Fill The Gap

Hi All

I'm after a a gap filler to go with my 16-45 & 80-320.
Also looking for a 50mm prime lens.

Preferably secondhand as i don't want to spend too much.
your ideas are most welcome.

Thanks

The best lens would be the DA* 50-135 - depends on how much you want to spend - please let us know.

Surely that depends on if its the black or the silver version.
When I bought my black one I asked on here first and Mannesty told me the silver one takes better photos.

Putting it on Ebay soon to put towards the 55-300mm

Hmm. Well the one I had was a silver one, and I didn't think much of it, especially at the long end, which is where you'd want it.

Why would there be an optical difference between black and silver? I could imagine variation between one-off instances of each, but they're supposed to be the same, surely?

Me thinks you will find there's a little joke in there!

PS, I'm sure my silver 43mm takes better photos too!

Fair cop!!

The one recurring criticism of the FA 80-320 is it's IQ at the long end. It's still a cracking good lens for the money, and it can be used on film SLR's.

That said, I've moved up to the DA* lenses and mine doesn't get used any more so it'll go on ebay, with a non-Pentax rubber hood.

Oh, and mine is a silver one and I'm sure the photo's I get are better than other's get from their black lenses

What is this preference for silver?

I've always thought the black ones look much nicer, although I expect a silver one shows scratches less, not that I'd know.

No preference Chris, just that I think they are more freely available. The silver and black versions are of course optically identical and IQ is similarly identical. They are both known to be soft at wide apertures at the long end, which I think is true of many zooms.

The silver is actually just paint . . . on top of black plastic

Also, I was just propogating the little jokette that was made earlier.

It might have started as a joke but for me (at least) it's become very real. Allow me to transport you back in time 9 months to when I'd just bought my silver FA43...

The scene; in the kitchen at a friend's birthday party.
Present; myself (H), assorted partygoers (PGx).
Equipment in hand; K10D, AF360, M50/1.4

H: "Come on, smile for the camera - it won't hurt y'know!"

PG1: "Put that #@%$+!| thing down! I'm getting a headache from the flash."

PG2: "Yeah, and I hate having my photo taken, it always makes me look fat."

(H retreats to his camera bag and swaps the M50 for the silver FA43)

PG1: "What's that?"

H: "A camera lens."

PG2: "Why is it silver?"

H: "Cos it's a special magic lens."

PG3: "Why is it magic? What's so special about it?"

H: "Only the top pros get to use silver lenses, you can't buy them in the shops. You have to prove yourself worthy to the manufacturer and then they let you buy one direct from them."

PG1: "Bull****. Why would they let you have one then?"

H: "Actually, it's a long story but I managed to get this one from a pro who's just retired and was selling up all his equipment. He used to shoot for Vogue and has worked with all the top models - only last month Kate Moss was looking down this very lens."

(A small crowd has now gathered and is peering at the FA43)

PG4: "I had a friend who's dad was a photographer and he told me something about silver lenses make you look thinner and cover up your spots."

(H suppresses grin, unable to believe his luck)

H: "He's right, although if everyone had them to use it would put a lot of pros out of work so they conspire with the manufacturers to keep the supply limited. Look, it even says so on the lens itself."

(H points to the word Limited on the front)

PG's 1-8 chorus: "Ooooooohhhhhhh!!"

PG3: "Take my picture!"

PG4: "Take mine! I've always wanted to look like Kate Moss!"

PG2: "I was here first - take mine Heft!"

etcetera, etcetera...

A couple of hours later I had everyone posing for the "magical silver lens" and some of the best people shots I've ever taken. They realised shortly afterwards that they'd been tricked (damn the Internet and its easy access to information) but the lens had already entered our folklore. Since then I've been asked to shoot many events (including a wedding, several birthdays and a christening) and people always tell me to bring "that silver lens" because despite knowing in the backs of their minds it isn't so, they still somehow think that silver lenses make them look just a little bit like Kate Moss. Who am I to argue?

Nice story.

Well that explains the prices these lenses are commanding...

Well I might be selling the FA24-90, that would fill the gap nicely. PM if you're interested.