They have 15% off so it brings down a refurbished K-3 (listed as very good condition) to $705 w/ the 18-135mm lens. That's including NY taxes.

[dansamy]

It shipped! It shipped!! I was worried I'd get a cancellation notice because when I ordered, it was showing "1 in stock". Yippee!!

[Joel B]

It shipped! It shipped!! I was worried I'd get a cancellation notice because when I ordered, it was showing "1 in stock". Yippee!!

LUCKY! (done in my best Napoleon Dynamite voice) Now comes the tracking nightmare!!!

[dansamy]

LUCKY! (done in my best Napoleon Dynamite voice) Now comes the tracking nightmare!!!

Nah. I've never had one problem with Amazon.

[Joel B]

Nah. I've never had one problem with Amazon.

yeah, Amazon is great. It's the watching the tracking and driving yourself nuts part I'm talking about.

18-135? Sounds like the perfect all around lens!

[dansamy]

Oh, I'm in Disney until Friday. My sister, who lives next door, will get it from the courier. It'll be on my kitchen table when I get home Friday night!

[rvannatta]

yeah, Amazon is great. It's the watching the tracking and driving yourself nuts part I'm talking about.

18-135? Sounds like the perfect all around lens!

tell meif I'm stupid. I have PENTAX AF REAR CONVERTER 1.4X AW rear converter HD PENTAX-DA coming from amazon
for (japan) for $385 plus about $10 priority shipping. tracking shows its cleared US customs and is on the way. Order black
friday and due here between dec 3 and 8. I'm sort of eager to see how it stacks up with other pentax converters. anyone
here willing to predict how it compares to say a 1.4x-L behind a classic long Pentax glass. OR what happens if
it is literally stacked with say a Pentax 2x-L as the second converter instead of using the traditional 1.4x-S for this purpose.

[shardulm]

The DA* 55 is $366 at check out. That is flat out insane! If you are on the fence about this lens for portraits - DO IT!

Honored your post.
And here is the test shot. @1.4
I only re-sized it to fit the forum standard.

---

Last edited by shardulm; 11-14-2016 at 01:07 PM.

[Joel B]

tell meif I'm stupid.

Stupid? No! Sounds more like LBA! Only cure is to buy more!

[rvannatta]

Stupid? No! Sounds more like LBA! Only cure is to buy more!

me? LBA? Couldn't be. My wife actually believes that one can't go anywhere to take a picture without 10 or 15 lenses and she is never wrong.
Picture taking is sort of like golfing, -- you drag a little cart around with the extra Glass.... No LBA here.

[dansamy]

My niece complained about the weight of my photog backpack. It *only* had a K-5ii, da*16-50, da*50-135, DA 35, DA 50, AF 200 FG, cheapie vivitar monopod, 3 batteries & random lens cloths & pens. And I schlepped that around Disney for a week.

[Joel B]

My wife actually believes that one can't go anywhere to take a picture without 10 or 15 lenses

sounds like a keeper to me!

My niece complained about the weight of my photog backpack.

Everything weighs more than an I-phone!

[rvannatta]

My niece complained about the weight of my photog backpack. It *only* had a K-5ii, da*16-50, da*50-135, DA 35, DA 50, AF 200 FG, cheapie vivitar monopod, 3 batteries & random lens cloths & pens. And I schlepped that around Disney for a week.

The boss has me spending a week in Alaska this coming June, and I've been trying to figure out what goes and what doesn't. I know right off that the FA600 /f4 doesn't go.. It's case is too big to carry on (an airplane) and the lens
is too valuable to check through. (IMHO), yet wildlife photography is a big opportunity in Alaska. If I wasn't flying I would certainly take the FA600 but it's a bit far to drive and begone only a week or so.

That leaves me I think about 3 practical choices:

a) take my bag lens (FA 300 f/2.8) and a sack of Tele-extenders with the DA 1.4x likely being the extender of choice because it will easily maintain auto focus features. even in bad light because of its inherent speed.
but the DA 1.4x only gets you to 420mm effective, and the 2x_L only to effective 600 -- some chance of hand holding --- easy with a monopod.

b) Take the silver trunk with the Pentax-A -400 f 2.8 with a sack of Tele-extenders. the 1.4x gives you 560 and 2x-L which works well makes for 800 --- and stacked works too down side---It's heavy, and monopod
is the minimum--- but also older technology without auto focus. the glass though is fast enough and you can stop down a few stops to compensate for light loss inherent with extenders. But you miss opportunities
because the setup time is extended.

c) I've ordered a F 300 f/4.5 ----for the back up camera to take quick and dirty which can be pretty easily hand held while a more cumbersome system is assembled. (Translation--- My wife has a K-3 also)

d) forget the primes and go with a 150-450 zoom which LBA almost compels me to buy anyway.

Decisions/Decisions....

[Bonobo]

Correct me if I'm wrong but some oversized Items are allowed, like guitars. There may be a way to get that beast on the plane with you.

[colonel00]

I get up to Alaska once or twice a year (until I figure out a way to move there) and honestly, the 150-450 will serve you fine. There is a chance you might need more reach but honestly, you might be better served with outstanding wide angle lenses. Granted, I have only taken my 18-135 and 55-300, I have been fine as far as reach for just about every situation. I have found myself looking at 2-3 lenses for the future. First, I would like something a little better on the wide end. Should my 18-135 ever have issues, I may lean towards the 16-85 for a little more sharpness at the edges. For reach, 300mm is usually just fine unless you find some sheep up on a mountain or are trying to capture a distant eagle. If it's an eagle, just wait, there will be a closer one in 10 minutes While the 55-300 has done alright, I will look at either going with a 150-450 or a DA*300 possibly with a TC.

Also, as Bonobo mentions, you can get on a plane with your lens just fine. Just be polite and tell the flight attendant what it is and if there is a closet they can put it in. If not, it can probably ride in the overhead somewhere. People take guitars, fly rods and other stuff all the time.

Oh, and most of the wildlife you will see will be right up fairly close. If you do a park tour, trying to do any really long lenses from a bus will be a pain anyway. PM me and I can give more details.