new lense for my pentax

[Pat1547]

I'm kind of new to photography but I would like to get a new lens to accompany my standard 50 mm that came with my pentax zx-m. I'm a student which means I am on a limited budget. Any suggestions? Thanks for the help.

 

[Jeremy]

Do you want to go with a wider field of view (shorter lens) or narrower (longer lens)?

 

[Pat1547]

Thats the thing I'm not sure, I'm dabbling in a bit of all kinds of photography right now, but I'm starting to lean more towards landscape and nature now.

 

[titrisol]

Well, in that case I'd reccomend you "borrow" some lenses and give them a try first.

 

[Jeremy]

Thats the thing I'm not sure, I'm dabbling in a bit of all kinds of photography right now, but I'm starting to lean more towards landscape and nature now.

For a long time I got locked into buying lenses in case I found something to shoot with them. Now I just buy when I find I am continually having to sacrifice my visualized composition because I lack the right lens, i.e. I kept having to crop out significant parts of shots because my 180mm lens was too long so I am selling it to go with a 150mm lens (it's also a lot lighter which helps). If you find that you are skipping on shooting things because you can't get them large enough then get a telephoto (or a macro lens if they are small objects) and if you find that you are having trouble getting everything into the frame you want to then pick up a wider angle. If you aren't having trouble with this, then spend the money on more film, shoot more photos, and enjoy that 50mm!

 

[Paul Howell]

Another option is to get a screw mount lens adaptor for your k mount so you can buy some very inexpenisvie lens that perform very well. The adaptor allows for stop down metering (at least on my K1000) but you have very wide range of lens selling for as little as $10.00. Even Takumar (sp?) lens are still very reasonable. I would look for a 35, 105, 135, and 200. I have several very wide (24 and 28) but don't use them very often. Over the years I have used Nikon, Sigma, Leica, and Cannon, but I rate my Pentex Screw Mounts as the sharpest lens (35mm) with excellent contrast that I ever owned. As other camera have come and gone I still have my Pentexs.

Paul

 

[BradS]

I second what Jeremy says above. Excellent advice. Identify your goal then buy...not the otherway around.

 

[gnashings]

Maybe I can pitch in as a relative beginner.
First off, you will come back that 50mm time and again - its the most versitile lens out there, and unless you sell your car or kidney, you will not buy a lens that fast in another focal length!
Secondly, I can't stress enough how true the advice about getting what you know you need is - it will save you a bundle! And teach you about lenses in the process, as you will have to research what you need to get that effect you wanted!
Third, I would stick to primes - most zooms are still not as good as a prime lens of the same price. But mainly, zooms are convenient ways to cheat instead of really working on your composition and really understanding what each focal length has to offer and what are its special, specific qualities.

And then you let them all gather dust and go nuts with that 50mm! (Just jokes - but not entirely...)

 

[Leolo]

A good way to find out which focal would be the best for the type of photography you are into would be to rent the lenses and try them out for a weekend. I'm sure there are places offering this service in Pittsburg. That's what I did last year, being in the same situation as you, and that really helped me in making my decision.

 

[csandlund]

One great thing with Pentax is that there are so many inexpensive lenses out there
I would recommend getting a 28mm and a 135mm.

 

[Jerry Thirsty]

Actually it seems the market for used Pentax glass is quite overpriced right now, because there's a free-for-all among the digital SLR buyers looking for lenses. Also, Pentax is discontinuing many of the -FA lenses but doesn't have their replacements in production yet. I would agree with the comment about screw mount lenses; the frenzy hasn't affected them so much, or you could look for Tamron/Sigma/etc.

My personal recommendation for a second lens would be a 35mm or 28mm prime, or possibly a short-throw zoom for the convenience (the Pentax-F 35-70 is a good example). Like csandlund said, the 135 is a good telephoto to start with, but avoid the common k-mount Takumars (the ones that have "Takumar" printed on the outside of the lens barrel) as these are a cheap 4-element design.