Originally posted by BirdDude007 I want to set up my K-5 so that I have just one lens that I will never need to change.
You already received some interesting comments.
-EDIT- I realised that you ordered already, but leave the comments for others.
You have several options, and I would recommend to consider the followings:
- the DA18-135mm WR
- the DA18-250mm,
- the Sigma 18-250mm HS OSM.
The DA18-135mm WR is the obvious option. You can buy it new and it is rated WR.
The DA18-250mm/Tamron 18-250mm is another option. You can buy the lens only on the 2nd hand market (eg PF marketplace). But the lens has been regarded as one of the best all-around lenses across all brands for quite some times. It has a good focal length range and the lens is very sturdy. Whie not rated WR, many Pentaxains have regularly reported the sturdyness of the,lens in very harsch conditions incl. snow, ice, dust, mud,
The Sigma 18-250mm HS OSM is a newer lens and can be purchased new. It is wel regarded, but heavier.
There are some older Tamron 18-200mm and Sigma 18-200mm, but the IQ of these older lenses is sub-par compared to the above three lenses.
In any case, you must remember that a main weakness of all all-around lenses is the low light. In oor lighting conditions, these lenses will not performed well, except witht flash.
I travel typically with the DA18-250mm on my K-7, and I take a small ight prime lens for low light. In my case, a VL Nokton 58mm f1.4.
I hope that the comment may help.