what lens to go for next?

These are the lenses I currently have:

15mm DA f4
35mm FA f2
50mm M f1.7
100mm WR f2.8
55-300mm DA f3.5-5.8

kept only as backup/wr
18-55mm WR

These are the ones I sometimes think about:

samyang 8mm - would allow wider shoots than the 15mm
31mm fa f1.8 - it seems like the holy grail, but I can never quite justify it over the FA 35mm I already have and its close in focal length
tamron 17-50mm - would perhaps inject a bit of speed into parts of my lineup
50-135mm DA* - would give me some more WR, speed and make those focal lengths its own apart from perhaps @ 100mm I have already well covered
tamron 70-200mm f2.8 - much cheaper than the 50-135mm

18-135mm wr - would allow me to ditch the 18-55mm and give me a massive WR range, quiet


Where do you think the weak point is in this lineup. I'm mainly interested in landscape, street and astro.

The pentax 60-250mm looks amazing too, but v. expensive.

I'm also wondering if buying any lens now would be daft if they are revamping some of the lenses soon. But then you can always wait...

I'm also planning to pickup a body at some point to get me better high ISO or >800 over the K-7.

I don't need FF.

I think I'm crippled by indecision

I use the 43 (not mentioned in your list) as a street shooter. Underestimate at your peril Your lenses are fine, lovely set. K-7 replacement should be first priority.

You're fortunate to have a lineup of just Pentax lenses right from the start, don't spoil it! It took me many, many years to realise that other marques were generally not as satisfying. I could have saved a fortune....even though Pentax lenses are more expensive they are definitely worth it.

Your glass is fine, very fine in fact, up grade the K-7, any of the K5's will surprise you

Tamron 17-50. Does everything you could ask of a standard zoom. But if you want silent af go for the sigma or Pentax versions, which are a bit more / a lot more expensive.

The Pentax 50-135 is also a very useful lens.

I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure!


Get yourself a DA 10-17mm. Excellent fun.

Keep the 18-55, perfectly good lens.
Buy a very large bag and take weight lifting classes to carry the other 13 lenses you mention.

All the best...Jim

I think with that selection of lenses I may be more inclined to upgrade the K-7 (to a K-5 variant). Oh, and throw the 70 DA Limited into the mix to make the decision harder

Just like some of the others stated, I'd rather get a second camera. Better high iso performance, you can use both bodies with a different lens mounted reducing swapping (you need to be prepared to carry two cameras ) and you'll have a spare body (always useful).

From your current list, it looks like you favour primes. Apart from a fish-eye when you need to get everything in (I use the DA10-17 - fishy at 10mm, not so fishy at 17mm), you might consider a DA21 or older 28mm for street shooting. My preference is 28mm on APS-C (or my M40/2.8 on film), M's or A's are readily available.

For astro I'd be using (seldom find the enthusiasm for cold nights) my Tamron 500/8 mirror (it's really a telescope anyway!) but I might also try my M42 Super-Tak 300/4. Or I'd be looking at the GPS module for its Astrotracer function (not sure if it works on the K-7 though?).

John.

Some interesting comments...

I'm considering getting the K-5 mk1 second hand body only.

or if pentax uk can clarify the cashback on the k-5 ii body only I might go for that.. though it is approx 200 quid more than a 2nd hand mk1 would be. AFAICT the main advantage would be the AF.

The DA 70mm sounds interesting the more I read about. Though it would also fall into the range of quite a few of the nice but expensive zooms. Granted its a lot smaller though and should hold its own at its focal length.

Yes astro tracer [o-gps1] is very much on the cards when I get a compatible body, but its lower down the list and is another 200 quid.

It seems you have it covered except the large gap in primes between 15mm & 35mm, Step forward my two favourite lenses, the Sigma 24mm f2.8 af and the Pentax 21mm ltd.

And as for the 18-55mm, I would keep hold of that as I think its a superb lens for a kit lens.

Hd da 70 is the one to go for

Here is a bargain!

https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/topic/new-hd-pentax-da-70-2-4-45141