[Deimos]

NiMHs (Eneloops?) I presume?

nope just the stock battery pack!

[jolepp]

nope just the stock battery pack!

Of course :-) I tend to forget that the k-r has this now instead of the AAs ...

[djb21au]

Another reason why 'yes' to a K-r: daughter's gym display tonight and I am sitting next to a person with Canon 5D Mark II and some heavy looking lens. Next thing a case of 'big camera syndrome' kicks in and she is up on the floor following her son around at close range: she is clearly thinking "I have the biggest camera here so I'm the most important; never mind all the other parents with their little compacts".

In the meantime I got some decent shots in low light with my little Pentax while not feeling like a 'big SLR' jerk.

(Sorry, had to get that off my chest!)

And BTW, I picked it up for her at one point and it weighed a ton! More than my body plus three lenses I reckon.

[Welsh Dog]

the tampron 28-75 is HOT, costs about 300 bucks, that's a legendary all purpose lens... keeping aperture nice is big across the zoom, I heard the IQ is pretty good too. For the casual user, I honestly think that along with a nice fast (f/1.4) 50mm, and 1 long zoom (the kit lens 55-300), would make it very nice for almost all situation... oh and maybe a macro too lol.

I must be missing something because I've been looking around for a decent all-purpose lens and have never seen an 18 - 300mm lens for the K-r.

I've seen a Sigma 70 - 300 mm which works with the K mount... and a Pentax 55 - 300 which doesn't. I'm really looking for a decent (i.e. fast) long TP lens but so far 300mm is the largest I can find that will work with the body.

My 'impossible ideal' would be an '18 - 500mm' but if anyone can suggest any sort of long TP lens that will work properly with the K-r I'd be really grateful.

[jolepp]

@Welsh Dog: Check out the The Tamron / Pentax 18-250mm. This is not made any more, but second hand pieces can be had with reasonable effort / price.

[Hypocorism]

I must be missing something because I've been looking around for a decent all-purpose lens and have never seen an 18 - 300mm lens for the K-r.

I've seen a Sigma 70 - 300 mm which works with the K mount... and a Pentax 55 - 300 which doesn't. I'm really looking for a decent (i.e. fast) long TP lens but so far 300mm is the largest I can find that will work with the body.

?? I wasn't aware of a Pentax 55-300mm model that wouldn't work, or even one of that zoom range that isn't made in native K-mount.

Could you please elaborate with more details on that?

Btw; "Fast" and "> 300mm in zoom" are generally mutually exclusive characteristics in the consumer or even prosumer lens world.

One example being this below, for those with an idle USD38k lying about:
200-500mm F2.8 APO EX DG - Telephoto Zoom Lenses - SigmaPhoto.com

My 'impossible ideal' would be an '18 - 500mm' but if anyone can suggest any sort of long TP lens that will work properly with the K-r I'd be really grateful.

Hehe. :ugh: I suspect that range of zoom may remain impossible for quite some time yet, and even then, could take much much longer to become of 'ideal' capability.

Fyi: Sigma made a 50-500mm HSM zoom in K-mount, and a 150-500mm HSM OS too.

They are both known to "work properly" on Pentax K-mount, and, are generally considered quite reputable in both performance and value too. Some owners affectionately refer to them as "Bigma".

Both have now been discontinued I believe, although you might be lucky to find a new one still gathering dust on some outlet's shelf, else test the s/h market space.
Their announced replacement is a single 50-500mm APO DG HSM OS zoom, although I've yet to spot one of those (in K-mount) on the retail circuit yet.

Correction: seems like it is available now, in the US anyway, although I'd want to confirm that it's a current OS model before putting money down. Often Sigma lenses are generically described, but come with their K-mount variant missing OS (or HSM), while models for Canon and/or Nikon mount do have it (often at same price too, a Pentax owner rip-off IMhO!).
Built-in OS is a very desirable feature to have, for hand-hold, at that extreme. And Sigma have been moving to incorporate it over most of it's newer replacement range for Pentax K now.
http://www.adorama.com/SG50500OPXG.html

.R.

[Welsh Dog]

?? I wasn't aware of a Pentax 55-300mm model that wouldn't work, or even one of that zoom range that isn't made in native K-mount.

Could you please elaborate with more details on that?

This one for example doesn't seem to work natively on K mounts

Ryda Digital Superstore - Pentax DA 55-300 F4-5.8 ED Camera Lens ($639.85)

Their announced replacement is a single 50-500mm APO DG HSM OS zoom, although I've yet to spot one of those (in K-mount) on the retail circuit yet.

Actually I saw one of these in Sydney a short while ago for around AU$1,000 but the HSM is the problem... the K-r doesn't have it so it would be manual focus all the way!!

I have this sneaking suspicion it's all about the potential market and the price people are willing to pay for a 'name'. The Canikon crowd by their nature seem to have a lot of money to spend and there are loads of them so the lens makers will go for the larger market creating a self-perpetuating system where people will go for the more expensive body in part because it has the larger range of lenses... producing a larger market for lensmakers etc.

[kari]

Welsh Dog, you have a lot of misinformation there. The HSM Sigma lenses will AF on all the newer Pentax bodies. All new Pentax lenses are K-mount as well and you won't find a Pentax made in the last 40 years or so that won't fit on your camera.

[Welsh Dog]

Welsh Dog, you have a lot of misinformation there. The HSM Sigma lenses will AF on all the newer Pentax bodies. All new Pentax lenses are K-mount as well and you won't find a Pentax made in the last 40 years or so that won't fit on your camera.

That surprises me I must admit. I was told by the store I visited that the K-r wouldn't support HSM so I'd not get AF with that lens.

Perhaps I need to go and ask them to let me try it on the body and see what happens. Tho I might feel guilty about trying a lens when I know I'd be buying it from B&H or our local (Australian) Digital Camera Warehouse

Actually, having said that this one Ryda Digital Superstore - Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 Zoom Lens($1143.85) would be even better.

Tho it isn't the fastest TP around it would solve my most immediate needs and paired with the standard lens and a decent wide angle would solve virtually all my issues for some time to come and be be ideal for my upcoming European haunt!

Time to ask a few questions from the suppliers perhaps?

[jolepp]

At around 2kg that Sigma might not be an ideal piece to carry around?

[bsamcash]

Legacy glass, and better ISO performance is why I'm here.

Plus, I'm a film enthusiast. So if I ever end up being able to afford an LX, arguably the best film SLR ever made, I don't want to have to buy all new glass.

[pinholecam]

One very good reason :

Imaging Resource "Comparometer" ™ Digital Camera Image Comparison Page

The Kr still beats the crap out of so called equivalent and higher models like the A55, D90, D3100, 550D in terms of high ISO performance.


Not to mention the better price and features.

[robertzanzerkia]

Interestig thread...
I just purchased k-r and waiting for the delivery (who knows the snow might delay it :-()

I started with Canon film camera, Canonet G-III 17 remember those? back in 1978. My favorite little camera.

Later in 1985, my first SLR was Olympus OM-4, what a camera, with 50mm 1.4 lens and 35-135 zoom both Zuiko lenses (excellent quality).

In 1992 or so I purchased Canon SLR EOS, nice autofocus etc. Didn't invest too much in lenses...I remember having a 35-135 Canon zoom.

I got started with Canon A35 digital camera (p/s) in 1999.
Later go G3, really liked this camera.

First DSLR was Pentax iST D L with Tamron 18-200 back in 2006.
I went to Pentax mainly due to price and feature set. Also Canon lost because there was no carry over of old lense I had.

Hoping to build Pentax lense collection going forward.
Everything I read sounds good for K-r and looking forward to taking low-light pictures (I missed that in previous Pentax).

Robert