[saber]

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I am a newbie looking to acquire my first dslr. I have now settled on the k-r and have found the following offer from ebay for $850:

1) Pentax K-r Body
2) Pentax Da L 18-55mm Lens

3)PENTAX DA 50-200mm f/4.0-5.6 ED DA-L Lens - Designed for exclusive use with Pentax KAF-mount digital SLR cameras including the *ist D and the *ist DS digital SLRs, the Pentax DA L 50-200mm f4-5.6 ED lens offers 4x zoom coverage in the telephoto range. Further, the lens features an angle of view from 31.5 degrees to 8.1 degrees (equivalent in focal length from 76.5mm to 306mm in the 35mm format).

The lens also incorporates an Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass lens element (11-element/10-group optical construction) and two aspherical lens elements for true-to-life image reproduction and overall size reduction. The image circle in DA-series lenses is designed to perfectly match the 23.5mm x 15.7mm size of the CCD used in Pentax digital SLRs to optimize camera performance. The new design also contributes to a drastic reduction in size, weight and production cost, compared to 35mm-format counterparts with similar specifications.

Technical Details : 50-200mm DA-L Telephoto Zoom Lens with f/4-5.6 maximum aperture for Pentax DSLR cameras Incorporates extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass lens element and 2 aspherical lens elements Responsive Quick-Shift Focus System allows instant shifts from auto to manual focus Includes lens hood to minimize flare and ghost images; 4x zoom coverage in telephoto range Measures 2.6 inches in diameter and 3.1 inches long; weighs 9.2 ounces

4)Wide Angle Lens
This is a hi-definition black digital wide angle lens with macro. This lens features 0.45x professional high speed auto focus. This lens comes with a 10 year warranty.

5)Telephoto Lens
This 2x professional telephoto conversion lens has been designed to meet the highest optical standards for it's type in the photo industry. It has been crafted to work with ANY digital, still and video cameras. You just screw this lens on front of your existing lens or adapter. Optimized for use in digital equipment. Among the many makes whose products it fits are Sony, JVC, Olympus, Canon, Nikon and others.

6)16GB SD Memory Card + Multi Card Reader

7)Full Size Tripod + Table Top Tripod
8)Filter Kit 58mm
9)Soft Case for SLR cameras
10)Lens Cleaning Kit + LCD Screen Protector

Is this too good? Or are the lens really cheapie and bad? Should i just get the 18-55 and 50-200 and not bother with the rest of the stuff? Please help. Its so confusing with the hundreds of choices!

[Adam]

Got a link? I'm not sure what 4 or 5 could be good for! This sounds like an OK deal, but is the extra stuff worth a whole $150?

FYI, a new K-r with the 18-55 and 50-200mm lenses costs $699:
Pentax K-r Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm and 50-200mm 14650

[Dma110]

The wide angle & tele lenses screw onto the front of the reg lens. They are not
good quality & will not give decent results. Plus they can damage your lens
from the extra weight on the filter threads. The rest of the extras are cheap
garbage and NOT worth the $$. Buy the regular kit from a quality dealer like
B&H or Amazon

[saber]

Pentax K-r SLR Black, 4 Lens, 2 Pentax, 16GB HUGE Kit - eBay (item 320660757975 end time Apr-22-11 08:40:14 PDT)

[EricR]

Buy a kit with 18-55 and 50-200mm and forget about the junk accessoires in this HUGE kit.

[saber]

ok, should i be looking at the 55-300 or stick to 50-200? i cant find a comparison/discussion on other posts. Are the wide angle & teleconverters a rarely used item? If I were to get good quality ones?

[EricR]

ok, should i be looking at the 55-300 or stick to 50-200? i cant find a comparison/discussion on other posts. Are the wide angle & teleconverters a rarely used item? If I were to get good quality ones?

There are no good ones, only thing you put in front of a lens is a filter. Want to go wide, buy a wide angle lens. Want to go long, buy a longer telelens.

A K-r kit with the DA-L 55-300mm and the 18-55mm makes sense. Digigood has the kit for around $ 860 :

NEW PENTAX K-R DSLR CAMERA 18-55mm+55-300mm LENS KIT~KR - eBay, Digital Cameras, Photography. (Eindtijd 28-apr-11 16:25:01 CEST)

Only thing, they don't ship outside Europe. But I think you could find a similar offer.

Much better choice than the HUGE kit. Those lenses are DA-L, so a plastic mount, but otherwise they are really fine and optically the same as the more expensive DA counterparts.

[pxpaulx]

Spend the extra on the 55-300 absolutely no question.

[saber]

Cool. thanks for the advice guys. Really appreciated!

[skoobie]

With the 55-300. Abes of Maine had the best price overall for a little while.

Keep an eye on Adorama, B&H, and Amazon; if you wait you should be able to grab it for $750-800.

The 55-200 is a good lens, and more portable than the 55-300 (itself not exactly a monster!), but can usually be found for $100 or so used. I'd go for the 55-300.