please tell me. Autofocus and Manual focus lens.

DA 70mm is excellent, as is FA 50 f/1.4 for remarkable bokeh, I even enjoy DFA 100 WR if there is enough working distance.

Thank you, and what about budget portrait lens autofocus?

For a prime lens, you may want to wait for the recently announced DA 50 f/1.8 lens, or look into a used FA 50 f/1.7, or F 50 f/1.7. You could also consider budget zoom lens for portraits, such as DA-L 55-300 or DA 50-200. Keep it to between 50-85mm, and that's a nice classic portrait length, with relatively fast aperture (4.0 or so).

thanks

Hi guys, just recently purchased a Kx, with a Sigma 18-200mm kit, but i was looking at getting a prime lens to start off with, any suggestions?

thanks

DA 35 f/2.4 is a very good start. "Normal" focal length, light, cheap, and excellent optical quality. You will see an immediate improvement in picture quality, bokeh, and low light performance. Great "starter" prime lens for you. Another one to consider is the soon-to-be released DA 50 f/1.8 lens. Or if you have the money and want to try the world of DA limited primes, then you should get a DA 21mm -- great walkaround prime, small, wonderful metal build, excellent optical quality.

thanks for the advise, i will have a good look at these lenses

If you really want to Immerse yourself in the beauty of portraits I can't stress how much using a Manual lens can add character to your photos. If you can get your hands on a Pentax-A 50mm F1.4 Or F1.7. Use it for a few days and it will make you that much better at composing pictures in the viewfinder. You may be frustrated at first but IMHO it's made a huge difference in the quality of my photography. I don't even use the AF function on my lenses that have it anymore.
My very favorite portrait lens is my Jupiter-9 85mm f2 But I wouldn'ts suggest it as a first because it is pretty challenging to wrap your head around the Aperture ring mechanics.

you can't beat SMC Pentax-m 50mm f1.7. you know, in my opinion, you need a manual prime for the portrait. its something different and you put your soul into your shot. whenever you look at your picture you've taken you remember the moment you took it.

My wife got a 55-300, and that is an amazing lens considering its low cost, and low weight. She sold off her K-5, moved over the Olympus OM-D and got the 70-300 for that, but wasn't at all pleased as punch with that expensive lens, sold it and got herself a K-30 and a lot of change instead. So her K-30 is just used with that lens, and does so very well, unless it is too dark. Much better AF than her K-5 it has, and a worthy descendant to the K-x!

For the rest she uses her OM-D, as there are a few lenses for that that have no comparison in the world of Pentax. I myself changed to Nikon V1, and a D600, but I still got my D-x, and a few lenses.

I mostly shoot portraits using lights, and reflectors. The Rokinon lenses are what I mostly use. I have the 85mm 1.4f ($349), and the 35mm 1.4f ($299), and a HoeusBennu 50mm 1.7f ($66)... And yes they are good with low light. I shoot portraits mostly with my 85mm due to the slimming effect.. And I am honing my headshot skills- I can get headshots without making the target feeling uncomfy.

Vincent