LBA - Kit Lens

Hi Peeps,

Understand that the 18-55 kit lens is well thought of but can't help thinking that £70 worth of lens could be improved on.

Is the 17-70 worth the £330 premium.

But...I really enjoy shooting wih my primes and was wondering about the 21 Ltd. An even bigger price hike but I will then have serious quality

I know that this will leave me open to major heartache... what next 70 Ltd, 31 Ltd but at least that way I will not feel lacking (except in the wallet :blush

OR

Sigma et al?

Want to concentrate at the wide end at the mo but the extra reach of the 17-70 is soooo enticing. But is it worth the dosh?


Help

Stumps

Hmmm, interesting one.
You already have the Siggy 10-20, which will give you the really wide stuff. The 50mm for fast prime stuff and at the longer end the Siggy 70-300.

I would say that the 17-70 will be excellent to replace the kit lens, but have you also thought about the 16-45? If it is quality you want at a reasonable price, then this one might suit better? But if you want maximum flexibility, but pricier, then the 17-70 would be a good choice.

The other option could be the 21mm Ltd and the 35mm F2.4

The DA*16-50 is very nice and I use it as a walkabout lens (although it's neither light nor inconspicuous). I have to confess I do sometimes long for a little bit of extra reach, but this is usually solved by using my legs.

There were a few issues reported with the DA*16-50 (including auto-focus problems and drive failures) but I've never had any problems with my copy. Not sure if these problems are now firmly in the past (but I'm sure there's someone out there who'll tell us).

Primes are a joy, and I've long lusted after the Ltd primes. However I'm currently more tempted by the low-light capabilities of the K5...

Personally I think it is - it produces great colour/contrast and is pretty sharp even wide open it's my primary lens for landscape, despite owning the DA12-24 too.

Whilst you may well see a difference in IQ between the 21mm and DA17-70 wide open at smaller apertures you'll probably not notice a difference, obviously the relevance of this depends on your shooting style.

Just my thoughts

Simon

Hmmm... I think you should consider the Sigma 17-70mm 2.8-4 or the older version which is a 2.8-4.5. The Sigma is much cheaper than the Pentax and is a stop brighter at the wide end, and does very close focusing and does 'macro' with its magnification of up to 1:2. Its colours and contrast are very good, as is the bokeh. Though it should be noted the colour rendition is different to the pentax's.

Used they go for £200, or new £280.

If you're interested, you could drop by my flickr for some photos taken with the Sigma (older version) here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vincechu89/tags/1770mm/

Get yourself a fast prime and never look back.

A 50/1.7 is a good cheap choice. FA43 Limited is the pinnacle.

Appreciate all the feedback

Already have the 50/1.7
Got to say, value for money, it's fab. I use it alot. Sometimes "force" myself go out with just the nifty. Makes me think a lot about the shot. Problem is, it's often just a tad long. So the range of the 18-55 fits well.

Decision is:
Do I go for:
The 17-70 and a great range with improved quality
or
21 ltd no range but quality by the bucket load (at least wide open)
or
16-50* Hmmm - interesting
or
Sigma will take a gander


Cheers

stumps

You could also consider the very highly rated Tamron 28-75/2.8. A superb lense.

With your current lenses you would only leave a gap from 21 to 27 and could consider the 21 Ltd or one of the fast Sigma's later.

Stumps, I am not a zoom person. The only one I make an exception for is the DA12-24 since there is no alternative. Add that to the FA43 and FA77 and really I need little else for my paid gigs, travel kit, whatever. So really I cannot advise on a zoom to replace the kit.

Look at the new DA 35mm f2.4. Much like the 50/1.7 in performance but a more useful focal length for a DSLR (although I actually find 35mm/40mm more natural on full frame film too), it's also very cheap by Pentax prime standards. Has picked up the nickname "plastic wonder" in some quarters, if Pentax made other focal lengths at the same price and quality Ltd sales would take a hit IMO.

If you're after a 'kit' replacement... I can recommend he Tamron 17-50 f2.8 as a corker...

+1, or alternatively, the Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 which is one of my favourites as it is just about wide enough at 24 to use as a walkaround lens, has superb IQ and excellent build quality.

one of my Canon shooting buddies has just bought a Sigma 24-70 f/2.8. he loves it.

Also love sigma 24-70 f2.8 on camera 80% of time