[dodgeman]

Hello,

I have had my heart set on buying the K200D for a while now. With the few favorable reviews I have read, I'm now ready to take the plunge and buy my first DSLR. Tonight I decided to join your good forum and ask for some expert advice.

I am sure I could get started with the kit-lens. But seeing that it may be a while before I can afford to buy another lens, I thought I might be better off getting a more versatile zoom as my first piece of glass. I hope to get a wide range of use, from indoor portrait to Grand Canyon shots this fall. I found a Pentax 28-105 f3.2 (27997) and thought this was a good choice. I read a couple good reviews for this one, but am not very savvy on the Pentax lens line-up. Yes/no?...any other suggestions? All advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

dodgeman

[Confused]

Hi dodgeman

A warm welcome to PentaxForums and let's hope you receive plenty of useful but unbiased advice.....lol ! As a general all-purpose 'walkaround' lens, the Tamron/Pentax 18-250mm superzoom takes some beating IMHO and might well be a good starting point ? Click on the link below for further info:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/171724-post3.html

Best regards
Richard

[dws1117]

Welcome. As far as a lens goes it all depends on your budget. If you don't have a lot to spend you could choose either the Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro or Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro. Both seem to be very good lenses for what they cost and both are very similar in quality. Which is better is an on going debate. either will be a good compliment to the kit lens if money is tight. That's the route I've taken. Of course Pentax has a the new Pentax SMC P-DA 55-300mm f/4.0-5.8 ED. It seems that availability is very limited right now though, the jury is still out as to the quality of the lens, and it is a good bit higher in cost than the others. If the new lens is at least as good as the two previously mentioned then it would be the perfect compliment to the kit lens for people on a more strict budget. I am currently waiting for results from the new lens myself.

BTW I too have the K200 and am very happy with it. At my level of photographic knowledge it is the perfect learning tool.

Good luck in making your choice.

[dodgeman]

Thanks to you both for responding. I initially was going to spring for the 18-250 lens. It would be very versatile. And I know I will get a "longer" lens in time. The 70-300 will make a nice addition. For now I was just considering the option of getting the FA 28-105 Pentax lens with the k200 body only. My reasoning was to add a little flexibility to my initial setup until I could justify buying more glass. Is the Pentax 27997 compatible with the k200? I heard a friend from work mention that there was an advantage to using full-frame lens on a digital. Is this true?

Does anybody out there have experience with this lens?

Thanks again!

---

Last edited by dodgeman; 04-28-2008 at 07:17 PM. Reason: mistake fa-da

[Whatabirdie]

I will take possession of my brand new K200D this week. I decided to go for a Pentax 18-250 lens for its quality and versatility. I have read on Internet that it was a very good product too.

Good luck with your new toy....

[christinelandon]

Welcome to the Forums, Dodgeman. Your idea covers a nice range of focal lengths and might be a good start if you are thinking about a first lens. Have you compared the three versions of the FA 28-105 in the lens database? Pentax Lens Review Database - SMC Pentax-FA Zooms Have a look at the reviews, especially.

[Confused]

Hi again dodgeman

Just bear in mind that a Pentax 28-105 f3.2 probably wouldn't be quite wide enough at the 28mm end to adequately capture panoramic Grand Canyon shots ! Consider that 28mm equates to only 42mm coverage in old 35mm film terms, whereas 18mm equates to approximately 27/28mm, or true wide-angle territory.

Best regards
Richard

[regken]

Welcome to the forum. As Richard said you can't go wrong with the 18-250 as an all round lens as a start to see what direction you want to go. Consider picking up an A 50mm f1.7 as a test lens to see if you want to join some of us on the dark side of old lenses. It's semi automatic, cheap, and great optics.

Have fun,

Ken

[Jasvox]

What about the kit lens? the new 18-55II? It seems like it would be a fine lens and if it's better than the older version, should be a winner as far as an all around lens is concerned. I have the Tamron branded 18-250 as well and love it.

Jas

[dodgeman]

Thanks everyone. Perhaps I have to rethink the 28-105 FA as my primary lens. Now it is a toss-up from the 18-55II kit lens and the 18-250 for a little bigger investment.

Has anybody noticed the student rebate that have arrived? It looks like anybody with a student ID can get about $100 off the K200 and $50 off each lens. I'm in luck, my wife just signed up for classes!

[Confused]

Hi again dodgeman

Naturally I became very envious to learn that you are visiting the Grand Canyon, which is one of the locations that I've always longed to visit. Reading between the lines it sounds that you might be on a slightly restricted budget in the immediate future, so it's obviously important that you make the right decision for your personal requirements. Unfortunately, I'm unfamiliar with the Pentax 28-105 f3.2 myself, so it may very well be a fine lens in it's own right. I wouldn't necessarily discount this optic out of hand, but perhaps think about supplementing it with a wide-angle of some description ? I own both the Tamron 18-250mm Di and the rectilinear Sigma 10-20mm wide-zoom, which is simply stunning for capturing dramatic landscapes. Click on the 'link' below and then click on the list of 'links' at the bottom of the post, which will take you to some superb examples on the Flickr web-site shot with the Sigma 10-20mm.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/148508-post19.html

Make sure you click the 'magnify' button especially above the second image (Gothic symmetry), to see this photo in all it's glory.

Best wishes
Richard

[Canada_Rockies]

Hello,

I have had my heart set on buying the K200D for a while now. With the few favorable reviews I have read, I'm now ready to take the plunge and buy my first DSLR. Tonight I decided to join your good forum and ask for some expert advice.

I am sure I could get started with the kit-lens. But seeing that it may be a while before I can afford to buy another lens, I thought I might be better off getting a more versatile zoom as my first piece of glass. I hope to get a wide range of use, from indoor portrait to Grand Canyon shots this fall. I found a Pentax 28-105 f3.2 (27997) and thought this was a good choice. I read a couple good reviews for this one, but am not very savvy on the Pentax lens line-up. Yes/no?...any other suggestions? All advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

dodgeman

I don't think you will find 28mm wide enough. On the digital you only get 2/3 the field of view, so the equivalent becomes (28+14) = 42mm fov - a normal lens, not a wide angle. You won't get very much of the grand canyon in with that. 18 is roughly the equivalent of a 28 on 35mm film. 16 is 24 - and that was my rock bottom minimum wide angle. As it happens, I found a combination kit with the K10D, D-BG2 grip and DA 12-24mm and bought that. No regrets at all.

[Aegon]

Even if you don't want the kit lens, I'd buy one for the Grand Canyon trip and try it out. In my experience, the kit lens works great for general use (that is, not indoor, not fast). It would be quite nice for the GC trip.

Find one in the classifieds for about $50, use it on your trip, and sell it when you return. Better yet, once you get back and see what the kit lens can do for $50, you might end up keeping it.

Add a 50-200 from Circuit City for $160: link to CC lens

You'll have a lot of ground covered for $210.

[christinelandon]

Aegon makes a good point above; the two kit lenses give a lot of capability for the money.

[ftpaddict]

If you could wait for the 17-70 f/4, that'd be very peachy.