I'd agree with the suggestion of the Tamron 70-300 lens which should be possible to find for around £60-£70 in very good condition. It's sharp and also has quite a nice macro ability for smaller wildlife closer to you! It has issues with purple fringing on occasion, but nothing that can't be dealt with on the computer afterwards.

I think this would be a much better purchase than a TC for the 50-200.

One thing you could look for is an old mirror lens, but you need to get a good one - the Tamron 500mm is the easiest to find, and you'd probably have to be in for close to £100 to get one in really nice shape These require patience and learning, but if you persevere you can get some very good results out of them. These were taken with the Tamron 500mm and Pentax K20D:













Oddly enough, a couple of years after taking them, I found that some of these images were being used by a Spanish distributor of Samyang mirror lenses to show what they could do!

Hi John - used it for the goslings (and for some other shots not posted here - it's performing excellently, possibly better than my previous copy of this lens). The rest were taken with LondonRob's FA50/1.4.

Cheers,

Jon

Thanks both. One thing that has impressed me is how little PP is needed with the files from the K-5 (well, except for the last shot). I'm hoping that continues.... Less time fiddling on the computer is good in book!

Cheers,

Jon

.....to Pentax

A few shots after a bit of playtime over the weekend, largely around dog-walk time! Nothing terribly serious yet, but the K-5 is like coming back to an old friend. It just fits.


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(Bit of PP fun with that last one )

Thanks for looking,

Jon

Like all kit lenses, it's neither terribly wide, terribly long nor terribly fast. It's worth having in the bag though as a reasonably well-made and weather resistant lens for those occasions when you don't need specialist capabilities. The only kit lens I've used which is significantly better in both build and image quality is the original Panasonic 14-45.

That said, I prefer to use faster lenses where possible. The viewfinder is brighter, the compromises in lower light or with moving subjects are less, and you have more options to play with selective focus. I guess the last two of those can both impact on the look of the final image, but I think the actual image quality from the DA18-55's I've used (still have a copy of the mark ii) is pretty decent for what it is, and at anything like a normal viewing size and distance.

You might want to go and look at one... Even if on another body. I'm also tempted by the Tamron but not so tempted by the bulk of constant aperture 70-200 lenses. For me, something like the 50-135 or Sigma 50-150 may be a better and slightly more compact compromise, with the 55-300 pressed into service for occasions when more reach would help (or a 300mm prime if I could afford one.....).

By all accounts, the Tamron puts in a very decent performance though.

If you've got one of these in really good shape but not getting as much use as you'd hope, get in contact

Cheers,

Jon

Received in fab condition. Thanks for great transaction. Having to wait until Saturday to collect from the Post Office was torture but worth it!

I'd second the idea of a rugged zoom compact - with controls that can be used wearing gloves. WG3 likely to fit that bill as well as anything?

Jon

Thanks Rob. Just got home and given it a whirl.... All seems good.

Jon