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04-04-2019, 09:48 PM   #1
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What lenses do you use on your KP?

I've just been reading a similar thread in the K-1 section here, and thought it would be interesting to hear from other people who shoot with the little Pentax wonder.

For me, I'm increasingly addicted to the Limiteds. So the small bag I carry for day to day shooting (a Crumpler Four Million Dollar Home) generally holds the 15, 21 and 70 DA Limiteds and the 43 FA Limited, in addition to my KP. Sometimes I swap in the DA 50/1.8.

When hiking in bad weather (which is most of the time in Oregon) I carry a small Lowepro backpack with two KP bodies and a range of DA* lenses: 16-50, 50-135 and 300, along with the DA 12-24. All but the last are weatherproof.

I have a few legacy manual focus lenses, including a couple 135s and 50s and an M28/2.8, but seldom use them.

04-04-2019, 10:06 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by bkpix Quote
All but the last are weatherproof.
None are waterproof, they're water resistant.
04-04-2019, 11:31 PM   #3
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I'm very like you Bob.
Around town I carry the 15, 21, 40 and 70 Limiteds. Sometimes the FA Limiteds may be substituted if low light is likely. They are a match made in heaven for the KP. I use the 35 Macro Limited much less.
On "safari" I pack the DA*11-18, DFA28-105 and DFA*150-450 (or the 55-300PLM if I want to sacrifice IQ on altar of weight).
I also have the DA10-17, which occasionally gets a gig, and the DA*50-135 and 55 for portraits/events.
04-05-2019, 01:28 AM   #4
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My walkaround lens is 18-135, I often add 55-300 for the cases I need more range and light weight.
If I know I dont need range I will take 8-16 instead.
Specific lenses such as macros or 150-450 are out only for dedicated photo sessions, I dont carry them so often...

04-05-2019, 01:52 AM   #5
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I have the Sigma 10-20 f/3.5, Pentax 16-85, Pentax 55-300 PLM, and Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro. These all fit nicely in my small Lowpro Flipside bag with room to spare. I have found the 16-85 is sharper than any of my vintage 50mm or 28mm or M42 lenses, so they are seldom used. The 16-85 is always on my camera unless I need to the specific capabilities of the others. The Tamron 90mm macro is excellent, very sharp. I am still trying to love the 55-300 PLM and the Sigma 10-20, not there yet. The bag has met the goal of being small, its always with me. My other system is the much bulkier Nikon D750 with a complement of heavy lenses and extra baggage to pack big lenses, too much.
04-05-2019, 05:49 AM   #6
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For me , the main one are the pentax 55-300 PLM and the Tamron 10-24. The other one is the sigma 16-70 I think
04-05-2019, 08:24 AM - 1 Like   #7
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I have the Sigma 150-500 DG OS for Pentax on my Pentax K-5 IIs, Pentax 16-85 on my Pentax K-3 II, and my Pentax 70-200 on my Pentax K-1 II. I have gotten excellent results from all of them.

04-05-2019, 08:33 AM   #8
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The 18-135 and the DA* 300 F4 with or without 1.4 Converter. Pentax 50mm F2 for night shots and the 100 mm WR Macro makes me very happy man
04-05-2019, 08:50 AM   #9
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My favorite combination was KP + the next limited lenses: 15mm, 20-40mm, 70mm (+ TC eventually). When I have no time to change lenses, KP + 18-135mm. When the volume and weight does not matter I have to me the 55-300mm too. Sigma 10-20mm and 17-50mm, I use them less often, usually for indoor photography.
But KP is part of the limited lenses family. The 40mm limited arrived 2-3 days ago, so the ultimate combination probably will be KP + 15mm, 40mm, 70mm limited lenses.
04-05-2019, 09:57 AM   #10
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When I just want to play around I take the KP out with whatever prime I fancy (15,35,40,70 Ltd or the Tamron 90mm macro). My favorites are the 15 and 35.

My one-lens solution is still somehow the 16-45mm F4. I've had this lens for over 12 years and it still produces good everyday images.
04-05-2019, 10:16 AM   #11
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I generally use the FA43 but I also love to use old M42 lenses as well. I have pretty good luck using the KP for manual focus.
04-05-2019, 02:48 PM - 1 Like   #12
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My main kit was the 15 ltd and the 20-40. The 11-18 just evicted the 15 from the Lowepro 160RII.
04-05-2019, 03:17 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Basie Quote
The 18-135 and the DA* 300 F4 with or without 1.4 Converter.
Those two (three?) mostly.
If I want small, the DA 40mm ltd, if I want fast, the DA 50mm 1.8.
My LBA has been cured for quite some time now.
04-05-2019, 05:58 PM   #14
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Obviously, the Limiteds are the perfect companions to the KP, but in the absence of certain focal lengths (or the absence of enough money to buy them), I've been going with any of the most compact primes I can find.

So far, the SMC 21 is my only limited, though I'd like to get the 15, 35, 43, and 70 eventually, but until then I've rounded out my range with the M 50mm f1.7, DA 35mm f2.4, DFA 100mm f2.8 WR, M 75-150mm f4, M 200mm f4, the Vivitar (Komine) 28mm f2, and the Sigma 600mm f8 mirror lens [and a couple of cheap kit zooms for backup].

As you can see, mostly vintage, mostly M series (great companions to KP), mostly slow apertures, and mostly sacrificing sharpness for compactness. My main rule for choosing lenses is to not take anything with a filter thread diameter larger than 52mm, except in cases where I wouldn't use filters anyway. It's kinda arbitrary, but it keeps filter costs down, lens weight down, allows full-frame lenses to work with filters on my Super Program, and I also just like the look of lenses that taper down rather than open up past the lens base.
04-05-2019, 06:10 PM   #15
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I use the same lenses I was using with my K-30 when the aperture control still worked
{except I got the newer version of the DA 55-300 since the KP can work with it}:
Sigma 10-20, DA 18-135mm DC, DA 55-300 PLM.

It all fits in the ThinkTank bag which the K-30 had been in for the past year,
and the K-30 and its manual lenses are in its original fraying bag.
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