[danrmj]

Just purchased a Pentax K50 with kit lenses, 18-55 and 50-200 and would like to replace them with one lens to cover both. Any suggestions? I was using a LUMIX FZ 50 which still works great but the 2" view screen got too small for my eyes😊

[Perry Wilson]

That's a very large zoom range. You'll have a hard time finding something with the equivalent range while keeping a decent aperture or not being crazy money. Your best bet might be the sigma 18-300mm. It comes in K mount and isn't expensive. But like I said. It is slow on the long end.

[bertwert]

Welcome to the forum!

[boriscleto]

Pentax rebadged the Tamron 18-250 & 18-270.

SMC Pentax-DA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 ED AL [IF] Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

SMC Pentax-DA 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 ED SDM Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

They are what they are, and that is a basic consumer walk around lens. The 18-270 does have silent AF...

[disconnekt]

There's also the Pentax 18-270mm that's currently available, here's a link with some info on it: SMC Pentax-DA 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 ED SDM Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

[Kerrowdown]

Welcome to the forum, with such a wide range your asking an awful lot of any lens, perhaps the phrase "Jack of all trades is a Master of none" springs to mind.

Try the two you have for a while and see which lens you use the most, then perhaps upgrade that focal range.

[pres589]

Both the Sigma 18-200 and 18-300 Contemporary super-zooms review quite well in the review database here on PF. Haven't used either so not sure what I'd recommend. They seem better liked than the 18-250 and 18-270 Pentax/Tamron lenses mentioned above.

Pentax DA 18-135 is quite nice and definately a lot of lens for the money. If you don't really need that extra reach, that'd be my recommendation. Down the road you could supplement the 18-135 with a DA 55-300.

[dubyam]

I started with an identical K-30 kit back in 2012. I agree with Kerrowdown that you'd be well served to carry the two kit lenses for a while. My money says you use the 18-55 80% of the time, and swap to the longer lens occasionally for reach. Both are good as kit lenses go, and will serve you very well.

[Adam]

Just purchased a Pentax K50 with kit lenses, 18-55 and 50-200 and would like to replace them with one lens to cover both. Any suggestions? I was using a LUMIX FZ 50 which still works great but the 2" view screen got too small for my eyes😊

The DA 18-135mm is a good bet. I wouldn't go for a superzoom as that comes at the expense of an image quality degradation, but you do have the Sigma 18-300mm, 18-250mm, and Pentax 18-270mm as options there.

[danrmj]

Thanks for all the responses😊
I've been using both lenses for about a month now but will probably go thru the Summer before making a choice. From what I've shot far, 18-135 might be the way to go. Quality is important but so is price!

[Evie]

Welcome

My recommendation also would be not to change to one 18-250 or 18-270 lens. It is big, heavy, and not too fun to use (you may want to rent one for a few days, I did rent for one vacation and strictly decided "no"). My first change from 18-55 was to Sigma 17-70 F2.8-4 (because it is brighter on wide end, and longer than 55mm) and it was my main go to lens for quite a few years. Recently I purchased 18-135WR, and cannot recommend it enough for the price, though I still return to 17-70 when I need F2.8 on 17mm (caves and other dark locations).

Another my lens was Sigma 70-300, later I sold it... and rebought again few years later. Cheap, and the quality for the price is quite reasonable, even if you get CA.

[LensBeginner]

Welcome to the forums!

I second Adam with the 18-135 advice.
You could also learn to shoot with two lenses and upgrade them one by one.
A 16-85 and a 55-300 would be a much nicer combo than what you have now, for instance, and you wouldn't need to do it all at once.

[reh321]

Just purchased a Pentax K50 with kit lenses, 18-55 and 50-200 and would like to replace them with one lens to cover both. Any suggestions? I was using a LUMIX FZ 50 which still works great but the 2" view screen got too small for my eyes😊

Back when I was a Canon user, I got a 18-270mm lens so I wouldn't be constantly changing lenses. My Canon Rebel died a year later, but sometime in that interval, I switched back to my original two-lens solution; I found that I usually knew which of the two I needed before I ever took my camera out of the bag, and the 18-270 lens had forced its designers into too many optical compromises.

After the Canon Rebel died, I purchased a Pentax K-30, which was kitted with a 18-55 lens. My first purchase was the 18-135 lens, which is a truly great lens; I'm particularly pleased with how quiet it is. I now also have a 55-300mm lens, which almost everyone "sings praises of". If you update firmware of the K-50 to the latest version, you can get the PLM version of the lens, which is said to focus more quickly and surely.

[aslyfox]

Welcome . . . (you may want to rent one for a few days, I did rent for one vacation and strictly decided "no"). . . . .

welcome to the forums

I also would urge you to consider renting equipment and doing your own testing

then you can concentrate on finding what you like at a good price or consider an " experienced " lens

I have used LensRentals.com with good success

there are other companies as well

[hypermodern]

Unless you shoot a lot of wildlife or other telephoto stuff I would hold onto the 50-200 and just upgrade the 18-55. There are various direct upgrades, the most obvious being the Pentax 16-50 f2.8 or the Tamron or Sigma 17-50 f2.8s. I have a Sigma 18-35 f1.8, which is a right diva, but have you thought about a 30 or 35mm fast prime? It opens up shooting in low light and with shallow depth of field, to complement rather than replace your kit zoom.