Originally posted by Timea Hi guys, thanks for the great advice so far. I was thinking of buying the HD macro lens used, as yes, it is quite pricey. Will review the other options recommended!
Some comments:
- shake reduction is def on (thought of it and checked multiple times)
- I shoot raw and fiddle with it, husband does it mostly to post on fb about his snakes, so he shoots jpeg
- single point AF has worked best so far, yes, but manually selecting where to focus hasn't worked too well so far if it was not the centre point. It simply didn't focus where it should have.
Not the most optimal samples to show, but you can see some photos on my husbands snake page on facebook
here. The ones after mid-December are with the K-S2.
He says it takes him quite some tries to get the sharpness right,
Hi Timea,
I only used once the kit DAL 18-55 and DA 50-200 ( not DAL but optically they are identical) + Pentax-F 1.7x AF teleconverter with my Pentax Kx.
It was on my trip to Melbourne in NOV2010, I was not disappointed.
Melbourne NOV2010 | Flickr
Images are jpegs straight from the camera, Kx is a very enjoyable tool, still with my Family with both kit lenses.
After a short research I upgraded my kit to used Sigma 17-70 2.8-4.5 DC Macro ( non HSM) , absolutely loved it, you could practically touch the subject with the lens and image was still in focus.
I purchased two more of them ,both used, did a lot of traveling with them. Sold one, the second one did go to my niece with Pentax K-5 , the third one is permanently attached to K-30.
You can get them very well priced on the used market. Perfect for narrow old European Street and dark Churches.
Some photos taken with them:
Sigma DC 17-70 MACRO 2.8-4.5 | Flickr Sigma DC 17-70 2.8-4.5 MACRO | Flickr
By using fast zooms you can find out what focal length is most important for you, then you can invest in good primes.
I would not recommend DA35 2.8 Macro as your first Prime.
It is very sharp and well build but focusing could be frustrating while you are trying to get something in a hurry.
This lens has very long focus run from macro to infinity.
I also have newer Sigma 17-70 2.8-4 DC Macro HSM Contemporary, AF is a bit faster and silent but optically they are very similar:
Sigma C 17-70 2.8-4 DC Macro HSM | Flickr
Auto Focusing , in the most cases, I use central single focusing spot, AF.S mode, lock the focus on the important part of the image,recompose and take the picture.