K100D Zoom user advice needed Sigma or Pentax options .

[rodo]

Would like to get a 55-200 zoom for my seconhand K100D to go with the often too short kit lens , The sigma 55-200 £75is going allmost half the price:-) of the Pentax 50-200 , And so i would like to know if the Pentax or Sigma is the way to go any one advise me on this purchase please or other better option?. I am on a tight Budjet right now I must mention ,Thank you Rodo.( Sorry I now see there is a lens forum but maybe you guys who own Pentax can offer advice please here .)

[bilybianca]

If you can find one, I can strongly recommend the Pentax SMC-F 70-210 mm lens. It's not very rare on ebay, but be sure to check it's condition before you bid. If it's good, it's gooood. Don't confuse it with the FA 70-200 or F 70-200 (not SMC).

Kjell

[Black Knight]

Hi Rodo

May i suggest an Alternative lense. I Own and love the Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG MACRO. I cannot However help you with a price as it appears you are not in the states.

BK

[Robert Barnett]

Don't go cheap on your lenses. As has been said often bodies are like potato chips you can't stop at just one. Lenses are forever. Meaning that provided you don't change brands you are going to have your lenses for many camera bodies, not many lenses for one body.

I tried several Sigma and Tamron lenses after getting my K10D. I hated each and everyone of them. They were very... mediocre at best. I started buying Pentax brand lenses and have been very impressed with their speed, quality of build and image quality.

I have the following lenses for my K10D. The 50-200 (awesome lenses), 10-17 Fisheye (one of the funnest lenses I have ever had), 18-55 (came with the camera but still a very good lens considering its price), 50mm 1.4 (incredible all around lens and awesome for hand held low-light shooting.

The only things I don't have that I plan to get is the Pentax 100mm Macro and the 540 flash unit.

Go Pentax you won't be sorry.

Robert

[mtngal]

The PentaxDA 50-200 is well regarded. I really liked mine until it developed some weird intermittent problem. The lens has a good reputation for reliability - I think I'm the only one with this problem. It doesn't particularly bother me now as I've replaced it with the expensive DA*50-135.

I'd second Kjell's recommendation of the now discontinued Pentax F 70-210. I had one that was my walk-about lens, but a gear broke in the zoom mechanism (a not uncommon problem with this lens - you go from having a really sharp zoom lens to having a really sharp 70mm lens). So definitely make sure that you check condition before you buy one.

The only thing about either the F 70-210 or the Sigma 70-300 APO lens (from examples posted here, the APO version of the lens is definitely better) is that you lose the 50-70 range. That might not bother you, but it bothered me (when I first got the DS I was using the kit lens and a Kiron 80-200. It seemed like I always wanted something in between 55 and 80).

[snostorm]

Hi rodo,

I think that you've gotten some good advice so far, but I'll add my 2¢. Robert is correct in that you should not go cheap on your lenses -- buy quality, and it will serve you well in the future, and you won't have regrets.

IMO the best deal in xx-200mm lenses is probably the A 70-210 f4. You should be able to find at least one up for auction on ebay at just about any time, and because they are usually available, they sell for reasonable money. Of course, it's a Manual Focus lens, but all the auto exposure modes will work, and you have the focus indicator to help with the focusing. Usually, unless something has changed drastically, these lenses can be gotten for significantly less than $100 USD.

This is probably one of the best lenses for your purposes because of the constant f4 max aperture, and the optics have pretty universally been accepted as well above average throughout the FL range. With a good 1.4x TC, you should get a pretty serviceable 284mm f5.6 while another zoom with a max aperture of f5.6 at the long end would end up as a 280mm f8 which would be pretty hard to focus manually, and probably too dark for the AF system to even recognize focus.

Otherwise, if you really need the AF, the F 70-210 recommended by Kjell and Harriet is a great one if you can find one at the right price, or the DA 50-200 is an exceptional lens, and you might find one used for a good price. The problem I see with the Sigma is that it'll probably only depreciate from the price that you pay for it, and the used lenses will probably at least hold their value, and might even appreciate if past performance is any indication.

Scott

[rodo]

snostorm wrote:

Hi rodo,

I think that you've gotten some good advice so far, but I'll add my 2¢. Robert is correct in that you should not go cheap on your lenses -- buy quality, and it will serve you well in the future, and you won't have regrets.

IMO the best deal in xx-200mm lenses is probably the A 70-210 f4. You should be able to find at least one up for auction on ebay at just about any time, and because they are usually available, they sell for reasonable money. Of course, it's a Manual Focus lens, but all the auto exposure modes will work, and you have the focus indicator to help with the focusing. Usually, unless something has changed drastically, these lenses can be gotten for significantly less than $100 USD.

This is probably one of the best lenses for your purposes because of the constant f4 max aperture, and the optics have pretty universally been accepted as well above average throughout the FL range. With a good 1.4x TC, you should get a pretty serviceable 284mm f5.6 while another zoom with a max aperture of f5.6 at the long end would end up as a 280mm f8 which would be pretty hard to focus manually, and probably too dark for the AF system to even recognize focus.

Otherwise, if you really need the AF, the F 70-210 recommended by Kjell and Harriet is a great one if you can find one at the right price, or the DA 50-200 is an exceptional lens, and you might find one used for a good price. The problem I see with the Sigma is that it'll probably only depreciate from the price that you pay for it, and the used lenses will probably at least hold their value, and might even appreciate if past performance is any indication.

Scott

Thanks and to other posters also ,There seems to be lots of Vivitar 70-210 lenses on UK e bay now but no older Pentax , Is thatVivitar amanual type andwill give a beep when in focus type lense to confirm focus , seems the screen with mykit lens is hard to see if its in focus when used manually, If I buy one to try cheap Vivitar that is might tell me what I will need in focal lengh. Also there are NewSigma 18-200 and Sigma 28-200 both £135 any comments on these two. Thanks in advance advice on these three options Rodo Uk.,

[bluwing]

Hi,

I have the Sigma 28-200mm with the 62mm front lens. The older version has the 72mm front lens. Both will work, But I prefer the newer one. I like mine. I also have the Sigma 70-300 APO (Not the DG version) and the Pentax 28-70mm f4 along with the Kit lens. This gives me everything between 18-300mm with four lenses.

If youget the Pentax 50-200mm or the Sigma 70-300 APO, The lens that will fill the gap between the kit lens and those is the Pentax 28-70mm f4. This lens can be bought for around $100.00.

Here is a shot with the Sigma 28-200mm at 28mm.

Rudy

[NonEntity1]

rodo wrote:

Thanks and to other posters also ,There seems to be lots of Vivitar 70-210 lenses on UK e bay now but no older Pentax , Is thatVivitar amanual type andwill give a beep when in focus type lense to confirm focus , seems the screen with mykit lens is hard to see if its in focus when used manually, If I buy one to try cheap Vivitar that is might tell me what I will need in focal lengh.

If you are looking at the older Vivitar 70-210, watch for a series 1, these were the premium Vivitar lenses at that time. There were three versions made by three different makers but all have great reputations.

Any manual focus K-mount lens should give you the focus indicator light and beep. I believe it is center focus only but I am not sure as I use center focus all the time.

I have the Pentax 50-200mm and it is a nice lens for the money too.

Tim