[luftfluss]

If you're hiking mostly in good (or at least not bad) weather, then the kit lens is OK, especially when stopped down to f/8... unless you have a bad copy, of course.

With most camera companies providing decent kit lenses, there just isn't a better all-around way to go that's budget-friendly, unless you luck into a great deal.

[Storm Chaser]

I would lean towards the SMC Pentax-DA 1.8 50mm, and I have many. As I go back threw my images my 50t never comes up short.

Many of my best images come from this lens and love to shoot with it!

Hope this helps.

Brian

[E-man]

I agree with others that you should give the 18-55 an extended test drive and pay attention to what aspects of the lens work well for you and where you feel it falls short. This will inform your future lens purchases and meanwhile, you can continue to set aside funds to expand your lens budget.

[Urnamaster13]

The Kit lens , if 18-55 is good enough. If you are new to photography..give it time and understand what you are lacking before investing in new lens. Look for old manual lens if want something cheap. A UV or ND filter might be good since older lens might not have coatings...and maybe a self-made lens hood.

[reh321]

I used a 50mm prime lens for many years, but I have come to value a zoom lens, such as the 18-55mm kit lens {or the 18-135mm DC lens I'm currently using}. A prime lens forces you to make the view and framing decisions simultaneously, but the zoom lens gives me the freedom to decide the view {where do I want to stand to get what I want} first and then zoom to get the framing {exactly what should be included}.

[ChatMechant]

Spend the money on a polarizer and maybe an older manual 90 or 100mm macro to go with the 18-55.

[UncleVanya]

The 18-55 is a pretty good tool for landscapes if you have an adequate amount of light or a good tripod. Stop down to f/8 as mentioned earlier. Find what focal lengths you are shooting at and examine why and what your lens is not allowing you to do. If money is burning a hole in your pocket start looking for a 16-45 Pentax which might be as low as $130 but typically is a bit more. the 16mm wide angle will be significantly wider than the 18mm of the kit. if you find yourself always at 55mm you might look at the 50-200 or 55-300 options since telephoto landscapes are not unheard of.

[bessa-66]

Just a plus one for the Pentax 16-45. It is rather cheap secondhand and works well too

[zzeitg]

Keep your kit lens and invest in a tripod.

[GUB]

I do a lot of hiking and either a M28 3.5 or Tak Bayonet 28mm is default on my camera. Need a wider shot then stitch the image. Focusing is easy. +1 for the polarizer. The kit zoom resides in my cupboard gathering dust - the one thing it does well.
Second lens I carry is an A50mm 2.8 macro for natural history and portraits.

[Audi 5 cyl]

Find an m28 f 3.5 (its a fantastic lens) landscapes are easy to focus manually, spend the extra cash on a tripod and maybe an 8 stop nd so you can do slow exposures in daytime they work well for landscapes particularly with moving clouds or water[COLOR="Silver"]

I give my vote to M 28mm f/3.5 as well. About nd filters, just do a small research on them to see if the effects they bring work for your desired photography style.

Keep going forward and good luck!

[LensBeginner]

Keep using the kit lens. Figure out where it's holding you back. Either that, or buy a cheap 3rd party 28mm prime, and learn how to swing that thing to where it takes pictures you really like, and then come back.

This.
Learn your first lens inside out and shoot a lot.
Only this way you can understand what you're really missing and what you can work around.

I myself have believed for quite sometime that I needed something, when in fact I realized afterwards that I didn't, and in fact needed something else...

[TripleA]

Thank you so much to everyone! You have given me a lot to think about and I really appreciate it. I do have the 18-55mm kit lens so i think I will start with that. After looking through the lens club pictures I can see why everyone loves the Pentax prime limited lenses. The 15mm and 28mm pictures taken with those lenses are amazing so getting familiar with my camera and saving for one of those seems to be the best advice. Thank you!

[normhead]

Just use the kit lens and use the $100 to go somewhere photogenic.

[TwoUptons]

Based on my experiences with the kit lens, I'd hang on to it and add a telephoto.

The DA 50-200 is inexpensive used, as are the 70-300s from Tamron and Sigma.

They aren't "landscape" lenses, but they can be handy on a hike.

-Eric