[dw123]

Hello to all with my first post. What a great place this Pentax Forums.

I would like to learn to take some high resolution photographs of landscapes and animals (including some macro work). I don't have much photography background, but have read a bit about it. I believe the glass is what makes the picture so I have studied in an effort to find good lenses I can afford. This has led to Pentax in a K mount as my choice for a place to hang the lenses. I anticipate buying a Pentax K 5 before long.

I have been gathering together a few lenses to use on the camera. My goal is to get lenses that have a 10.0 rating (or at least 9.0) for sharpness in the PF reviews. Please offer comments on other considerations I should make.
Here's the list of what I have so far:
Vivitar Series 1 28-90mm F2.8-3.5 Macro
Tokina AT-X 828 AF PRO 80-200mm F2.8
Voigtlander Color Skopar SL II 20mm F3.5
Voigtlander Nokton SL II 58mm F1.4
Kiron 105mm F2.8 Macro 1:1
Pentax 645 SMC A Macro 120 F4 (I have the 645 to K adapter.)

Also I anticipate purchasing:
Pentax 43mm Limited
Sigma EX DG Macro 70mm F2.8

Please offer any ideas you might have on other lenses and how I can learn to take good photographs. This might be a pretty big task, but my time horizon may not be as far off as it is for some. Thought I better jump right to the good stuff. (Can't afford the Leica S 2.)

Oh, one more thing. I have a Pentacon Six 500mm. Any ideas on how I might hang that on a K 5?

Thanks for any help you might give.

[eaglem]

Welcome to the forum. To ensure you get plenty of answers to your question it may pay you to post your questions in the Pentax Beginners Corner.

[dw123]

Thank you. I will try that. Still don't know my way around here. Do I start a new thread when I need to ask questions?

[eaglem]

Yes, start a new thread and ask your questions in it, here is the link. Pentax Beginner's Corner Q&A - PentaxForums.com

[maxfield_photo]

One thing I would advise is that the ratings in the PF database may not be totally objective, some of the lenses get 10s because they are great for the price, or the size, or because their owners don't have anything else to compare them to. I do however find peoples' impressions of the lenses to be very helpful, you just have to take everything with a grain of salt. I would do a bit more research when you find a lens that you are seriously considering. Try some of the lens review sites below, they usually give objective and quantifiable performance measurement. If you're considering a third-party lens like a Sigma or a Voigtlander, but it hasn't been reviewed for the K mount, see if there has been a review for Canon, Nikon, or Sony mounts. Also the lens comparisons done by the PF Admins are quite reliable, and you may discover a lens that you hadn't considered.

Pentax K Lens Tests
Lenses reviews - Lenstip.com
Lens Reviews - SLRgear.com!

[dw123]

Thanks. I appreciate any help you can provide. I'll look at the review sites you mentioned. I also found DP Review and Photo Zone helpful. Making good and carefully thought out decisions on equipment is a very time consuming process. After that it will be a similar struggle to get the right software and learn how to use it well so a pleasing picture finally arrives. Seems quite daunting. I'll keep at it slowly. Thanks for your imput.