Pentax/Camera Marketplace |
Pentax Items for Sale |
Wanted Pentax Items |
Pentax Deals |
Deal Finder & Price Alerts |
Price Watch Forum |
My Marketplace Activity |
List a New Item |
Get seller access! |
Pentax Stores |
Pentax Retailer Map |
Pentax Photos |
Sample Photo Search |
Recent Photo Mosaic |
Today's Photos |
Free Photo Storage |
Member Photo Albums |
User Photo Gallery |
Exclusive Gallery |
Photo Community |
Photo Sharing Forum |
Critique Forum |
Official Photo Contests |
World Pentax Day Gallery |
World Pentax Day Photo Map |
Pentax Resources |
Articles and Tutorials |
Member-Submitted Articles |
Recommended Gear |
Firmware Update Guide |
Firmware Updates |
Pentax News |
Pentax Lens Databases |
Pentax Lens Reviews |
Pentax Lens Search |
Third-Party Lens Reviews |
Lens Compatibility |
Pentax Serial Number Database |
In-Depth Reviews |
SLR Lens Forum |
Sample Photo Archive |
Forum Discussions |
New Posts |
Today's Threads |
Photo Threads |
Recent Photo Mosaic |
Recent Updates |
Today's Photos |
Quick Searches |
Unanswered Threads |
Recently Liked Posts |
Forum RSS Feed |
Go to Page... |
|
Search this Thread |
08-13-2016, 08:38 AM | #1 |
Help a newbie buying stuff - opinion on future gears
Hi guys, a very few of you may know me. For the others, I'm a student who, for 4 years, shots mainly videos with a camcorder. Then I saw timelapses, I wanted to make my own and I developed my own interpretation of a motorized slider + head (pan/tilt) controlled with Arduino. I've already read Langford's Advanced Photography and saw a lot of videos. So I may know things, but I don't have direct experiences at all with photography and camera gear. For this, I seek your help I made up my mind and, short after the next Photokina I plan to buy this stuff:
I am right in what I'm doing? Are there better options in a same price range? What are the main problems of this lenses? I already know about Sigma 18-35 AF problem. Probably I'll buy the Sigma 8-16 in a second time just to sweeten a bang on my wallet Some informations on subject I plan to shot: family, travel, timelapses. Don't know if in future, I'll expand my interest in shooting. I already have a camcorder so, even if I dreamed of having a second camera for videos, this is not an area of my interest. I'm a student, so "less I spend, more is better" but I'm also perfectionist. So if there's a solution that allow me to spend a little bit more, obtaining a lot more, tell me. I might considered it As I plan to shot travel photo of architecture, weight can be a problem (that is the reason I love Sigma 18-35 and 50-100). I already have a Lowepro Flipside 10L AW which I plan to use and I don't want to exceed space needed allowed by this bag. For this reasons, is a 18-135 useful? Which do you suggest me to buy? Also, I'll never be interested in full frames. Too much big and that 1,5x in range can be interesting (same range, cheaper lenses) Thank you in advance P.S.: bonus question: I loved Christopher Frost's videos. Is there something similar for Pentax lenses? I saw LeeHaze1's videos... But they are not on par in quality and characteristics reviewed... Last edited by Sasha; 08-13-2016 at 08:53 AM. | |
08-13-2016, 09:19 AM | #2 |
Personally, I love the Pentax 10-17mm, on the K-3 it is Fishy at the 10-13mm end but more like an Ultra-wide at the 14-17mm end. It's a very sharp lens that adds a beautiful finishing touch to every subject, I'd buy this lens before I bought any other in that range. I have a Rokinon 8mm that is great fro the super fishy look. I'd buy the 18-135 WR as the walk-around all purpose lens. Having a WR lens at hand is great when the weather is less than perfect. I have a DA 55-300, good telephoto lens for most situations. | |
08-13-2016, 09:51 AM - 1 Like | #3 |
If using the Sigma 8-16 for travel its 545 gm, more than a pound. Sigma 10-20 520 gm Tamron 10-24 406 gm, I love my Sigma 8-16 for architecture, but for most travel, I'd save the weight and go with the Tamron 10-24. Apparently the 8-16 8mm, lines up with what any other lens's 10mm. It's great lens and quite sharp, but for me 140 grams is 140 grams, if I'm carrying it. The Sigma 18-35, I also don't understand from a weight perspective. 810 grams. Pentax 20-40 283 grams Unless you want the narrow DoF and wide aperture of the 18-35, why bother with all that weight? My advice would be Tamron 10-24 Pentax DA 16-85 499 gm DA 55-300. Lots of overlap to save lens changes. Or Tamron 10-24 Pentax DA 20-40 And DA 55-300 Not so much overlap but lighter and easier to carry. I own an 18-135, and I'll never get rid of it or purchase the 16-85, but buying today, I'd buy the 16-85. faster aperture, comparable or better image quality. IMHO the current best option for a walk around lens. But the 18-135 is quite good if you buy it with the camera body as part of a kit. The savings in price can go towards another lens. The Tamron 10-24 also opens up the possibility of using the new Pentax (Tamron) 28-105 as a walk around. )440 gms. MY advice has always been cover your desired range in zooms, fill in with primes where desired. Add a DA 50 1.8 for low light shooting and you're all set. | |
These users Like normhead's post: |
08-13-2016, 10:01 AM | #4 |
I had to make the same choice between the k3ii and the ks2, and the k3ii was so close in price. Fairly overkill camera, but adaptable and a joy to use. Instead of the kit zoom, I got a 35mm prime ( I prefer primes so there's my bias). If you get a wide angle lens (zoom or otherwise), there's little practical need to cover every focal length, and the 35mm/2.4 is pretty nice and cheap. Or a 35 limited macro if your budget allows. Same goes for the tele, from 35 to 55 you will likely not miss much. But a prime is way smaller and lighter, the sigma 18-35 being particularly hefty... | |
08-13-2016, 05:58 PM | #5 |
I have the sigma 18-35. Its heavy. I wouldn't use it for travel. Its alot of primes but for travel i would prefer the small primes and a bit of cropping. If a zoom then the 16-85.
| |
08-13-2016, 06:04 PM | #6 |
I also prefer primes, I work harder to composse the shot, moving closer or further away, when I use a prime. When travelling I don't like to change lenses, so I make the best of the lens I've selevted for that trip. The 35mm is a good start, just over 50mm equivalent on the K-3. I do have an SMC-A 28-135 zoom that is both heavy and bulky, but the shots it takes are so sharp I will often bear that burden. | |
08-14-2016, 12:06 AM | #7 |
Personally, I love the Pentax 10-17mm, on the K-3 it is Fishy at the 10-13mm end but more like an Ultra-wide at the 14-17mm end. It's a very sharp lens that adds a beautiful finishing touch to every subject, I'd buy this lens before I bought any other in that range. I have a Rokinon 8mm that is great fro the super fishy look. Is it possible to defishing shots? Is it a fast procedure? If so, may I ask you to give me a before/after of one of your shot of your chioice below 14mm? @normhead: wow! Thank you for taking so much time answering me. So appreciated! Seems anyway that some explanations are needed. Listening to "S health" app and my smartphone, I often walk more than 15 Km each day and being still a student, I often carry with me a 3-4 Kg bag (that Lowepro Flipside 10L) with books, copybooks and a 2-in-1 (ASUS T100HA)... 140g more won't be for now a problem. What I intended with weight was that I hope to find a small set of jack of all trades lenses that I can bring with me and shot anything I want, anywhere I am. This is the reason I love these 18-35 & 50-100. They are compact, and they cover all focal lenght covered by good primes... Plus, it seems they have great charactestics too... Anyway, as swanlefitte said too, that Pentax 16-85 is very interesting... And because my budget won't cover both,I will probably considered it in favor of a Sigma 18-35... I would love to have shallow DoF and large apertures... But, at this point, it's effectively not that useful... Maybe I'll buy a prime when I'll know what is the focal lenght I prefer to shot with... Thank you ^_^ Instead of the kit zoom, I got a 35mm prime ( I prefer primes so there's my bias). If you get a wide angle lens (zoom or otherwise), there's little practical need to cover every focal length, and the 35mm/2.4 is pretty nice and cheap. Or a 35 limited macro if your budget allows. Same goes for the tele, from 35 to 55 you will likely not miss much. But a prime is way smaller and lighter, the sigma 18-35 being particularly hefty... I also prefer primes, I work harder to composse the shot, moving closer or further away, when I use a prime. When travelling I don't like to change lenses, so I make the best of the lens I've selevted for that trip. The 35mm is a good start, just over 50mm equivalent on the K-3. About that 55-300, is there anybody here which has already bought the new version of this lens? Is that faster compared with the older one, which I prefer for its wider aperture? EDIT: I checked again for Pentax K-3 II… And 719€ was for the K-3… damn Last edited by Sasha; 08-14-2016 at 01:42 AM. | |
08-14-2016, 04:26 AM | #8 |
If you plan to use RAW files and not JPEG, you'll not find any difference in low light capabilities. Some informations on subject I plan to shot: family, travel, timelapses. Don't know if in future, I'll expand my interest in shooting. I already have a camcorder so, even if I dreamed of having a second camera for videos, this is not an area of my interest. I'm a student, so "less I spend, more is better" but I'm also perfectionist. So if there's a solution that allow me to spend a little bit more, obtaining a lot more, tell me. I might considered it As I plan to shot travel photo of architecture, weight can be a problem (that is the reason I love Sigma 18-35 and 50-100). I already have a Lowepro Flipside 10L AW which I plan to use and I don't want to exceed space needed allowed by this bag. For this reasons, is a 18-135 useful? Which do you suggest me to buy? Also, I'll never be interested in full frames. Too much big and that 1,5x in range can be interesting (same range, cheaper lenses) You look after 18-35 f/1.8 and 50-100 f/2. The lenses are huge and expensive and one of theses don't exist in K-mount. Apparently very fast lenses have quite high value for you. But if you look enough in your own local market, you'll be able to find an FF for something like 1000€/$ so only 300€ more. You'd be able to put sigma/tamron f/2.8 lenses on it for a very low price. For example the tamron 28-75 and tamron 70-200. In term of deph of field, low light gathering or even size/weight that is quite similar. In term of price, that is also similar. K3-II + 18-35 + 55-300 + 8-16 = 2400€. Here D610 + tamron 28-75 + tamron 70-200 + sigma 12-24 = 2600€. But the latter proposition would bring more quality overall. The 1.5 crop factor is not that real thing because an FF still allows to crop to APSC size and you have more margin to put in TCs and alike. There no a single case where the D610 + 70-200 would not outperform the K3-II + 55-300 and if you add a 1.4 TC, there no single case where K3-II + 70-200 would beat D610 + 70-200. For me you are really in the case where FF does make lot of sense. The size argument doesn't hold when you plan to buy the huge behemoh that are the 18-35 and 50-100. Last edited by Nicolas06; 08-14-2016 at 04:32 AM. | |
08-14-2016, 04:51 AM - 1 Like | #9 |
As for how it look, I provided some samples here: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/316001-da-1...ml#post3563697 But now I am mostly a prime guy. The Pentax primes are the exact opposite of the 18-35, 50-100 or other huge/heavy lenses. They also come with unique rendering characteristics that overall make the photo look better. The subject almost seems to pop from the screen, the out of focus area render better, they have more contrast, require less post processing to get the desired result. I have no issue myself to stick to a single prime for a long time (1 hour or 2), it challenge me to find more interresting compositions. Also people don't seem to notice me as much with a small prime even with a big DSLR like a K3 than if I had a zoom lens. It seem that a small lens is overlooked by most people. For video, this is different, you may not have the opportunity to swap lenses as easily without loosing precious second of movie. Examples of some shots with my primes: If you don't know really if you'll like photography, if you want primes or zooms etc, you could simply start with an all in one kit lens. Perfectly fine for travel or anything outdoor and not that expensive like the 18-135 or the 16-85. At worst add a cheap prime for low light (DA35 f/2.4, DA50 f/1.8) and that let you discover both world (primes vs zooms) and discover what are the focal length you really want as a still shooter. Quote: About that 55-300, is there anybody here which has already bought the new version of this lens? Is that faster compared with the older one, which I prefer for its wider aperture? Quote: EDIT: I checked again for Pentax K-3 II… And 719€ was for the K-3… damn Last edited by Nicolas06; 08-14-2016 at 05:19 AM. | |
These users Like Nicolas06's post: |
08-16-2016, 09:24 AM - 1 Like | #10 |
Hi guys, a very few of you may know me. For the others, I'm a student who, for 4 years, shots mainly videos with a camcorder. Then I saw timelapses, I wanted to make my own and I developed my own interpretation of a motorized slider + head (pan/tilt) controlled with Arduino. I've already read Langford's Advanced Photography and saw a lot of videos. So I may know things, but I don't have direct experiences at all with photography and camera gear. For this, I seek your help I made up my mind and, short after the next Photokina I plan to buy this stuff:
I am right in what I'm doing? Are there better options in a same price range? What are the main problems of this lenses? I already know about Sigma 18-35 AF problem. Probably I'll buy the Sigma 8-16 in a second time just to sweeten a bang on my wallet Some informations on subject I plan to shot: family, travel, timelapses. Don't know if in future, I'll expand my interest in shooting. I already have a camcorder so, even if I dreamed of having a second camera for videos, this is not an area of my interest. I'm a student, so "less I spend, more is better" but I'm also perfectionist. So if there's a solution that allow me to spend a little bit more, obtaining a lot more, tell me. I might considered it As I plan to shot travel photo of architecture, weight can be a problem (that is the reason I love Sigma 18-35 and 50-100). I already have a Lowepro Flipside 10L AW which I plan to use and I don't want to exceed space needed allowed by this bag. For this reasons, is a 18-135 useful? Which do you suggest me to buy? Also, I'll never be interested in full frames. Too much big and that 1,5x in range can be interesting (same range, cheaper lenses) Thank you in advance P.S.: bonus question: I loved Christopher Frost's videos. Is there something similar for Pentax lenses? I saw LeeHaze1's videos... But they are not on par in quality and characteristics reviewed... the fast 16-50 or 17-50 f/2.8 zooms although isnt as versatile zoom, is very good for Out of focus backgrounds, plus work better in low light & night photography. In my opinion they have a higher artistic value. the tamron goes as cheap as 200-250$, the sigma is better built, slightly expensive, the Pentax is most expensive but comes with WR. for more telephoto the 55-300 is the best lens (probably the best among all Canon, Nikon & Pentax thanks to it's great performance at the telephoto end) | |
These users Like anu l's post: |
08-16-2016, 01:33 PM | #11 |
The latest tamron USD also look pretty good, and has similar price but is not available in K-mount. The Pentax is the best in K-mount as price/performance compromize and a great lens overall. It is sharp for that focal lens and price... But not that sharp in absolute at 300mm. There other choice in Pentax, Canon or Nikon if you want something that has a better performance. | |
08-16-2016, 09:18 PM | #12 |
Let's not exagerate,already the non L version of Canon look a bit better and the L version look to be charper at 300mm than the 60-250 is at 250mm... The latest tamron USD also look pretty good, and has similar price but is not available in K-mount. The Pentax is the best in K-mount as price/performance compromize and a great lens overall. It is sharp for that focal lens and price... But not that sharp in absolute at 300mm. There other choice in Pentax, Canon or Nikon if you want something that has a better performance. have a look at the sharpness scores at 300mm and the chromatic aberration scores.... Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM on Canon EOS 760D vs Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED on Nikon D5300 vs Pentax smc PENTAX DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED on Pentax K-3 | |
08-16-2016, 10:58 PM | #13 |
Actually I was referring to this comparison.... have a look at the sharpness scores at 300mm and the chromatic aberration scores.... Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM on Canon EOS 760D vs Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED on Nikon D5300 vs Pentax smc PENTAX DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED on Pentax K-3 And that only for the 70-300 / 55-300 range... In quality, even limited to Pentax, the 60-250, 70-200, 150-450, DA200, DA300 are all going to provide more reach in practice, even if you have to crop and use a TC than the 55-300 so why should it be the best ? I could go along for best price/performance/weight in K-mount but surely not best absolute quality by far... I own one and that for the best compromize price/performance/weight. The lens very great, but one has to know the limitations of the tool he use. | |
08-17-2016, 05:20 AM | #14 |
Sigma 8-16 Horizontal Angle of View @ 8mm = 114.5 degrees Tamron 10-24 AoV @ 10mm = 98.28 degrees Sigma 10-20 AoV @ 10mm = 102.4 degrees If anything, Tamrons 10mm lines up with other lens's 11mm. I've taken the Sigma 8-16 travelling many times and never had a problem with the heft. The added bonus is it's sharper in the corners wide open than other comparable ultra wide zooms are stopped down. | |
08-17-2016, 06:10 AM | #15 |
I have the 10-17, I don't use it that often but there is no substitute for a fisheye. At 10mm it's truely fishy. At 17, it's an UWA lens. I have used the 8-16 and its perspective is much different. It tends to isolate subjects in its foreframe, and "push" everything else away. Really, it's amazing to see. For landscape, if you have a horizontal anchor like a river, the horizon, a road, the eye understands this lens. If you lack that anchor, the image looks very distorted - I think the brain is focusing on the center and the image looks like what we see in our mind. The lens is big, though, and has a reputation for fragility. The 10-17 is tiny in comparison. You will find both lenses used in the Marketplace occasionally. Set your keywords and keep an eye open. | |
|
Bookmarks |
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it! |
camera gear, future, k-mount, lens, lenses, love, newbie, pentax, pentax lens, price, range, shot, sigma, slr lens, videos |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Judging exposure on film - help a newbie | Mandalore_15 | Photographic Technique | 12 | 05-31-2014 04:30 PM |
Buying chinese stuff is not always a good idea. | VE2CJW | Pentax K-r | 16 | 03-12-2012 12:21 PM |
Help on buying a lens... | sanjaya | Troubleshooting and Beginner Help | 6 | 12-11-2011 09:25 PM |
On buying stuff on Internet forums | Raffwal | General Talk | 5 | 05-28-2011 05:01 AM |
Help: buying gear, a guide for Canadians | tdb | General Talk | 28 | 01-21-2010 01:36 PM |