Hello fellow Pentax lovers!! Looking for lens suggestions...

janesaustin · 12-18-2012, 11:08 AM

My first camera was Pentax 100 SLR, and she has been the best camera. Now I have a K110 and K5 and I'm looking for a new telephoto lens. I have a Quantaray and it was great on my film camera and it's good on my digital. But man does the autofocus suck on it. Any time something moves while I'm focusing the lens grabs it and then re-focuses. I can't afford one of the big fancy ones yet. So, does anyone have a recommendation for a good lens and place to buy one. I do a lot of bird photography and wildlife.

Thanks,
Janesaustin

Adam · 12-18-2012, 12:24 PM

Originally posted by janesaustin

My first camera was Pentax 100 SLR, and she has been the best camera. Now I have a K110 and K5 and I'm looking for a new telephoto lens. I have a Quantaray and it was great on my film camera and it's good on my digital. But man does the autofocus suck on it. Any time something moves while I'm focusing the lens grabs it and then re-focuses. I can't afford one of the big fancy ones yet. So, does anyone have a recommendation for a good lens and place to buy one. I do a lot of bird photography and wildlife.

Thanks,
Janesaustin

Welcome aboard! Trusted retailers include B&H Photo, Adorama, Beach Camera, Abe's of Main, Samy's, and Amazon. There are a few other smaller online stores as well.

What I'd recommend is the Pentax 55-300mm, which is quite good:
Pentax SMCP-DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED Autofocus Lens 21720 B&H

Of course, you'd need to get something more expensive like the Sigma 70-200mm to get really fast AF, but the Pentax lens should definitely be much better than what you have right now! We have a lens database on the site where you can browse everything that Pentax has to offer, by the way!

Noam · 12-18-2012, 01:03 PM

I have 3 telephoto lenses and can recommend them all.

70mm/2.4 Limited - I don't know if in your budget, and of course it is too short for wildlife, but as a medium tele it's simply amazing. There are plenty of reviews you can read, and many of them will tell you that it is outrageously sharp, has wonderful color and bokeh, amazingly small (even including hood!), and handles wonderfully. A must-have once in your budget.

F135mm/2.8 - I got it used on eBay and it is also great. Very sharp, focuses fast, built well, and also impressively compact, considering its focal length and aperture. Like the 70mm, it has a very convenient and compact telescoping hood built-in. It is very similar to the FA135. Both can be had often in the used market.

Sigma 55-200mm/4-5.6 DC - Yes! Surprisingly, this humble lowly zoom that can be had for peanuts can bite! I got it new for about $130 I think. It is now replaced by the more expensive but still reasonable 50-200mm DC OS. I think it has the best price/performance ratio of all my lenses - an underrated gem. It is really surprisingly sharp and contrasty across the entire frame, especially when stopped down a little. I also got very nice macros with it and a good diopter filter. Based on reviews and sample images, I'd say it's possibly better than the Pentax 50-200 (which I don't own), especially in the image borders. I don't know if 200mm is enough for you, but still it's a very practical range, and the lens is also very light and quite compact. It can be a good starter tele for you.

12-18-2012, 11:08 AM	#1
janesaustin Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 1	Hello fellow Pentax lovers!! Looking for lens suggestions... My first camera was Pentax 100 SLR, and she has been the best camera. Now I have a K110 and K5 and I'm looking for a new telephoto lens. I have a Quantaray and it was great on my film camera and it's good on my digital. But man does the autofocus suck on it. Any time something moves while I'm focusing the lens grabs it and then re-focuses. I can't afford one of the big fancy ones yet. So, does anyone have a recommendation for a good lens and place to buy one. I do a lot of bird photography and wildlife. Thanks, Janesaustin

12-18-2012, 12:24 PM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	Originally posted by janesaustin My first camera was Pentax 100 SLR, and she has been the best camera. Now I have a K110 and K5 and I'm looking for a new telephoto lens. I have a Quantaray and it was great on my film camera and it's good on my digital. But man does the autofocus suck on it. Any time something moves while I'm focusing the lens grabs it and then re-focuses. I can't afford one of the big fancy ones yet. So, does anyone have a recommendation for a good lens and place to buy one. I do a lot of bird photography and wildlife. Thanks, Janesaustin Welcome aboard! Trusted retailers include B&H Photo, Adorama, Beach Camera, Abe's of Main, Samy's, and Amazon. There are a few other smaller online stores as well. What I'd recommend is the Pentax 55-300mm, which is quite good: Pentax SMCP-DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED Autofocus Lens 21720 B&H Of course, you'd need to get something more expensive like the Sigma 70-200mm to get really fast AF, but the Pentax lens should definitely be much better than what you have right now! We have a lens database on the site where you can browse everything that Pentax has to offer, by the way! Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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12-18-2012, 01:03 PM	#3
Noam Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Haifa, Israel Photos: Gallery Posts: 74	I have 3 telephoto lenses and can recommend them all. 70mm/2.4 Limited - I don't know if in your budget, and of course it is too short for wildlife, but as a medium tele it's simply amazing. There are plenty of reviews you can read, and many of them will tell you that it is outrageously sharp, has wonderful color and bokeh, amazingly small (even including hood!), and handles wonderfully. A must-have once in your budget. F135mm/2.8 - I got it used on eBay and it is also great. Very sharp, focuses fast, built well, and also impressively compact, considering its focal length and aperture. Like the 70mm, it has a very convenient and compact telescoping hood built-in. It is very similar to the FA135. Both can be had often in the used market. Sigma 55-200mm/4-5.6 DC - Yes! Surprisingly, this humble lowly zoom that can be had for peanuts can bite! I got it new for about $130 I think. It is now replaced by the more expensive but still reasonable 50-200mm DC OS. I think it has the best price/performance ratio of all my lenses - an underrated gem. It is really surprisingly sharp and contrasty across the entire frame, especially when stopped down a little. I also got very nice macros with it and a good diopter filter. Based on reviews and sample images, I'd say it's possibly better than the Pentax 50-200 (which I don't own), especially in the image borders. I don't know if 200mm is enough for you, but still it's a very practical range, and the lens is also very light and quite compact. It can be a good starter tele for you.