[Pioneer]

Doesn't matter. I use whatever I happen to be packing.

This came from the Vivitar MC 50mm f1.7 that came with my Vivitar V3800n. Hardly a lens to excite the salivary glands of the average enthusiast or pro.

But, the entire kit is very light and easy to pack for an old hiker.



Vivitar V3800n - Vivitar MC 50mm f1.7 - Kodak Gold 100

[Na Horuk]

The reason I was looking at the 2.8 zoom is

Oh, that makes sense. Yeah, in that case one of the DFA zooms makes sense. You can check some reviews here, both by users as well as PF staff: Pentax D FA Zoom Lenses - Reviews and Specifications - SLR and Interchangeable Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
You get full automation, WR, modern lens features, the whole package. And zoom lenses have come a long way, so modern day zooms are no longer as inferior to primes as they used to be some years ago

RE primes, I'm curious why more people didn't recommend the FA 31 LTD.

You make valid points. I sometimes use the M 50mm or DFA 100mm for landscape photos, as they allow some things that UWA lenses don't. And 31mm on FF is wide and very versatile.

Me, I'm hoping for a compact Limited-quality 24mm from Pentax.

Yeah, I think a lot of us are waiting for a Pentax prime to fill that 24mm to 28mm gap.

[aleonx3]

For me, it would be the DA 20-40 limited if I am in the city and I will take the DA 18-135 if I am in the country side.

[awscreo]

I love the 35mm fov, so I might pick the 31 1.8 at some point anyway. But due to its price and overall flexibility of a zoom, I think I might start with that, either the 24-70 or 28-108, or even 28-75 Tamron, I hear it's pretty good and dirt cheap right now.

I have a Vivitar 28 2.5, I love the look and feel of the lens, but unfortunately it doesn't hold to a 36mp sensor, even stopped down to f5.6-8. Pity, because I got the original m42 to pk adapter just for that lens mostly. Luckily my helios 44k-4 holds up very well, need to post a review in the lens section sometime soon.

[Gedeon]

zeiss zk 35mm f2...

[ChatMechant]

The 24-70 is a great do-it-all lens on the k-1. The 28-105 is surprisingly good as well. For hikes/travel the 28-105 along with a small fast prime like the FA43 is a nice kit.

[77me]

What would it be?
I'm thinking what lens would be a good choice for me to start building my collection. So far I'm leaning towards 24-70 2.8 as it seems it'll give me a lot of flexibility on hikes and travels, and I can take maybe two-three shots pano if I need a wider shot. What do you think?

Ps: I'm using a K-1 body

With my k3 for most of my landscape shots I used my Rokinon 10 or the wide end of my 16-50. With my k1 I decided to get the 15-30 and use my 31, 55, 77, and 100 macro as needed.

[emalvick]

Well regarding zooms and landscapes, you could get a slower zoom since landscapes are best shot at apertures like f/8. Then... buy a nice prime to use as a portrait lens. f/2.8 is really not great for portraits anyway unless you have a prime that will be nice and sharp at 2.8 anyway. With the K-1, you'd want a nice 50-100 mm lens for portraits anyway, and the fast 50 mm lenses tend to be quite affordable.

[awscreo]

Well regarding zooms and landscapes, you could get a slower zoom since landscapes are best shot at apertures like f/8. Then... buy a nice prime to use as a portrait lens. f/2.8 is really not great for portraits anyway unless you have a prime that will be nice and sharp at 2.8 anyway. With the K-1, you'd want a nice 50-100 mm lens for portraits anyway, and the fast 50 mm lenses tend to be quite affordable.

Mm, I thought 70 at 2.8 is pretty good for portraits on a ff sensor. I had pretty good results with an equivalent of 90mm 3.6 on a mft body, and background blur was never an issue. Again this is not intended for extremely artistic portraits, more for travel ones for my wife. I want a one lens solution that will give me most flexibility. I searched for the Sigma 85 1.4, and it's around 850$ on ebay, pretty pricey. The 77 1.8 us also expensive I believe.

---------- Post added 09-07-16 at 11:06 AM ----------

Wish we had an affordable 85 1.8 lens like the nikon g, maybe we'll get one in 2017, ad far as I remember Pentax promised to release few primes next year?

---------- Post added 09-07-16 at 11:07 AM ----------

I bought a smd 50 1.8 for my upcoming trip, should arrive today. Hope it's as good as people say it is optically

[emalvick]

The problem with an f/2.8 zoom is that they are rarely sharp at f/2.8 (perhaps for a limited focal range). A prime that is f/2.8 or faster will be sharp even wide-open, especially when compared to a zoom.

I guess if you are sticking yourself with the 77 and 85 range, then it may be too costly. I was just thinking that sometimes zooms can be quite affordable if you don't stick yourself with a 2.8. They can also be more manageable in terms of size. Then you get yourself a nice prime to use for portraits. The combination of the whole group could still be affordable but you may have to think outside the box. Older lenses can be nice too. The old F series lenses are still auto-focus and nice.

Anyway, there are tons of ways of doing it and your original thought of the 24-70 is probably as good as it is going to get.

[awscreo]

The problem with an f/2.8 zoom is that they are rarely sharp at f/2.8 (perhaps for a limited focal range). A prime that is f/2.8 or faster will be sharp even wide-open, especially when compared to a zoom.

I guess if you are sticking yourself with the 77 and 85 range, then it may be too costly. I was just thinking that sometimes zooms can be quite affordable if you don't stick yourself with a 2.8. They can also be more manageable in terms of size. Then you get yourself a nice prime to use for portraits. The combination of the whole group could still be affordable but you may have to think outside the box. Older lenses can be nice too. The old F series lenses are still auto-focus and nice.

Anyway, there are tons of ways of doing it and your original thought of the 24-70 is probably as good as it is going to get.

Yup I agree there are few ways to do this) the 28-105 with a wider prime and a portrait prime is a good option, probably will be a bit more expensive than the 24-70. I dug though the older lenses reviews on the site, but I wasn't able to find a lot of that glass on ebay, maybe people don't sell them too often. Anyway, I have time to do more research, just wanted to see what people suggest.

[Kerrowdown]

thought my signature would be enough to see what body I'm using

I must admit I'm not seeing your signature either on your individual thread postings.

To answer the question, I'm a little unorthodox in my shooting styles so I would probably use my "Special Lady” (Pentax-A 50mm F1.2) + "Unholy Alliance", if only one was allowed.

[pacerr]

The 'landscape' I shot would be defined by the lens(es) available at the time. I wouldn't limit the choice of scene or composition by making it dependent on a particular lens.

[awscreo]

The 'landscape' I shot would be defined by the lens(es) available at the time. I wouldn't limit the choice of scene or composition by making it dependent on a particular lens.

I'm just trying to figure out the optimal route of purchasing lenses with landscapes and travel in mind. Can't buy them all unfortunately.

---------- Post added 09-07-16 at 02:59 PM ----------

I must admit I'm not seeing your signature either on your individual thread postings.

To answer the question, I'm a little unorthodox in my shooting styles so I would probably use my "Special Lady” (Pentax-A 50mm F1.2) + "Unholy Alliance", if only one was allowed.

Whatever works is the right tool) I just need to find what works for me

[mgvh]

I'm guessing the new Pentax 28-105 is better, but you can still find copies of the Tamron 24-135 that will do a great job.
[CORRECTED: Pentax is 28-105 not 24-105]