Which wide zoom?

Your comments and advice please. I need/want a wide end zoom – have decided I need a zoom as it is not always possible for me to frame as I would wish (can’t climb etc.) otherwise I would be looking at a prime.

I have on order with SRS the K7 kit lens 18 -55 AL WR f3.5-5.6 not having any idea what it will cost but am now thinking perhaps I should ask if I can change this to one of the other lens that may suit my needs.

12 – 24 ED AF IF f4
17 – 70 ED IF SDM f4
or perhaps the 16 – 45 ED AL f4

if you could discuss the merits of the above or perhaps persuade me that I should go for a prime.

Thanks

Get the 18-55 WR with the K-7 as it is only £30 more, so pointless not to.

Then based on your lens collection, a 12-24, but I would get that NOW as the new retail price is going upto £1199!

Jackie, my advice would be to give them all a try (if you can).

I would say I like my 16-50, particularly at the wide end and when stopped down a bit it's very sharp

Have to agree. If you bought the kit lens you could sell it on eBay for more than the £30 difference.

Although it's not a lens much discussed I am a big fan of the 10-17. Good fun to have a semi-fisheye. If you buy the Samsung version you should get it for about £100 less.

I'm with Danny, the 12–24 would be the best since you don't have anything in that range.
It's no upgrade of the kit lens thought the 17-70 would be better suited for that roll or the 16-50.

Just keep the kit lens, it's a very good lens and a weather sealed version looks like a welcome addition or else you can easily sell it without any loss if you're quick.

So you are saying stick with the 18-55 kit lens I have ordered and add to my collection at a later date, well I know now would be best but I have the K7 and kit lens to pay for and there are limits

A lot of it boils down to how much you need the K-7!

Image quality is not going to be that much improved due to extremely similar sensors, so if this was the deciding factor, stick with the K20 and put your money in the lenses, especially if your budget is getting wiped out with the body purchase. £1200 for K-7 now & £1200 or less in 6 months or £500 for 12-24 now, and possibly £800 - £900+ in 6 months. To save money, buy the lens now before it's too late, just don't hold a K-7 for a few months!

Having said that, I fully understand 'I want a K-7 NOW!'

No get the lens now while it's still cheap, you can save yourself quite a lot of money to postpone buying the K-7 and first getting a 12-24.
The K-7 will only drop in price after it has come out so really get the lens now and get the K-7 plus kit later.

Ps. Danny was faster.

If you know current prices, these will give you an idea of what to expect very soon

DA 17-70

DA* 50-135

DA*60-250

K-7 price has the rises already included in the price so is NOT expected to go up. Really do suggest you call Chris monday morning if your budget isn't flexible.

Has anyone seen these prices at shops other than Warehouse Express?

It caused me to have a major DA* binge, but now I am wondering.

Chris did tell me today that he is expecting the 60-250 price to be around £1150 when current low stocks are exhausted. Think you did the right thing, but do call him and ask if you're thinking of more purchases!

Does make you think Danny, I managed to get the Bigma before the price increase and incidental to my needing a wide angle zoom I have a desire for a 60mm- 250mm because I have seen some nice results on here and I want one.

I am in a real quandary with my lens, and want to buy a couple more and then get rid of some of the existing ones. My problem is I have lens that were, if I am honest, bought on cost and not on quality and now I am not sure what I want to keep and use and what I can sell on.

So if I go for the kit lens I have on order the 18 – 55 and buy myself a 60 – 250 keep the Bigma and two primes the 50mm f1.4 and a sigma 105mm that you may have noticed I rarely let go off I should be covered for all I wish to do --- then I have to grit my teeth and let some of the others go and I just know I will find a reason as to why I should keep at least some of them.

I’m in a real mess with my lens I don’t know what I should be doing and I am not normally indecisive but this problem has my head in a spin.

If it's all very confused in your mind, I would suggest going back to basics.

Just use your basic lens for a day or two's shooting, perhaps the 18-55mm, or whatever is normal in your set of lenses.

Enjoy the photography and don't take any other lenses out with you. Then think about how often you needed anything wider or longer. If you constantly found the lens not wide enough, then you may need a wider zoom and the 12-24mm Pentax is the best one.

If you found a need for something longer then the 55-300mm Pentax is inexpensive and excellent.

If your needs are different to that, then maybe this exercise will help to clear your mind.

Hope that helps!

John's advice is logical but I suspect the feeding the hobby isn't always logical!

The only lens you need is the one that lets you/encourages you to take more and better photographs!

After the kit lens for me it was the 10-20 Sigma which is an excellent lens and I used almost all the time for ages. Then it was the 5-200 zoom which I barely use but that said wouldn't be without.

But the lens you want - well that's another matter.

I WANT the DA 15mm but I don't need it.

Mike

Think it is difficult because we don't need, we want, my OH is just the same with fishing gear, just how many rods and reels does a hobby fisherman need.

At the moment my widest lens is 28mm and when I ordered the 18-55mm I was sure it would be wide enough but now I am beginning to think perhaps - no I am not going to think like that I am sure the 18mm will do all I need, dam it, I only want to take a few landscape shots that I hope will be individual to me and hopefully carry my take on things, can't be that difficult now can it..............but the 10-20mm sounds interesting......