Originally posted by summatusmentis Hi all, I've got a K100D and it came with a standard kit lens (SMC Pentax DA 18-55mm). That said, I find myself liking landscape shots, or really close up 'macro' shots of things. This lens works mostly ok, but I want a better zoom, so I can be taking a landscape shot, and zoom in on a specific object in the landscape.
I don't know what I'm talking about, mostly. I have heard that generally the wider the aperture can go, the better shot you'll be able to take. I don't know that much about photography, but I know that I'm either doing something wrong, or this current lens isn't getting me what I want.
Thoughts/suggestions?
You should be able to take great
wide angle landscape shots with your kit lens. Wider (or larger) apertures do not usually help with landscape photography. Try setting your kit lens to f/8 (it's sharpest setting) and shoot a few wide landscapes at 18mm.
As for the ability to zoom into details in a landscape, I hear Pentax's
DA 55-300mm zoom is an excellent value at around $300 street. I recently spent some time with a $150 Tamron 70-300mm Di Macro lens and came away quite impressed at its performance to $ ratio. The macro function
works pretty well (especially with Pentax's in-camera IS) though you have to get pretty far back from your subject.
If you are not on Flickr I suggest you join. It's free and a great place to share your photos and get constructive feedback (if you ask for it). Also, search the various Pentax groups for photos you like the look of then look for the
"More Properties" link on the bottom right side of the image page. Click that and you can see all the settings that the photographer used for the shot.
Good luck!