[georgetrains]

First I would like to say hello to all the forum members . My name is George and I am now retired and interested in getting back into Photography .

Other than 2 Canon P&S Digital Cameras , I have always been a Nikon 35 MM slr user . The K100d looks like just what I need to get me started .

I was looking at The Sigma 18-200 lens as an all in one for travel but I would love to hear from others as to what they would recommend . With my old 35MM cameras , I used all kinds of different Brands of Lenses bit I have lost touch with the Quality issue .

Thanks

[Alvin]

First I would like to say hello to all the forum members . My name is George and I am now retired and interested in getting back into Photography .

Other than 2 Canon P&S Digital Cameras , I have always been a Nikon 35 MM slr user . The K100d looks like just what I need to get me started .

I was looking at The Sigma 18-200 lens as an all in one for travel but I would love to hear from others as to what they would recommend . With my old 35MM cameras , I used all kinds of different Brands of Lenses bit I have lost touch with the Quality issue .

Thanks

First off, let me say hello and welcome.

To answer your question, I can't speak much about the Sigma 18-200, because I don't own it. But from what I know of it, the lens should perform quite well outdoors. Indoors you will require the use of your flash to get the most out of the lens.

I know others in here should reply to you very soon and tell you what they think.

Again, welcome and enjoy your stay here!

[egordon99]

Just one thing to keep in mind is that @ 200mm, the lens is going to be f/6.3, which is REALLY slow. I have a Vivitar 28-210mm, and indoors, even with the AF-assist from my external flash, the lens had a REALLY hard time autofocusing at a wedding I was at. Outdoors, it worked fine as there was plenty of light.

The Sigma 18-135mm is f/5.6 at the long end, so about a stop faster (and the same as the kit lens at 55mm), so it should be a bit better, even if it has less reach.

I'm honestly thinking of selling my 28-210, as I have since purchased some higher end lenses that do much better (although less zoom).

[kbrabble]

From what I have seen of the 18-200, it is not a bad lens. It is however, not a great lens either, and is rather slow. If you are doing a lot of traveling, and need a one lens solution, it would suffice. I know several that have this lens and are happy, but I know of more that are not. It all depends on you. If you want higher quality, over convenience, I would suggest at a minimum a two zoom solution. The sigma 17-70 DC and 75-300 APO DG make a great combo, are faster, and still will keep your bag light weight and size down. Plus, you would get an extra 100mm on the long end, and an excellent 1:2 macro at 300mm..

[NaClH2O]

First I would like to say hello to all the forum members . My name is George and I am now retired and interested in getting back into Photography .

Other than 2 Canon P&S Digital Cameras , I have always been a Nikon 35 MM slr user . The K100d looks like just what I need to get me started .

I was looking at The Sigma 18-200 lens as an all in one for travel but I would love to hear from others as to what they would recommend . With my old 35MM cameras , I used all kinds of different Brands of Lenses bit I have lost touch with the Quality issue .

Thanks

Hi George and welcome to the pentax forums. Like kbrabble I'd recommend a two zoom solution for travel, but I'd go with the Pentax DA 18-55 "kit lens" which you can get with the K100D, and the Pentax DA 50-200. Both are very small and light. They should give you a pretty good range to start. Once you've been photographing for a while, you will find out what focal lengths you use the most and can then make a more informed decision should you want more lenses.
BTW my parents retired to MD, lived in the Prince Fredrick area near the Bay, spent many a happy weekend visiting them there, sailing and fishing on the Bay. I still have friends in that area and visit it from time to time.

NaCl(anyplace where there's salt water, I'm happy)H2O

[Duh_Vinci]

George,

While I have not used this lens on Pentax, this was the lens that stayed on my Canon 350D 90% of the time (before switching to Pentax). Comparing it to the Tamron 18-200 - Sigma was considerably sharper (at least my copy). Very versatile indeed, but as suggested above, little slow... Nevertheless, I enjoyed it very much. Here are few samples:

18mm



21mm



24mm



50mm



200mm



88mm



It indeed covers the range for everyday use, and travels well, but, as suggested above, does not offer results as sharp as 17-70mm DC...

If you want all in one everyday lens that stays on the camera, I found that 28-200 Tamron XR IF works very well, little faster, great colors on Pentax... Yes, I lost 10mm of the wide end, but often, you can find this Tamron lens on Ebay for $100 (or about) band new. At $200+ savings, I find this version of Tamron a great alternative to Sigma's 18-200.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
D

[benjikan]

First I would like to say hello to all the forum members . My name is George and I am now retired and interested in getting back into Photography .

Other than 2 Canon P&S Digital Cameras , I have always been a Nikon 35 MM slr user . The K100d looks like just what I need to get me started .

I was looking at The Sigma 18-200 lens as an all in one for travel but I would love to hear from others as to what they would recommend . With my old 35MM cameras , I used all kinds of different Brands of Lenses bit I have lost touch with the Quality issue .

Thanks

Hello and Welcome..I own the Sigma 18-200, that I wish I had for my Pentax kit. It is a very good all rounder that will work very well with the Pentax. The fact that you have the K100D, your Sigma will now be able to function at between 2 to 3 stops more than I could with my Canon camera's. Between 18-135 mm it is very sharp stopped down 1 to 2 stops. It is quite acceptable wide open between 18-120 mm. Here is a sample of the Sigma 18-200.

Ben

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Last edited by benjikan; 03-05-2007 at 03:11 PM.

[dichro1]

Hello and Welcome..I own the Sigma 18-200, that I wish I had for my Pentax kit. It is a very good all rounder that will work very well with the Pentax. The fact that you have the K100D, your Sigma will now be able to function at between 2 to 3 stops more than I could with my Canon camera's. Between 18-135 mm it is very sharp stopped down 1 to 2 stops. It is quite acceptable wide open between 18-120 mm. Here is a sample of the Sigma 18-200.

Ben

I was chicken, and got the Sigma 17-70 and the Pentax 50-200, it's only been a few weeks but it covers the range with very high quality. I'm still feeling out the camera. A lot more fun than film, and the potential seems great. The Sigma is great for carry around and much more. It works great and fast in low light. The 50-200 is small and easy to use. The smaller zoom ratios are safer and sharper in most cases. At least all the reviews point that way. I'm waiting for the adapter for the M50/1.4. The Sigma has a reasonable range. 28mm to 105mm in 35mm parlance.

By the way, Duh-Vinci's pics are stunning.

[FotoPete]

haha don't say "M50/1.4" Confused me for a sec. I was like..adapt an M 50 for waht?..it already is a K Mount lens...

M is the 2nd generation of K mount lenses designed for the M Series Slrs (ME, MX, etc)

[Rolly]

Pretty pix, Duh_Vinci. You did the lens proud.

[bart_hickman]

I was chicken, and got the Sigma 17-70 and the Pentax 50-200, it's only been a few weeks but it covers the range with very high quality. I'm still feeling out the camera. A lot more fun than film, and the potential seems great. The Sigma is great for carry around and much more. It works great and fast in low light. The 50-200 is small and easy to use. The smaller zoom ratios are safer and sharper in most cases.

That's where I'm headed as well. I have the 50-200 and it's sharp no matter the aperture and across the whole frame (seems like all ~50-200 lenses are like this.) I have the sigma 17-70 on order.

My main reservation with the superzooms like the 18-200 is they quickly drop well below 200mm as the subject gets closer. Eg., just crunching the numbers for either the Nikkor or Sigma 18-200's, I get about 100mm FL at minimum focusing distance. This doesn't happen on the 50-200 designs so, for instance, when I'm taking shots of bees on flowers, the 18-200 would force me to get too close to the bees (I know this because I occasionally like shooting closeups of bees on flowers with my 50-200 and 200mm is just barely enough magnification at a safe distance of about 3-4 feet.)

Still, there's no denying those lenses are handy for family snapping. Seems they keep getting better too. I read a review of the new Tamron 18-250 (even more of a stretch) and it did quite well I thought. It beat the Canon 17-85 in the wide range and held up fairly well against the Canon 70-300 in the tele range--all for a lot less money and way more compact than those two lenses.

Bart