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03-05-2014, 08:44 AM   #1
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Confused on lenses

Good day to all! Am just new to DLSR and wanted to start with Pentax k3 which my friend is offering me with a super discounted price, however it does not come with a lens. What are my options of lenses that can be compatible with k3? I've been browsing the web, I just understand a little bit. Can anybody please help me understand what lens are compatible with k3? Thanks. =)

03-05-2014, 08:53 AM   #2
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It's all depending on your needs. But the PENTAX DA 18-135MM F3.5-5.6 ED WR Is a good start.
Tell
us what you want to photograph and we can give you more advice.
Anything that says DA -F -FA is fully compatible
Anything that says -A is compatible but Manual focus(PKA)
Anything else that is K mount will fit but needs more help from the user to get a correct exposure Manual Aperture and Focus
If any of the above are labled Q ,110, 645, 6x7 then they are not suitable

Last edited by Sliver-Surfer; 03-05-2014 at 09:01 AM.
03-05-2014, 08:55 AM   #3
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All Pentax K mount lenses are compatible with your K-3. From M (manual focus, manual aperture) all the way through modern DA (digital APS-C) lenses.

As Silver-Surfer stated, if you tell the fine folks here what your goals are, they'll happily spend your money for you!
03-05-2014, 09:02 AM   #4
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Pentax K-Mount Lenses Explained: The differences between various Pentax lens series

03-05-2014, 09:20 AM   #5
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Since you're new to DSLRs, I would suggest keeping it simple. The DA 18-135 would be an excellent all-purpose lens to start with. If funds are limited, go with the DA 18-55. After shooting with those for awhile, you'll get a feel for what you want to accomplish with your photography.
03-05-2014, 09:53 AM   #6
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Definitely the 18-135 for the first lens. After that the 35mm 2.4. 35 mm is a "standard lens" on Pentax, so if you really want to go cheap get it first. It's a quality lens that you'll probably use into the future. The 18-55 (and the 55-200), I would consider "throw away lenses" in that once you get a better lens (Tamron 17-50, Pentax DA 18-135, Sigma 16-50 Pentax DA 16-50, Sigma 18-35, Pentax DA 20-40, almost any other lens you can buy in it's focal length) you won't use it any more, and it's too cheap to make much money selling it. Where as the 35 mm 2.4 is a nice lens that will always be of use from time to time.
03-05-2014, 01:06 PM   #7
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That page would be handy but for one confusing item.

They appear to use the term "Auto-aperture" incorrectly (first column on the left), because they show the M and K series as lacking auto-aperture. Those two series do indeed have auto-aperture. Auto-aperture means that if you set the aperture to f 5.6, for example, the iris stays wide open while the light meter measures the light intensity coming through the lens, but gives you the meter reading as if the iris were closed down to f 5.6. The iris closes down to f 5.6 only when you trip the shutter. (http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/1589) Early thread-mount Pentax lenses were not auto-aperture, but later SMC Takumar thread mount lenses had a switch on the barrel to choose auto- or manual aperture.

However, the M and K series do not have the electrical contacts on the lens mount to allow the use of "shutter-priority" auto-exposure mode on cameras equipped with that mode. In this mode of auto-exposure, the user sets a desired shutter speed and the auto-exposure system on the camera measures the light, then tells the lens which f stop to close the iris down to when the shutter is released. The creators of that web page should have titled the left hand column "Shutter-Priority Capable" or something similar.

Having said that, to use an M or K series lens on a K-3, you have to set the exposure mode to Manual, manually set the aperture on the lens, manually set the ISO, then meter by using the Green Button. Pressing that button stops down the lens before metering the light, then sets the shutter speed for the correct exposure. After this process you trip the shutter. This mimics the process called "stop-down metering" that you would have to use when a manual-aperture lens is mounted on a film camera. You focus with the iris wide open, then close the iris to the desired f-stop, then meter the light to see whether your combination of f-stop and shutter speed needs more or less light.


Last edited by pete-tarmigan; 03-05-2014 at 01:31 PM. Reason: added link to definition
03-06-2014, 12:49 PM   #8
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Well you had lots a good advice already, I'll just welcome you the the forum.
03-06-2014, 01:30 PM   #9
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Welcome to the forum!
Great advice offered above. One thing to keep in mind... lenses that are FA will not only fit your K-3 but will also work on full frame cameras as well....including a possible Full Frame camera coming sometime in the future from Pentax.
I'd recommend the FA 28-105 SMC-Pentax FA 28-105mm F4-5.6 Reviews - FA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database. While it doesn't have the range of the 18-135 it is a great lens that you can pick up for less than $100 and can be used with FF cameras. Post some photos!

Example of 28-105 lens on a K-7


Last edited by peterjcb; 03-06-2014 at 01:36 PM.
03-07-2014, 01:51 AM   #10
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Bonjour from France and welcome to PF, lennon007 ... I would agree with Norm (normhead); the DA 35/2.4 is a great bang for the buck (known as the "Plastic Fantastic" - https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/196639-da35-f2-4-plastic-fantastic-club.html ) and shoots like a 50mm on a cropped APS-C sensor ... hope to see some images soon ... Salut, J
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