[gilbej49]

Kevin, I have been using the Pentax 18-250 for the past eight months. I love this lens and carry it with me always. It is so versatile. I get great pictures with it but you can get some vignetting at 250mm in low light. I have taken pixs with this lens in the early morning and late at night. By Increasing your ISO you can compensate for low light. Back off a little at 18 mm and 250 mm, ie 18.5 to 19 and the low end and 245 to 240 at the high end. Overall I would buy this lens again and highly recommend it. Now one more thing get the Pentax 50mm f/1.4 cost is $299 but it does great shots indoors WITHOUT a flash. I used it once to take pictures in Museum and was very pleased with the results. Good Luck!

[Kevin1961]

Try here.

Pentax Lens Review Database - 16-50mm F2.8 ED AL [IF]

Hi Tas. Thanks, I spent ages looking around last night and could not find it !!.

[Kevin1961]

Kevin, I have been using the Pentax 18-250 for the past eight months. I love this lens and carry it with me always. It is so versatile. I get great pictures with it but you can get some vignetting at 250mm in low light. I have taken pixs with this lens in the early morning and late at night. By Increasing your ISO you can compensate for low light. Back off a little at 18 mm and 250 mm, ie 18.5 to 19 and the low end and 245 to 240 at the high end. Overall I would buy this lens again and highly recommend it. Now one more thing get the Pentax 50mm f/1.4 cost is $299 but it does great shots indoors WITHOUT a flash. I used it once to take pictures in Museum and was very pleased with the results. Good Luck!

Hi Gilbej49. Yes the 18-250 has caught my eye but am a little worried abou the 250 end of things while shooting fast moving objects such as Birds, planes etc. The 28/300USM I had with a canon 5D did a nice jo and very crisp images but the color was just turned off!!. I will also look into the 50mm but as I have just bought the Pentax DA 16-50mm 1:2.8 ED AL IF SDM this should cover the 50mm? but I am still testing it. I have taken from f2.8 up to f22 in P mode images of a large log at 9ft and it does not seem anything to jump up and down about but as I say it's early days to judge. My BIG worry is that I have a bad copy and in Spain they go crazy if you take it back to the shop eve after a few days!!!!????. All the very Best. Kevin

[Kevin1961]

Kevin,

Are you still looking at this lens?

Tas

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/photographers-marketplace/57793-sale-pent...tml#post565599

Hi Tas hope you are well. I have had a nightmare week with lenses beleave me!!. I bought the sigma 10-20 and the Sigma 28-300 the new one. Boy what a terrible lens the 28-300 was, no god except in good daylight, a BIG no for indoors at 28 and 300 terrible image quality and at 300 you could not hold this lens still to shoot birds in flight as you could say with a Canon "Sorry" 28/300 Ultrasonic USM. The 10/20 was not that bad f8 was it's sweet spot. So after 2 hours in a heated conversation with the shop owner I changed it for a Pentax DA 16-50 f2.8ED AL (IF) SDM lens now this is gold!!. Taking into account that I have just moved back to pentax after owning a Canon 5D and a 50D with a Canon 24-105 USM and have been 3 hours with this new Pentax lens it has given me a quality from 16 to 50 that I have never experienced before, the lens is amazing and with a clarity that stops people and they start looking over your shoulder at the computer screen. I am still looking for a good zoom and in the shop they recomend the Pentax 50-135mm f2.8 ED IF SDM which is a 1.000 Euros, but I still have to find a good flash for the Pentax 16-50 yet!. All the best Tas. Kevin

[Jonathan Mac]

If you want to save some money on all this gear I suggest you start buying in the UK. Spain has horrendous prices for electronics. If you´re from there originally maybe someone csn get them for you & send them over.

[Kevin1961]

Hi Jonathan, Good idea a few other members have said the same. the only thing that worries me about that is if you buy a lens and get a bad copy. I have just bought another lens the 55-300 Pentax and you will see in my Gallery the shots are terrible, well at least to me they are terrible. Tambien puede ser el tio usando la camara !!. All the best. Kevin

[lc_toronto]

Hi Kevin,

Your uncle is not that good at taking picture, then :-)?

Sooner or later you will probably want to have at least one fast lens, for indoors, for various other low-light situations, for a different character altogether to your pictures... That's when you might want to look at the 50mm 1.4 or, if you really like the painterly creamy effect and don't mind older lenses, one of the 50mm 1.2 variations. Or if you have money to spare, one of the FA at 1.8, e.g. the 31mm.

[Kevin1961]

Hi Kevin,

Your uncle is not that good at taking picture, then :-)?

Sooner or later you will probably want to have at least one fast lens, for indoors, for various other low-light situations, for a different character altogether to your pictures... That's when you might want to look at the 50mm 1.4 or, if you really like the painterly creamy effect and don't mind older lenses, one of the 50mm 1.2 variations. Or if you have money to spare, one of the FA at 1.8, e.g. the 31mm.

Hi Ic_toronto. many members have mentioned the 50mm 1.4 and the FA 31mm. I will have to have a look through the lens reports and see if I can find some shots taken with these, but I have the flash to get first. I am looking at a flash that goes well with the Pentax 16-50mm I just bought the other day. What I DON'T want is one like the Speedlite 580 EX II man what a headache of a flash!. All the best. Kevin

[Howard]

Hi, Kevin.

I do the same as you. More semi than pro. My suggestion for camera is the k20d without a doubt. As for optics i would go for the mighty 3: FA31 f:1,8 FA43 f:1,9 FA77 f:1,8 This is where happyness lies. The 31 for gorups shots and interior, the 43 for the bride and groom :-) and the 77 for the portraits an details. These are supperb quality supersharp crisp lenses, perfect for indoor, lightveight, supersturdy build and a boquet to die for. 18-250 just isnt good anough for professional shots. Get yourself to 540FGZ flashes, run them wireless on channel 2. And off you go.

Spain! Yes! The sunrise over Maspalomas is any photographers dream light.

[Kevin1961]

Hi, Kevin.

I do the same as you. More semi than pro. My suggestion for camera is the k20d without a doubt. As for optics i would go for the mighty 3: FA31 f:1,8 FA43 f:1,9 FA77 f:1,8 This is where happyness lies. The 31 for gorups shots and interior, the 43 for the bride and groom :-) and the 77 for the portraits an details. These are supperb quality supersharp crisp lenses, perfect for indoor, lightveight, supersturdy build and a boquet to die for. 18-250 just isnt good anough for professional shots. Get yourself to 540FGZ flashes, run them wireless on channel 2. And off you go.

Spain! Yes! The sunrise over Maspalomas is any photographers dream light.

Hi , Howard. have just been trhough aall my emails and found this one from you a while ago!!. In the end I have bought the Pentax DA 16-50 smc which seems to be giving very nice results even in low light situations as has a nice range for studio and weddings etc and also the Pentax 55-300 which for the money well is oK nothing to jump up and down about. I want to try and get hold of some older pentax lenses 50mm for low light and not manual focus, I love focusing myself and a fan of "M" mode and not so much "P" mode although all the pro's I know who have been in the trade for 35 to 40 years all say use "P" mode and save yourself time in CS3 which is OK when shooting weddings and portraits as you obviously don't have time to play in manual mode. Anyway Howard all the very best. Kevin

Maspalomas is in Gran canarias as you know. I live in mainland Spain but the "Haze" is sometimes terrible take a look at the foreground in this chopper flight!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPy4eaBYv3Q