Its been a long time

Hi,

Another newbie here, looks a great forum...

My last Pentax was a K1000 c 30 years ago, great camera which got stolen. Replaced it with an Olympus OM1 which was cheaper and stayed with me for 20 years. Failing eyesight required a change to the autofocus systems and became a Canon user until 3 years ago when I had to sell the lot!. several ££££s worth.

Now able to get back to the hobby and with no gear it was quite refreshing to have a look around at whats on offer.
A friend has just upgraded to a Pentax K3 and lent me their K5! . Must admit I was sceptical but had always liked the pentax brand. Just a day in the hand convinced me that I need look no further and picked up the K5 and the kit lens 18-55 from said friend. Now I need to invest in more glass and gear

Going to be doing quite a lot of travelling this year, any recommendations on landscape and travel lenses would be very welcome , I had a look through the threads and already have some ideas, want to keep it to a couple of lenses only. is it worth getting the 18-135 , 17 -70 has anyone got the 10 - 17? (Must admit I think the kit lens is good- for a kit lens!) but probably want some with either more reach or is wider! . image quality is important , but I'm no pixel peeper and bank balance isn't huge! Same goes for a Camera flash, always been a metz user in the past, but any thought on options would be great

Pete

Welcome Pete,

I've settled on the DA15mm Ltd, The 18 - 135 DA WR and the 55- 300 DA for my K5, all compactly in a small Crumpler bag for travel. A spare battery and hard grad and polariser Cokin filters complete the set up.

I have a Sigma PTTL compatible flashgun, but rarely take it.

A cheap 7day shop monopod walking stick is handy for Greek Islands when out walking.
I used to have a Sigma 10 - 20, loved it but found it a heavy thing to lug around for landscapes. thus the tiny 15mm DA which I love. All feature on my small Gallery Portfolio on here.

Enjoy )

Pete - Welcome.

I also have the DA 18-135WR which lives on the camera and is my walkabout lens - nice and sharp and quick focus. I have the Sigma 10-20, and I agree with Bill - it is quite hefty, but I love the images I get from it. If I want something lighter I have a very old Vivitar 28mm F2.8 MC(A) which I love, although it is a little long at times.

I have a Metz 44 AF1 flash which is a lot cheaper than the equivalent Pentax, and has more than enough power for my needs.

Phil

Cheers guys,

Yes, I used to have the sigma some years ago for the canon , not thought about the 15 mm prime though, something to check out I think


Pete

Hello and Welcome to the Forum!

I used to have the 18-135 and it is a great lens, for my walkabout now though I have the Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.

Hello and Welcome

Hi Pete

I'm pretty much a newbie around these parts too but i'd like to offer a different suggestion.

My second lens purchase was a Sigma 105mm EX, here's why I think its a great addition to the kit lens

1. Outstanding Macro
2. Takes lovely portraits(from a respectable distance!)
3. Nearly the reach of 18-135
4. Much faster constant f2.8

I got mine for £168, it's missing the hood but thats no biggie as the front element is miles back. They commonly sell around £200 I think.

After that I got a DA55-300 which are now going cheaper as the new WR HD version is around.

So I have 18-300 covered plus a great prime macro. What I am missing is a WR lens but i'll have to sell a kidney for a DA*

HTH

Edit: Just read back your post and it probably doesn't fit your travel needs though

Pete A

Thanks Pete and Stuey

I have had a canon version of the sigma 105 ( I had a lot of gear some years ago) I liked it a lot although found it a bit noisy and prone to hunting. Never the less the image quality was very good. It's one of the few lenses I didn't replace with the canon equivalent..

For general purpose I am leaning towards the 17-70 or 18-135, I am tempted by a wide prime however. Haven't thought about something as long as the 300 , I'll try and check one out at the photo show at the weekend...

Thanks for the suggestions

Pete