You LMS guys just can't seem to get over the Gresley A4's being the most beautiful locos ever built and at the same time the fastest !

Still, us LNER guys are quite thick skinned and we can take it !

All the best, don't blow your boilers !

Peter

It's great reading the responses to this question, but when all is said and done the answer is the same as to 'how long is a piece of string?'

Everyone has their own preferred styles and subjects and, more significantly, depth of pockets ! Another factor is the size and weight of the lens which for holiday use (travelling light) means it has to be a prime or a compact zoom.

If you are a relative newcomer to a Pentax DSLR like me, with a limited budget but wanting to cover a range of focal lengths then a small zoom is the answer.

I found the kit zooms DAL 18-55 a bit restricting at the 'long' end and the DAL 50-200 (whilst an excellent 'carry around lens) a bit restricting at the 'short' end.

I then picked up an old Sigma 28-70 epsilon auto-focus quite cheaply recently as this seemed to be a good compromise range (for MY needs)and took this as my 'holiday lens'.

For the ability to be able to leave the K-r on 'P' and auto focus to capture images at short notice as you see them I found it 'just the ticket'.

The results may not be 'pin sharp' as you might get from a prime but I found its versatility and general performance more than adequate. Until I 'win the lottery' this will probably be the one
....for now, that is !!!!!

Peter

Whilst I fully understand your comments, John, I'm a pensioner on a limited budget and don't need lenses that will last 50 years !
Also, I didn't buy the K-r because of 'Brand Image', I bought it because it is the best value camera for the money. If Pentax are happy to make the DAL 18-55 as the kit lens I'd have thought that a fixed focus lens of similar build quality and faster aperture could have been made for a silmilar price without sacrificing reputation ?

I'll keep my eyes on Amazon for special offers - I'm eternally grateful to you and other Forum members for advising me that I could get the DA 55-300 for only £135 last year - so perhaps (???) I might strike lucky with a prime THIS year ? (They had the 35mm 2.4 for £65 at the same time but as a newcomer to Pentax I thought getting that as well might be pushing my luck with 'you know who' !)

Meanwhile, I find it quite ridiculous the prices that old M and A lenses are still fetching and as for the F lenses !!!

Anyway, for now, until that bargain day comes around, I'll have to make do with my Sigma 28-70 epsilon which I got for £15. It is fully auto, fairly fast and whilst obviously not as sharp as the best primes it is sharp enough and covers my commonly used focal length range better than the DAL 18-55 and is thus fully 'fit for purpose' which is all that counts ! That may not apply to everyone but we are all different, after all.

Whatever, I do appreciate the feedback one gets on this Forum and find it extremely useful.

Many thanks
Peter

Our son has a Canon DSLR and for a recent birthday we gave him a 50mm f/1.8 Canon lens which cost around £86 from Amazon !

OK, the build quality is nothing to write home about but the IQ is superb and he is over the moon with it. Those seemed to be the general comments of buyers on the Amazon webpage.

If Pentax could make something similar (i.e. a DAL 50mm f/1.8 ) at a similar price I'm sure they'd sell like hot cakes ?

How do we stimulate some action ?

Peter

I fully agree, Andrew, that a fast Prime will beat any zoom for IQ almost every time and if you have such 'weapons' in your 'armoury' then they are the ones to shoot with when you want best IQ and have time to change lenses.

However, for general use, especially when you want to take a 'spur of the moment' shot, a fully auto zoom is a handy thing to have already on the camera. Also, this intermediate range of 28-70mm meets MY requirements better than the 18-55 kit lens.

But it's 'horses for courses' and everyone has their own preferences (and lenses !).

I've posted another shot taken in low light and feel this lens is a match for the DAL 18-55 so will give it some more use.

Whatever, the great thing about this Forum is that different people's experiences can be published so that if anyone else in the future is looking for comments they will find them here.

Thanks again

Peter

Many thanks for your help and rapid actions, Andrew.

As I said, I got this lens as a 'long legged' alternative to the DAL 18-55 as I find the 55mm limit a bit restricting and the 50mm lower limit on the DAL 50-200 the same. I wasn't expecting miracles but feel, as you said, it is probably similar in IQ to the 18-55, so fair enough.

From what I've seen so far I'd need a mortgage to get a high quality fully auto lens in this range so I won't relegate it to the top of the wardrobe but use it as a convenient carry around on holiday etc.

Thanks again

Peter:

Does anyone else have this old Sigma zoom lens ?

I saw it on e-bay last week as I'd been looking for a general purpose lens in the 'cross-over' range between the DAL 18-55 and DAL 50-200.

However, before making a bid I did my 'homework' but only found 2 user reports ? Both commented on the sharpness saying they liked it. One said it was as good as some Primes but the auto-focus on his example was rather ragged.

As no one had bid I jumped in at the last minute (literally) and bought it for the starting price (which was high for 'starters' but reasonable for a 'buy' price as it came complete with both end caps and the original leather case and cardboard box).

It functions fully automatically on my K-r, testing it in 'P' mode and (so far) the auto-focus appears quiet, fast and smooth, fully as good as my brand new DA and DAL lenses.

I'll give it a proper 'workout' in the coming week.

I'd be interested in hearing other users experiences if there are any on this Forum ?

Peter

Flushed with success after the invaluable help I was given by Forum members when first using my old Helios 58mm f/2 lens but wanting something a bit 'wider' and closer to the 35mm film standard 50mm I have taken the plunge and bought an old M42 30mm lens off ebay.

I watched the auctions for several weeks before taking the plunge and was amazed at the ridiculous (to me) prices being fetched by old Pentax, Takumar and Tokina lenses. However, whilst I am perfectly happy with the quality of many old Russian and GDR lenses (e.g. the Helios) this doesn't seem to be the general perception.

Hence, I managed to pick up a Pentacon 30mm f/3.5 for less than a tenner (including postage!)

Having 'cut my teeth' on a fully manual lens with the Helios I find the Pentacon very easy to use. It has a sprung loaded pre-set ring for aperture and the usual separate ring for opening up for focussing and stopping back to shoot.

Following the advice given earlier I find using the K-r in AV mode very easy but have had to increase EV by 2 stops as also advised previously.

The results after just 2 days (actually 2 hours !) trials can be seen in the Lilly shots on the gallery.

The only drawback so far is that f/3.5 makes focussing a little difficult for my well worn eyes ! Anyone got an f/2 30mm M42 going for a song ???

Peter

When I got my K-r twin lens kit it was my first DSLR so I AM a novice in using this equipment ! However, I have been most impressed by the performance of the DAL 50-200 and even though I later got the DA 55-300 I still use the kit lens as a light carry around lens.

I feel that it tends to be a little soft at the 200mm end but at the 50mm end and in mid range I find it sharp enough. Mind you, the problems at 200mm could simply be my camera shake as I tend to go hand held most of the time !

I've posted another shot taken last Autumn at Agatha Christie's house, Greenlands. This was one of my early attempts at flower photography.

Peter

If your camera takes AA batteries via an adapter 'Bernado' alerted me to a low price one from China ..
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180663078079?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1...

I got one of these (£3.80 delivered) and use it with Uniross Hybrio rechargeables which make this another low cost reliable alternative and means you will always be able to use standard AA's if the rechargeables run out and you don't have a charger to hand.