I'm Traveling, Want Inexpensive Telephoto Zooms : Pentax 55-300 Or Sigma 70-300 APO

Marc Sabatella · 11-28-2009, 01:26 PM

My thoughts on long focal lengths in travel:

If it's a new lens, sure, you'll find excuses to use it. Or, if you already have a long tele and know you use it a lot at home, expect to use it a lot not at home. Or if you're gong specifically to shoot wildlife, you'll use it. But otherwise, I woulnd't expect visitng a new palce would cause you to suddently develop a need for a long telephoto. The point of travel is to actually visit the places you travel to, not shoot them from so far away that you need a 300mm lens to see them.

I spent three weeks in Europe and took only a handful of pictures at 300mm - most of them flower macros, because shooting my Tamron-made 70-300 at that end was the only way to get maximum magnification. A Raynox 150 on your 17-70 would get you there just as well (assuming it doesn't vignette too badly), and really, I could have shot with my 18-55 and no Raynox for 1:3 magnification and done just about as well. I didn't fly all the way to Europe to take closeups of flowers.

OK, I also used the long end of my zoom for a couple of "stealth" candids of people on the street. But realistically, I'd have been just as happy having 100mm or 135mm as my max. Well under 10% of my pictures were at 135mm or longer.

ontarioexplorer · 01-01-2010, 07:31 PM

There is deal currently available from Amazon that would give you the 300 mm lense kit for a 644 $. This includes the 18-55 mm lense and 55-300. I think Pentax K-x 12.4 MP Digital SLR with 2.7-inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL and 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED Lenses (Black) is the best deal currently on market.

I remember seeing somewhere that 200 mm lens was a pretty good lens and most reviews would probably be based on the time when it appeared. It started showing its limitations at higher resolutions. 300 mm lens shows sharper images for the same camera. Most reviews on the kit lenses are favorable.

Damn Brit · 01-01-2010, 07:48 PM

Europe is no different from anywhere else. Lens selection has less to do with where you are (safaris and such like excepted) and more to do with who you are and what pictures you take. You've been shooting for a while, if there is a focal range that you're missing at the moment then that would be a reason to get another lens for this trip. If you're doing fine with what you have, then probably you don't need another lens.

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11-28-2009, 01:26 PM	#31
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	My thoughts on long focal lengths in travel: If it's a new lens, sure, you'll find excuses to use it. Or, if you already have a long tele and know you use it a lot at home, expect to use it a lot not at home. Or if you're gong specifically to shoot wildlife, you'll use it. But otherwise, I woulnd't expect visitng a new palce would cause you to suddently develop a need for a long telephoto. The point of travel is to actually visit the places you travel to, not shoot them from so far away that you need a 300mm lens to see them. I spent three weeks in Europe and took only a handful of pictures at 300mm - most of them flower macros, because shooting my Tamron-made 70-300 at that end was the only way to get maximum magnification. A Raynox 150 on your 17-70 would get you there just as well (assuming it doesn't vignette too badly), and really, I could have shot with my 18-55 and no Raynox for 1:3 magnification and done just about as well. I didn't fly all the way to Europe to take closeups of flowers. OK, I also used the long end of my zoom for a couple of "stealth" candids of people on the street. But realistically, I'd have been just as happy having 100mm or 135mm as my max. Well under 10% of my pictures were at 135mm or longer.

01-01-2010, 07:31 PM	#32
ontarioexplorer New Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 20	There is deal currently available from Amazon that would give you the 300 mm lense kit for a 644 $. This includes the 18-55 mm lense and 55-300. I think Pentax K-x 12.4 MP Digital SLR with 2.7-inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL and 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED Lenses (Black) is the best deal currently on market. I remember seeing somewhere that 200 mm lens was a pretty good lens and most reviews would probably be based on the time when it appeared. It started showing its limitations at higher resolutions. 300 mm lens shows sharper images for the same camera. Most reviews on the kit lenses are favorable.

01-01-2010, 07:48 PM	#33
Damn Brit Guest	Europe is no different from anywhere else. Lens selection has less to do with where you are (safaris and such like excepted) and more to do with who you are and what pictures you take. You've been shooting for a while, if there is a focal range that you're missing at the moment then that would be a reason to get another lens for this trip. If you're doing fine with what you have, then probably you don't need another lens.