Want advice on Lens for Pentax K100D

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bobmillie - 16 Nov 2006 00:33 GMT

I'm ready to make the switch to Digital SLR. Have been using the Olympus
C2100UZ, 2 MPixl, with 10X stabilized lens. I've been very happy with the
results from image stabilization. Use it a lot for nature photos and the
10X zoom worked real well for me.

The Shake Reduction feature of the Pentax is the main reason I'm opting for
that camera. Was considering a two lens pkg....an
18-50 mm and a 50-200 mm, by Pentax.

Another option presented to me was a Tamron 28-300 mm. That would be about
a 12X zoom and the advantage on not having to bother switching lenses for
different shots. This seems to be best for my needs....unless the more
experienced of you out there have better suggestions.

Thanks,
Bob
Minneapolis, MN, USA

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Paul Mitchum - 16 Nov 2006 00:44 GMT

> I'm ready to make the switch to Digital SLR. Have been using the Olympus
> C2100UZ, 2 MPixl, with 10X stabilized lens. I've been very happy with the
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> different shots. This seems to be best for my needs....unless the more
> experienced of you out there have better suggestions.

It all depends on what you want to shoot.

So what do you want to shoot?

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Pete D - 16 Nov 2006 06:44 GMT

>> I'm ready to make the switch to Digital SLR. Have been using the Olympus
>> C2100UZ, 2 MPixl, with 10X stabilized lens. I've been very happy with
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
> So what do you want to shoot?

Agree completely. The 28mm end is not very wide by todays standards and many
shooters like 18mm lenses, in fact many are3 choosing somethig like the
18-200mm that are becoming available but I think you will find the smaller
zoom ratio lenses will give a little better quality.

I would recommend the Sigma 18-125mm and for the times you need longer I
would suggest the 70-300mm DG APO. These two lenses suit the K100D nicely,
you will find for most shooting you will not need the bigger lens much.

I suggest you also look at the 360FGZ Pentax flash or even better go for a
Sigma 500 DG Super.

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default - 16 Nov 2006 06:42 GMT

> Another option presented to me was a Tamron 28-300 mm. That would be
> about a 12X zoom and the advantage on not having to bother switching
> lenses for different shots. This seems to be best for my needs....unless
> the more experienced of you out there have better suggestions.

Why not the Tamron AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro?
http://www.tamron.co.jp/en/news/release_2006/news0914.html

You'd get 13.9x, with wide angle and nearly the same amount of telephoto
without going much bigger and quite close focussing.

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SteveB - 16 Nov 2006 08:04 GMT

I've got the Sigma 17-70 f2.8-F4.5 and the Pentax 50-200 f4-f5.6 for my
K100D after much research. My priorites were image quality and price but
f2.8 and reasonable macro ability was an attraction also with the Sigma.
With the plentiful white/grey skies here I also had to get lenses with low
purple fringing, the Pentax 18-55 kit lens doesn't do too well in this
respect although it's good as far as 18-55 kit lenses go. This Sigma is
better quality for me than other Sigmas like the 18-125 and 18-50, but it's
best to look at loads of images and make your own mind up.

> I'm ready to make the switch to Digital SLR. Have been using the Olympus
> C2100UZ, 2 MPixl, with 10X stabilized lens. I've been very happy with the
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> Bob
> Minneapolis, MN, USA

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Randy Berbaum - 16 Nov 2006 08:53 GMT

: The Shake Reduction feature of the Pentax is the main reason I'm opting
: for that camera. Was considering a two lens pkg....an
: 18-50 mm and a 50-200 mm, by Pentax.

Personally I prefer some overlap between the lenses. If the two lenses
both end at 50mm (as above) you will inevidably find you somehow need to
set the lens to even the slightest gap between the two lenses. :) But if
the long lens goes down to 28 or 35mm while the wide lens goes up to 50mm
or so, many tricky problems disappear.

: Another option presented to me was a Tamron 28-300 mm. That would be about
: a 12X zoom and the advantage on not having to bother switching lenses for
: different shots. This seems to be best for my needs....unless the more
: experienced of you out there have better suggestions.

This is a possibility but you may want to think of how you will use the
camera. First in digital, the difference between 18 and 28 is very large.
so if you like to take landscape shots, 28mm is very restrictive. Also I
have found that in general the wider the range of focal lengths the
heavier the lens. So a 100-300mm lens may be lighter (and frequently
faster) than a 28-300mm lens. The extra lengths require more elements and
more mechanical movements which add weight. Of course this is a
generalization and you may find specific lenses otherwise.

My suggestion (purely my personal preferences) would be an 18-50mm (or
even a 12-50mm or so) and a 28-300mm or 35-300mm. This way you have
plenty of overlap. Or an even better choice (IMHO) would be a 12-50,
35-150, 100-300mm combination. Of course in such a case you now have to
balance how to carry all these lenses vs having to have a large heavy
lens hanging from your neck when you only need a wide angle view.

So much of lens choices are very individual and depend on intended use,
personal preference and availability of apropriate lenses at a price you
can afford. :)

Randy

==========
Randy Berbaum
Champaign, IL

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