[zeebanker]

Ladies and Gentlemen:

As a relatively new Pentaxian (I've decided to dive more fully into my hobby instead of dabbling in it), I need your help completing my lens collection. I use a K5-iiS body, am not a professional, am comfortable shooting manual and primarily intend to shoot:
1. Landscapes (old church exteriors, interesting buildings)
2. Faces (family, birthdays)
3. Automobiles, planes (mostly parked/taxiing and some in flight)
4. Astro (this is a stretch goal. Am happy shooting wide angle lenses wide open for this)

Here's what I have so far. Please help me decide which ones I can sell/trade and which lenses are missing in my arsenal for what I intend to shoot.

Goals (lenses):
1. Body + 4 lenses in backpack
2. 4 - 6 other lenses on the shelf, for specific projects and to rotate in/out of backpack.
3. Own total of no more than 10 lenses (for now

Here's what I currently have:

28mm:
1. Albinor w/macro F2.8
2. Pentax M F3.5
3. Super Tak F3.5

50mm:
1. Pentax M F1.4
2. Pentax M F1.7
3. Pentax M F2.0
4. Pentax A F2.0
5. Pentax DA F1.8

55mm:
Super Tak F2.0

135mm:
Tak F2.5

200mm:
Tak F3.5

18-55mm:
Pentax DA F3.5-5.6

60-300mm:
Sears F4.0-5.6

70-200mm:
Tak A 4.0

70-300:
Sigma DG Macro F1.4-5.6

Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions!

[kypfer]

For "astro", as much light as possible can help when framing, even if you do stop down a step or two to get rid of coma or whatever at exposure time. A 28mm f/2 from the likes of Kiron or Petri can be found inexpensively if you shop around.
For "landscapes" etc., an ultra-wide angle (sub 18mm) may appeal. I'm very happy with my older Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6, the smaller maximum aperture not being a hindrance in this type of work, but there are many more modern lenses in this class that you may want to explore.


Good luck

[Topsy]

"Completing" lens collection is an impossible task unless you have a lot, and I really mean A LOT of self control.

I think for astro (what kind though?) I'd stick with the 135 & 200mm Takumars you've listed.

I'd probably only keep the 28/3.5 Takumar personally, I've never felt the need of a different 28mm, and it works decently for milkyway shots too (with Astrotracer).

Probably also only need one 50mm?
I like my M50/1.4 a lot but haven't tried the others.

You might want to find something a little wider considering the crop sensor, and something in the 85mm range for portraits and also parked cars.

[D1N0]

Keep the Pentax-m 28 or the super-tak. Whichever you like better. get rid of the F2.0 50ties Get a Pentax-A 70-210 instead of the 70-200. I would advise the 55-300 STM but that doesn't work on the K5 II so that would become the SMC or HD DA 55-300 (instead of Sears and Sigma unless you want to upgrade to a K-3 then the PLM would work). Replace the Kitlens with a 18-135 or 20-40 or 16-85 or Sigma 17-70 or Tamron 17-50. Also get a 35mm prime lens. DA 35mm 2.4 is very good but Tak35/3.5 also or Pentax-m 35mm 2.8

[aslyfox]

as far as " culling " a collection [ ]

there is the sale/trade route [ don't forget to think about using the forums' marketplace ] and

you might consider donation as well ?

All,

I work for a new project-based school, teaching English (among other things). We have about 30 students now, a mixture of online and in-person, and a mixture of middle-class and lower-class students. We focus on trying to work with disadvantaged students who show talent or desire in the STEM areas. I have roughly 1/4 of those students interested in a photography class. So, I am looking for donations of APS-C Pentax dSLRs, particularly in the K-5 / ii, K-3 ii arenas, as well as good general purpose lenses (say, 50mm primes or 35 - 135 range zooms). . . . Thanks for reading!

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/37-wanted-items/411624-wanted-pentax-k-3...ml#post5060759

[Papa_Joe]

Keep the Pentax-m 28 or the super-tak. Whichever you like better. get rid of the F2.0 50ties Get a Pentax-A 70-210 instead of the 70-200. I would advise the 55-300 STM but that doesn't work on the K5 II so that would become the SMC or HD DA 55-300 (instead of Sears and Sigma unless you want to upgrade to a K-3 then the PLM would work). Replace the Kitlens with a 18-135 or 20-40 or 16-85 or Sigma 17-70 or Tamron 17-50. Also get a 35mm prime lens. DA 35mm 2.4 is very good but Tak35/3.5 also or Pentax-m 35mm 2.8

Very good advice, indeed. I would just like to add, that in my opinion you do not need a 35mm/2.8 prime (or a 28mm) when you own a good copy of a 17-50/2.8 from Sigma or Tamron. If not just for the sake of using a prime only.

[UncleVanya]

Budget?
Happy shooting manual, does this mean you prefer it or simply don't mind?

For a good carry kit covering most of your needs you could go with something like this:

DA* 11-18 F2.8 OR DA 12-24 F4
DA 18-135
DA* 60-250 F4
DA* 55 F1.4

But this doesn't reuse anything in your list and is zoom heavy.

[ramseybuckeye]

Ladies and Gentlemen:

As a relatively new Pentaxian (I've decided to dive more fully into my hobby instead of dabbling in it), I need your help completing my lens collection. I use a K5-iiS body, am not a professional, am comfortable shooting manual and primarily intend to shoot:
1. Landscapes (old church exteriors, interesting buildings)
2. Faces (family, birthdays)
3. Automobiles, planes (mostly parked/taxiing and some in flight)
4. Astro (this is a stretch goal. Am happy shooting wide angle lenses wide open for this)

Here's what I have so far. Please help me decide which ones I can sell/trade and which lenses are missing in my arsenal for what I intend to shoot.

Goals (lenses):
1. Body + 4 lenses in backpack
2. 4 - 6 other lenses on the shelf, for specific projects and to rotate in/out of backpack.
3. Own total of no more than 10 lenses (for now

Here's what I currently have:

28mm:
1. Albinor w/macro F2.8
2. Pentax M F3.5
3. Super Tak F3.5

50mm:
1. Pentax M F1.4
2. Pentax M F1.7
3. Pentax M F2.0
4. Pentax A F2.0
5. Pentax DA F1.8

55mm:
Super Tak F2.0

135mm:
Tak F2.5

200mm:
Tak F3.5

18-55mm:
Pentax DA F3.5-5.6

60-300mm:
Sears F4.0-5.6

70-200mm:
Tak A 4.0

70-300:
Sigma DG Macro F1.4-5.6

Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions!

I think you are pretty well covered for landscapes, except not wide enough for churches and other architecture, at this point theDA 15 or 14, or the DA 20-40, maybe one of the ultra wide zooms.

For face some of the 50s should work, which one? Which do you use most, or least? If there are some you don’t use, they may be sold to add a little cash for new additions.

Airplanes is a tough one, if you are close to them wide as you can get, if they are moving longer lengths and autofocus seem more realistic.

Astro - no opinion since I’ve never done it.

Myself, I try not to keep lens that I will never use, so if I had three 28s, I probably use One, I would ditch the others. Many photographers have multiple 50s, because they can be different, I have an autofocus 50, a manual wide aperture 50, and two macro 50s, I have two because one is a replacement for the other that is missing the zoom ring.

Another lens I generally avoid are manual focus zooms, they are usually not very good, although there are always exceptions. You have the Sears 60-300, unless your copy is amazingly good at 300 I would ditch that, although it may be more valuable as a shelf ornament. I would keep all of the Taks, they are just special. And do you use the 18-55? Some people love it, I never did.

Where you lack. Possibly a 35 or 40 may be useful, but maybe not. Wider should definitely be useful. There is a free app Called Exposure Plot that you can download that will analyze your photos and give you a chart of focal lengths used. It is very useful for seeing where you are shooting. I have not used it for quite a while, I think it is only a Windows app. Not sure if there is a Mac equivalent.

I wouldn’t say you have tons of excess or overlap, mostly just a need for a wider good quality lens.

[zeebanker]

Thanks everyone for weighing-in so far. Instead of multi-quoting, I'll just respond to some of your questions:

1. Budget - low, low. I have unfortunately had to shut down my business and am currently crunched for cash flow. That's why I've been scouting Craigslist and buying used from here. That's the other reason I have a load of stuff I don't want (some of you know my Canon FD lens collection story).
2. Astro - I think I'm set for now. I've had reasonable success shooting Neowise with a stopped-down 50mm F1.7. I plan to take some shots of the Milky Way and perhaps a galaxy, but not very ambitious there.
3. I grew up using manual focus, so I don't mind continuing to use manual although I do enjoy the convenience of auto focus for shooting in a pinch (candid shots and the like).
4. Planes - mostly plane spot at various airport, so stationary or slow moving. I think if I had a good lens in the 100mm+ range, I should be set (prime or zoom).

So net net, here's what I'm now thinking:
1. Acquire one ultra wide in the 14-20mm range (prime or zoom)
2. Keep a 28mm
3. Keep a 50mm - perhaps the Pentax M f1.4. Although I like the convenience of the autofocus on the DA f1.8 as well.
4. Keep the Sup Tak 55 or not
5. Acquire a zoom like DA* 60-250 F4, or HD DA 55-300

Does this sound about right?

[aslyfox]

There are several versions of the Pentax 55-300

The best is the PLM

but that would be the most expensive and you need to check if it works with your camera

Pentax K-mount Lens Compatibility Chart
Copyright 2006-2020 Mosphotos.com. All rights reserved.

Pentax bayonet lenses labeled "SMC Pentax" are referred to as "K" lenses in the table below. Other Pentax bayonet lenses have the lens designation as a part of their name as in "SMC Pentax-FA".
Note that "star" lenses work like their "non-star" counterparts unless they are singled out in the table below. So for compatibility of a DA* lens which is not singled out, look under DA lenses, etc.
Exceptions:
FA and F "soft" lenses behave like M lenses in terms of metering.

Check this page out for more on the Pentax lens nomenclature: Pentax lens series explained.

https://www.mosphotos.com/PentaxLensCompatibility.html

[UncleVanya]

Thanks everyone for weighing-in so far. Instead of multi-quoting, I'll just respond to some of your questions:

1. Budget - low, low. I have unfortunately had to shut down my business and am currently crunched for cash flow. That's why I've been scouting Craigslist and buying used from here. That's the other reason I have a load of stuff I don't want (some of you know my Canon FD lens collection story).
2. Astro - I think I'm set for now. I've had reasonable success shooting Neowise with a stopped-down 50mm F1.7. I plan to take some shots of the Milky Way and perhaps a galaxy, but not very ambitious there.
3. I grew up using manual focus, so I don't mind continuing to use manual although I do enjoy the convenience of auto focus for shooting in a pinch (candid shots and the like).
4. Planes - mostly plane spot at various airport, so stationary or slow moving. I think if I had a good lens in the 100mm+ range, I should be set (prime or zoom).

So net net, here's what I'm now thinking:
1. Acquire one ultra wide in the 14-20mm range (prime or zoom)
2. Keep a 28mm
3. Keep a 50mm - perhaps the Pentax M f1.4. Although I like the convenience of the autofocus on the DA f1.8 as well.
4. Keep the Sup Tak 55 or not
5. Acquire a zoom like DA* 60-250 F4, or HD DA 55-300

Does this sound about right?

This helps a lot.

I agree on your plans. The non-plm 55-300 comes in several flavors all optically similar to each other, and all are much cheaper than the 60-250. The 60-250 is optically better but any of these telephoto zooms can do good work.

I would keep both 50's so that af is an option when it's helpful - plus there's not a lot of value in reselling the da 50.

In the under 24mm range don't forget things like the zoom lenses that start at 16-18mm. Those can be a cheap way to get started in that wider range.

[jawats]

This helps a lot.

I agree on your plans. The non-plm 55-300 comes in several flavors all optically similar to each other, and all are much cheaper than the 60-250. The 60-250 is optically better but any of these telephoto zooms can do good work.

I would keep both 50's so that af is an option when it's helpful - plus there's not a lot of value in reselling the da 50.

In the under 24mm range don't forget things like the zoom lenses that start at 16-18mm. Those can be a cheap way to get started in that wider range.

I have been using this lens recently:

pro0.jpg - Pentax Lens Review Database

Tamron AF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 LD Tele-Macro [1:2] (Model 772D) Lens Reviews - Tamron Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

which I acquired for $24.00 with shipping for my camera club at school and have found it to be a surprisingly good (nigh unto "shockingly" good) piece of equipment. If you need a decent long zoom (which seems to work very with with the 1.4x Tamron T/C), I highly recommend checking it out. You might find you don't need the 55-300 if you're using this Promaster / Tamron. Just be sure to check models carefully - lots of 70-300s out there. The Tamrons are 572D and 772D (black and silver, respectively).

[ChristianRock]

If you are considering the DA*60-250, your budget is not low low. I haven't managed one yet in 7 years of shooting Pentax

Anyway, as a low low budget specialist, here's my two cents, based on your stated objectives.

1. First of all, before anything else, you need... a steady tripod. For architecture and especially astro, you will need one. It doesn't have to be super-duper heavy unless you decide to do birding as well and get a really long lens, but I wouldn't get a cheap one. Get something with some weight on it.

2. Get a Rokinon or Samyang 16mm f2 lens. It's fantastic for astrophotography, or so they say - and it will take care of most of your architectural needs as well. It's a bit more expensive than the 14mm f/2.8 - but you can buy a new one for 350 on ebay right now, so it's not too bad. And the 14mm lens has much more distortion which is also not easy to correct.
Later on if you really feel you need to go wider, you can get the Pentax DA 12-24mm f4 or the DA*11-18mm.

3. 50mm lenses are so cheap, you might as well keep a couple - the autofocus one (DA 50 1.8), and the 50 1.4. Not that selling the other 3 will get you a lot of money, either... (or 4 if you sell the Tak 55).

4. Sell all the manual focus telephoto lenses and get one of the Pentax DA 55-300mm models. You can't use the newer PLM on your K-5IIs, so I would get the HD WR f/4-5.8 version. Later you can sell it at little or no loss to get the newer PLM, when things look up and you get a newer body. (well I guess I'd keep one or two of the tele-Taks, the 135 and/or the 200 if you like M42 lenses)

That's it! Then shoot as much as you can and don't worry about equipment until you start making some real money again...

[UncleVanya]

One option for telephoto that isn't the norm is to use the F 1.7x AFA attached to the 135 f2.5 giving you a semiautofocus 230mm f4.25.

[reh321]

Thanks everyone for weighing-in so far. Instead of multi-quoting, I'll just respond to some of your questions:

1. Budget - low, low. I have unfortunately had to shut down my business and am currently crunched for cash flow. That's why I've been scouting Craigslist and buying used from here. That's the other reason I have a load of stuff I don't want (some of you know my Canon FD lens collection story).
2. Astro - I think I'm set for now. I've had reasonable success shooting Neowise with a stopped-down 50mm F1.7. I plan to take some shots of the Milky Way and perhaps a galaxy, but not very ambitious there.
3. I grew up using manual focus, so I don't mind continuing to use manual although I do enjoy the convenience of auto focus for shooting in a pinch (candid shots and the like).
4. Planes - mostly plane spot at various airport, so stationary or slow moving. I think if I had a good lens in the 100mm+ range, I should be set (prime or zoom).

So net net, here's what I'm now thinking:
1. Acquire one ultra wide in the 14-20mm range (prime or zoom)
2. Keep a 28mm
3. Keep a 50mm - perhaps the Pentax M f1.4. Although I like the convenience of the autofocus on the DA f1.8 as well.
4. Keep the Sup Tak 55 or not

I have had direct sun on live view many times but typically I was using a wide angle lens which minimizes the impact. Were you zoomed in on the long end of that zoom?

I have had direct sun on live view many times but typically I was using a wide angle lens which minimizes the impact. Were you zoomed in on the long end of that zoom?

5. Acquire a zoom like DA* 60-250 F4, or HD DA 55-300

Does this sound about right?

I agree that you really need only one 50mm lens, but I don't know enough to choose amongst the ones you do own;
I do agree that the autofocus of the DA one is hard to ignore, though.
I doubt if you would get much for any one of them - there are basically lots available on the market right now.
You also lack the "classic' Takumar 8-element 50mm f/1.4 lens.