[W.Scott]

Hello everybody, I need some orientation.

My only experience with cameras was with point and shoots and my cell phone (of course!!!)

But now I want to take it to the next level, and after a lot of research, I went for the Pentax K-5 IIS.

Since I was not aware it did not come with a lens, I decided to buy immediately the Pentax 21987 DA 35mm f/2.4 AL Lens.

I would like to know if you recommend any other lens I should get, since I want to take pictures of everything, macro, landscapes, sports, but I don't want to go over the top.

I appreciate your help in advance.

[gordon_l34]

Hello everybody, I need some orientation.

My only experience with cameras was with point and shoots and my cell phone (of course!!!)

But now I want to take it to the next level, and after a lot of research, I went for the Pentax K-5 IIS.

Since I was not aware it did not come with a lens, I decided to buy immediately the Pentax 21987 DA 35mm f/2.4 AL Lens.

I would like to know if you recommend any other lens I should get, since I want to take pictures of everything, macro, landscapes, sports, but I don't want to go over the top.

I appreciate your help in advance.

PM Sent

[ElJamoquio]

It's easy to go overboard.

If you're trying to do everything. .. you can not do it with one lens.

For landscapes many people like wider lenses. For sports most people like long/fast lenses... which is an expensive combination.

On the less expensive side, the 18-55 is a less expensive place to start. Perhaps the 17-70 isn't too much more expensive.

For longer lenses... the 55-300 is a good place to start.

Welcome!

[DSims]

Since I was not aware it did not come with a lens, I decided to buy immediately the Pentax 21987 DA 35mm f/2.4 AL Lens.

I would like to know if you recommend any other lens I should get, since I want to take pictures of everything, macro, landscapes, sports, but I don't want to go over the top.

That was a good choice. It gives good Image Quality and can be shot wide open (while retaining good quality) if desired. But of course it won't cover wider or longer needs.

If you can, pick up a used F or FA135/2.8 plus an FA*24/2, A24/2.8, or DA15/4. This will give you a taste of the different focal lengths, and the F/FA135 is fast focusing for sports. Plus they're all high quality lenses (with high IQ). Also get a Cosina 100/3.5 or similar lens for macros - it's affordable and still good IQ, like the DA35/2.4 you bought. It's not really a great substitute for the FA135, however, so get both if possible.

[Na Horuk]

Hey, welcome! Right now you have a good quality kit, but its not the easiest to use! The K-5 is an advanced camera, so the learning curve is quite steep. Hang in there!
What I would suggest regarding lenses is to think about a WR lens, because in bad weather, both the camera and lens need to be WR (otherwise water can trickle in at the mount or through the lens, yikes). So something like the DA 18-55mm WR or DA 18-135mm WR. These lenses don't have image quality and low light performance on the same level as the DA 35mm, but they offer a convenient zoom range and WR.

[clackers]

Hello, WS, well done on your choice - it's a pretty classy P&S you now have! :-)

You can use it similarly in Auto or the various scene modes.

When you feel comfortable you can go into P mode (which doesn't get much love from veterans) and adjust variables for effect.

Depending on how far you want to go with the hobby it can lead all the way to full manual control.

[Jean Poitiers]

Bonjour from France and welcome to PF, W.Scott ... The DA 35/2.4 is a great lens for the value and I would suggest that you get a "WR" zoom lens so that you can go everywhere with your K-5IIs. Hope to see some images soon ... Salut, J

[Kerrowdown]

since I want to take pictures of everything, macro, landscapes, sports

Welcome, that's quite a varied selection of photography interests, you will find that as you get out there shooting, the limitations of your equipment will become apparent and this will lead you into your next purchase.

[W.Scott]

It's easy to go overboard.

If you're trying to do everything. .. you can not do it with one lens.

For landscapes many people like wider lenses. For sports most people like long/fast lenses... which is an expensive combination.

On the less expensive side, the 18-55 is a less expensive place to start. Perhaps the 17-70 isn't too much more expensive.

For longer lenses... the 55-300 is a good place to start.

Welcome!

Thanks a lot! I will look into these options Preferably new ones, but If they are very expensive I am open for used ones. Do you know any reliable source for used lenses? I don't want to get ripped off. Thanks again.

---------- Post added 05-11-14 at 11:12 PM ----------

It's easy to go overboard.

If you're trying to do everything. .. you can not do it with one lens.

For landscapes many people like wider lenses. For sports most people like long/fast lenses... which is an expensive combination.

On the less expensive side, the 18-55 is a less expensive place to start. Perhaps the 17-70 isn't too much more expensive.

For longer lenses... the 55-300 is a good place to start.

Welcome!

Awesome! Thanks for your feedback.

---------- Post added 05-11-14 at 11:17 PM ----------

Bonjour from France and welcome to PF, W.Scott ... The DA 35/2.4 is a great lens for the value and I would suggest that you get a "WR" zoom lens so that you can go everywhere with your K-5IIs. Hope to see some images soon ... Salut, J

Makes perfect sense to get a WR lens. I will post some images soon!

---------- Post added 05-11-14 at 11:19 PM ----------

Hello, WS, well done on your choice - it's a pretty classy P&S you now have! :-)

You can use it similarly in Auto or the various scene modes.

When you feel comfortable you can go into P mode (which doesn't get much love from veterans) and adjust variables for effect.

Depending on how far you want to go with the hobby it can lead all the way to full manual control.

I started with Auto and cannot wait to get into full manual. But as everybody knows, you have to learn to crawl before walking and running afterwards!

---------- Post added 05-11-14 at 11:20 PM ----------

Hey, welcome! Right now you have a good quality kit, but its not the easiest to use! The K-5 is an advanced camera, so the learning curve is quite steep. Hang in there!
What I would suggest regarding lenses is to think about a WR lens, because in bad weather, both the camera and lens need to be WR (otherwise water can trickle in at the mount or through the lens, yikes). So something like the DA 18-55mm WR or DA 18-135mm WR. These lenses don't have image quality and low light performance on the same level as the DA 35mm, but they offer a convenient zoom range and WR.

Excellent! I will look into those. Any suggestions to where to find used ones?

---------- Post added 05-11-14 at 11:22 PM ----------

That was a good choice. It gives good Image Quality and can be shot wide open (while retaining good quality) if desired. But of course it won't cover wider or longer needs.

If you can, pick up a used F or FA135/2.8 plus an FA*24/2, A24/2.8, or DA15/4. This will give you a taste of the different focal lengths, and the F/FA135 is fast focusing for sports. Plus they're all high quality lenses (with high IQ). Also get a Cosina 100/3.5 or similar lens for macros - it's affordable and still good IQ, like the DA35/2.4 you bought. It's not really a great substitute for the FA135, however, so get both if possible.

Thanks for the orientation. I will look into these lenses. A friend suggested looking for them at eBay. Do you have any other suggestions?

[DSims]

Thanks a lot! I will look into these options Preferably new ones, but If they are very expensive I am open for used ones. Do you know any reliable source for used lenses? I don't want to get ripped off. Thanks again.

KEH, B&H, Adorama, and probably Amazon too.

eBay is much more risky, although you can still get a good used lens 50-70% of the time (I just don't like those odds)!

[ElJamoquio]

Personally, for used lenses I only use the forum here or Amazon warehouse deals (returned items). The lenses here are usually cheaper than other options. I haven't had a bad experience here, and I've had mixed experiences on eBay.

---------- Post added 05-11-14 at 11:41 PM ----------

If I was starting with just the 35, I might try to get a 55-300 (for wildlife, as a bonus the newer ones are now weather resistant (WR) if I recall correctly).

I'd then want something wide, like the 15mm, but the 15mm is expensive ($600? Higher?). The 18-55 is a slowish lens but some versions are WR, and it's cheap (think 120 used).

[DSims]

Personally, for used lenses I only use the forum here or Amazon warehouse deals (returned items). The lenses here are usually cheaper than other options. I haven't had a bad experience here, and I've had mixed experiences on eBay.

Sorry, I went right past this! The marketplace on this site is my favorite place, and I've bought most of my lenses here. But occasionally you can't find the lens you need here when you need it, or a less common lens doesn't appear for months or even within a year, so the alternatives I mentioned are good sometimes.