Hello

Hi,

Although this is my first post I have been a member and loitering on this forum for quite a few months now.Just reading through the many threads has answered most of my questions so I have not found the need to post any thing myself until now.

I bought my 1st dslr about 18mths ago.Being on a budget ( like alot of others ) and having had a Pentax slr quite a few years ago ( think it was an SF7 ), I opted for an istDL2 with 18-55 kit lens & sigma 55-200 dc. I have since added a SMC-M 50 f1.7 & a Jessops 300AFDP flash,Both bought on ebay to tied me over until I win the lottery and can afford to buy what I really want ( reading the many posts has left me with lens, camera & flash envy ) .

Now for my question. I'm getting married at the end of April and going to be honeymooning in Cuba ( can't wait as it's the first holiday abroad in about 7yrs ). . I was really hoping to be able to get myself a sigma 10-20mm to capture some of those stunning land and seascapes but the cost of the wedding has put an end to that. ( unless someone wants to give one as a wedding present ). So my next option is a reasonably fast lens for any interior shots that can double up for the landscape when needed.I think my 50mm is going to be to long for that.

Any suggestions would be greatfully received, only real criteria is budget.

You don't need a fast lens for landscape, and your 18-55 will be fine for that.

A cheap, fairly fast, wide-ish, lens for interiors would be the 28mm 1:2.8. The M version sells on Ebay for very little, but requires you to pay attention to the exposure. For slightly more money, you can buy the A version.

But you could also buy a powerful flash, and use the 18-55. An AF400FTZ can be had for around 40 pounds. You'll have to use it on manual as your camera doesn''t support TTL.

The AF240T is also a good bet, and cheaper, and the AF280T is excellent. These two will give auto-exposure using their built-in sensors.

G

I thought the IST* was TTL compatible : :

Thanks for your replies.

The istDL2 is P-TTL with the Pentax AF360 & 540 but the manual doesn't mention about other flash units. I seem to get reasonable results from the Jessops unit and thought this was TTL but maybe I'm wrong. If I would be better of with one of the pentax units that George mentioned I will probably get one.Eccept for power output what is the difference between the AF400 & AF240, function wise.

Welcome and congratulations on your forthcoming marriage!

It's an *IST Dl and that is a P-TTL camera just as the *IST Ds is.

Pothers I know what you mean about camera, lens and flash envy. However I think you will do just fine in Cuba with the kit you already have. The kit lens plus the Sigma will be great for landscapes - you don't only need a wideangle for landscapes, zooming in can make for a better picture! The light in Cuba will be good so you don't need any faster lens than those for the landscapes.
For interiors, maybe a better flash would help but you may find you don't take that many interior shots anyway.

D & DL, not DS.

G

I'd overlooked the Jessops. I have never been clear if it's P-TTL, TTL, or both. But if it works, that's fine.

G

George

It's definately not P-TTL as there is no pre flash and I only got it because it was available & my wife-to-be encourages me to go for things.And she's usually right ( god that hurt ).It was her that talked me into the DSLR route instead of getting a bridge camera.

Gwyn

Thank you. I would love to get a K10D and the star lenses. When I went to a local store to look at the sigma 10-20mm they put it a K10D for me to try. Didn't do me any good at all. Think I'll do an extra lottery ticket tonight.