Help on lens

Hi

Have recently got into digital with a K10D + kit lens after many years with film.
Need some advice on choice of new lens.
Considering
Sigma AF 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC Super Wide Angle Zoom
Sigma AF 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Telephoto Macro
Your comments on the quality of these lens or alternatives would be appreciated .
I have at present the kit lens plus a Sigma 70 – 210 4 ~5.6AF from my older kit.

Previous kit ME Super 50 f1.7 Tokina 28 -70 SD ,Sigma 80- 200 SFXn 28 – 80 AF
Mamiya 645 1000s 80mm std, 210mm short tele

Don't forget that Pentax make a range of very high quality optics that work seamlessly with the K10D.

SMC Pentax-DA 12-24mm f4 and
SMC Pentax-DA 100mm f2.8 Macro

might suit you very well.

And don't forget Ebay. The vast majority of second-hand lenses sold on Ebay are in very good condition indeed. Amateur photographers tend to look after their gear.

G

Good point, George.

Hi

Have considered the pentax lenses however cost is an issue. I believe I can get both sigma lenses for around £600 whereas the pentax zoom alone is over £500.

I tend to use ebay for lower cost options simply because there are too many scam artists operating on there.

Regards
Sean

I have both the sigma-10-20mm and the 70mm macro.

The 10-20mm is now my most used lens and I am very happy with it. IIRC it has also done better in reviews than the 12-24mm which costs nearly twice as much.

I have not used the 70mm macro much yet beyond testing it, but it is very well made and looks capable of great results based on my test shots.

I also have a Sigma EX 180mm macro which is very good as well.

I am not going to do myself any favours on this forum by saying it, but if you want an objective opinion on sigma lenses this is not the place to ask. Someone will be along in a moment to tell you their quality control is poor closely followed by someone else telling you only pentax will do.

As the owner of Pentax 31, 43 and 77mm pentax limited lenses I can tell a decent lens when I see and use it and the Sigma EX range in my experience are great lenses and better made than the DA and FA lenses I own (excluding the limiteds here of course).

As for alternatives, don't really know of any on the wide end other than the 12-24 already mentioned, but in terms of Macro there is also the Sigma 105 or the Tamron 90, both of which are also well regarded.

There are certainly SOME scam artists on Ebay, but not very many when it comes to photographic equipment, at least in my experience.

I have bought a car and a lift on Ebay, as well as some expensive camera gear, and never had a problem. The secret is to evaluate the seller before sending a large cheque into the blue, and if there is any doubt, collect and pay cash.

G

People just say what they believe, and all points of view can be aired, so your thoughts are as valid as anyone else's.

You are wrong to use the word "objective". There is nothing more objective than direct personal experience, and I have owned a Sigma lens (puchased new) which contained a front element connected to the rest of the lens body by sticky tape. It eventually came unstuck.

Other objections to Sigma have been mentioned here frequently, but it cannot be denied that they get it right sufficiently often to have become the dominant independent lens manufacturer.

Furthermore, the anti-Sigma camp is balanced by a large number of people here who do use Sigmas without reported problems.

So, to be objective, you will find a broad range of views on Sigma here, based on both favourable and unfavourable experiences.

G

I have a sigma 400, and to be honest, my shots have to be touched up in photoshop to get to where I've seen my pentax lenses perfom.
Does that me all sigma lenses are inferior?
No.
for the amount of use it gets, my 400 is fine.

do check carefully on each model lens you're looking at, and decide if it fits your needs, and please share your results with us. We all love photography first, pentax second! some of us might've never learned to love photography, if not for pentax.

Fortunately, scammers tend to be stupid and fail to completely disguise themselves as honest ordinary eBayers. So you're unlikely to get seriously ripped off if you are careful. You may occasionally be disappointed in the condition of an item, but you can sell it on, only making a small loss (if any).

I've got/had a couple of Sigmas and been perfectly happy with them. But, one thing to consider that swung me to the DA 12-24 instead of the 10-20 was that the supply of new K-mount stuff generally is currently tight. So if I did finally get one and it was dodgy there was not much chance of getting it replaced reasonably quickly. If I could reasonably expect to just be able to send/take it back and try another one, I might well have got the 10-20 instead.

(Of course it's always possible the 12-24 will be dodgy - haven't got it yet - but the odds seem better).

MostlyHarmless

George, I have no desire to get into an argument over this as although I do not post much on here, I have read enough to have respect for you and your knowledge, but I do not think one person can ever give an objective opinion as it is always based on the prejudices of personal experience.

My comment is based on seeing that a question about the 10-20 on epz gets around a 90% 'good lens' response where as on here 90% will tend to say buy the 12-24 because...

I am sure the 12-24 is a good lens, but taking a snapshot of a broader user base, the consensus would appear to be that the Sigma is better value than most if not all other offerings in that focal range, irrespective of the manufacturers it is compared to.

If we are just going to go on personal experience then I have 3 sigma ex lenses and 2 non ex and all have been fine and I therefore have no issue with recommending them.

I would be interested to know when your bad experience with a Sigma lens occurred and if it was an EX or more consumer orientated item.

I am also a happy Sigma user, but hanker getting the ones that say Pentax somewhere.

Regardless of whether it's an EX or not, to have a lens stuck on by tape, is something that's not fit for purpose... like Dr John Reid

That's a very interesting observation, but by its own definition cannot be an objective assessment as you have based it on the "prejudices of personal experience"

If this were to be correct then there could be no objective and logical observation about anything. In fact, it may be partly true because even the best scientists can experiment and find what they want to find, regardless of the facts.

But lets go back a step. Why do I recommend Pentax? Because I have used almost every make of camera in existence, from early 1900s folders through all the TLRs, rangefinders and SLRs and then on to DSLRs and my conclusion has been that the one that gave me the best results and best ergonomics was Pentax. So now I use Pentax and recommend it to others.

I don't think this is prejudice, I don't care what the name is on the front of my camera, but I have examined the field and reached a conclusion.