[Bucketlist21]

I just received my used Pentax K-7. I have the Pentax DA 15mm f/4 ED AL Limited Lens and am looking at acquiring another. I am just learning the art and looking for recommendations. I want to do MOSTLY outdoor, landscape, street, etc.
I appreciate advice ! I will likely stick with just 2 lenses for a while while I learn.
Thanks in advance .

[aslyfox]

Since you live in the US, you could choose to spend a little money for renting equipment before deciding what to buy:

Information on Businesses that offer cameras and lenses for rent

Read more at: Information on Businesses that offer cameras and lenses for rent - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com

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of course with Pentax, you have your choice of modern and vintage lenses

under " lenses " above you will find user and in depth reviews of Pentax and third party lenses

and this useful tool:

Pentax Lens Search
This page allows you to search our genuine Pentax Lens Database and current third-party lenses based on specific criteria that you select. Links to user reviews, specifications, and in-depth reviews (if available) are included for each lens. You can also check lens compatibility.

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/lenssearch/#ixzz6EJgVg3US

______________________-

and don't over look the forum's marketplace when you decide what lens to buy

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/?security...d+States&all=1

[baro-nite]

One relatively inexpensive approach would be to get the standard "kit" zoom, some version of the Pentax DA 18~55. That plus the DA 15 you already have would cover you from ultra-wide (the 15) through the "normal" focal lengths and into short telephoto, and would allow you to discover what your most-used focal lengths are.

[aslyfox]

the op will discover that at the forums

lots of friendly members will be found

with a lot of good opinions

along with a lot of knowledge

Comprehensive Pentax Lens Guide
Master the different Pentax lens series
By johnhilvert in Gear Guides on Mar 21, 2016

Read more at: Comprehensive Pentax Lens Guide - Gear Guides | PentaxForums.com

[i_trax]

Sigma 17-70 2.8-4.5 Macro non HSM - for less than $200
Sigma 17-70 2.8-4 Macro HSM for some more$$

[Bertrand3000]

I would recommend one of the following :
- DA 18-50 : good IQ, moderately cheap, silent, compact, versatile
- DA 18-135 : good IQ, silent, even more versatile
- DA 35 (Plastic Fantastic) : great IQ, cheap, compact

[Bucketlist21]

Appreciate the information !

[aslyfox]

your first decision may be

prime vs. zoom

then digital vs. film era

here is an example of an in depth review

Aug 26, 2012
Pentax 50mm Prime Lens Shootout

Introduction

What’s so nifty about a fifty millimeter lens? Recently digital camera makers have begun to release 50mm lenses, Canon, Nikon and now Pentax have all released a new prime 50mm lens. There are number of reason why this renewed interest in what was consider a “normal lens” for 35mm but for most digital cameras is a short telephoto. First, 50mm lenses are usually at least two stops faster than most reasonably priced zoom lenses on the market. Second, the 50mm focal length has long been used on 35mm cameras for decades and enjoys some of the best utilized and corrected optical designs. Generally 50mm lenses are often the sharpest optics in the manufacturer's line. Third, most 50mm are very reasonable priced and are a great entry point to obtain a prime lens. Because of the APS-C sensor size a 50mm lens has a field of view of a short tele - it corresponds to a 75mm lens on a 24 x 36 mm (aka full-frame) camera. . . .

Currently Pentax makes three different 50mm lenses: the SMC Pentax FA 50mm F1.4, D FA 50mm F2.8 Macro, and DA 50mm F1.8. All three can be used on digital cameras . . .

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

[FozzFoster]

I'd suggest getting the 18-135mm., it'd be a great zoom to learn which focal lengths suit you well and it has really good image quality.

[Serkevan]

Sigma 17-70 2.8-4.5 Macro non HSM - for less than $200
Sigma 17-70 2.8-4 Macro HSM for some more$$

Alternatively, the Tamron 17-50/2.8 is a great performer and can be had for very little money over the kit lens - it was by far my most used lens in the K-7.

The 18-135 is also a good option, of course.

[ehrwien]

I agree with recommendations so far, but the first thing that popped into my head when I read you already have the 15 Limited and want to photograph street, landscape, outdoor... was the 20-40 Limited WR. But then again, it's rather costly and quite limited in reach, so if you want to stick to two lenses for a while and are new to photographing with an interchangeable lens camera, the 18-135 would be the best option in my opinion, all things considered. Great range, WR, good image quality, fast focussing, and would be greatly complemented by your 15 Limited.
The only thing really missing from your kit would then be a lowlight / fast aperture option, but that could be had for very little money when you look for a used, manual focus, manual aperture, great value M 50/1.7, for example, or a more recent DA 50/1.8 with autofocus and auto aperture. OR instead of the 18-135 a lens that has reduced focal length range, but bigger aperture, e.g. a Sigma 17-50/2.8 or 17-70/2.8-4. But then again, 2.8 is not that much when you've had a taste of the bokeh a lens like a 50/1.8 or 1.4 can produce...
No, I think my vote goes to the 18-135 and perhaps another wide aperture prime lens.

I just received my used Pentax K-7. I have the Pentax DA 15mm f/4 ED AL Limited Lens and am looking at acquiring another. I am just learning the art and looking for recommendations. I want to do MOSTLY outdoor, landscape, street, etc.
I appreciate advice ! I will likely stick with just 2 lenses for a while while I learn.
Thanks in advance .

The lens I like on the K-7 is the fabulous DA 18-135. It is great on the K-7 especially with Live View. It is a very silent AF due to the DC AF-motor. Another one I hesitate to mention is a Sigma 18-250 HSM Macro (Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM review: Digital Photography Review). The hesitation is in that I think that a Pentax camera deserves a Pentax lens. I think it is also a good lens for the K-7 and the bonus of this lens is not the extra 115mm, but the macro capability. It works wonderfully well and as you seem to like to learn you can also play with taking macro shots. Contrary to others I would not advise a manual lens. If you want to learn I prefer an AF. Later on you can always buy a manual fast aperture, but first you have to get to know your K-7. And perhaps after a few years you might be compelled to buy a manual focus lens. The fun of the 18-135 is a typical Pentax thing. You can always use manual focusing, even when you use AF! You have the possibility to adjust if you think it is not sharp enough. And each AF lens can also be used manual if you switch AF off if you want to experiment with manual focusing. But I find it hard to manually focus with any AF camera because the OVF is adapted to AF and not to MF.

[pres589]

DA 35 f2.8 Macro Ltd returns awesome images
DA 20-40 Ltd is pretty special as well and gives the flexibility of a zoom
F 28 f2.8 gives a very nice "normal" field of view on a crop body like the K-7, is small, and gives good image quality. FA 28 f2.8 as well but my preference would be an F.

Some other great options already mentioned such as the 18-135, Sigma 17-70, and the Sigma or Tamron 17-50's. Budget may be a good way to decide as much as any, there's a lot of good options here.

[Bucketlist21]

Thank you all ! I am very impressed with how helpful everyone is. Makes this whole thing even more enjoyable.

[blackcloudbrew]

Saw this post and was all ready trot out my personal list of lens favorites, but then looking over the many excellent suggestions above, there's little I would add to this. It is interesting though that you say you want to do landscapes (will call that outdoors too), street, and...stuff. I'd point out here that the needs of a photographer shooting landscapes versus street are quite different IMHO. Toss in portraiture, macro, action, and other types, and again, these all have other needs as well. Early on (12 years ago) when I got back in to photography, I assumed that if I had a range of lenses spanning a wide range of lengths (I was thinking then of something like about 18mm to about 300mm) that this would, should cover my needs for photography. 60 or 70 (likely more than that) lenses later, I come realize that every lens has a specific purpose but it also has some versatility.

For me, doing landscapes (and this is what I tend to concentrate on), I prefer UWA (ultra wide lenses) like the DA 15 limited, actually my favorite lens on a cropped sensor is the DA 12-24 f4 lens, but as many have written about here, the DA 15 Limited is an amazing lens all by itself. At the same time for landscapes I have and do use the DA*16-50, DA*50-135, and although I'm now using the K-1 full frame system DFA 70-200, I used the Tamron 70-200 at times as well, because sometimes I want to shoot a landscape from say on a fence outside the property and having a longer reach can really help. Occasionally, I've also used the DA 100 Macro for landscapes. It's sooo sharp in places like Yosemite NP, the macro lens really brings out the detail. Oddly one of the few DA lenses that I don't have is the DA 18-135, why? well because it was released well after I'd acquired a bunch of other lenses and I really don't have the need for it and early on, I came to prefer lenses with a constant aperture versus a lens like the DA 18-135 which is a variable aperture lens. Regardless, when I was starting out, I purchased a Sigma 18-125mm lens, which gave me a great range of lengths and I was able to learn with it as well as produce some landscape images that I still regard as right up there in my best work group. So...what I'm backing my way into is that I'd agree with the suggestions of the DA 18-135 for you for outdoors and landscapes. Spend more money on a good tripod too, as this is the other half of a good landscape system.

For street, other factors should be considered. Typically, you should want a fast lens f2.8 or better, it would also help if the lens itself was small so that the camera + lens is not so imposing on your potential subjects, and also, such that you can sorta hide or de-emphasise the camera which 'should' allow for more natural responses from street subjects. For this, IMHO, neither the DA 15 nor the DA 18-135 would be the best choices as the DA 15 is too wide for this purpose and UWA lenses can make peoples figures, look a bit unnatural, the DA 18-135 being a zoom lens might require more fiddle time to get the right framing of the subjects. If I recall correctly classic street stuff should be done with something between 35mm and 50mm and either the DA 35 or DA 50 1.8 might be ideal for this usage.

Ok, given that all of the above is just my opinion and that one should be able to produce good results with most camera / lens combinations, the above may all be moot, but I wanted to expand the discussion with a bit more what and why here. Given that you have the DA 15 and that many of the posters above recommend the DA 18-135 as your next lens, I'd go with that too.

---------- Post added 02-18-20 at 09:12 AM ----------

Thank you all ! I am very impressed with how helpful everyone is. Makes this whole thing even more enjoyable.

Oh, we're all very helpful at spending others funds on gear...