Originally posted by MarkJerling Tell mom you want a lens for Christmas.
GOOD idea Mark
I like your thinking!!!! Although she'll probably tell me I'm old enough to buy my own. HaHa
---------- Post added 12-09-16 at 12:28 AM ----------
Originally posted by mee You guys get really chatty when a pretty lady shows up..
I just figured they were always this chatty? LOL!!!!
---------- Post added 12-09-16 at 12:34 AM ----------
Originally posted by mee I should apologize for the derailing I've briefly caused.. You've gotten a lot of valuable responses thus far and I can see you know your way around the camera. But I couldn't help but give the guys a little ribbing..
I'll try to be useful since I've interjected:
Supposedly Pentax is releasing a bunch of new, fast FF primes in 2017 so you might be interested in keeping that in mind. We
might get more details at the CP+ show in late February. Some of us, such as myself, are waiting them to announce the next APS-C flagship body then too possibly.
A 50mm (on FF) lens gives an equivalent focal length of 75mm on Pentax APS-C/crop (such as your K-5) so it is a nice focal range to have. I wouldn't bother with the Takumars and the like.. they aren't autofocus and are long out of production. Visit an online shop such as bhphotovideo or adorama and select 'Pentax K mount' lenses to get an idea of what is currently offered at retail. New 3rd party lenses are a bit less available for K mount right now (compared to Canon), but we hope that turns around in the next year or so.
mee ... thank you so much! I think I will take that advice on staying mostly away from manual. I do love manual, even focus, but with my sort of photography it's about impossible with two years RUNNING and you're running after them to try and catch a photo. LOL!! So I'll stick with the K mount lenses for sure and I'll definitely go check out those two places. Actually been buying there for years (BHPhoto and Adorama) but Canon equipment. Now it'll be Pentax, that is IF I get any answers in the forum/thread I just posted as to WHY my lens release button just FELL OFF in my hands today? LOL! Guys, thanks ... y'all are pretty awesome on here
---------- Post added 12-09-16 at 12:38 AM ----------
Originally posted by Knock Hello Jenna! Jenna inspired me to get back into photography several years ago. She wrinkled her nose when I told her I was buying a pentax....and now she wrinkles her nose as she peers through the viewfinder of a K5! My oh my how things change! I encourage you to make pentax forums a frequent stop. This place is the best. It is packed full of the friendliest, most helpful people you will ever meet. Pentax Forums is proof that the internet can actually be used for good things by good people. By the way....when do I get my lenses back?!!
You deserve a "quoted" text for that one Knock! LOL! First off, men this gentlemen here knows me better than he pretends. Don't even buy into this business. Ha! Second, I didn't wrinkle my nose over the Pentax, did I? If I did, I was a FOOL but then again ... aren't we all
Seriously though I am glad you let me play a few weeks ago with your new Pentax as I fell in love with it that night and that was it for me. As far as your lenses ... hmmmmm ... guys, anyone gonna help me out with this? See I borrowed his lenses and left him with none. The thing is he has a JOB and Photography is my JOB so darnet, I need these things if just for a little while
You're just a South Pole Elf Knock! Angry South Pole Elf
---------- Post added 12-09-16 at 12:59 AM ----------
Originally posted by pathdoc Hi and welcome.
Pentax have a range of 100mm lenses, from 105mm Takumars from the 1960s all the way up to the current 100mm weather-resistant macro (which I own and which is outstanding for its design purpose, but sometimes has focus-overshoot issues on fast-moving targets that aren't exactly on an AF point). I notice quite a few of your pics here are still life and product photography-type stuff for which this lens would probably be an asset with very few downsides.
For 135mm AF, you have to go back to the film era, the FA 135mm f/2.8. I have this lens, which I shoot on my K-5 from time to time, and it serves me well for kids' concerts and the like. It's sometimes not easy to find and can be pricey, but it is ready for when you eventually make the step up to a K-1 (which was designed in part with FA lenses in mind), and can also be used on all the K-mount film bodies (if you decide to dabble in that at any stage). Pentax have loosely promised a short telephoto full frame prime in the next year or so, and speculation here is rife as to whether this means 85mm or 135mm. Going back in time a little the first-generation Pentax autofocus "F-series" lenses also had a 135 prime but I don't own that one and can't speak for it.
There is of course the DA* 50-135mm/2.8 AF zoom, but that is strictly a crop-sensor proposition, there are known issues with its SDM autofocus motor, and it's not cheap. Read up on that one carefully before considering it, especially if you're planning to jump to the K-1 in the foreseeable future (I am not buying any more crop-optimised lenses for that reason).
Short summary:
AF lenses are the F, FA, DA and D-FA series; everything else is manual focus. DA lenses are technically crop-sensor-only, but some of them have been found to cover the full frame acceptably.
A-series lenses are manual focus but offer full control of the aperture through the camera body, which gives you significant flexibility and capability. Earlier K and M series lenses do not, and this affects the ease of using flash, but may be controlled indirectly ("green button" metering method plus aperture ring).
Takumars require a screw-on adapter and their aperture cannot be altered by the camera; you have to stop down manually to the required aperture, which can be a pain (especially for focus adjustment) and is not recommended for fast-moving targets (on the other hand, it does invite the use of aperture priority mode, which in some ways makes them more convenient to use than the K and M series, because the camera is calculating the required shutter speed on the fly). Takumars are fun to dabble in if you're comfortable with manual focus and want something to try.
K-5 to K-1 is a jump I'm considering taking in the new year. It will be an interesting one, because the K-1 even in crop mode has scarcely fewer megapixels than the K-5 while being significantly better in many other ways. The K-5's noise handling with long exposures, on the other hand, is still among the best of any Pentax body (the 16MP Sony sensor they put in that one was exceptional), and it has the lowest minimum ISO (80) of any Pentax digital body (which believe it or not is an asset in itself sometimes, especially when you can shoot off a tripod and/or bring the light with flashes, strobes, etc.)
PathDoc ... thank you kindly for the wealth of information you gave. I have been busy and completely forgot to respond but wanted to say thank you so much