KS2 Lens questions. Beginner

Crazykev · 04-13-2015, 08:45 PM

Just bought my first camera. I just had a question on lens capability. Does this camera work only with Pentax lenses? If not, how do i know if 3rd party lenses will fit the S2? I was looking for a wide angle or ultra wide angle lens. I would spend the extra money on WR but there doesn't seem to be one. That being the case, I figured i should try to save some money. Im using this camera for backpacking and everyday. Suggestions would be appreciated as well.

SpecialK · 04-13-2015, 08:55 PM

Third-party lenses will say "for Pentax". You can also use "m42" manual lenses with an adapter.

Any Pentax "K-mount" since about 1975 will work. This is one of their biggest marketing slants - apparently they still need to work on it :-)

Sandy Hancock · 04-13-2015, 09:01 PM

As above.
For third party lenses, you will find an extensive (but probably not exhaustive) list HERE

**Des** · 04-13-2015, 10:02 PM

For backpacking you probably want light weight and compact - maybe DA 15 or 21 primes?

If you can live with more bulk and no WR there are plenty of good ultrawide zooms:
DA 12-24mm vs Sigma and Tamron 10-24mm Comparison Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews
Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 vs F4.0-5.6 Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews
I have the Pentax DA 12-24 and it's a premium lens. Should be labelled as Limited. [Edit: I take back this stupid last sentence - see below.]

If you want WR and 16mm is wide enough, consider the new DA 16-85 WR. Early reports suggest it would be an excellent choice for a WR wide-normal zoom. Only catch is that it's still rather pricy.

Another alternative would be the DA*16-50, but it is heavier and more expensive.

Last edited by Des; 04-14-2015 at 02:23 AM.

Sandy Hancock · 04-13-2015, 10:26 PM

Originally posted by Des

I have the Pentax DA 12-24 and it's a premium lens. Should be labelled as Limited.

Except it's too big, and not all metal

Add weather resistance and it might qualify as a DA* though.

I reckon the new DA16-85 might be a pretty good choice for your needs. On the other hand, I have only just started testing the DA18-50RE kit lens with my K-S2, and it doesn't seem to be terrible either - and they just about gave it away with the body.

TedW · 04-13-2015, 11:23 PM

This is an interesting question in regards to backpacking. I've done a fair amount of it. If I wanted to go small and only have one lens I would probably go with a 35mm or 40mm. The reasoning is that would give more magnification around camp or for many features. For those really large majestic views you can effectively create the wider angle by overlapping photos and stitching them together in post. The 35 and 40 are ideal focal lengths for stitching. Just some thoughts.

**Des** · 04-13-2015, 11:42 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Sandy Hancock

Except it's too big, and not all metal

Yeah there is that.

Ooops. (I should have just said it has high image quality.)

For the OP's benefit I would add that most newbies will find that 16mm is wide enough for most situations. I'd say before jumping in to an ultrawide try a lens that goes out to 16mm (or even 18mm) for a while and see whether you crave more width.

By the way, welcome to the forum and welcome to Pentaxland Crazykev. The natives are friendly.

---------- Post added 04-14-15 at 04:58 PM ----------

Originally posted by TedW

This is an interesting question in regards to backpacking. I've done a fair amount of it. If I wanted to go small and only have one lens I would probably go with a 35mm or 40mm. The reasoning is that would give more magnification around camp or for many features. For those really large majestic views you can effectively create the wider angle by overlapping photos and stitching them together in post. The 35 and 40 are ideal focal lengths for stitching. Just some thoughts.

Good points. Free stitching software like Microsoft ICE is very simple to use and effective too.

Last edited by Des; 04-13-2015 at 11:55 PM.

sterretje · 04-14-2015, 02:21 AM

Be aware of some of the pitfalls of older lenses:
Lenses with the Ricoh pin; they might or might not get stuck. You can do research on this forum
M42 lenses that will not mount; https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/176944-m42-...ml#post1844235

Going AF, some comparative reviews on pentaxforums.com
DA 12-24mm vs Sigma and Tamron 10-24mm Comparison Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews
Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 vs F4.0-5.6 Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

Crazykev · 04-14-2015, 03:29 PM

Wow think you for all the feed back. I got a ribz frontpack and a think tank holster bag and a lens case. Really hoping everything fits. Im going 2 lenses. the kit lens (18-35) seems great for everyday picture taking.

The 16-85 seems to be a great one lens solution but looks huge! Stitching sounds like an interesting idea but also sounds a bit more time consuming and inefficient or something like that.

So far I really like the sigma 10-20 for pentex. Thanks for the suggestion. Would i have to get a adepter for it? Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC J Autofocus Lens for Pentax 201109

Reasons why i like it: 1 it is 10-22 so i can kind of play around with it and see which size i actually like. 2 its a little bit cheaper then the Pentax HD 15 mm so i would not feel too bad buying a WR wide angle when/ if it gets made.

**Des** · 04-14-2015, 04:07 PM

Originally posted by Crazykev

m going 2 lenses. the kit lens (18-35) seems great for everyday picture taking.

You mean DA 18-55 or DA 18-135? The latter is much better than the kit lens.

Originally posted by Crazykev

So far I really like the sigma 10-20 for pentex. Thanks for the suggestion. Would i have to get a adepter for it?

No. Just make sure you get one with the Pentax mount (often called K-mount), rather than Nikon, Canon, etc.

Originally posted by Crazykev

Reasons why i like it: 1 it is 10-22 so i can kind of play around with it and see which size i actually like. 2 its a little bit cheaper then the Pentax HD 15 mm so i would not feel too bad buying a WR wide angle when/ if it gets made.

Good reasoning. A lot of us have agonised about the choice between primes and zooms in wide angles. I love primes for their image quality (IQ), compactness, light weight. But the versatility of an ultrawide zoom is great for situations where you can't "zoom with your feet" - like shooting trees in a dense forest, or standing on rocks in a stream or shooting when pressed against the back wall inside a building. And there is a huge difference in field of view between 10mm and 20mm. One prime (e.g. 15 or 21) would be far more limiting.

Two notes of caution.
1. When you get towards 10mm there will always be a lot of distortion. If you don't want to spend the time post-processing your images with good software (DxO ViewPoint plug-in for Lightroom or DxO Optics Pro is very good), you will either need to live with the distortion, or get a Pentax-branded lens and rely on in-camera distortion-correction of jpgs (the K-S2 has this feature, but it doesn't work with third-party lenses). That's a good reason to consider the DA 12-24, even though it costs a bit more (about $450 or so second-hand).
2. If you think the 16-85 seems huge, the ultrawide zooms will too! They all tend to be bulky because they need a wide front element (77mm in the case of the DA 12-24 and also the Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6, even larger on some other UWA lenses). Not always easy to stow in a bag, particularly with the lens hood reverse-mounted.

sterretje · 04-14-2015, 10:03 PM

Originally posted by Crazykev

Stitching sounds like an interesting idea but also sounds a bit more time consuming and inefficient or something like that.

The problem with UWAs is that it gives perspective distortion. You see this beautiful view with massive mountains in the background; taking the shot with an UWA will reduce these mountains to small bumps.

This obviously does not apply to every scene and is also a very personal preference.

**clackers** · 04-15-2015, 06:38 PM

Congratulations on your first camera, CrazyKev - you're exactly who the K-S2 was intended for, hope you have a lot of fun learning photography on it.

I have the Sigma 10-20 as a wide angle zoom and really enjoy using it.

As an alternative, you might like a prime to be your wide lens - DA15 or DA21 for small size, Samyang 14mm for large.

**ellicottva** · 06-19-2015, 06:48 AM

Just received my KS-2 with 18-135 zoom! However still waiting on my SCXD card from Amazon! Spent all night playing with learning to get correct exposure levels using Av, Tv and Manual settings. Still learning as this is my first DSLR! I hope I'm on the right track. Man I can't wait to see some actual pictures soon! Thank you to Pentax Forum for providing an exciting platform for newbies like me!

abe · 06-21-2015, 11:57 PM

Originally posted by ellicottva

Just received my KS-2 with 18-135 zoom! However still waiting on my SCXD card from Amazon! Spent all night playing with learning to get correct exposure levels using Av, Tv and Manual settings. Still learning as this is my first DSLR! I hope I'm on the right track. Man I can't wait to see some actual pictures soon! Thank you to Pentax Forum for providing an exciting platform for newbies like me!

Cool, I'm in a similar situation to you although I also bought a 50 mm prime. I'm using it a lot at the moment to learn composition while wandering around the cities I'm visiting. It's cheap and small so it's aso convenient.

**ellicottva** · 06-22-2015, 06:15 AM

One quick question for you guys. I have a 64 GB SDXC card for my new KS-2. I have taken a few pictures that I want to transfer to my Macbook. However, when I insert the SD card into my laptop, it doesn't even recognize it's existence. So I am totally lost as to how I should transfer images so I could give post processing a try. Please help.

04-13-2015, 08:45 PM	#1
Crazykev New Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 3	KS2 Lens questions. Beginner Just bought my first camera. I just had a question on lens capability. Does this camera work only with Pentax lenses? If not, how do i know if 3rd party lenses will fit the S2? I was looking for a wide angle or ultra wide angle lens. I would spend the extra money on WR but there doesn't seem to be one. That being the case, I figured i should try to save some money. Im using this camera for backpacking and everyday. Suggestions would be appreciated as well.

04-13-2015, 10:26 PM	#5
Sandy Hancock Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,275	Originally posted by Des I have the Pentax DA 12-24 and it's a premium lens. Should be labelled as Limited. Except it's too big, and not all metal Add weather resistance and it might qualify as a DA* though. I reckon the new DA16-85 might be a pretty good choice for your needs. On the other hand, I have only just started testing the DA18-50RE kit lens with my K-S2, and it doesn't seem to be terrible either - and they just about gave it away with the body. Last edited by Sandy Hancock; 04-13-2015 at 10:33 PM.

04-14-2015, 04:07 PM	#10
Des Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Victoria Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 6,424	Originally posted by Crazykev m going 2 lenses. the kit lens (18-35) seems great for everyday picture taking. You mean DA 18-55 or DA 18-135? The latter is much better than the kit lens. Originally posted by Crazykev So far I really like the sigma 10-20 for pentex. Thanks for the suggestion. Would i have to get a adepter for it? No. Just make sure you get one with the Pentax mount (often called K-mount), rather than Nikon, Canon, etc. Originally posted by Crazykev Reasons why i like it: 1 it is 10-22 so i can kind of play around with it and see which size i actually like. 2 its a little bit cheaper then the Pentax HD 15 mm so i would not feel too bad buying a WR wide angle when/ if it gets made. Good reasoning. A lot of us have agonised about the choice between primes and zooms in wide angles. I love primes for their image quality (IQ), compactness, light weight. But the versatility of an ultrawide zoom is great for situations where you can't "zoom with your feet" - like shooting trees in a dense forest, or standing on rocks in a stream or shooting when pressed against the back wall inside a building. And there is a huge difference in field of view between 10mm and 20mm. One prime (e.g. 15 or 21) would be far more limiting. Two notes of caution. 1. When you get towards 10mm there will always be a lot of distortion. If you don't want to spend the time post-processing your images with good software (DxO ViewPoint plug-in for Lightroom or DxO Optics Pro is very good), you will either need to live with the distortion, or get a Pentax-branded lens and rely on in-camera distortion-correction of jpgs (the K-S2 has this feature, but it doesn't work with third-party lenses). That's a good reason to consider the DA 12-24, even though it costs a bit more (about $450 or so second-hand). 2. If you think the 16-85 seems huge, the ultrawide zooms will too! They all tend to be bulky because they need a wide front element (77mm in the case of the DA 12-24 and also the Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6, even larger on some other UWA lenses). Not always easy to stow in a bag, particularly with the lens hood reverse-mounted. Last edited by Des; 04-15-2015 at 07:48 PM.

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04-13-2015, 08:55 PM	#2
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,482	Third-party lenses will say "for Pentax". You can also use "m42" manual lenses with an adapter. Any Pentax "K-mount" since about 1975 will work. This is one of their biggest marketing slants - apparently they still need to work on it :-)

04-13-2015, 09:01 PM	#3
Sandy Hancock Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,275	As above. For third party lenses, you will find an extensive (but probably not exhaustive) list HERE

04-13-2015, 10:02 PM	#4
Des Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Victoria Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 6,424	For backpacking you probably want light weight and compact - maybe DA 15 or 21 primes? If you can live with more bulk and no WR there are plenty of good ultrawide zooms: DA 12-24mm vs Sigma and Tamron 10-24mm Comparison Review - Introduction \| PentaxForums.com Reviews Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 vs F4.0-5.6 Review - Introduction \| PentaxForums.com Reviews I have the Pentax DA 12-24 and it's a premium lens. Should be labelled as Limited. [Edit: I take back this stupid last sentence - see below.] If you want WR and 16mm is wide enough, consider the new DA 16-85 WR. Early reports suggest it would be an excellent choice for a WR wide-normal zoom. Only catch is that it's still rather pricy. Another alternative would be the DA16-50, but it is heavier and more expensive. Last edited by Des; 04-14-2015 at 02:23 AM.*

04-13-2015, 11:23 PM	#6
TedW Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 241	This is an interesting question in regards to backpacking. I've done a fair amount of it. If I wanted to go small and only have one lens I would probably go with a 35mm or 40mm. The reasoning is that would give more magnification around camp or for many features. For those really large majestic views you can effectively create the wider angle by overlapping photos and stitching them together in post. The 35 and 40 are ideal focal lengths for stitching. Just some thoughts.

04-13-2015, 11:42 PM - 1 Like	#7
Des Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Victoria Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 6,424	Originally posted by Sandy Hancock Except it's too big, and not all metal Yeah there is that. Ooops. (I should have just said it has high image quality.) For the OP's benefit I would add that most newbies will find that 16mm is wide enough for most situations. I'd say before jumping in to an ultrawide try a lens that goes out to 16mm (or even 18mm) for a while and see whether you crave more width. By the way, welcome to the forum and welcome to Pentaxland Crazykev. The natives are friendly. ---------- Post added 04-14-15 at 04:58 PM ---------- Originally posted by TedW This is an interesting question in regards to backpacking. I've done a fair amount of it. If I wanted to go small and only have one lens I would probably go with a 35mm or 40mm. The reasoning is that would give more magnification around camp or for many features. For those really large majestic views you can effectively create the wider angle by overlapping photos and stitching them together in post. The 35 and 40 are ideal focal lengths for stitching. Just some thoughts. Good points. Free stitching software like Microsoft ICE is very simple to use and effective too. Last edited by Des; 04-13-2015 at 11:55 PM.

04-14-2015, 02:21 AM	#8
sterretje Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Roodepoort, South Africa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,561	Be aware of some of the pitfalls of older lenses: Lenses with the Ricoh pin; they might or might not get stuck. You can do research on this forum M42 lenses that will not mount; https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/176944-m42-...ml#post1844235 Going AF, some comparative reviews on pentaxforums.com DA 12-24mm vs Sigma and Tamron 10-24mm Comparison Review - Introduction \| PentaxForums.com Reviews Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 vs F4.0-5.6 Review - Introduction \| PentaxForums.com Reviews

04-14-2015, 03:29 PM	#9
Crazykev New Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 3 Original Poster	Wow think you for all the feed back. I got a ribz frontpack and a think tank holster bag and a lens case. Really hoping everything fits. Im going 2 lenses. the kit lens (18-35) seems great for everyday picture taking. The 16-85 seems to be a great one lens solution but looks huge! Stitching sounds like an interesting idea but also sounds a bit more time consuming and inefficient or something like that. So far I really like the sigma 10-20 for pentex. Thanks for the suggestion. Would i have to get a adepter for it? Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC J Autofocus Lens for Pentax 201109 Reasons why i like it: 1 it is 10-22 so i can kind of play around with it and see which size i actually like. 2 its a little bit cheaper then the Pentax HD 15 mm so i would not feel too bad buying a WR wide angle when/ if it gets made.

04-14-2015, 10:03 PM	#11
sterretje Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Roodepoort, South Africa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,561	Originally posted by Crazykev Stitching sounds like an interesting idea but also sounds a bit more time consuming and inefficient or something like that. The problem with UWAs is that it gives perspective distortion. You see this beautiful view with massive mountains in the background; taking the shot with an UWA will reduce these mountains to small bumps. This obviously does not apply to every scene and is also a very personal preference.

04-15-2015, 06:38 PM	#12
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Congratulations on your first camera, CrazyKev - you're exactly who the K-S2 was intended for, hope you have a lot of fun learning photography on it. I have the Sigma 10-20 as a wide angle zoom and really enjoy using it. As an alternative, you might like a prime to be your wide lens - DA15 or DA21 for small size, Samyang 14mm for large.

06-19-2015, 06:48 AM	#13
ellicottva Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 76	Just received my KS-2 with 18-135 zoom! However still waiting on my SCXD card from Amazon! Spent all night playing with learning to get correct exposure levels using Av, Tv and Manual settings. Still learning as this is my first DSLR! I hope I'm on the right track. Man I can't wait to see some actual pictures soon! Thank you to Pentax Forum for providing an exciting platform for newbies like me!

06-21-2015, 11:57 PM	#14
abe New Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Bogotá Posts: 17	Originally posted by ellicottva Just received my KS-2 with 18-135 zoom! However still waiting on my SCXD card from Amazon! Spent all night playing with learning to get correct exposure levels using Av, Tv and Manual settings. Still learning as this is my first DSLR! I hope I'm on the right track. Man I can't wait to see some actual pictures soon! Thank you to Pentax Forum for providing an exciting platform for newbies like me! Cool, I'm in a similar situation to you although I also bought a 50 mm prime. I'm using it a lot at the moment to learn composition while wandering around the cities I'm visiting. It's cheap and small so it's aso convenient.

06-22-2015, 06:15 AM	#15
ellicottva Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 76	One quick question for you guys. I have a 64 GB SDXC card for my new KS-2. I have taken a few pictures that I want to transfer to my Macbook. However, when I insert the SD card into my laptop, it doesn't even recognize it's existence. So I am totally lost as to how I should transfer images so I could give post processing a try. Please help.