I'm answering practically the same as Hefty, although I use a zoom (16-45), and the FA50mm is my 'one lens' option.

Just had a look through some shots I took the other day, and there are 10 changes of lens...

105mm > 300mm > 77mm > 105mm > 16-45mm > 105mm > 300mm > 16-45mm > 77mm > 50mm > 16-45mm

That covered insects (the 105mm is a macro lens), geese, a lizard, a damselfly, some views of a reservoir, bluebells (with the 105 and the 300), reflections in a pond, someone putting up a massive bat box, views of the bat box from a cherry-picker.

On another day out I might only use one or two lenses.

I think it's crazy to avoid changing lenses, when one of the main reasons for having an SLR (surely) is the ability to choose the right lens for the shot. Having said that, if I'd got the 17-70mm I could have avoided a couple of changes in the example above...

So for me, the answer to "How often do you change lens?" is "As often as I need to!"

Dan

Well, about 1 1/2 stops faster, but not as wide. I wouldn't think it would replace the Sigma (unless you use it mainly at 20mm) but it would certainly be a faster, smaller lens.

Dan

Fame at last Richard!

http://nedbunnell.blogspot.com/2009/04/first-photos-from-da60-250.html

Dan

That's a good point, the one I borrowed was silver, and I didn't like it.

Worth a punt if anyone's after a new silver one I guess, if it turned out to be the 70mm, it could always be returned.

Anyway, I'm tempted by your black 77mm, but there are other things that I need to spend money on at the moment, and possibly something else I want to spend it on being announced shortly...

Dan

Crikey Stephen, they must have done!

Have a great time with your new camera, we won't hold it against you.

Dan

Glad to see the recession is having little effect around here!

Dan

Or use exposure bracketing, so that you don't have to touch the camera between exposures.

Dan

I'm greatly tempted by the 77mm at the moment (having borrowed one for a few days), but any secondhand lens, even one as nice as this, I would expect to pay at least 25% less than I could get it new.

Having said that, it's your lens, and you can ask what you like. Good prices for the other two though.

Dan

We (at work) used to deal with Intro2020 (the old Pentax distributers), and the price we could get lenses at was 25% off the SRP. Let me just have a quick nose at the current price list...

Okay, taking the example of the Tamron 18-250mm, I see an SRP of £499.99 which, less VAT, would give a cost price to us of £326.09. Checking Warehouse Express (SRS website is down at the moment, for me at least), they're selling it for £369.99. If we were to sell it at the same price, we'd be making less than 12% profit.

Can you imagine the levels of stock you'd have to shift to make a living from that? Let's say you want to make £20,000 a year. You'd have to sell £166,000 of goods to get that amount of profit. Then add in your rates, utilities, rent, staff wages...

Obviously (you would hope) the likes of SRS are getting a lower cost price, but even so the margins must be tight.

I don't envy the independent retailer at all! But I'm glad we've got them.

Dan

I dread to think what he used!

Dan