[AlphaGAK20D]

New K20D owner here and love it. Up to this point, I'd always owned Canon EOS SLR and my wife has a little Coolpix 3200, but I absolutely love this Pentax!! Research on many fronts showed me that it blows away the competition in this price range; so far, I'm very pleased and am having a blast learning the ropes.

So far, my only lens is the 18-55mm DA AL (not the AL II unfortunately) kit lens.
I also picked up the K20 book by Magic Lantern to supplement the Pentax guide (which is VERY thorough).

This said, what should the next lens be? I'm leaning toward this AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro; Tamron USA, Inc. (AF18-250) so I'll be able to hit short and long range, but they just came out with the AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II, though I only see it available for the other guys. Does anybody know if in the works for Pentax too? Or should I be considering a different lens entirely?

Also, re: general knowledge re: DSLR's, what book(s) should I be reading?

Thanks in advance for any/all replies!

Lou

He there neighbor!! (in Vinings) Welcome to the club!! Your next lens should be for what you intend to shoot. If you're going to be a traveler and don't want to be swapping lenses to get short and long ranges, that should be a suitable range; though I'm too new to recommend the brand...but if you're looking for portraits, or low lights, or up-close, then you may want to look at some of the old M or K lenses...

Again, welcome!!

[Jun Park]

And hello from Atlanta!

As for you question regarding what lens to get next, it depends on what you want to do and your budget. But in general, I recommend prime lenses as they are very inexpensive for the optical quality and speed (max aperture).

Welcome!

[AlphaGAK20D]

Eclipsed and Jun, thank you for the "Welcome" and for the response. Eclipsed, funny you mention the older lenses too, because I'll probably look that route too. Do you picks yours up via eBay, via purchase from other photographers, other? Any recs on this side of things too?

To both of you. I think you helped answer my question about going with the 18-250. For me, it makes sense, because I like a variety of shots and swapping all of the time could be a pain. At the same time, I like to play with some of the more specific stuff as well, so I'll likely get some primes on my radar screen after getting the all-in-one in the stable.

Thanks again.

I got my 50mm f2 from my mom, which she got like 20+ yrs ago, it's currently my fav, but i use the other lenses just as much, just depends on what i shoot...If I were you, i'd get the 18-250 (if others can verify for it's quality), make sure you like it, then replace the 18-55 with a prime or three

[Nick1946]

Welcome, Lou
I'm sure you will enjoy the Pentax and post some shots.
I have picked up some older lenses from KEH-there in Atlanta-very good to deal with and good products. Also check out the Marketplace here on the forums-some great deals!

[Kerrowdown]

Welcome aboard, enjoy the forum.

[Ratmagiclady]

Hey, welcome, Georgia person!

I don't know much about the particular models of 'does-all' zooms, but they sound right up your alley. I wouldnt expect miracles of image quality out of something trying to do that much, but they're neat and convenient and not necessarily any slower than your kit lens.

If you combine one of those with a faster prime lens for dimmer conditions and social stuff, you could find yourself in pretty good shape for starters.

[Pentax_XTC]

I just started a new Group on the forums for Atlanta Pentaxians. Please join up and let’s build a strong Atlanta Pentaxian community!

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