After shooting film for many years, and digicams for a decade, but never Pentax, I decided a couple years ago to get my first dSLR. My question was, "What do I want to do that I can't do with what I have?" The answers were: ultrawide, ultralong, and low light. I came to a Pentax K20D because it looked to have a longer happy-usage life than the competition, but first because Pentax had the lenses I wanted that I could afford. So my original kit was the K20D, the DA10-17 fisheye, the DA18-250 superzoom, the fast FA50/1.4 prime, and the AF360 flash.
Since then I've bought only three more AF lenses (the bargain DA18-55 kit lens, the underrated FA100-300, and the overpriced Lil'Bigma 170-500) -- and many many many old manual lenses, mostly primes. It's still possible to buy superb old glass at bargain prices. But beware: Delving into vintage glass can become an obsession, an addiction, the infamous LBA (Lens-Buying Addiction). So what if I have twentyeight 50mm lenses -- that's not
excessive, is it?????
Welcome to the madhouse.
Anyway, my point is that my original camera decision was driven by lenses, not by marketing nor packaging. I did look at the K20D kits that were offered, then decided on my own lens set. A two-zoom kit leaves an ambiguous zone, a cusp for changing lenses. For me that's at 17-18mm, for others it's at 55mm, or whatever. I approach shooting with different mindsets in different zoom ranges, and I find myself shooting enough in the 50-60mm range that I wouldn't be comfortable switching between an 18-55 and 55-300 there. Yes, I'm happy with my 18-250. On a recent road trip I mostly used the 18-250, assisted by a manual Zenitar 16/2.8 ultra-wide-angle. What lenses will you be happy and comfortable with? I dunno. Buy many lenses and find out. It's only money.
Last edited by RioRico; 07-25-2010 at 06:52 AM.