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12-04-2014, 07:38 PM   #2761
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rondec Quote
Well, I just turned forty, so not sure where that puts me.


Like Normhead I also thought you were, say maybe more my age... and old guy in his 60's and retired because of all the picture taking you do... So at 40 you're a young buck and if life treats you well you still have 40 or more years to capture images probably in ways we can't even imagine today... :-) And you do have the eye for it!

12-04-2014, 09:49 PM   #2762
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The DA 18-135 is only a little bit better than the DA 18-55, the main advantage is silent focusing motor and longer reach. In your position, I got the DA* 16-50 and later on the DA* 50-135. Very happy with my decision.
12-04-2014, 09:53 PM   #2763
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For harsh environments it has the advantage of a bigger FL range which I think is important because you don't need to change lenses as much. If I really want to shoot with my *s and it's harsh I'll put the 16-50 on one body and the 60-250 on the other.
12-04-2014, 10:07 PM   #2764
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QuoteOriginally posted by cbope Quote
I got the DA* 16-50 and later on the DA* 50-135
That's one killer combo. With these two lenses you can Take Over The World!

12-04-2014, 11:40 PM   #2765
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QuoteOriginally posted by sundoor Quote
I am also puzzled by the low light capabilities of DA*16-50SDM vs. the longer tele option of DA18-135WR to compress space. I like to shoot landscapes, scenery with people (for example city life), and portraits as well. What do you think, which one would suit me better?
Speaking about "normal" or short telephoto zooms, I'm not a fan of the 18-135 or even 18-270. Since getting my DA* 16-50, it has become my main travel lens (which remains mounted to the camera body most of the time), accompanied by either 50-135 or 60-250 (depending on where I'm going) in my photobag.
12-05-2014, 04:08 AM - 1 Like   #2766
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QuoteOriginally posted by sundoor Quote
Hi everyone!

I have a question. I have a kit lens DA18-55WR for light weight and general use + a DA*55SDM for low light scenarios and portraiture. Both are weather sealed, so I thought they will be fine. However I realized on my last trip, that no matter how weather sealed the lens are when I have to change them, it puts my gear to a risk. So I was thinking about a compromised solution for cases when the weather is so bad that changing lens is out of option. A little bit of this and a little bit of that but accepting the fact that a one lens configuration will not perform the same as these two separately. Plus after using the DA*55SDM, I was a little bit turned down by the optical performance of the DA18-55WR in some cases, so I'd like to look for a better image quality than that. So when I browsed through the Pentax lens lineup, it became certain that only the DA*16-50SDM or DA18-135WR lenses qualify my criteria (DA16-85WR does not because the tele end is shorter than 135mm and because it is a slow lens, the 50mm difference means a lot). If you were me, which one would you buy? I pretty much like the colour rendering of FA43 and FA77 lenses, I would bias myself towards the one that is closer to that. But sharpness counts as well. Which is the sharper lens of the two? I am also puzzled by the low light capabilities of DA*16-50SDM vs. the longer tele option of DA18-135WR to compress space. I like to shoot landscapes, scenery with people (for example city life), and portraits as well. What do you think, which one would suit me better?

Thank you for your suggestions in advance!
If you aren't happy with the 18-55 then you probably wouldn't be with the 18-135 either. It is a nice lens, pretty small for what it is with fast focusing and a really nice zoom range. The problem is that if you want a lot of sharpness, you will need to shoot stopped down. The 16-50 is obviously bigger, but has the capability of shooting at f2.8 (I try to keep mine at f4). Colors are nice and it has quite a bit of pop to its photos. Biggest negative is that it does flare quite a bit if you shoot right into the sun. It sounds like that would be the better choice for you.



A DA *55 shot.

(Mincemeat pie -- I don't understand why the rest of my family turns up their nose at it. My wife made it specially for me for Thanksgiving and I couldn't really get anyone else interested in eating it).

12-05-2014, 07:45 AM   #2767
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rondec Quote
(Mincemeat pie -- I don't understand why the rest of my family turns up their nose at it. My wife made it specially for me for Thanksgiving and I couldn't really get anyone else interested in eating it).
A tradition at my family's Thanksgiving dinner. We like to top it with hard sauce.

12-05-2014, 08:16 AM   #2768
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I love my 16-50 and 50-135. They were the first APS-C lenses that I got when I bought my first digital, the K10D. I'm going to do some night shooting tomorrow and the 16-50 is fast enough to use on the K-3 with it's high ISO performance. It has a very versatile zoom range that I like when going on a walkabout around town. Just my $0.02.
12-05-2014, 10:35 AM   #2769
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Sunset (DA* 16-50)


12-05-2014, 11:07 AM   #2770
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rondec Quote
If you aren't happy with the 18-55 then you probably wouldn't be with the 18-135 either. It is a nice lens, pretty small for what it is with fast focusing and a really nice zoom range. The problem is that if you want a lot of sharpness, you will need to shoot stopped down. The 16-50 is obviously bigger, but has the capability of shooting at f2.8 (I try to keep mine at f4). Colors are nice and it has quite a bit of pop to its photos. Biggest negative is that it does flare quite a bit if you shoot right into the sun. It sounds like that would be the better choice for you.



A DA *55 shot.

(Mincemeat pie -- I don't understand why the rest of my family turns up their nose at it. My wife made it specially for me for Thanksgiving and I couldn't really get anyone else interested in eating it).


Nice picture! I'm starting to get DA*55 envy...


Maybe the family thinks there's meat in the pie and won't try it because of that. So you're lucky as now you get the whole pie. AND... I can see that your wife knows how to make good pie crust which is the secret to great pie... Lucky boy!
12-05-2014, 01:24 PM   #2771
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One more from the same place (DA* 16-50)


12-05-2014, 03:14 PM   #2772
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QuoteOriginally posted by mattb123 Quote
In your position I bought the 18-135 for versatility. If I'm in a situation where I can't change lenses (dusty, wet, or snowy) then I want to cover the most versatile range so I won't be tempted to swap.
Later I went on to buy the 16-50 also. If I know I won't need a long shot I use that one. But for example as a ski lens, the 18-135 is really useful throughout the range and the longer end comes in handy. It's also noticeably smaller and lighter.
Hi!

I'm quoting this reply, but honestly thank you, all of you, who replied! I'm more confused than ever. My initial conclusion was the same as mattb123's opinion, but if the image quality of the DA18-135WR is almost the same as the DA18-55WR then there is not much point in it for me. Maybe I just buy something with ~135mm later... I was thinking about the 2 lens, 2 camera option as well, but I like to travel light, so that would be too much for me I guess. I like that the DA18-55WR is light. That's a very good feature of it. I examined my shooting habits, and I would do fine with a 24-90 range if the long end would have a nice aperture number as well. Too bad, that the FA24-90 is not WR.


Another question: Is it only me, or does anyone else have the same issue? My DA*55SDM lens is a bit hectic, when it comes to autofocus. I calibrated it and it seems to be ok, I just added +1 to front focus in my K5II but 0 default setting looked acceptable as well. It focuses fairly well in high-contrast or well-lit scenarios for single autofocus point, but when artificial light is added (that's only my guess, but I don't know clearly what's the root cause) or low light cases happen, then it goes to back focusing more often than not. But sometimes this happens as well, when it is wide open and the scene is well lit. When I nail the focus, the lens delivers, but sometimes I am a bit upset with the results, when I realized, that it backfocused again. This is the only lens of my collection that makes this chaotic behaviour, so I don't know what is going on. I even considered if I am doing something wrong. But when my subject is 10meters away a little camera movement/shake should not change the plane of focus this radically I think. I added a split-screen to my camera so I can adjust the focus if needed, but it is strange for me... Does the DA16-50 have similar issues?
12-05-2014, 03:40 PM   #2773
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I think the 18-135 is a step above the 18-55 (I didn't have the WR one but I think they are basically the same) and the DA* is another step above that in IQ.
It might help to think about the strengths and weakness of each and how they would apply to your shooting.

The reality is eventually I got both not because it was a mistake to get the 18-135 but because I needed a fast wide zoom as well. WR just sweetens the deal.
I use both pretty regularly depending on what I'm doing.

That probably doesn't help, sorry!
12-05-2014, 06:46 PM - 1 Like   #2774
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DA* 300 and the HD DA AF 1.4x Teleconverter on the K-3


White tail deer - face to face-1
by chuck_c 8, on Flickr
12-05-2014, 07:17 PM   #2775
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QuoteOriginally posted by chuck_c Quote
DA* 300 and the HD DA AF 1.4x Teleconverter on the K-3
Fabulous!
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