Originally posted by Nick Siebers Ryan, rather than the superzoom, I would recommend getting a DA 55-300. 18-55, 55-300, 50/1.7 and you are good to go.
Or, for even better savings, you could get a used FA-J 75-300mm. That's what I used for my trip. KEH usually has them for $100-120.
Originally posted by vagrant10 You may have to change lenses once in a while, but that's part of owning a DSLR. And most of the time you'll know if you need longer reach...
That's interesting. . . . hadn't thought about that, and I guess there wouldn't be that many swaps. But for buying, that lens (~$450) is out of budget. While I could maybe justify itin a year or two, it doesn't help me for this upcoming trip. Renting it is an option, though.
The FA J you mentioned is here for $109
Pentax Autofocus 75-300 F4.5-5.8 SMC FA J AL SILVER (58) WITH CAPS 35MM SLR AUTO FOCUS ZOOM TELEPHOTO LENS - KEH.com
That might be an option. I could buy it and if I don't think it's high enough quality, I could flip it and rent the 55-300.
However, the more I think about it, I don't think I'll need 300mm. The last time I was in Europe I had an EasyShare DX7590, which had a 38-380 equiv zoom. What I remember is wishing I had the ability to go wider, and I remember zooming all the way in maybe twice. Of course, that camera had no IS, so zooming in was typically disastrous. With the kit's maximum of 18 (28) and a max around 200 (305), I'll have shifted my zoom range in the direction I wanted the last time I was there. Going to 300 (460), it's just overkill for me, and I'm concerned about the weight and length of the 300 when extended. If there's a deal on 300mm zoom that would be optically superior to its 200mm peers, of course I'll take it.
So if you take into account FA lenses, Tamron/Sigma, and the DA (and L) zooms that go to 200ish, I have a number of options. How would you guys rank the following lenses, or are there some to just stay away from? I have half a mind to try a couple of these that are ~$50 and flip them if they suck.
Sigma 70-210 f/4 UC-II - $56 LN- at KEH (got decent reviews on here) Pentax FA 70-200 f/4 - $65 EX+ at KEH Pentax FA 75-300 f/4.5 - $109 EX at KEH Sigma DC 50-200 f/4 - $159 new at Amazon (I'm reading this is less attractive than the Tamron below) Tamron Di 70-300mm f/4 $154 new at Amazon (got a decent Photozone review, good on here except 200-300 range, where I wouldn't be using it anyway) Pentax DA-L 50-200 f/4 - $179 LN-, $139 EX at KEH RENT Pentax DA 55-300 - $92 for 3 weeks
Any opinions on what's the best value among these choices? I'm serioiusly considering just grabbing that Sigma UC-II just to screw around with. At KEH, it says it's Auto Focus but I don't see that mentioned elsewhere. Can anyone confirm that Sigma made an AF 70-210 UC-II?