That's what I have heard too, Matt. I believe that it is probably due to the compromises that have to be made to accommodate the range. That being said, both the Pentax (55-300) and the Sigma (70-300) were very good. I only took a few test shots outside the camera shop with the Pentax lens, but the results were very good - nice and sharp, with no fringing. If I had had the money I may have chosen the Pentax lens over the Sigma due to the extended range. But the shots I have taken with the Sigma have also been very sharp (when I get it right - I have had my share of blurred and out of focus shots ). Overall I am very happy with the results I have had with the Sigma.

Hello all, and thanks for the welcome . I got the K-x over the holidays, and picked up a Sigma 70-300 zoom on the weekend (thanks to all those who chimed in and shared their knowledge on lenses in my post). I am really happy I decided to go with Pentax, and the K-x in particular, and glad I joined this forum. I'm enjoying the gallery, and picking up lots of great ideas - you folks take some truly amazing photos! I hope I will be able to do as well one day . Lot's of practice to come (thank goodness I don't have to buy film and pay for developing and printing any more - I'd be in the poorhouse ).

All the best!

JD

I managed to take a few shots today down at Lasalle Park, in Burlington. The Sigma lens was amazing (helping to make the dummy behind it look better than he really is ).

You can see some samples (I'll have to wait till tomorrow to post to the gallery):
http://picasaweb.google.com/RobStr86/SundayAtLasallePark#
http://picasaweb.google.com/RobStr86/Princess_Point_Park#

I did tweak some of them for exposure, but there was absolutely no fringing in any of them. I think I love this lens

JD

Hello All,

Thanks to everyone for your advice and suggestions. I spent the day today trying a variety of lenses. Here's the list:

Used Tamron 28-300 - 185D: $200.00 - not at all what I was looking for. The IQ was just not there at the max tele end - very soft (almost seemed out of focus), and lots of colour aberration. I had anticipated this to a certain degree, but had to see it for myself.

New Tamron AF 70-300MM F/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2: $229.00 - sharp photos, but quite strong purple fringing at the long end. I liked this lens a lot, and if not for the fringing, I would have bought this one.

New Pentax smc DA 55-300 mm F4 - 5.8ED: $500.00 - beautiful, clear, sharp photos - no fringing - gorgeous! But unfortunately currently out of my budget .

SIGMA 70-300MM 4-5.6 APO DG MACRO: $319.00 - Image quality was comparable to the Pentax smc DA 55-300 - crisp, clear photos, with no fringing. It was at the high end of what I wanted to spend, but I was impressed enough to put my money into this lens.

Thanks again to everyone,

JD

Thanks Mike and Pete. I appreciate the feedback. I guess the old rule holds true - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. For $200.00 I think I may have a look, and take a few photos with the K-x - in particular at the extreme ends of the zoom. If they are not satisfactory, then I will pass on it. If I don't look, I'll be forever asking myself if I missed a good deal, but I'll go in with a level of skepticism based on your feedback .

I am mostly interested in the telephoto end, so if this one does not cut it, I'll take your advice Pete, and look at the Tamron 70-300mm. Our local Duncan and Wright store has the Tamron AF 70-300MM F/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 for Pentax for $30.00 more then the used one, or the Tamron AF 18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Pentax for about double that.

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate you taking the time to provide your input.

JD

Hello,

I am a new Pentax K-x owner - my first DSLR. I have an opportunity to pick up a TAMRON 28-300mm 3.5 - 6.3, model 185D at a pretty good price. Does anyone have experience with this lens? Any advice you would offer a newbie? Is it worth purchasing this lens?

Thanks for your help,

JD

Hi Terry, from another "soon to be" Pentax user. Hope we will be soon sharing examples in the gallery

Thanks Dave. Great collection on Flickr! .

Here's a link to some of the shots I have posted on Flickr. They were shot with a P&S, so I'm looking forward to improving on them once I have the K-x ...

Flickr - link

Thanks for the warm welcome Mike and Don. I'm looking forward to learning the ropes once I get my new camera, and meeting lots of fellow Pentax users on the forums.

Hello All,

I'm new to the PentaxUser community, and though not yet a Pentax user, I plan/hope to be in the near future. I am currently shooting with a Canon S5 IS, and while it is a lovely camera, I have been finding it lacking lately, particularly when shooting in low light, sans flash. I want to move up to a DSLR, but am having a heck of a time deciding what system to buy into.

After reading many reviews, looking at dozens of sample shots, and basically making myself crazy, I have narrowed it down to the Pentax K-x. Some of the key things I am looking for are:

- Quality equipment, and of course photographs, at a reasonable price
- Good low light performance (high ISO, with minimal noise)
- Good continuous shooting ability (I always seem to miss the perfect moment by just that little bit)
- The ability/opportunity to grow with the system (I'll never make a living at it, but I'd like to be able take quality photographs some day )

I have looked through the galleries here, and on the ePHOTOzine site, and now I REALLY realize how much I need to learn (and why I need a DSLR!). The shots that are posted are simply amazing! I hope I'll be able to provide some equally good content in time. I'll post a few that I have taken with the S5 so you can see the type of shooting I like.

I would appreciate any feedback/advice you may have to offer a future new DSLR user (I do have an old Minolta XG-1 film camera that I had used for many years, though I have not picked it up for a long time).

For the K-x owners/users out there, what are your real world experiences with shots taken at ISO 800, 1600, or 3200? What's the expected battery life using Sanyo Eneloops (or similar)? The S5 is not a legitimate comparison, but I can shoot ~400-450 images on a single charge, using live view, and I am perfectly happy with that. I expect it would be less with the K-x, but if I limit the use of Live View, could I expect similar results?

Thanks in advance for any advice offered, and apologies for the novel . I look forward to hearing your opinions and recomendations.

JD