[godavari]

Need help/input choosing between Sigma f/3.5-6.3 18-300 Contemporary and Pentax DA 18-270 f/3.5-6.3 ED SDM. There are not many reviews on Sigma but whatever there are have better compared to Pentax. I will be using the lens with K-5 IIs / K-3 II. Will be a walk around lens on one of the bodies in Denali National Park (Alaska). Thanks.

[pepperberry farm]

just a thought: consider a DA 55-300mm and a single, wide prime.... the DA 55-300mm should save you enough money that a DA 35 or even a DA 21 to pair with the zoom....

[VoiceOfReason]

The Sigma is on sale right now. From what I've heard it is pretty good.

[Moe49]

Denali National Park ??
Go for as much reach as you can.

We were at Denali this past May, and my F*300 was just not long enough for critter shots with my Full-Frame cameras (MZ-S & K-1).
You will get 450mm reach with the Sigma mounted on your K-3, but that still might not be enough. The bears and caribou we saw in Denali were 'way out there'.
Consider a 1.7x tele-converter too, to add more reach.

For the vista shots, you want the widest lens you have. 18mm should be great on a K-3
The vistas in Denali are vast !

And FYI:
If you are going into Denali as part of a Cruise package, then you will be sight seeing in a Denali Tour Bus (converted school bus).
When critters are spotted, you will not be allowed to get off the Bus. The driver will stop the bus, but will not let you get out.
So you will be shooting pictures out through open bus windows weather permitting, often over the top of fellow tourists.
There will be no chance to set up a study tripod with a long fast lens.

There will be good opportunity to shoot landscapes at the four bus stops (three are bathroom breaks), where you will be allowed to get off the tour bus for about 20 minutes at a time.

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Last edited by Moe49; 08-02-2016 at 07:26 AM.

[AggieDad]

just a thought: consider a DA 55-300mm and a single, wide prime.... the DA 55-300mm should save you enough money that a DA 35 or even a DA 21 to pair with the zoom....

The DA 55-300mm along with the DA 18-135mm (both kit lenses) make a great walk around combo, giving you wide angle 18mm through to a reach of 300mm. Biggest problem is the AF on the 55-300. It will hunt.

But both lenses have very good IQ. Just a thought.

[disasterfilm]

I think you'll be disappointed if you're looking for a do-it-all. The disappointment won't hit though until after you get home and start looking through the pics.

If you've already got both a K-5iis and a K-3ii, it sounds like you're planning on rocking a dedicated long-lens body already. What would you think about the DA 18-135WR? It's weather resistant, covers wide angle to mid-telephoto, and is optically superior to both of the all-in-one's you linked (I think... people please correct me if I'm wrong). And you leave the other body for the true telephoto stuff?

I'm reading a lot into a short post, but maybe this is an avenue you may not have considered.

Plus at $225ish used, it's a lot of bang for the buck.

[godavari]

Thanks for all inputs so far. I have various combinations of primes (28, 31, 35, 77, 50, 100, 135) and zooms (10-20, 17-70, 60-250) (Tell me about LBA ). I may not carry all of them. I intend to dedicate "all in one" to one of the bodies so I don't miss a sudden moment (as Moe49 mentioned) and use other body to switch between lenses depending on what I will be shooting (a sunset, sunrise or a wide angle landscape etc). @Moe49 thanks for the tips. I will keep in mind.

[C_Jones]

The Sigma 18-300 takes very nice pictures, but when the AF is used the outside of the barrel moves. I had one very shortly, returned it, and later got a Pentax 16-85 to compliment my Sigma 150-500 DG OS. I use the 16-85 on my Pentax K-5IIS, and my Sigma 150-500 on my Pentax K-3II. If 55-300 would be enough your telephoto needs presently you could possibly get the newest Pentax 55-300 which has silent AF and weather sealing. At this time it is not shipping quite yet, but if you did purchase it, you could later buy the Pentax 1.4 teleconverter and use it with it for more reach (Pentax compatible) if needed. As others have mentioned, you could buy a prime for your wider needs, depending on if you need zoom capability like the 16-85 or not.

https://www.amazon.com/Pentax-16-85mm-Lens-KAF-Cameras/dp/B00P2H8ISC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468884150&sr=8-1&keywords=Pentax+16-85

https://www.amazon.com/Pentax-55-300mm-4-5-6-3-PLM-Lens/dp/B01GVYHK42/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468883480&sr=8-2&keywords=Pentax+55-300

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Last edited by C_Jones; 07-18-2016 at 04:30 PM.

[hcc]

You already received a lot of good comment.

I will here only share my own experience. I have the DA18-270mm, DA18-135mm WR and DA18-250mm. The Da18-270mm is fact a replacement of my second-hand DA18-250mm, after 8 years of excellent services.

If I do not need the reach and need WR, the DA18-135mm is the best option IMHO.

If I need the reach, then the DA18-270mm is the way to go, and possibly the one that I would recommend to the OP.

How about Sigma 18-250mm or Sigma 18-300mm? In my case, the weight is a key factor. I like to travel light. Both Sigma lenses are heavy: I tried them but I was not happy with the resulting weight (camera + lens).

Finally a couple of practical comment: I often travel with an all-around lens (DA18-270mm or DA18-135mm) plus one or two prime lens(es). Good prime lenses will deliver outstanding IQ and the quality of the shots rely upon the skills of the photographers. They complement nicely an all-around zoom lens IMHO. When I intend to shoot long, during my trip, I may take my FA77mm and/or FA*300mm, in addition of my DA18-270mm. If I shoot short (eg street, city shots), I may take my DA15mm and/or FA31mm, together with the DA18-135mm. For mid-range, I may take FA31mm and VL58mm f1.4. I tend prefer a fast prime lens (FA77mm, FA31mm, VL58mm f1.4) when I can, for the flexibility in terms of light (low light, dusk, daytime).

I hope that the suggestion my help.

[Adam]

Thanks for all inputs so far. I have various combinations of primes (28, 31, 35, 77, 50, 100, 135) and zooms (10-20, 17-70, 60-250) (Tell me about LBA ). I may not carry all of them. I intend to dedicate "all in one" to one of the bodies so I don't miss a sudden moment (as Moe49 mentioned) and use other body to switch between lenses depending on what I will be shooting (a sunset, sunrise or a wide angle landscape etc). @Moe49 thanks for the tips. I will keep in mind.

If that's all you need, I'd recommend the Sigma "C" lens.

[C_Jones]

If you do not mind the AF barrel movement, the Sigma 18-300 is capable of taking very nice pictures if you need that specific range.

[reh321]

Back when I was a Canon Rebel user, I got a Tamron 18-270mm lens, thinking it would be very nice to not have to change lenses. However, I went back to my previous two-lens kit within a few months, and I now use a two-lens kit {18-135mm and 55-300mm} with my K-30 for three very practical reasons:

(1) I found that I usually know which focal-length range I will need before I ever put the lens on my camera

(2) The super-zoom lens makes my camera more awkward to handle

(3) Super-zoom lenses don't deliver as high Image Quality as the shorter-zoom lenses do

[wizowel]

Need help/input choosing between Sigma f/3.5-6.3 18-300 Contemporary and Pentax DA 18-270 f/3.5-6.3 ED SDM. There are not many reviews on Sigma but whatever there are have better compared to Pentax. I will be using the lens with K-5 IIs / K-3 II. Will be a walk around lens on one of the bodies in Denali National Park (Alaska). Thanks.

I bought my wife a Tamron 18-200 for her K-500 and she hasn't taken it off the camera since. For the price you can't beat it as an "all in one" lens to kick around with.