[Noisychip]

Imagine you wouldn't own one single lens. Nothing, but a Pentax DSLR body.

Which of the setups would you consider the most practical for general shooting (vacation wtc.) from the experiences you have made, considering:

- Weight/Space
- Lens change frequency
- Photographic creativity and possibilities
- Only include lenses that get really used

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Last edited by Noisychip; 01-16-2009 at 04:23 PM.

[Gooshin]

i can only imagine the time it took you to setup this poll...


here is a tip from personal experience.

a. stop making these silly poles

b. figure out what you want by trying it, either buy used, rent, or borrow (get into local pentax enthusiast groups)

c. you can read reviews, and try to make your own educated guesses, but they should NOT be gospel

why? because until you try a lens, you cant appreciate its usefulness or quality, same goes for cameras (of different brands) and so forth.

i have a DA21 and an FA50 collecting dust, an FA43 not getting used, and a 80-200 F2.8 that hasnt seen the light of day

on the other hand an ancient manual focus Sigma 18mm F2.8 gets tons of use! go figure.

[KYPhotonut]

If I have my choice. (Actually they are on my wish list at Amazon, but so far I did not getting any for Christmas)
For Zooms:
SMC Pentax-DA* 16-50mm F2.8 ED AL [IF]
SMC Pentax-DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED [IF]
For Primes:
SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.8 Limited Macro
SMC Pentax-DA* 55mm F1.4 SDM
SMC Pentax-DA* 300mm F4 ED [IF] SDM

[paolojackson]

Do you only get 3? I would say DA* 16-50 + 50-135, plus 43 + 77 ltds. That's what I'm shooting for at least...

[jsherman999]

3 lenses should be: DA 12-24, a fast prime, and DA* 50-135.

fast prime: any of FA 35 f/2, FA 50 1.4/1.7, Tak/K/M/A 50-55 1.4 - 1.8.

There ya go. Then, get a DA 50-200 or M 200 f/4 for your longer telephoto needs for cheap.

Then you'll decide you need macro: DA 35 2.8 limited, DA 100 2.8. Vivitar 105, etc, etc.

Before you know it, you'll have a sig like mine. :O

[Noisychip]

3 lenses should be: DA 12-24, a fast prime, and DA* 50-135.

fast prime: any of FA 35 f/2, FA 50 1.4/1.7, Tak/K/M/A 50-55 1.4 - 1.8.

There ya go. Then, get a DA 50-200 or M 200 f/4 for your longer telephoto needs for cheap.

Then you'll decide you need macro: DA 35 2.8 limited, DA 100 2.8. Vivitar 105, etc, etc.

Before you know it, you'll have a sig like mine. :O

That exactly is the point!
I'm trying to avoid getting a sig like yours. The sad thing is that I'm almost there (there are quite a few lenses I left out in my sig).

Now I'm wondering what to take with me I hate coming back with a heavy bag of lenses of which I used only one ...

[Buddha Jones]

I like my setup so I voted for the zooms and primes to cover the range. I am missing 3 lenses to complete my 'kit' I still have to get the DA70LTD and I do plan on getting the DA*55mm and the DA*60-250mm when they come out as well. I wish there was a DA135LTD, that would be sweet. I shoot a wide range of elements so I like to have a wide range od options.

[Noisychip]

If I have my choice. (Actually they are on my wish list at Amazon, but so far I did not getting any for Christmas)
For Zooms:
SMC Pentax-DA* 16-50mm F2.8 ED AL [IF]
SMC Pentax-DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED [IF]
For Primes:
SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.8 Limited Macro
SMC Pentax-DA* 55mm F1.4 SDM
SMC Pentax-DA* 300mm F4 ED [IF] SDM

Certainly a well thought out setup, though not quite cheap. Have to get a Amazon wish list as well ...

[Buddha Jones]

And I would also like for Pentax to get off their collective rumps and put out the DA*11-16mm also please!!

[junyo]

Depends. Depends on what you're trying to do, how light you want to travel, how much money you had to spend, what/where you take pictures of. If it were me, building from scratch:
a) Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical(IF) MACRO - yep. it's slow, not the sharpest piece of glass in the universe and makes a lot of trade offs. But it packs the normal focal range from legitimately wide to monster tele in one lens. Throw it in a holster and go on vacation.
b) Pentax smc FA 50mm 1:1.4 - every kit needs fast glass, and this is a cheap way to get it.
c) Dealer's choice: either a wide angle zoom to extend your focal length range, or a fast (f/1.8 or better)normal prime replacement (28-35mm). If you tend towards Cartier Bresson go with the prime, if you like 'scapes and vistas go with the zoom.

Next purchases should be polarizer, decent hotshoe flash, and a tripod.

Not much you can't do with that kit.

[arpaagent]

Before you know it, you'll have a sig like mine. :O

Hah, well don't look at my sig! Although, not too much long fast glass there. Those are harder to get, but I'm working on it . I need to consolidate, but it's tough letting go of beautiful lenses

[heatherslightbox]

What I take on any given outing depends on a variety of things, but it's nice to have a good set of a few quality lenses that I can pick and choose from.

Cover the most FL: 16-45, 55-300, and 43, if needed for low light, no flash shooting.
Lightweight tele (zoo or wildlife): 21 + 55-300
Lightweight wide (landscape or street): 16-45 + 100
Butterfly garden: 100 + 55-300 +TC, if needed
Prime time (when lens changing isn't a problem): 21 + 43 + 100 + TC

I like having choices.

Heather

[Marc Sabatella]

That exactly is the point!
I'm trying to avoid getting a sig like yours.

Yeah, but the problem with asking lots of people their opinions is you'll get so many different answers that you are right back where you started: not knowing how to choose from among lots of options.

FWIW, the answer I'd pick isn't on your poll. I'd pick a 17-70 zoom for situations where I didn't want to mess with multiple lenses, and a set of three primes (wide, normal, telephoto) for situations when I didn't mind. So I'd have *either* the zoom *or* the three primes with me; seldom if ever both.

Variations might include the 18-55 instead of the 17-70 to save money/space/weight. The 18-55 is actually what I have, but if I were starting over I'd be looking at the 17-70's. I suppose some would pick a real superzoom over this, but if I'm going to spend that money and carry that weight, I think I'd rather have a really good 17-70 that covers 90% of my shooting needs. But realistically, the three prime set makes me pretty happy most of the time. The zoom is just for occasional use, so I think the 18-55 is actually adequate.

Which three primes? Well, the 21+40+70 set makes a really good starting point. If you feel you want longer than 70 for your telephoto, then get a 90, 100, or 135.

[Adam]

A walkaround zoom, combined with a prime short tele and a long zoom are what I generally use - the setup works marvellously and is easy to travel with.

My typical travel bag contains:
-DA* 50-135mm or FA* 28-70mm (Or the pancake, to save space)
-FA* 85mm
-FA* 80-200mm

The 28-70mm gets used when I feel like doing landscapes, cityscapes, or other wide-angle stuff, but I'm a much bigger fan of close-ups and tele shots. Also, please disregard the *'s- they don't actually mean anything

[Indianadinos]

Hello,

For the kind of pics i usually do (some cityscapes, urban shots, some still and macro, and planes), my setup is:
- Tak 24/3.5, 35/2
- M 50/1.4
- K 85/1.8
- Sigma 50-200 or 70-300, according to the planes (the Airbus A380 is too big to be shot with a lens longer than a 50mm ...)

Sometimes, i replace the Tak 35/2 with an FA-31, or the 50/1.4 with the FA-43 ...

Best regards