[david94903]

You're lacking WR and a macro lens

My thoughts exactly

[Wasp]

You ‘need’ a short tele ��. DA70 or 100mm macro can be had for around 300 euros (used though). Great for candid portraits, soccer matches and landscapes

I second this one. What works for me is the Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 - a bit of a beast to nail the focus, but the results are great. Shallow depth of field rocks!

On a smaller budget, look around for a used SMC Pentax M 100mm f/2.8 - very under rated and well worth the low price.

[Madaboutpix]

Can't think of anything that would satisfy all three of your criteria.

However, you could upgrade your DA35 to the HD FA35, which is a tad faster, has better coatings, comes with a hood and arguably more solid build. Or get the fast-focusing HD DA55-300 PLM WR RE, which would be compatible with your K-S2 with the latest firmware. Or, indeed, you hold your horses and save the money for a later upgrade of the K-S2, as others have suggested.

[Sir Nameless]

Interesting. Since I shoot handled, a Macro lens of a lesser focal length would be a good idea. That said, the Tamron 90 Macro (or DFA 100 Macro) are also very good and fast telephoto lens, something that DA 35 Macro and DFA 50 Macro would not provide.

That's why it's your decision, right?

I would definitely agree that the 35 macro is not the best macro lens for everyone, but since 100 mm is conventional wisdom I wanted to throw in my 2 cents. It all depends on what you want to do with it. Both focal lengths have their own set of compromises, so you have to pick which compromises you prefer.

When it comes to close-up/macro, I shoot plants, mushrooms, and flowers (etc) handheld, outdoors, in natural light, most often under cloud cover or a dense tree canopy. (Usually 'on the run' because it's really rare that I'm out by myself and can take all the time I want, so taking the time to set up even a tripod is usually not an option). The 35 can tolerate a slower shutter than the 100 with respect to camera motion and, all else being equal, the 35 gives me more DOF, so I don't have to stop down as much. These are two big advantages for how I shoot. If I were shooting flying critters, using a flash, or on a tripod, I'd be all over a 100 mm. But I had one (Kiron 105) and it just frustrated me in my use case.

The other thing I like about the 35 (I think I mentioned it) is that it's a good normal focal length, so I can use it for landscapes and "intimate landscapes" too.

So it's all about your shooting style, and which set of compromises you want. As for me, I'm quite thankful that Pentax has given us a couple of excellent choices!

[aslyfox]

photography is, in many ways, compromise

what settings do you use with your camera

what lenses do you use

what type of camera do you use

bottom line

have fun and experiment if and when you want to

[Bertrand3000]

Okay. Thank you all for your answer. I've thought about it and decided to drop requirement 3) (need to be available new), because it restricts a lot what can be done, and after all, more choice is better when it comes to LBA.

So for now, I made the following list of candidates:
- Pentax F/FA/DFA 100 Macro (30cm minimal focus) - unlikely, it's too costly new and I have never seen it available used in my country for now
- Tamron 90 Macro (29cm minimal focus)
- Pentax D-FA 50 Macro (20cm minimal focus) - nobody mentioned it, but it should be a good compromise between 35Ltd and 90/100, no?
- Pentax DA 35 Macro Limited (14cm minimal focus)
- Pentax DA 55-300 PLM
- Or a Limited (14, 15, 21)

What is so special about Limited lens? Is it only small form factor and great sharpness? Or is it something else?

[Sir Nameless]

What is so special about Limited lens?

Check out the official Pentax Forum review on the limited lenses. It goes into great detail about what the limited series is all about.

HD vs. SMC Pentax Limited Primes Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

[aslyfox]

Okay. Thank you all for your answer. I've thought about it and decided to drop requirement 3) (need to be available new), because it restricts a lot what can be done, and after all, more choice is better when it comes to LBA. . . .
- Or a Limited (14, 15, 21)

What is so special about Limited lens? Is it only small form factor and great sharpness? Or is it something else?

regarding the Pentax " limited " series -

I raised the issue in this thread:

the limiteds do they live up to the reputation and why
I believe that the following Pentax lenses have great reputations:

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/358446-lim...#ixzz62WbIJ7ud

and got a lot of responses

[MossyRocks]

What is so special about Limited lens? Is it only small form factor and great sharpness? Or is it something else?

For me with the 77ltd it is the way it renders textures. I love it. That is also why I like my SMC A 50/1.2 as it will render a texture in a similar way. The being small, light and sharp are just an added benefit. In most cases any non garbage lens is sharp enough unless you want to view the image a 200% on your computer monitor.

[aslyfox]

The D FA 50mm is a well-constructed lens that produces good images wide open and excellent images stopped down. The lens handles well and has no distortion, chromatic aberration or vignetting. The bokeh is good and it can be used as a street lens or for portraits. The lens has an aperture ring and can thus be used with extension tubes for achieving magnification in excess of 1:1.

Pros
Sharp
No noticeable distortion, vignetting or chromatic aberration
Well-built
Quick-shift focus
Aperture ring
Depth of field scale
Can be used as a Macro
Case & hood included


Cons
Some flare
Slowest autofocus
Expensive at $439

Read more at: Pentax 50mm Prime Lens Shootout Review - Conclusion | PentaxForums.com Reviews

[bdery]

Check out the official Pentax Forum review on the limited lenses. It goes into great detail about what the limited series is all about.

May I also suggest the reviews of the three FA Limited?

Comparing the 3 Pentax FA Limited Primes - Hands-On Tests | PentaxForums.com

[ehrwien]

- Or a Limited (14, 15, 21)

The 14 is not a Limited designated lens. The DFA 100 WR macro is neither, but I think not many people will disagree when I say it has many of the properties that make the Limiteds so great: (comparably) small size (keep in mind it's a full frame lens, 100mm focal length with a decently fast 2.8 maximum aperture, with only 49mm filter threads), excellent build quality (all (?) metal construction) that is a joy to touch or even just look at and of course it delivers excellent picture quality.

So I would encourage you to keep looking for this lens used. I myself got it new for just outside of your stated budget.

Keep in mind that it's a WR (weather resistant) lens as well, unlike its older siblings. If you want to use it as a macro lens only and not in demanding weather conditions, you could get by with the manual focus M 100/f4. If you would like autofocus to use it in situations other than closeups, consider the Sigma 70 or 105 or Tamron 90 macros. But if you would like WR, then keep on looking for the DFA 100 WR!

I only have one Limited lens with the HD DA 70/2.4 and it's not only capable of producing sharp and pleasantly rendered pictures, but a work of art itself. I can only imagine that the other Limiteds are an equal joy to view, touch and use. Look at night pictures taken with the SMC DA 15/4.0 and SMC DA 21/3.2 for the kinds of starburts they are capable of producing. If you like that look, one of those should be the lens for you (The HD versions of these lenses are not only upgraded with newer coatings, but with rounded aperture blades as well, which somehow reduces or even destroys the lenses' capabilites of producing those nice starbursts).

[aslyfox]

When considering the cost of the D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR

be aware of this:

Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 WR Macro Review
Specifications
The lens covers the full 24x36mm format, not just APS-C. The aperture blades are rounded, delivering a smoother bokeh which is important for a macro lens. However, unlike its predecessor, it has no aperture ring.

Rounded blades

The optical design is the tried-and-proven formula of the previous generation D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro lens, which in turn had inherited the optical design from the well-respected FA 100mm F2.8 and F 100mm F2.8 macro lenses introduced in 1991 and 1987, respectively. None of these earlier lenses had rounded aperture blades.

Read more at: Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 WR Macro Review - Specifications | PentaxForums.com Reviews

you may be able to find one of those lenses at a cheaper price

I am very satisfied with my D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro ( non WR )

[Bertrand3000]

For now I've thought about the SMC DA 15 Limited since the HD is crap (no benefit from HD coating + rounded blades ruining starburts), or a macro, perhaps the Tamron 90. Not the Pentax 100 M/4, though : I already have 0,5* magnification with the Tamron 70-300 (even if not practical hand held with 300mm focal length, 0.95m focusing distance and vibrating hands because of coffee) and I need autofocus with my bad eyesight.

Still thinking of other possibilites. I'm afraid 55-300 PLM will be only a minor upgrade of the Tamron 70-300 I already have.

[Bertrand3000]

Thank you for all your answers. I am now LBA-sick and I finally bought today the Pentax D FA 50 2.8 Macro.