[serothis]

Hi All,

I'm a current Nikon DX user and I’m about to jump on the pentax bandwagon. I currently use an D40x. It’s been a good companion but it’s having more and more issues. It is time to update bodies and I decided I wanted to move up to FF. The D750 was my top choice...until I learned about the k-1. And that’s what brings me here. I've been lurking for a while and browsing topics and reviews. I'm pretty much sold on the K-1. I haven’t purchased the K-1 yet but will within the next week or so.

Just a general forum etiquette question. Being new to the pentax ecosystem, I’m not as well versed in lens choices for pentax. I had some idea of which lens I should to get and I wanted spit ball some ideas off of you guys/gals but I’m not sure the appropriate subforum to post that kind of discussion. Would it be fine just to post it here in the intro thread? Or should I post it in the DSLR lens discussion forum? Or some other DSLR discussion forum? Or some other place?

Thanks in advance.

[Fenwoodian]

Welcome! I'm a former Nikonian too. Switched over about one year ago.

I have a pre-ordered K1 that I'm waiting for too. I've got a bunch of old, relatively inexpensive lenses that I'll be initially using on my K1.

I'm waiting to purchase expensive new lenses for the K1 because at this time, the jury is still out as to which lenses will work the best on the K1. I'm also waiting because Pentax will be coming out with some exciting new full frame lenses in the next year. Also, I have no doubt that many 3rd party lens mfgers (e.g. Zeiss, Voigtlander, Sigma, etc.) will be offering more of their lenses in K mounts once they see how popular the K1 camera is.

So, my advice on lens buying... Get some cheaper old lenses at first. Use them to get to know your K1. In time, buy your expensive lenses as more of them become available and more reviews are out.

[BigMackCam]

Hi and welcome to the forums. My first DSLR was a D40X Great camera, although I swapped over to Pentax when the K-7 came out. I'm not the type to say one brand's cameras are better than another - they're all very good - but Pentax works very well for me, and I haven't looked back. I won't be getting the K-1 - at least, not for some time - but I do make extensive use of a K-3II, K-3 and K-5. I tried the K-1 at a show quite recently, and was impressed.

Re lens questions, you're quite right - the DSLR lens discussion forum is the place. Also, it's worth wading through the lens reviews section and reading users' experiences of the various lenses. Just be aware that many people's scoring is overly generous and enthusiastic

Looking forward to welcoming you into the Pentax family... until then, enjoy the forums as a very welcome Nikon user

[Kerrowdown]

Welcome to the forum, if you use Lightroom you could look through your images and see which lenses you been using the most... then get similar focal lengths in Pentax.

[kp0c]

It would be fine to ask your questions here, I'd think. Worst case scenario, a mod will move your thread .

[BigMackCam]

It would be fine to ask your questions here, I'd think. Worst case scenario, a mod will move your thread .

... or the DSLR lens discussion forum would be better still... then we don't have to

[wtlwdwgn]

Welcome to the forum! Looking forward to seeing some of your images posted here. Even those with your Nikon.

[robthebloke]

Hi! Welcome! Spit any ideas out here, and we'll be happy to answer any questions!

Let's get the basics out of the way....

Buy at least one of the FA limiteds, or all three, which is what you'll end up doing eventually! They are lacking modern silent focussing, and weather sealing, but image quality is top notch, and the bokeh is to die for! Actually no, that is all you need to know

Well ok, maybe not. I love the K-1, but whether it's right for you, very much depends on what kind of glass you need in front of it. If you need video, then tbh Pentax isn't the best option. If you need ultra wide primes, then again it's not the best option. You know, if there are DFA or FA limiteds (or DA*55, DA*200, or DA*300, or DA560) lenses that meet all your needs, cool. If not sigma *may* be able to accommodate you, otherwise you might find a gap within your needs.

Ultimately, I love my k-1, but it matches my needs, so I'm happy. If you want to come and join us over here, we're a friendly bunch, and you'd be most welcome! I think most of us around here would agree, that Pentax has a few gaps in its FF lens line up right now. If none of those gaps coincides with one of your needs, then I suspect you'll love the K-1 as much as I do. If however one of those gaps overlaps one of your needs, then you may be looking for an alternative system.

Honestly though, aside from a nice ultra wide prime, personally I'm not missing too much by using a K-1. It leaves me with a big smile every time I use it

[kp0c]

If you want to experiment with cheap but still very capable lens, the da 35mm 2.4, although officially an apsc lens, does cover the ff sensor, maybe with moderate vignetting, but nothing too unusual. If you'd like a fast 50mm on the cheap, I can recommend the Pentax-f (or fa) 50mm 1.7. It is very sharp and has good bokeh characteristics imo.
If you want to taste some of Pentax's Magic, get yourself a fa 43mm limited.
For portrait work, the da 70mm also covers the ff sensor nicely enough, especially for portrait work, and isn't very expansive while still being a superbly constructed lens, tiny, sharp and all. Not the fastest at 2.4, but subject separation on a ff camera should be very good at 2.4 still.
For macro work, the dfa 100wr is a no brainer at the price it goes for new now.
For telephoto, the Tamron 70-200mm gets good reviews although it is an old design with screw drive focus (like all of the lenses I suggested already). For the price it sells for though, hard to beat. The Pentax equivalent, while being very expansive, is as good or better than any of
The other 70-200mm offered on the market by any brand. Ephotizine just tested it I believe and this were their findings.
For longer lenses, the da 300mm is superb, has built in focusing motor and is very sharp right from f/4 (wide open).
Beyond 300mm, you have to look a little harder, but the options are there. You could use teleconverter (not sure if the Pentax hd 1.4 is ff or not? I'm pretty sure they said it wasn't, but it may work well with certain lenses anyway - don't know.) the new Pentax-dfa 150-450mm is of course a very nice lens also.

Well... I got carried away there. Let us know what you like to shoot and what your needs are and I'm sure you'll get plenty of sound advices. (The new dfa-28-105mm is also a very good performer!!)

---------- Post added 05-19-16 at 07:08 PM ----------

... or the DSLR lens discussion forum would be better still... then we don't have to

Oups - yes, it would be better, of course. Fault's on me, don't blame the new guy haha

[BigMackCam]

Oups - yes, it would be better, of course. Fault's on me, don't blame the new guy haha

He he No problem, just trying to keep our workload down!

[pathdoc]

Hi, and welcome.

Consider what met your needs in the Nikon ecosystem (or would have if you'd stayed), then look for the nearest K-mount equivalents.

The suggestions you've been given so far are excellent. If cost is no object, there's a trio of fast f2.8 zooms to cover 15-200mm on full frame just like in Nikon land, a somewhat slower one from 150-450, and a nice weather-resistant 28-105 walkaround lens. Then, especially if you don't mind manual focus, there is the older glass, WAAAY older, going all the way back to the M42 screwmount era; and thanks to the in-body shake reduction, every single one of those lenses is image stabilised. You could bankrupt yourself trying it all out, so by all means pop over to the lens subforums and review pages, have a look around and think about what might suit you.

The K-1 is still a very new camera, so the Pentax community as a whole hasn't yet put the full range of glass through the wringer to learn its quirks and foibles, but we'll get there eventually. It'll be great to have you along for the ride.

[mwilky55]

Welcome to the forum! While I don't have the K-1 yet, I have quite a number of FF, film era lenses. The lenses in the FA series are especially fine. The 31/43/77 Limiteds are legendary (at least on this forum) but the FA50 1.7 and the FA50 Macro are also excellent. And the FA*85 is classic.

I also like my Tamron 28-75 and 70-200 and am hopeful they will perform well on the K-1.

None of the lenses I just mentioned are weather resistant, so you might want to invest in one of the newer zooms that Pentax just released. I'm sure you can find reviews of them here.

I heartily second the above suggestion to spend some time with the lens reviews.....I've found them very educational.

Best wishes.

[Unregistered User 8]

I'm pretty much sold on the K-1.

Hi serothis. Welcome to the Pentax forums. You are not alone with wanting the K-1. Many members already have this beauty, so any questions you have will be answered very quickly. A pretty friendly bunch here.

[serothis]

Thanks for the warm welcomes. I've been lurking for a litttle bit now and combing through the lens database.

I've posted new thread in the slr lens discussion forum with my musings on which lenses to start off with.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/321548-k-1-...ng-lenses.html

Thanks for the suggestions. A lot of the recommendations where already on my short list

[TER-OR]

Welcome to the clubhouse!

I'll put my plug in for the pancakes, though check any lenses for performance on FF before purchasing.