[twitch]

For friends & family photos, family events & candids, the 50-135mm is a much more versatile lens than the 55-300mm. For shooting outdoor sports on a sunny day the 55-300 is better.

So it depends what you do most, however in hindsight I think I should have saved a little longer and bought the 50-135mm instead of my 55-300 as it suits the types of pictures I like take much more. Still, I hope to have a 50-135mm in my hands in the next month, and I probably won’t sell the 55-300 as it is good, but I just don’t use it as much as I’d expected I would.

Also, the 50-135mm seems to be thought of as the best zoom lens Pentax currently produce.

Thanks for all the info everyone, I have all the information I need, and whether I get the K-7 or wait till the New Model comes out, ONE OF THE 2 I WILL BE BUYING and maybe a k-x to go with it, since it seems Pentax has fixed the high Iso problems of the K-7 on the K-X.

On one other Subject: I originaly understood the K-7 was supposed to be the smallest or one of the smallest Pentax has ever made. I DON'T AGREE! Here's why! The 1st Pentax I had which was the ist DL was actually just I TINY Bit smaller

[glanglois]

Oh, and I have got a good one for anybody who really love their K-7
I was reading a PopPhoto.com Article regarding a K-7 Test comparing it to the Canon 7D!
Guess which won out in Color Reproduction?
The Canon had something like a 7.7 and the Pentax had a 8.4, which was said to be better. From Images I have seen look good
<snip>

I think you'd better take another look. On the PopPhoto color test, the measurement is the difference (delta) between the apparent color in the camera's capture and the "real" color of the reference image. The larger the difference (delta), the less accurate the camera's color rendition is.

So a K-7 with a Delta E of 8.4 is less accurate than the Canon with its 7.7 score - one that translates to "Excellent" and is as good as it gets at that magazine.

I think you'd better take another look. On the PopPhoto color test, the measurement is the difference (delta) between the apparent color in the camera's capture and the "real" color of the reference image. The larger the difference (delta), the less accurate the camera's color rendition is.

So a K-7 with a Delta E of 8.4 is less accurate than the Canon with its 7.7 score - one that translates to "Excellent" and is as good as it gets at that magazine.

thanks for the correction! I guess i didn't understand how those things add up

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Last edited by music_lover; 07-03-2010 at 02:11 PM.

I don't think in all the discussion about the 16-50, anyone has ever drawn a good correlation between the seller and any SDM problems. If anything it's an issue of old vs. new lenses. Your best bet is to buy somewhere that sells a decent volume so they turn over their stock frequently...that way you're getting a lens of recent manufacture. Your local camera shop may have had the same 16-50 collecting dust since 2007.

I got my two DA* zooms (16-50 and 50-135) from Amazon, and have had no signs of SDM problems with either. Amazon is a high-volume seller, and I'm pretty confident that their stock is always fresh. I would also recommend B&H and Adorama. All three places should be selling newer lenses, and all three stand by their products with excellent return policies.

Again, there's never been a sign that Pentax engaged in some conspiracy to send the crappy lenses to particular retailers. It was always the luck of the draw, but it could be mitigated by dealing with companies who are more likely to send you newer stock, since the quality control issues seem to have improved over time.

thanks, i may give one of those a go if i get the 16-50 otherwise i may spend a little less and get the Sigma or Tamron if they're any good.

Anybody using the Sigma 18-50f/2.8 or Tamron 17-50f/2.8 with any luck and how does it compare if possible to the 16-50f/2.8

I think you'd better take another look. On the PopPhoto color test, the measurement is the difference (delta) between the apparent color in the camera's capture and the "real" color of the reference image. The larger the difference (delta), the less accurate the camera's color rendition is.

So a K-7 with a Delta E of 8.4 is less accurate than the Canon with its 7.7 score - one that translates to "Excellent" and is as good as it gets at that magazine.

oh, and by the way, why is the K-7 PopPhoto's Camera of the Year if the 7d beats it in color