berlin.

However I'm now going out on assignment as a journalist, and will be expected to shoot some photos and video along the way, and my control of the manual focus etc isn't going to be good enough, since I'm often fairly rushed.

That means I need to buy at least 1 lens with all the modern features including AF. Does anyone have any recommendations of which lens to buy (pentax or 3rd party) if I'm only going to buy one lens now, and want maximum versatility? (I'll invest in some primes when my budget permits.)

The main requirements will be shooting photos at conferences, recording sit down interviews, and general locations video + landscape photography. Any input would be appreciated.

[skierd]

DFA 24-70 or the 28-105 sounds like the ticket to me.

[Adam]

Get the D FA 24-70mm F2.8. I don't think there's anything more versatile out there at the moment, unless you need a more compact option, in which case the D FA 28-105mm is great at the cost of slower aperture.

[surfar]

I need to buy at least 1 lens

How about 3, which will be pretty versatile and cover a big focal range?


Costing around the same price as the DFA 28-105


1/DA 35mm f2.4
2/DA 50mm f1.8
3/DA 55-300 WR

[Imp]

3/DA 55-300 WR

That's not FF... is it??

[pathdoc]

Sticking just with Pentax at first, it seems to me that your two logical choices for first D-FA lens under the circumstances you give are:

1) D-FA 24-70 f/2.8
2) D-FA 28-105 f/3.5-5.6

QUESTIONS (to be considered based on your previous photographic experience and your knowledge of exactly what you will be doing):
1) In the work you will be doing, what do you anticipate being more important? The 4mm between 24 and 28, or the 35mm between 70 and 105?
2) Do you anticipate a need for that constant f/2.8 to keep your ISO down and your shutter speed up in low light?
3) What's your budget like? (The 28-105 is not too far behind the 28-70 in image quality, has been reported as BETTER at some focal lengths IIRC, and may decrease your time to the second lens purchase if bought first).

Not necessarily expecting you to put your answers up here, BUT they should give you food for thought and factors to weigh in your final decision.

There is of course a host of older FA lenses out there, some very, very cheap and quite adequate optically - but they are all screwdrive, and if you are doing video interviews at a professional level, you are probably better off going with the newer, significantly quieter models.

[Paul the Sunman]

That not FF... is it??

Almost! The 55-300 only vignettes in the very corners. Minor cropping will fix that. You certainly don't need to crop all the way down to APS-C.

[Dericali]

Thanks for the help people.

Probably my biggest consideration is budget - if there's not a significant difference between the 28-105 versus the 24-70, then I'd take the former, since the difference is e.g. a decent prime lens. That said, the 4mm between 24 and 28 probably IS more important to me. However - this is a compromise lens, given that I can't afford the handful of primes, or the 15-30mm that I want.

Does anyone have any tips on shooting video with the K1? I did some experiments using a plug in external mic, versus the native recorder. The stereo recording was good quality but there was a detectable background hiss...

[Na Horuk]

However I'm now going out on assignment as a journalist, and will be expected to shoot some photos and video along the way, and my control of the manual focus etc isn't going to be good enough, since I'm often fairly rushed.

DFA 24-70 or the 28-105 sounds like the ticket to me.

There. Just decide whether you need wide angle more than you need telephoto, whether you need fast aperture or longer zoom range. If you can't decide, flip a coin. There is also a Tamron 28-75mm or something, which is FF and slightly more affordable.
Bring along a fast prime or two, like a 50mm f1.7 or something. The M primes are very small and decently sharp, especially if you add a lens hood. Having one or two of them with you is good because they might give you something a zoom doesn't. Especially if you are already familiar with them and know how to use them well.
Get Samyang 14mm if you need ultrawide.
Keep in mind that K-1 has some limitations with video, so make sure you get familiar with it before you go out. And buy two fast, large SD cards. You will want backups in case one goes kaput.

And congrats on getting the K-1!

[Wild Mark]

Go the FA50/1.4 or FA50/1.7 or FA77/1.8

Why?

Normal to short tele lens in FF or short to moderate tele lens in crop mode. You can cover landscape and portrait with the one lens (not perfectly, but adequately).

[elho_cid]

If you can afford the DFA24-70, go for it. It is an outstanding lens. From my lens collection, it is only surpassed by DFA 50/2,8 in sharpness and contrast. I never used a zoom lens that good.

[Dericali]

If you can afford the DFA24-70, go for it. It is an outstanding lens. From my lens collection, it is only surpassed by DFA 50/2,8 in sharpness and contrast. I never used a zoom lens that good.

Do you have experience with the 28-105mm that is discussed here as the cheaper alternative?

[Imp]

Almost! The 55-300 only vignettes in the very corners. Minor cropping will fix that. You certainly don't need to crop all the way down to APS-C.

Wow, cool! Are there any samples?

[bertwert]

Does anyone have any tips on shooting video with the K1? I did some experiments using a plug in external mic, versus the native recorder. The stereo recording was good quality but there was a detectable background hiss...

@LaurenOE might be able to help and shoots good videos on a K-1 and K-3.

[wtlwdwgn]

K-1 and D FA 28-105.