[lauravp77]

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There are cheaper lenses to do the same thing. I have a Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm cost me around $139. There's the older Pentax M-100mm f4 Macro lens at around $100.
I started out in macro using closeup filters, usually very cheap, under $60. And then there is the Raynox adapters, a DCR-150 and DCR-250, these can be had for under $100 too. They work pretty good for macros. Take a look in this Forum.

I will definitely check out that forum! The shots I am after right now are close-ups of flowers, insects (dragonflies, butterfly’s, and bees (mainly)), and I'd love to get some aerial shots of birds of prey. Perhaps I should be checking out ebay and amazon, instead of Henry's camera store.. lol I just wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for, so I tried them first.

[photolady95]

We also have dedicated forums for insects, and birds , BIF (birds in flight). The biggest insect thread is in my signature, Show me your insects. Check them out. Lots of dragonflies, butterflies and bees but other insects too. There is another Butterfly thread, dedicated to only butterflies/moths.

Besides ebay and amazon, check the used departments at B&H and Adorama. Both ship to Canada.

[lauravp77]

We also have dedicated forums for insects, and birds , BIF (birds in flight). The biggest insect thread is in my signature, Show me your insects. Check them out. Lots of dragonflies, butterflies and bees but other insects too. There is another Butterfly thread, dedicated to only butterflies/moths.

Besides ebay and amazon, check the used departments at B&H and Adorama. Both ship to Canada.

I found a lens on Adorama for $200. It's a 135mm. Would that be good for BIFs and macros? I'll post the link below.

Mitkon Creator 135mm f/2.8 Version II for Pentax K Mount

[bobbotron]

I actually went to see about a macro close-up lens yesterday.. I was shocked that it was $650! lol Well at little anyways. I figured they might be cheaper, being that it's an older camera. Long story short, I can't afford new lenses right now D: Hopefully in the near future!

---------- Post added 08-18-16 at 06:14 AM ----------


Brampton is okay, but I really want to flee the city lol I was raised in the country, and it never left me. We were just up camping at Awenda Provincial Park. I grew up in Penetanguishene. We also took a day trip to Tobermory and crossed over to South Baymouth, Manitoulin Island on the Chi-Cheemaun. It was nearly heart-breaking to return here. I got some great shots up there at least

---------- Post added 08-18-16 at 06:15 AM ----------


I have just set it to M mode Now to search the manual for some basics!

Welcome from Ottawa! :-)

Pentax hasn't changed their lens mount in a long time, so your old camera can use anything from the latest lenses to 40 year old lenses with no adapter. They're pretty great that way!

[normhead]

I actually went to see about a macro close-up lens yesterday.. I was shocked that it was $650! lol Well at little anyways. I figured they might be cheaper, being that it's an older camera. Long story short, I can't afford new lenses right now D: Hopefully in the near future!

Here's one for half that price... one of the best at that. If you offer him $350 CAD, I bet he takes it.
New Tamron AF 90mm F 2 8 Di SP Macro Lens for Pentax DSLR Cameras 272EP 725211727149 | eBay

The thing with these macro lenses of all sorts and descriptions, is, they tend to be so sharp, you end up using them for everything. Think of it as a lens you can just leave on your camera.

[photolady95]

I found a lens on Adorama for $200. It's a 135mm. Would that be good for BIFs and macros?

That would work for macros if you added closeup filter lenses or a Raynox DCR-150. But dedicated macro, no. For BIF it wouldn't be long enough. And since it's not an "A" lens, you'd have to use the Green button on your camera.

A lens with at least 200mm should be good for BIF. Anything over that would work too. You might want to check out the Takumar lenses as well, the long ranges such as 200 -300mm are fairly cheap. Though they a M42 (screw mount), with a Pentax M42 adapter, you can still use them on your K10.

[bobbotron]

Here's one for half that price... one of the best at that. If you offer him $350 CAD, I bet he takes it.
New Tamron AF 90mm F 2 8 Di SP Macro Lens for Pentax DSLR Cameras 272EP 725211727149 | eBay

The thing with these macro lenses of all sorts and descriptions, is, they tend to be so sharp, you end up using them for everything. Think of it as a lens you can just leave on your camera.

The man speaks the truth, my DFA 100mm (non WR) macro is a great all around lens! (Photos if you're interested.)

[lauravp77]

Here's one for half that price... one of the best at that. If you offer him $350 CAD, I bet he takes it.
New Tamron AF 90mm F 2 8 Di SP Macro Lens for Pentax DSLR Cameras 272EP 725211727149 | eBay

The thing with these macro lenses of all sorts and descriptions, is, they tend to be so sharp, you end up using them for everything. Think of it as a lens you can just leave on your camera.

I'm torn. It seems like a really good lens, and I trust your opinion on it. He only has 2 left, but money is a bit short right now. I could cc it and pay it off later, and perhaps some of my art photog will sell. Decisions, decisions.

[BigMackCam]

I'm torn. It seems like a really good lens, and I trust your opinion on it. He only has 2 left, but money is a bit short right now. I could cc it and pay it off later, and perhaps some of my art photog will sell. Decisions, decisions.

Honestly, I would wait. Maybe get a set of low cost close-up filters to use with your 28-200 for now, and spend some time learning with just that lens. When you can more easily afford it, and when you know for sure from research and experience what you need or want, that's when to splash out on the new lens

[pathdoc]

Hi, Laura, and welcome.

You've got a great starter kit there, and in particular that superzoom is an excellent way to try out a whole lot of focal lengths before you go chasing expensive new prime lenses.

@bobbotron beat me to it, but if you are willing to dare the undiscovered country of manual focus and manual exposure, not every lens need be new and expensive. Pentax's range of old lenses is vast and awesome, there are some real gems out there in pawnshops, garage sales and online to be had absolutely dirt cheap if you know what to look for, and the best thing is that Pentax DSLRs can use all of them. And that's before we get to Ricoh and Chinon lenses, ALL of which are compatible with Pentax (but be careful of Rikenon P lenses and third party lenses marked PK/A-R; they have an issue with sometimes getting jammed on the camera).

If you want macro and you can pick up a cheap manual-focus prime lens (a 50mm prime lens is always a good investment and learning tool) and want to experiment for yourself, here is a very good way to get macro capability at a rock bottom price. At that point, though, you'll also be wanting a tripod which, if you haven't already got one, is the next thing you should buy after a camera and first lens.

[lauravp77]

Hi, Laura, and welcome.

You've got a great starter kit there, and in particular that superzoom is an excellent way to try out a whole lot of focal lengths before you go chasing expensive new prime lenses.

@bobbotron beat me to it, but if you are willing to dare the undiscovered country of manual focus and manual exposure, not every lens need be new and expensive. Pentax's range of old lenses is vast and awesome, there are some real gems out there in pawnshops, garage sales and online to be had absolutely dirt cheap if you know what to look for, and the best thing is that Pentax DSLRs can use all of them.

If you want macro and you can pick up a cheap prime lens (a 50mm prime lens is always a good investment and learning tool) and want to experiment for yourself, here is a very good way to get macro capability at a rock bottom price. At that point, though, you'll also be wanting a tripod which, if you haven't already got one, is the next thing you should buy after a camera and first lens.

I actually have 2 tripods. One is a table top mini-tripod, and the other is a full sized tripod.

---------- Post added 08-18-16 at 08:20 AM ----------

Honestly, I would wait. Maybe get a set of low cost close-up filters to use with your 28-200 for now, and spend some time learning with just that lens. When you can more easily afford it, and when you know for sure from research and experience what you need or want, that's when to splash out on the new lens

What would you recommend for a filter?

[BigMackCam]

What would you recommend for a filter?

Something like the following set from Bower would be fine:

Bower 62mm Close UP Filter Lens SET 1 2 4 10 HD Digital Macro KIT 6pcs | eBay

This is for any lens with a filter size of 62mm (which I guessed, as the Tamron 28-200 has a 62mm filter size).

This won't give you the same image quality as a dedicated macro lens, but it *will* let you take very close-up images and with a bit of practice you can get some excellent results, considering the low cost. It's a really inexpensive and fun way to get started...

[photolady95]

At that point, though, you'll also be wanting a tripod

Tripods are nearly useless for macro photography unless you have a rail. For macro photography you don't need auto focus lenses, and you need to be able to move your camera in and out (forward and backward) to get focus. Without a rail, and just a tripod, that can get tedious to do.

Here are samples of mine using the Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm macro lens:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/1photolady/albums/72157651766449752

All manual focus, all handheld.

[BigMackCam]

Here are samples of mine using the Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm macro lens...
...All manual focus, all handheld.

You're obviously a lot steadier at holding your camera than I am!!

[photolady95]

You're obviously a lot steadier at holding your camera than I am!!

Not really but I'm either laying on the ground, elbows propped on the ground, or sitting on the ground with my elbows propped on my knees.