The perfect kit

What would be your choice of lenses say 5 in number to make up your ideal kit and why. Im slowly building up a kit and would like to see your opinions.
Regards Ian

21LTD, 40LTD, 70LTD, 50-135, 200.
or
31LTD, 43LTD, 77LTD, 50-135, 200.

or 300 rather than 200 in each case.

or
12-24, 31LTD, FA50, 77LTD, 100 Macro

I dunno
Depends what you shoot doesnt it.

do they have to be in current production?

Assuming current lenses only and ignoring price:

Pentax DA 12-24
Pentax DA* 16-50
Pentax DA* 50-135
Pentax DFA 100mm Macro
Pentax DA* 300mm


I would still have some serious thinking to do for Sigma 10-20 vs Pentax 12-24. I've seen what the 12-24 can do and it's amazing, but the extra 2mm wide angle on the Sigma would be tempting.

As Ikillrocknroll said, it deppends on what you are shooting. The above would cover everything I do with serious glass, although I'd want a nice pair of high quality teleconverters too (1.4x and 2x with SDM pass through and SR compatibility please Pentax!). Of course it would set you back on the order of £2.5K and still not be right for everyone.

Keep your eyes open for specialized glass....
I got an 85mm soft focus, a 100mm macro,10-17 fisheye, 1.7 af teleconverter....
some lenses will hold thier value better than others. All lenses will hold thier value better than digital bodies.

so keep that in mind when you come accross something that looks like you might want to use.

I considered the 77ltd recently, but opted for the 100mm macro when shopping for a portrait lens... why? because they both take excellent portraits, but only one can get the brides face refracted through a droplet of watter on a flowerpetal in her boquet....

Or.......expose every wrinkle on the face of the beloved Mother in law.
Martin.

My choice would be similar to Mongoose's:-

DA 12-24 or Sigma 10-20
DA* 16-50 or DA 16-45
DA* 50-135 (no compromise here, essential)
FA 100mm Macro or Sigma EX DG 180mm Macro
DA* 300mm (when I collect it next week)

I've put together a lightweight kit too:-

Pentax *istD with grip if appropriate
DA 16-45 or DA 18-55
DA 50-200 or Sigma APO 70-300 Macro
FA 100mm Macro
FA 50mm 1:1.4
AF360FGZ + Diffuser

The lightweight kit fits snuggly in my Lowepro Slingshot 200AW.

My lightweight kit would be the DAltds and an *istD

My *ist D is going to stay with me for a while. It's much more compact that the K10D, and perfect for travelling light.

G

As far as lenses go, my most used lenses are:

DA* 16-50 Short zoom
F 70-210 Long zoom
FA 31 Ltd GP
FA 77 Ltd Portraits
F* 300 1:4.5 Tele

When I do macro, the FA 100 serves well and doubles as a paperweight during hurricanes.

G

My (current) favourite kit set is:

K10D (no grip)
SMC-DA 12-24
SMC-FA 24-90
SMC-F 50/1.4
(Plus an AF540-FGZ and Manfrotto carbon fibre 444 + 460 head)

And that covers pretty well all my photographic needs The bokeh, colour, and rendition of each lens is sublime. All fits very nicely into the Lowepro 200AW.

And like George... I still have the *ist-D... somehow I get on with it more than the K10D (though the K10D image quality is great). At the moment my second son makes use of it when we're out.

Trying to learn to live without LBA and just be satisfied with what I have

Matt

OT:

The *istD design will be 5 years old this year and I think it still holds it's own against its Pentax successors. I use my *istD and K10D about 50/50. I'll wait 'til the next model is released before I get a K20D I think, it's not a significant enough improvement for me . . . my technique is still way behind even the technology of the 'D'

I think of the *ist D as the Super A of digital cameras. Small, perfectly-formed, does the essentials with style.

To be half* honest, I only upgraded for the speed. The K10D is a great camera, but (like the 31 Ltd), it earns respect rather than love. My heart is with the *ist D.

G

* Well, and because the K10D was a bit flash when it first appeared, many moons ago.

Am I the only one with a D gathering dust then? Kept it to use as a second body, but it rarely does anything now. Like my K10D too much. Prefer the speed, feel, size, images...

Dan

Well, I agree that I use the K10D much more; but whenever I do use the *ist D I think how nice a camera it is.

G

Whenever I use mine I think how slow it is, and how tiny the screen is.

Dan