First DSLR - K10d queries

Hi all,
Thinking of joining the Pentax world, and am drawn to the K10d, especially after seeing the prices at srsmicrosystems.
As a complete beginner I really don't know much about lenses so was wondering if anyone had some insight on the differences between the 3 kits available at srs.
The 16-45 lens seems well thought of on these forums but is obviously a good deal more expensive.
Theres is also one which bundles in two pentax lenses (the standard 18-55 and 50-200)
And finally there is a pack with the Pentax 18-55, a Tamron 70-300 as well as a case and card.
As a starter kit I'm obviously drawn to the last option but would like to know if anyone has an opinion of the Tamron as it's a cheaper lens.
The options can be seen here http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/ProductsList/mcs/CategoryID/1/GroupID/4/CatName/Pentax%20K10D%20Digital%20SLR%20Cameras/v/2adf7e08-fc6e-4bde-a033-2a86b6317b2e/v/2adf7e08-fc6e-4bde-a033-2a86b6317b2e[url]

Thanks for any input and advice you have, I hope to be contributing to these forums soon as a proud pentax owner.
" class="outlink" target="blank">" class="outlink" target="blank">http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/ProductsList/mcs/CategoryID/1/GroupID/4/CatName/Pentax%20K10D%20Digital%20SLR%20Cameras/v/2adf7e08-fc6e-4bde-a033-2a86b6317b2e/v/2adf7e08-fc6e-4bde-a033-2a86b6317b2e[url]

Thanks for any input and advice you have, I hope to be contributing to these forums soon as a proud pentax owner.

Welcome aboard.

(I have used all the lenses mentioned).

Pentax or Samsung 50-200 is beautifully small and light, so ideal for travelling. This is true for the 18-55 too. Note that there is a new improved mark II version of the 18-55. If you ask, I expect SRS would make up a kit for you with this instead of the mark I.

As well as providing more reach, the Tamron 70-300 has a larger maximum aperture at 200mm (F4.5) than the 50-200. It does suffer from purple fringing in high-contrast situations, but still it's excellent value for money, in my opinion.

Pentax 16-45 is a nice high-quality lens, but there are a number of other options (and will be even more soon as well) to cover this kind of range and quality - which you will be more qualified to consider once you've had more experience. So I'd suggest not getting anything like this immediately. An 18-55 should be fine for you to start with, and will be useful to own even if you do get another lens to cover wide/standard angles.

The 18-55 + 50-200 kit is compact and versatile. An added bonus is that the filter size is the same for both lenses, so if you decide to buy filters you may not need as many.

I agree leave the 16-45mm till later when you have some better idea of what you want.

I agree with John's choice. It will make an excellent starter kit. Both of those lenses will cover whatever you made decide to photograph. The 18-55 will even work well with closeup shots (macro) if thats what you are inclined to do.
And as the others have said you can always upgrade later when you decide what type of photography you want to do.

Good luck and welcome to the forum

I have nothing to add to what has already been said about lens choice, but don't hang around making your final decision, because I am sure that those new K10D's will not be around for long.

Welcome to the forum.

Hi everyone
thanks for the swift replies, as hyram says - those K10d's aren't
going to be around forever.
So the Tamron is on ok lens but no one would really recommend it?
And as a beginner I might be better off with just the single 18-55 mm?

For the price, it's better than Ok. I've used one briefly, and seen some results from it - the only drawback I've seen is, as people have mentioned, the purple fringing it shows in high contrast situations. But lots of lenses show this to varying extents.


You might. It all depends on your budget.

As people say, the 50-200 is very good, light and inexpensive.

Moving up in price a bit, the 18-55 and newly released 55-300 would cover the whole of the focal length range from 18-300, and you'd still only need two lenses.

Or alternatively you could spend some time getting used to the camera with just the 18-55, and then look for others second hand, which is what I did.

None of these is a bad lens. The only risk is that you'll end up spending a little more if you get them singly rather than as part of the initial kit.

One little request: for posting huge URLs, either use www.tinyurl.com to shorten them, or embed links in text like this. That way, the link doesn't end up forcing the browser to be too wide for the screen, making everyone scroll left and right to read all the posts on the thread.

Thanks, and good luck.

As well as the quality difference between the 18-55 and 16-45 (which is very significant - certainly for the mk1 18-55) it's also worth noting that the difference in the field of view at the wide end is also very significant. 18mm (equivalent to about 28mm with film) I usually find not quite wide enough where 16mm (equivalent to about 24mm) I find a very useful focal length.

I've had two of the mk1 18-55's (and still have one of them in a cupboard somewhere) but haven't found either to be particularly useful however the 16-45 I find I use a lot.

hey chrisa
sorry about the massive long link, i thought id made
it neater when i posted but obviously my HTML skills
are lacking.
im tempted to get multiple lenses, but i suppose i wont
know til i get them how much use ill make of them.
like chrisa says i feel like i might save a little from
buying them now but, tbh, i wouldnt really know if a
lens was good or bad at the moment.

No worries


If you're anything at all like most of the people here, you'll make lots of use of them

What's your budget? I'm getting the impression that you're somewhere between 'completely skint' and 'loaded'... so I'd be inclined to get the Mark 2 18-55 and the Pentax DA 55-300.

If I've read you wrong, and this would stretch your budget too far, I'd get the 50-200 instead of the 55-300.

And if even that's too much, you won't go wrong just with the 18-55, and second hand lenses when you're much more used to it all.

I recommend it. I also recommend the 50-200! I have both.

If choosing between them, I suggest the Tamron if you think you won't might mind often carrying it around, otherwise the 50-200. Look up the dimensions and weights.


As a beginner you will enjoy having a telephoto lens. It adds a lot of interest.

The Tamron is widely and cheaply available, though, so it's not all that important whether it's included with the initial package that you buy. You'll be able to find a new one anytime for under £100. Note the latest version has "LD Di" in the name.

The Pentax 55-300 may be better than the Tamron, but it is twice the price. So obvously the Tamron is a better choice if you're on a budget, otherwise consider the 55-300. Anything much better than the 55-300 will cost megabucks and will be much bigger and heavier. So you're unluckly to want to upgrade unless you get seriously into telephoto photography.

Well I've been thinking about getting a proper camera for
quite a while so I was always figuring 500-700 (euro that is)
but obviously I'd LOVE to spend less
I'm definitely closer to 'skint' than 'loaded'
I sent a mail to srsmicrosystems (who seem well thought of here)
to price a kit with the K10d body+Pentax 18-55+Pentax 50-200+
memory card but no word back as yet.
The Tamron kit just seems like an easy and (relatively) affordable
option. Though in all probability the card and case you get with it
are pretty poor.

I have found that it is generally quicker to send Chris @ SRS a PM via this forum or to use the telephone.

The best time to telephone SRS is slightly before 9.00am just before all the 'punters' suffering from LBA pour through the door

Chris should also be able to give you a price to include the Mark 2 kit lens - apparently better than the Mark 1 version.

reading around a little it seems like some people
consider the K10d to have quite a steep learning
curve. as a first time user would any of you consider
it to be too much for a beginner?
no word back from srs - it is a bank holiday today
but i assume theyre open.

I think it depends entirely on whether you're the type of person to get intimidated by technology.

If you're not, put the camera into aperture priority mode, and just use that for a while. Do lots of reading, thinking, experimenting, and use the other features as and when you feel the need and/or the inclination.

If you're a beginner to photography using an SLR, it will take a while to grow into the K10D without a doubt - it's not really a point-and-shoot camera, even in fully auto mode. If you leave everything automatic, it tends to bias its choices towards natural colours and contrast, which can look a little flat compared with the over-bright, over-contrasty, over-sharpened results produced by some of the more consumer-oriented cameras.

At the very least, you should expect to be doing some simple editing, even if you use a very basic tool such as Picasa.