[HopelessTogger]

OP. Which lens to get?

All of 'em. It'll happen anyway.

[tommygunn84]

I kind of want to do wrinkly old man close up shots in black and white....

[normhead]

Would the pentax 50mm F1.8 SMC DA be better than the HD 100mm macro pentax lens because i'm about to make a purchase and the 50mm f1.8 smc da is an added deal option but do i really need it with the 100mm macro for face portraits?
Thanks

No, 50mm on APS-c is not 100 MP, and it's not macro. I recently purchased a second hand FA 50 macro
smc D FA 50mm f/2.8 Macro | Ricoh Imaging

That's what you would replace the 100 with. I prefer 70mm for portraits on APS-c or 80-105 on 36 x 24 sensors. To my mind 50 is too wide.
But if you're getting the 50 1.8 at a great price, go with that as well. You can never have too many 50s. The 50 1.8 is your low light lens for when it really is dark and you really really want the picture. For it's cost and utility it's simply to good to pass up, even if you pay full price.

But in the long end, your 100mm is your telephoto. I wouldn't worry as much if you were buying the 18-135, but not having anything 100 or over would be extremely limiting. The other thing is the 16-85 does very good pseudo macro, I think 1:3.3 or something like that, still good for small flowers, larger size bugs etc. There will be many times the 16-85 will be all the macro you need.

It's all so complicated.

[tommygunn84]

No, 50mm on APS-c is not 100 MP, and it's not macro. I recently purchased a second hand FA 50 macro
smc D FA 50mm f/2.8 Macro | Ricoh Imaging

That's what you would replace the 100 with. I prefer 70mm for portraits on APS-c or 80-105 on 36 x 24 sensors. To my mind 50 is too wide.
But if you're getting the 50 1.8 at a great price, go with that as well. You can never have too many 50s. The 50 1.8 is your low light lens for when it really is dark and you really really want the picture. For it's cost and utility it's simply to good to pass up, even if you pay full price.

But in the long end, your 100mm is your telephoto. I wouldn't worry as much if you were buying the 18-135, but not having anything 100 or over would be extremely limiting. The other thing is the 16-85 does very good pseudo macro, I think 1:3.3 or something like that, still good for small flowers, larger size bugs etc. There will be many times the 16-85 will be all the macro you need.

It's all so complicated.

thanks normhead!
all I really want to know is... would the 100mm macro be better at face portraits then the 50mm ?

[normhead]

thanks normhead!
all I really want to know is... would the 100mm macro be better at face portraits then the 50mm ?

And of course my answer was, "I Like 70mm for APS_c portraits." Guess I didn't help much. But it's not about me, it's about what your preference is. My favourite portrait end you can see show cased on the forum would be the 77 ltd., but it's so expensive I can't see you going there. Now that I could recommend without qualification.Check out the portraits in this thread....

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/59538-fa-limited-club-629.html

If the 77 doesn't blow you away as a portrait lens, I don't know what will.
The trouble is, whatever is in second place is a long way back.

The thing I'd want to know in your position would be "is the 16-85 good enough for what i want to do in portraiture."

Some 16-85, portraits...
Click here

[tommygunn84]

yes it really does and I really want to and the 20-40 and 35 macro ltd , basically the whole HD limited range but ill be shagged if i can afford them all at once!!

[UncleVanya]

Would the pentax 50mm F1.8 SMC DA be better than the HD 100mm macro pentax lens because i'm about to make a purchase and the 50mm f1.8 smc da is an added deal option but do i really need it with the 100mm macro for face portraits?
Thanks

The DA 50 is a reasonable portrait lens and the fast speed is nice to have. It would complement the DFA 100 and DA 16-85 but it is not essential.

Does that help?

I am surprised that people think the 16-85 is a good astro lens I'm interested to see the output. Given the large zoom range and relatively slow f/stop I would have expected that it was a poor fit but I'm happy to hear otherwise. The DA 50 at f/1.8 will be a great low light lens for those times you don't need the extra width of the 16-85.

Getting back to the question. DFA 100 is equivalent to a 150mm field of view, and 50 is more like a 75. Both of these can be used for portraits but at different distances for the same views. It is hard to answer this question for you. The 16-85 can do a great job under the right circumstances, but the higher f/stop will be less pleasing for some situations.

[narual]

Or you could just follow the advice you've gotten over and over again from most of the people in this thread... get a couple of lenses and buy more if you feel that your current options are lacking once you've actually started using them.

[Des]

Would the pentax 50mm F1.8 SMC DA be better than the HD 100mm macro pentax lens because i'm about to make a purchase and the 50mm f1.8 smc da is an added deal option but do i really need it with the 100mm macro for face portraits?

As I said earlier (and others have said too), I don't think the 100mm macro is great for (human) portraits. The focal length is a bit long to be convenient for portraits on APS-C in many situations, but the main issue is that images are not flattering (too sharp and flat). OK, maybe B&W wrinkly old folks if they don't mind, but for other portraits use the 16-85. (As Uncle Vanya points out, the slower aperture is a limitation, but people use these kinds of zooms every day for portraits and get good results.) The DA 50 f1.8 is very good for portraits (think of it as a poor person's DA Limited), and it's a handy low-light lens generally (the wider aperture complements the slower apertures of the 16-85 zoom). It's not WR, but it's very light and great for the money. I'd get it in the package if the price is good. You could easily sell it later if you get a more expensive lens to take its place.

Portrait lenses are another whole topic. People will probably tell you that the gold standard for portrait lenses for APS-C in Pentaxland amongst current lenses is either the DA*55 or the FA 77 Ltd, or the DA*50-135. Plenty of threads about this. The DA* models are WR, the 77 isn't - but WR isn't really essential for most people in a portrait lens (unless you specialise in portraits in the rain or under waterfalls ;-)). If you don't know, just wait. Try the 16-85 zoom for a while (good choice IMO) and see which focal lengths you prefer for particular types of images. Then you will have a better idea about what specialty lenses to get.

Or you could just follow the advice you've gotten over and over again from most of the people in this thread... get a couple of lenses and buy more if you feel that your current options are lacking once you've actually started using them.

Absolutely agree.

---------- Post added 11-02-16 at 09:43 AM ----------

.. and do I really need a flash if so which one? will I need a ring flash for macro and can they be used for other general work as well?
also what is a good light and cheap tripod and what accessories shall I get such as filters, memory cards, spear batteries, filters ect....

Norm has answered most of these questions. My quick comments:
- ring flash? Wait and see. Get a general flash first. I'm guessing that you are not looking at multi-flash/wireless options, and you want something lightweight and unobtrusive for fill, street shots etc - just get a small cheap simple P-TTL flash to start with, like the Metz 24: https://www.pentaxforums.com/accessoryreviews/metz-mecablitz-24.html. You can use it off-camera with a generic P-TTL cord if need be. You don't necessarily need a very powerful flash for most macro (unless you are out in the field with large softboxes shooting fungi, like @BrianR : https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/125-flashes-lighting-studio/311090-lighti...close-ups.html ). Some kind of portable diffuser/bounce card is useful too.
- Tripod. Don't go too cheap here. Buy quality, buy once. Carbon fibre - Sirui, Induro, something like that. Get a decent head too. Search the many threads on this. A Gorillapod can be handy for travel/street too. Get a single type of attachment system (Arca Swiss or Manfrotto seem to be the default standards) and use the same sort of plate on everything.
- Spare batteries. Yes, get two. Third party are OK. Maybe get a third party USB charger too.
- CPL Filters. I agree with Norm that a good CPL is worthwhile. They are not cheap. Kenko Zeta are good value. You'll need a 49mm for the DFA 100, a 52mm for the DA 50, and a 72mm for the DA16-85, If that's too much, at least get one for the zoom. If you get a 52mm filter for the 50mm lens, you could also get a 49-52mm step-up ring (that is a cheap adapter) to let you use the same filter on the DFA 100. If you do that, you won't be able to fit the lens hood on the DFA; but a cheap solution would be to get a 52mm three-position rubber hood to screw into the filter thread. That's a useful thing to get anyway if you get the DA 50, because it doesn't come with a hood. Otherwise, get a 49mm filter for the DFA 100 (which will fit a range of other Pentax lenses) and use a step-down ring to let you use it on the DA 50. That way you can use the DFA 100 with the filter and its (deep) original hood.
- Protective filters are a matter of debate. When in doubt, go with what Norm says.
- Memory cards. What Norm said. Shop around and you can get good deals on quality cards like the 64Gb SanDisk Extreme Pro.

You will need a suitable bag too. The best idea is to take your gear into a good camera shop and try out various ones.

And also a sensor-cleaning kit, if you don't already have one. At least a blower like the Giotto's Rocket, and preferably a silicon or sticky pad lollipop and/or some wet cleaner and swabs. Dust-Aid makes a good starter kit.