looking for my first prime!!

I'm looking top purchase my first prime lens and was wondering if anyone could give me some advise on what lens would be best for me.

Would be used predominantly for indoor pictures of the kids and would prefer an auto focus lens.

Cheers in advance.

Most importantly what camera are you using, if you're using a film camera you would be getting very different suggestion than if you're using a digital camera.

On digital you will be looking for from from 24mm to 35mm with the widest aperture for indoors for film 35mm to 50mm and also the fastest you can get although I'm comparing this with my shooting style you probably have a kit-lens with your camera that includes these ranges so you can check what you like best.

If you want Pentax lens then look here http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/lenses/
F, FAJ, FA, DFA & DA are all autofocus lenses and will fully work a digital camera and all besides the DA work on film-camera but the FAJ doesn't have an aperture ring and also one DFA lens not so check if you need one or not.

PS. Almost all prime lenses perform very good so you must be unlucky picking up a bad one.

I had a Pentax 70mm SMC DA f2.4 Limited until I lost it in the USA in Jan of this year, it was a great lens for portrait work and I found it very sharp in terms of focus, although in manual focus I would have liked more play in terms of the adjustment. I also used this lens for action shots of Canoeing at one of my favourite play spots at Bingley and again it was a good choice.

Some other Pentax Primes worth taking a look at maybe:
Pentax 40mm SMC DA F2.8 Limited
Pentax 21mm SMC DA f 3.2 AL Limited

However non of these are cheap!

if you are short on lens pocket money, you will find lots of other primes on ebay at good prices, but as I am new to photography perhaps the old School pre digital Pentax users can provide you with more help and guidance.

Fletcher8

My suugestion would be the 40 DA limited

I suggest the Pentax (or Samsung) 35mm f2 which is an excellent and reasonably priced lens. I have the 21 ltd and it doesn't find its way onto the body as often as it should and I also have the 70 which is probably very good for formal portraits but for kids about the house the 35 is possibly better suited. Superb lens mind you.

That said I can't see that point of getting a prime for family shots - get a good zoom like the Tamron 17-50 f.28 or perhaps the slower Pentax 17-70 f4 (?).

Don't ignore the Sigma lenses, the 30/1.4 is excellent and vies with the 35/f2, the 50/2.8 macro finds its way onto the body a lot too as it so flexible going to 1:1 macro.

But the 35/f2 is almost without fault and has fast AF in my experience. It is my go to lens. Value for money at about £250 can't beat it.

Mike

Thanks all for your help. Stefan, sorry, never thought about putting what camera I use.

I use a K10d.

Would a good zoom lens be more useful than a prime?? If so, what price range would I be looking at and what zoom would people recommend

??

Tamron 17-50 f2.8 I think it's about £350.

Many will disagree but I found it to be an excellent all round lens that I don't use any more because I am seduced by primes.

Mike

Seconded. I'm planning to start saving for one of these next, as I now have a good spread of manual primes.

Third vote for DA40 here.
Alternatively: FA31, FA35, F/FA50/1.7

I had DA40 as my first prime and loved it! It's a great little lens capable of big results!

I want a 40 DA Ltd - but at the moment I really can't afford it , but my heart tells me I should be buying it .

I need it for next year so will have to put some pennies aside for it .

I love the DA 40 as well. When I go on holiday with the family and take snaps it almost stays welded to the camera. I also have the DA 35 macro which is not a radically different focal length but focuses REALLY close - and is razor sharp (as you would expect from a macro lens); it is an exceptionally good lens to my mind. I would recommend either although the DA 40 is cheaper. It's also worth looking around at second hand stuff as well (depending on your requirements). I am just playing around at the moment with an elderly-looking 'topman' 35mm lens which I found in a local camera shop. It's all manual, but it cost me just a fraction over a tenner...

Mat W

Same here

The old primes I use, while superb value and the cream of their era, just aren't as simple to use as new glass. What I look forward to with the DA 40 is the fact that I can use the camera in Av mode with auto focus, or flick it into green button if my Mum decides she wants to have a go (the results of this with a manual lens can be very odd!)

Am I the only one that finds the DA40 to long to use indoors of making photos of the kids playing, I don't believe the houses in the UK are much larger than in NL
The Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX would be my choice over the DA40, don't know if I should take the Sigma over the DA21, probably not ^^

As for zoom mike already said the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 but you can also go for the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 I at least find that focal length a bit more useful.

No Stefan you're not. I will use the 30 in preference to the 35 if I feel the extra 5mm are significant.

For your only prime I think 40 is too long.

17-50 against 28-75, you can always crop but you can't expand

Mike

Mike glad someone is thinking the same I've the DA40 but it's just not wide enough I think I need a Da21 limited and no I don't have LBA, I only have 3 lenses

AS for the 17-50 against 28-75 you do have fish-eye filters you know