[Marc Sabatella]

I haven't been using the 16-45 LATELY because I have been focusing on learning the 50 and 135.

I'd recommend spending some time with it to get a sense of the focal lengths you really like in that range - then you can start deciding on prime versus zoom. By most accounts, the 16-45 is of almost prime-like quality, but of course, not prime-like speed. So your most obvious zoom upgrade would be a 16-50/2.8 type of lens (Pentax, Tamron, or Sigma). But for primes,, you've got choices of 16, 18, 20, 21, 24, 28, 30, 31, 35, 40, and 43 in that range (plus 14, and soon 15). No way any of us can help you there - you'll need your 16-45 to help you decide.

I have gotten used to shooting manually. The last time I put the 16-45 on the K10 I was trying to green button it!

Nothing wrong with that. I made the switch to full-time M mode long ago. Makes switching between DA and M lenses much easier on the brain - green button in both cases.

[DAZ]

Take a photo at about 30mm that was good and take it with a 31mm and will be an excellent photo. It could also just still be just a good photo. Things like resolution, DOF, even color are things you can keep or throw away. If you take a photo of a sunset over the water more detail may add nothing. If you take a head shot of a person more detail may not be a good thing but less DOF may be good. A longer lens throws away more of the scene but narrows it down to what the photographer wants you to see. In order to learn to see you have to try to see in different ways. So to learn what a wide angle lens sees you have to use it. To learn primes/zooms, wide or telephoto you are going to have to use them to see for yourself. There are a lot of threads discussing things that zoom/primes do or can’t do. Someone once said you never know how good or bad the cake is until you take a bite but then it is to late. You will never know what a 31mm can do until you try it and learn yourself. After you try a lens and learn it you may decide you are not interested in what you can see with that lens. That doesn’t mean the lens is good or bad just for what you want to see it is not for you. All of this could lead to the dark side and then it is to late.

Some people use super zooms for the things it gives them (one lens for there needs) and don’t mind the things they don’t get (small size). Not everything is about what you see but can also be about getting there to see it.

DAZ

[Kerrowdown]

Wots a zoom?