Help me spend my money, which would be the best group of primes?

nfiduccia · 03-22-2009, 08:56 PM

Originally posted by flydelsolsi

I am looking to invest around 1000$ in lenses. I am looking mainly for a decent grouping that can decently handle portraits, minimal macro work, and scenery shots. I am currently working with a k2000 with plans to upgrade to a k20 in the very near future; I just want to invest in some glass first. I have the standard zoom type lenses, but am ready to upgrade to some quality lenses. After hours of research I've narrowed it down to the below list, and after a couple more hours I've researched to find what I feel is the best three lenses to represent the best overall versatile set of the group. Please tell me if I am on track or not before I drop this coin. I understand everyone has their own opinions on which lens is best, ect, but I just want to make sure from people that own these lenses I am not setting myself up for any overlap or spending my money unwisely. Thanks!!

List:
Fa 31mm
Fa 35mm
Fa 43mm
Fa 50mm 1.4f
Fa 50mm 1.7f
Da 21mm
Da 35mm
Da 40mm

Out of the list I have chosen:
Fa 43mm
Fa 50mm 1.4f
Da 35mm

You are getting some great recomendations. OK, here's how I would spend your money! I would first get the following 3:

DA21 ~ $420 US
FA35 ~ $300
FA50 ~ $200

This would cost you $920, near your budget and enable you buy an extention tube to do minimal macro. If after playing around with this combo, you will know what direction you next move should be. If you like wider FOV, you can buy the DA15/4 that will be out soon. If you like macro, you can spring for the FA100/2.8. If you feel you need to shoot more telephoto shots, you can buy the DA55-300 zoom, or perhaps several tele primes (DA70 or FA77, DA200, etc).

Another possibility would be to get the DA21, the DA40, and the DA70. This would set you back another $140 or so, but give you a great set of very unique optics. I personally feel that there is a bit of a "hole" between the DA21 and the DA40, not a big one mind you.

Finally, yet another possibility would be to get the DA21, the FA35, and DA70. This would cost about $1200. If you feel that you need something between the 35 and 70, you can always get the fast FA50 to plug the gap.

As you can see, there are alot of possibilities and to think all of these "starter" sets I mentioned use the same 49mm filters! We are really blessed to have some many small, high quality, and relatively inexpensive primes to chose from in the Pentax system.

Hope this is helpful! Enjoy your shopping!

Nick

HansenTsang · 03-22-2009, 11:55 PM

I like the 21 mm f3.2 40 mm f2.8 and 70 mm f2.4 combination. Then some where along the line I added the 31 mm f1.8 and the 50 mm f2.8 macro and I think I am pretty set. None of the lenses are too heavy or cumbersome to carry around in a small pack for hiking or traveling.

There is a reason why Pentax made those three pancakes.

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03-22-2009, 08:56 PM	#16
nfiduccia New Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 23	Originally posted by flydelsolsi I am looking to invest around 1000$ in lenses. I am looking mainly for a decent grouping that can decently handle portraits, minimal macro work, and scenery shots. I am currently working with a k2000 with plans to upgrade to a k20 in the very near future; I just want to invest in some glass first. I have the standard zoom type lenses, but am ready to upgrade to some quality lenses. After hours of research I've narrowed it down to the below list, and after a couple more hours I've researched to find what I feel is the best three lenses to represent the best overall versatile set of the group. Please tell me if I am on track or not before I drop this coin. I understand everyone has their own opinions on which lens is best, ect, but I just want to make sure from people that own these lenses I am not setting myself up for any overlap or spending my money unwisely. Thanks!! List: Fa 31mm Fa 35mm Fa 43mm Fa 50mm 1.4f Fa 50mm 1.7f Da 21mm Da 35mm Da 40mm Out of the list I have chosen: Fa 43mm Fa 50mm 1.4f Da 35mm You are getting some great recomendations. OK, here's how I would spend your money! I would first get the following 3: DA21 ~ $420 US FA35 ~ $300 FA50 ~ $200 This would cost you $920, near your budget and enable you buy an extention tube to do minimal macro. If after playing around with this combo, you will know what direction you next move should be. If you like wider FOV, you can buy the DA15/4 that will be out soon. If you like macro, you can spring for the FA100/2.8. If you feel you need to shoot more telephoto shots, you can buy the DA55-300 zoom, or perhaps several tele primes (DA70 or FA77, DA200, etc). Another possibility would be to get the DA21, the DA40, and the DA70. This would set you back another $140 or so, but give you a great set of very unique optics. I personally feel that there is a bit of a "hole" between the DA21 and the DA40, not a big one mind you. Finally, yet another possibility would be to get the DA21, the FA35, and DA70. This would cost about $1200. If you feel that you need something between the 35 and 70, you can always get the fast FA50 to plug the gap. As you can see, there are alot of possibilities and to think all of these "starter" sets I mentioned use the same 49mm filters! We are really blessed to have some many small, high quality, and relatively inexpensive primes to chose from in the Pentax system. Hope this is helpful! Enjoy your shopping! Nick

03-22-2009, 11:55 PM	#17
HansenTsang Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hilo, Hawaii Posts: 42	I like the 21 mm f3.2 40 mm f2.8 and 70 mm f2.4 combination. Then some where along the line I added the 31 mm f1.8 and the 50 mm f2.8 macro and I think I am pretty set. None of the lenses are too heavy or cumbersome to carry around in a small pack for hiking or traveling. There is a reason why Pentax made those three pancakes.