[Clicker]

thank you to everyone!
i have finally decided to buy the k5...! i will learn!

Just come back here and make everyone who told you to buy one...teach you how to use it properly

[vrrattko]

May I suggest the Pentax K-01!

no offense, but how can you suggest product that nobody tried yet ?

[Tada]

Thanks for the reply. After reading all the reviews of the FA31, I would love to own one. However, I had a case of sticker shock at the price. I guess I have to tighten my belt and start saving up.

[drugal]

sticker shock at the price

The first prime I bought was a DA 40mm and I couldn't be happier with it. Having said that, it's more a normal-tele so it rubs some the wrong way.

Try the DA 35 f/2.4, it's a good bang for the buck and allows you to more easily take pictures in low light.

Having said all that, I'd shoot with the kit lens until I got a better idea of the focal lengths that work for me.

[Tada]

Thanks for help. DA 35 f/2.4 does seems like good value. I guess I'll buy this for my upcoming trip. But you are right that I should play around with my kit lens more. I need to get better at taking pictures than depending on lens.

[telly0050]

+1 on the 35mm f2.4
i have one myself, and no matter how much i buy and re-sell lenses, i will not give up my 35mm
you won't want to use the 18-55mm kit again after u try it.

[gp1806]

Thanks for help. DA 35 f/2.4 does seems like good value. I guess I'll buy this for my upcoming trip. But you are right that I should play around with my kit lens more. I need to get better at taking pictures than depending on lens.

I don't know about your trip, but if you want to get the 'shot' and you don't have much time (like on a group tour), you may want a wide/tele zoom, like the Pentax 18-135mm. This type of lens gives you much freedom in composition in very little time. You don't need to zoom with your feet so much. I've been on tours where the tour guide moved us along quickly. I own the discontinued Pentax 18-250mm for this type of shooting and I like it. This lens is available used on the marketplace here and on ebay, etc. If you want a prime the 35mm is a great focal length to start with. I haven't bought a lens in a while, so I don't own any of the latest designs. I own the older Pentax 35mm and it is great, I'm sure the new one is too.

[drugal]

This type of lens gives you much freedom in composition in very little time.

Great suggestion.

I assumed Toda wanted a lens to give him really good quality at one focal length on a first read of his/her post, but now that I read it again ... it could be that he/she's looking for a good quality all in 1 zoom.

Toda, I'll bet you get great pictures with whatever lens you choose

[blind-bat]

no offense, but how can you suggest product that nobody tried yet ?

Because he's a screamingidiot?

[sterretje]

Can anyone recommend all around good lens kit for my K-5? I currently have basic 18-55mm Lens kit. But, I want to have a better single lens that I can take it to Italy with good indoor (Museum/Architecture/sight-seeing) capabilities.

I will more than happily do a trip to Italy with only the kit lens for the given purpose.

Having said that, here are some thoughts.

You might want to look at a faster (wider aperture) standard zoom for indoors usage. See e.g. DA* 16-50mm vs. Sigma and Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 Comparison - Introduction - PentaxForums.com which compares a couple of kit lens replacements. I think it's a better option than the DA35/2.4 for your requirement (single lens), usage and (assumed) experience.

If you come from a P&S, don't go for a prime lens (single focal length) as the only lens; you might get very frustrated if you're not used to its limitations. A DA35/2.4 will be a good addition to the kit lens, but defeats the purpose of a single lens solution and is less flexible (only fast at one focal length) which might be limiting indoors in a crowded museum.

Search for posts started by tony3d and the keyword italy; he used the DA18-135 on his recent trip to Italy and my understanding is that he was more than happy with its results; he did post photos so you can judge yourself. I'm not sure if he took indoors museum shots with it and I don't know how it performs.

Food for thoughts, I think.

Lastly, when you buy a lens, don't wait till the last moment. Buy it, test if it's OK and get used to it; nothing more frustrating than finding out on a trip that it does not work properly.

Enjoy your Pentax and your trip.

[Rupert]

It's pretty much been covered here, but your choice of the K5 is very wise. It is not a good camera, or a fine camera, or a decent DSLR, it is Magnificent! You can grow with it and not regret missing features not found on a lesser model ...and it can serve your needs for a very long time, delivering joy you have never known!
Lenses are addictive.....you do know that? So is the K5, Once you discover the Magic of Tav, you will be hooked Big Time!....and that is just one of many great K5 features!

Best Regards & Good Luck!

[Tada]

Thank you guys for all your help. I will definitely take all your suggestions into consideration. I am sorry OP, if I am stealing your thread. This is great forum with knowledgeable members. Hopefully, I can learn great deal from you guys and makes me proud to be part of Pentaxian family. By the way, I am a guy.

[Michaelina2]

...I bought this camera for my upcoming trip to Italy.... Can anyone recommend all around good lens kit for my K-5? I currently have basic 18-55mm Lens kit. But, I want to have a better single lens that I can take it to Italy with good indoor (Museum/Architecture/sight-seeing) capabilities.

Take your 18-55. You can never be too wide for Italy. Doing it again, I'd also take a DA 10-17. While its a 'fisheye' around 10, when you get to 17 it's de-fished itself. A really fun lens. With those two, you should be good to go.

Cheers...

[StepOne]

Buy a Sigma 17-70 and a Pentax 55-300 and you're good to go, while still having some money in your pocket.

[Jean Poitiers]

Bonjour,

Congratulations on your K-5 ... it's a steep learning curve IMHO, but it's a DSLR that you should be able to keep for years and develop at your own pace your photography style(s), etc.

I'm in France and have shot a lot of museum type environments (without flash) using my K-5 (and K-r) and the DA 35mm 2.4 AL with very good results ... very happy with this lens. I agree with everyone's previous positive evaluation ...

I do not have a lot of "expensive" or limited glass yet (other than a D FA 100 f2.8 Macro WR) that I can compare it to, but the 35mm performs well for me in low light situations. On the APS-C sensor, this lens is a "52mm" which I find is good for lots of shooting and not too tight for indoors either. Plus a fixed focal length lens forces you to think about the composition of your shot, etc.

Check out the reviews for this lens on the PF database page ... I do not see how anyone could go wrong with this lens - "best bang for the buck" ... or Euro or whatever.

Allez et à bientôt, J Frog