[Sclairfan]

Hi folks. I am new to this forum and Pentax products. Recently I purchased a Pentax 80mm spotting scope which I find to have amazing clarity. I am considering a purchase of a Pentax K 70. I'm trying to decide whether to buy it with a lens or start with my Tamron 60-300 zoom and the Pentax 50mm lens I already have. I will be doing backyard bird photography and ducks and eagles in February when it is very cold. My last camera was a Nikon D 50 for which I have a zoom lens. I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

[Unregistered User 8]

Hello Bob, welcome from Australia.

[UncleVanya]

Hi folks. I am new to this forum and Pentax products. Recently I purchased a Pentax 80mm spotting scope which I find to have amazing clarity. I am considering a purchase of a Pentax K 70. I'm trying to decide whether to buy it with a lens or start with my Tamron 60-300 zoom and the Pentax 50mm lens I already have. I will be doing backyard bird photography and ducks and eagles in February when it is very cold. My last camera was a Nikon D 50 for which I have a zoom lens. I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

What focal length was the d50 lens? What model exactly would be helpful. Any images on Flickr or similar location we can see?

Assuming the lens you have is this one: Tamron Adaptall-2 SP / Novoflex 60-300mm f/3.8-5.4 (23A) Lens Reviews - Tamron Adaptall Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database
I am also assuming you plan to prefocus and wait for opportunities. The discussion on that lens is that it’s more like 285mm but that’s not really a big difference from 300. The lens has a good reputation.

As you continue you may want autofocus; if so there are several options that largely depends on budget.

[Kerrowdown]

Welcome to the forum from the Highlands of Scotland

[Sclairfan]

What focal length was the d50 lens? What model exactly would be helpful. Any images on Flickr or similar location we can see?

Assuming the lens you have is this one: Tamron Adaptall-2 SP / Novoflex 60-300mm f/3.8-5.4 (23A) Lens Reviews - Tamron Adaptall Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database
I am also assuming you plan to prefocus and wait for opportunities. The discussion on that lens is that it’s more like 285mm but that’s not really a big difference from 300. The lens has a good reputation.

As you continue you may want autofocus; if so there are several options that largely depends on budget.

Yes that looks like the Tamron I have.
The D50 has a Nikon DX 18 - 55 mm 3.5/5.6 AF and a Nikon 70 - 300 mm Nikkor 4-5.6 no picks on Flickr.

[Sclairfan]

Hello Bob, welcome from Australia.

Thank you.

[Sclairfan]

Welcome to the forum from the Highlands of Scotland

Thank you.

[C_Jones]

Welcome to Pentax Forums.

[Nowhere Matt]

Welcome to Pentax and welcome to the forum.

[UncleVanya]

Yes that looks like the Tamron I have.
The D50 has a Nikon DX 18 - 55 mm 3.5/5.6 AF and a Nikon 70 - 300 mm Nikkor 4-5.6 no picks on Flickr.

I can also recommend the DA 55-300 there are several versions with various budget impacts. The lens is similar in aperture to your Nikon.

[wadge22]

Welcome to the forums!

The K70 is a great camera for the money. Image quality is fantastic, and the shake reduction and weather sealing are awesome features for an entry level camera. The ergonomics are not as amazing as some of the pricier Pentax bodies, but still very good.

I have no doubt you can get great shots with those lenses you have, and if you're looking to do mostly casual birds/wildlife, the 60-300 zoom will probably do most of what you need, but the 55-300 PLM would likely be a nice upgrade. If you have more general photo interests as well, you would be well served to pick up the camera with the 18-135, which isn't too expensive in the bundle. There's this article about beginners lens choices geared towards the K-70, which you may find helpful. Even though you don't sound like a beginner (and may not need some of the terminology lesson), it will go over many of the bundled options you can get with the camera in the second half of the article.

If you will ever be looking to add another Pentax lens (which if you want to take advantage of the weather sealing of the K70, you will need to, since the lens must also be weather sealed), a great time to do it is when you buy the body since you can get a discount with a bundle.

Finally, although I do love Pentax, in all honesty if you think you will get seriously into birding, choosing Pentax is choosing a hard row to hoe. Nikon will have better and cheaper lens choices if you ever find yourself moving past the 'consumer zoom' category and into the big pro glass (like 600 f4) or the most modern convenient enthusiast zooms (like 200-500 f5.6 or 150-600 f5-6.3). Those lenses basically just aren't available for Pentax, even if many of us wish they were. Many people never need those kinds of lenses, and if that's the case Pentax is an excellent choice. (Also Pentax does have a couple very good other options: 300 f4 and 150-450 f4.5-5.6)

[Sclairfan]

Welcome to the forums!

The K70 is a great camera for the money. Image quality is fantastic, and the shake reduction and weather sealing are awesome features for an entry level camera. The ergonomics are not as amazing as some of the pricier Pentax bodies, but still very good.

I have no doubt you can get great shots with those lenses you have, and if you're looking to do mostly casual birds/wildlife, the 60-300 zoom will probably do most of what you need, but the 55-300 PLM would likely be a nice upgrade. If you have more general photo interests as well, you would be well served to pick up the camera with the 18-135, which isn't too expensive in the bundle. There's this article about beginners lens choices geared towards the K-70, which you may find helpful. Even though you don't sound like a beginner (and may not need some of the terminology lesson), it will go over many of the bundled options you can get with the camera in the second half of the article.

If you will ever be looking to add another Pentax lens (which if you want to take advantage of the weather sealing of the K70, you will need to, since the lens must also be weather sealed), a great time to do it is when you buy the body since you can get a discount with a bundle.

Finally, although I do love Pentax, in all honesty if you think you will get seriously into birding, choosing Pentax is choosing a hard row to hoe. Nikon will have better and cheaper lens choices if you ever find yourself moving past the 'consumer zoom' category and into the big pro glass (like 600 f4) or the most modern convenient enthusiast zooms (like 200-500 f5.6 or 150-600 f5-6.3). Those lenses basically just aren't available for Pentax, even if many of us wish they were. Many people never need those kinds of lenses, and if that's the case Pentax is an excellent choice. (Also Pentax does have a couple very good other options: 300 f4 and 150-450 f4.5-5.6)

Wow lots to think about here. It is actually a difficult decision to leave Nikon. I considered going to the Nikon Z5 but the price is much higher and much more expensive lenses. Either way I will be replacing lenses. My reality check is I am really just doing this as a hobby. Most of my pics will end up on Instagram and Facebook maybe the odd print. The K5 offers me great value for my money and the ability to use legacy lenses if I want. I will probably purchase the 18 - 135 because as you say its best to buy it in a bundle. I have seen some interesting videos on the Tamron 500mm mirror lens. I may pursue purchasing one of those. I know it will be a challenge to use but it's affordable and I've seen some excellent photos taken with it. I do have an amatures eye when it comes to photos. It should be fun and I can already see I will learn a lot from this forum. I have a camping trip coming up next week at the Pinery Provincial Park not far from here and I hope to get some nice photos. I will need a lot of help from the camera but there are some nice spots to photograph birds. I just have to get up early enough.

---------- Post added 06-09-22 at 08:16 PM ----------

I can also recommend the DA 55-300 there are several versions with various budget impacts. The lens is similar in aperture to your Nikon.

it does look like nice lens.
I will have to see what's left after the camera purchase.

[UncleVanya]

Wait? K-5? I thought this was about getting a k-70? The DA 55-300 PLM will focus on a k-5 but has to be used wide open (no aperture control) that works reasonably well for some people but could be limiting. There are some older versions of the DA 55-300 that work fully with the k-5 although not as fast focusing.

[Sclairfan]

Wait? K-5? I thought this was about getting a k-70? The DA 55-300 PLM will focus on a k-5 but has to be used wide open (no aperture control) that works reasonably well for some people but could be limiting. There are some older versions of the DA 55-300 that work fully with the k-5 although not as fast focusing.

not sure why I typed K5. I am getting a K 70.

[UncleVanya]

not sure why I typed K5. I am getting a K 70.

Then there’s no issue with that PLM lens.