has anyone used these telephotos?

Hi guys:

Thanks to those who responded to my earlier post. I thought last night that I had my K20D lenses selected, but doubt has grabbed hold again.

Here was my plan:
Pentax 16-45
Pentax FA 50/F1.4
Pentax 55-300

I really want wide angle for big buildings such as cathedrals...and also for panorama type landscapes. Never shot wider than 35, and that was a P&S, not a DSLR. So I don't know if the 24 wide angle I will get from the 16-45 is wide enough to make me happy. But if I change my plan to go wider, it raises more questions than it answers. Can anyone comment on this new scheme, because I am suggesting lenses about which I have found few comments or reviews.

Pentax 12-24
Tamron 28-75
Quantaray 70-300 OR

Pentax 12-24
Tamron 28-300

Help! I want to order today or tomorrow, as I have a Europe trip in 2 weeks.

PS Please don't suggest the Pentax 16-50. While the QC issues MAY have been fixed with the newer issues, I cannot take the chance on a bad copy that would ruin my trip pictures. I know it is a better (and weather-sealed) lens, but I would hate myself if thongs went awry.

Thanks !!

If you can afford it, I would get the Pentax DA 55-300 over any other budget 300mm zoom -- it's appreciably better than the Tamron/Quantary or Sigma 300s.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jl_smith

travelguy0519 said:

I really want wide angle for big buildings such as cathedrals...and
also for panorama type landscapes. Never shot wider than 35, and
that was a P&S, not a DSLR. So I don't know if the 24 wide angle I
will get from the 16-45 is wide enough to make me happy.

Click to expand...

Going from 35 to 28 already is a big 'aha' if you've never used one. But European cities are cramped, especially the old parts.

I do a lot of 'city scapes' and I'm really glad with my Sigma 10-20. Using the short end can give a lot of 'distortion', like people with water heads, so you should take care. But that's not a fault of the lens, it's normal perspective at these angles.

It also allows you to do architecture without the buildings 'leaning backwards', when you keep the camera exactly 90 degrees to the subject. You will have a lot of possible useless foreground in the picture, but you have enough pixels to crop with the K20

Boyd

Of all the lenses you listed, I only have one: the Pentax 12-24. I never thought of myself as a wide-angle shooter, but man oh man, did this lens change things for me.

In fact, I shoot almost completely with primes, but when I have to choose three lenses to take somewhere, this one almost always makes the cut. It just allows for such a different perspective, and the IQ is excellent...

Good luck with your decision, and have safe journeys!
--
Keitha McCall
Pentaxian and Shapshot Shooter since April 2007
http://flickr.com/photos/aravis121/
http://www.ascenicworld.com

jl_smith said:

If you can afford it, I would get the Pentax DA 55-300 over any other
budget 300mm zoom -- it's appreciably better than the Tamron/Quantary
or Sigma 300s.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jl_smith

Click to expand...

I have never used the 55-300, but I have to say that from what I have seen posted, I haven't seen much to support this claim. I have the Tamron 70-300 and I have been VERY impressed with what I have gotten from it.

travelguy0519 said:

Hi guys:

Thanks to those who responded to my earlier post. I thought last
night that I had my K20D lenses selected, but doubt has grabbed hold
again.

Here was my plan:
Pentax 16-45
Pentax FA 50/F1.4
Pentax 55-300

I really want wide angle for big buildings such as cathedrals...and
also for panorama type landscapes. Never shot wider than 35, and
that was a P&S, not a DSLR. So I don't know if the 24 wide angle I
will get from the 16-45 is wide enough to make me happy. But if I
change my plan to go wider, it raises more questions than it answers.
Can anyone comment on this new scheme, because I am suggesting lenses
about which I have found few comments or reviews.

Pentax 12-24
Tamron 28-75
Quantaray 70-300 OR

Pentax 12-24
Tamron 28-300

Help! I want to order today or tomorrow, as I have a Europe trip in
2 weeks.

PS Please don't suggest the Pentax 16-50. While the QC issues MAY
have been fixed with the newer issues, I cannot take the chance on a
bad copy that would ruin my trip pictures. I know it is a better
(and weather-sealed) lens, but I would hate myself if thongs went
awry.

Thanks !!

Click to expand...

Your logic regarding the 16-50 baffles me.... if you are going on a trip and the reliability and quality of a lens is of paramount importance you wouldn't take the chance on any lens just days before you leave...I don't think it's only the DA*s that have QC issues..it's better to get to know your kit before an important assignment.

Peter

--

130 mlwydd o bel-droed rhyngwladol, Y Cae Ras, Wrecsam, 1877-2007, 200 years as a sporting venue.
Bring Back Rockin' Robin, Tina Turfit and Robinson!

Don't forget to consider the Sigma 17-70. You can combine that with some 70/80-300 and if 17 mm is not wide enough some 10-20 or 12-24.

Why not go to a photoshop and just try how it feels ?

If it's just for the trip the all-in-one Tamron 18-250 could be enough.

travelguy0519 said:

Here was my plan:
Pentax 16-45
Pentax FA 50/F1.4
Pentax 55-300

Click to expand...

I have all three of those and it is a great combination. I actually don't use the FA 50 that much as the FA 35 is more of my low light lens. Then again, I don't miss the 45-55 mm gap as I seldom use that range anyway.

travelguy0519 said:

I really want wide angle for big buildings such as cathedrals...and
also for panorama type landscapes. Never shot wider than 35, and
that was a P&S, not a DSLR. So I don't know if the 24 wide angle I
will get from the 16-45 is wide enough to make me happy.

Click to expand...

I've never used a real ultrawide lens, but the 16-45 gets fairly wide. Perhaps you could check pbase for some shots like you anticipate and see what focal lengths are needed.

travelguy0519 said:

But if I
change my plan to go wider, it raises more questions than it answers.
Can anyone comment on this new scheme, because I am suggesting lenses
about which I have found few comments or reviews.

Pentax 12-24
Tamron 28-75
Quantaray 70-300 OR

Click to expand...

I know I wouldn't like that setup. I use 20-35 a lot for landscape stuff, so I'd be changing lenses all the time.

travelguy0519 said:

Pentax 12-24
Tamron 28-300

Click to expand...

Same issue.

travelguy0519 said:

Help! I want to order today or tomorrow, as I have a Europe trip in
2 weeks.

Click to expand...

I think the original setup would be fine. You could also get a Sigma 17-70 and pair it with one of the 70-300 options.

Or you could pair the Sigma 10-20 with the 18-250 Tamron/Pentax.

--

Through the window in the wall
Come streaming in on sunlight wings
A million bright ambassadors of morning

jake14mw said:

jl_smith said:

If you can afford it, I would get the Pentax DA 55-300 over any other
budget 300mm zoom -- it's appreciably better than the Tamron/Quantary
or Sigma 300s.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jl_smith

Click to expand...

I have never used the 55-300, but I have to say that from what I have
seen posted, I haven't seen much to support this claim. I have the
Tamron 70-300 and I have been VERY impressed with what I have gotten
from it.

Click to expand...

I also used to have the Tamron 70-300 (Di LD, newest version) and it wasn't as good as the 55-300.

The Tamron's PF problem is notorious, something I have to work really hard to make the 55-300 show, and even then it's not nearly as bad as the Tamron gets.

IQ-wise, they were both pretty good, but the Tamron was noticeably soft past 200mm or so. At 300mm and wide open - forget it. Not worth taking the picture. It was so bad I did extensive focal testing with the lens and it was fine, just soft. From 70-200mm or so it was pretty good, and I generally enjoyed my macro shots with it.

Additionally, (sometimes) the Tamron would underexpose by a stop or more, which was really annoying, though easily corrected.

It's possible I had a bad copy, who knows? But the PF problem alone is well-documented with that lens. I've heard others say 300mm was sharp for them wide open, so who knows.

I sold the Tamron for a little less than I bought it, and with caution I bought the 55-300 from Amazon, thinking I could return it if I didn't like it. I never thought to return it once I got the pictures loaded up.

If your Tamron is working for you, then lucky you - You saved $200 to get a lens you really like For me, though, the Tamron just wasn't up to par, and there are multiple older threads at Pentaxforums about 55-300 owners selling off their Sigma/Tamrons because the Pentax variant is superior.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jl_smith

I'm with keitha ..... I love my sigma 10-20 .... and i do shoot a lot wide ... but more i find 14-24 ......

So i woould go either Sigma or f you can afford it pentax 12-24 ... these are FF btw

--
Tom Bell
Dartmoor
Devon
Users/tombell/Desktop/2546832826_c2bacb91ac_t.jpg

http://flickr.com/photos/tombell1

So that's why you want a telephoto ?

travelguy0519 said:

Here was my plan:
Pentax 16-45
Pentax FA 50/F1.4
Pentax 55-300

Click to expand...

Might not be wide enough.

travelguy0519 said:

Pentax 12-24
Tamron 28-75
Quantaray 70-300 OR

Click to expand...

Doesn't have any fast glass.

travelguy0519 said:

Pentax 12-24
Tamron 28-300

Click to expand...

also, no fast glass.

What you definitely are looking for is a wide glass, from your post. The DA12-24 is a good choice. You also need a fast prime (those f/4 and up are going to make some potential shots unusable, if shooting without flash) so you might also consider the FA501.4. Then add the telephoto of your choice. Maybe the DA 55-300?. This would pretty much give you a nice focal length range and a fast glass. The only disadvantage is that you might find yourself changing lenses too often.

The choice here i think is between the 12-24 and the 16-45. Would you sacrifice a wider angle for the hassle of changing lenses?

I would suggest this one lense might be a good comprimise for your trip. It goes wide and pretty long telephoto.

If not, then I would look at

16-45
50-200 (or 55-300)

Stay away from the Quantary 70-300, never heard anything good about their lenses.

Really really wide lenses (FL=10-16mm) are somewhat of a challenge to use well, as they tend to distort straight lines a lot. For architecture, one has a tendency to get too close and use a really wide lens. What you end up with are curved "straight" lines, which converge together, since you are too close and looking up at the building. For better architecture photos, a medium or long telephoto from a distance can achieve much nicer results.

I have a Sigma 10-20, and find I rarely use it, in comparison to my 16-45 which stays on my camera most of the time. Even for panorama shots, you are better using a short or medium telephoto, and shooting more frames, than a wide angle and shooting fewer frames.

travelguy0519 said:

Hi guys:

Thanks to those who responded to my earlier post. I thought last
night that I had my K20D lenses selected, but doubt has grabbed hold
again.

Here was my plan:
Pentax 16-45

Click to expand...

Better on the K10D than the K20D but a good lens with close-focus capability.

travelguy0519 said:

Pentax FA 50/F1.4

Click to expand...

Good stopped down, ok wide open. It works.

travelguy0519 said:

Pentax 55-300

Click to expand...

Don't know. I distrust "P&S-style" zooms with greater than 3:1 zoom ratios.

travelguy0519 said:

I really want wide angle for big buildings such as cathedrals...and
also for panorama type landscapes. Never shot wider than 35, and
that was a P&S, not a DSLR. So I don't know if the 24 wide angle I
will get from the 16-45 is wide enough to make me happy. But if I
change my plan to go wider, it raises more questions than it answers.
Can anyone comment on this new scheme, because I am suggesting lenses
about which I have found few comments or reviews.

Pentax 12-24

Click to expand...

Colour error is an issue, according to some reviews, but a good lens. Likely though it will not be wide enough for some of what you describe.

travelguy0519 said:

Tamron 28-75

Click to expand...

Don't know. Most of those lenses are based on old film designs and as such, do not work well on digital.

travelguy0519 said:

Quantaray 70-300 OR

Click to expand...

Likely pretty bad, like all low priced 70-300s. Virtually the same as no-name stuff from the 1980s.



'I cried because I had no E-3. Then I met a man with no E-510'

Olympus E-410, E-330, Pentax K20D. 40 lenses of various types

Hello Travelguy:

I have the smc PENTAX-DA 12-24mm F4 ED AL [IF] and it is a FANTASTIC lens ideal for landscapes, the narrow streets of Europe, and all of the interiors you will want to shoot.

The 50mm is one of the sharpest lenses made - by anyone - and it is a great optic for portraits and low-light shots that have to be really sharp. The sweet spot on the lens is f/5.6, which is what you would choose for portraits. If you can get a deal on this lens, grab it - it is small enough to keep in your camera bag for those times when shapness is critical.

I also use a smc PENTAX-FA* 28-70mm F2.8 AL, but this has been discontinued for several years, and VERY heavy for travelling - If you can get your hands on a smc PENTAX-FA 24-90mm F3.5-4.5 AL [IF] it's a great lens - a little loose as far as build quality is concerned, but optically outstanding. The 24-90 or the 28-70 are my "walk-around" lenses, but the 12-24 would be my choice for tourist photos.

You could get by with the 16-45 as a general-purpose walk-around lens, but in my experience the 12-24 is sharper and more versatile for indoor as well as architectural shots.

There are a couple of the mod-range zooms that are not so desirable - check the lens tests before you commit to anything in the 24-85 or 28-80 range. For example, the smc Pentax FA 28-90 F3.5-5.6 is not in the same category as the 24-90 - as a rule of thumb, I don't bother with the plastic mount lenses. The smc Pentax FA 28-70mm F4 AL is pretty good, but not as sharp as the 24-90.

For the long tele I have a Tamron AF 70-300mm F4-5.6 LD MACRO, which is a real bargain and very sharp - sharper than the smc Pentax FA 80-320mm F4.5-5.6. The smc PENTAX-FA 100-300mm F4.5-5.6 with the plastic mount is inexpensive, but I not what I would take to Europe.

If I had a ticket to tag along on your trip, I would take the smc PENTAX-DA 12-24mm F4 ED AL [IF], the smc PENTAX-FA 24-90mm F3.5-4.5 AL [IF], and the Tamron AF 70-300mm F4-5.6 LD MACRO, along with the AF540 flash.

Have a wonderful trip!

Norm.

Norm1234 said:

Tamron 28-75

Click to expand...

Norm1234 said:

Norm1234 said:

Don't know. Most of those lenses are based on old film designs and as such,
do not work well on digital.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

The Tamron 28-75 is full frame and a nice IQ lens for the price. The only reason I no longer own mine is that I got other lenses that covered that focal range and the Tamron (both copies) were FFing with my K200D. This is my pre-K20D days.

It's a very nice lens, though.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jl_smith

Hi Travelguy!

Okay. You have 1000 USD for lenses, two weeks time, have never shot wider than 35mmeq:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=28519624

You by now have realised that there are dozens of current lenses and hundreds of lenses which are easily available second-hand.

The amount of choices and combinations is overwhelming for you.

Correct so far?

I could tell you my 1000USD travel kit (Sigma 10-20 + Pentax/Tamron 18-250 + the remaining money is barely enough for shipping, cards, lens tissue and rocket blower plus additional battery). But that wouldn't help you much.
I know people who'd go with a Zenitar and a Bigma (50-500) and be happy.

What do you like to shoot? You mentioned the cathedrals. What else? Landscape? People? Macro? Do you like to encompass the surroundings or single out details? Both?

Do not underestimate the usefulness of a long lens for landscape and architecture. Pointing a superwide/ultrawide at some scenic landscape/building does not necessarily result in an epic picture.

You talk about panoramae - have you done this before? Are you talking about cropping or stitching? How large are you going to print? If you haven't done this so far - when are you going to learn this?

Are you travelling with someone? Will they wait and understand while you change lenses?

Is buying locally and testing the lenses an option for you?

travelguy0519 said:

Can anyone comment on this new scheme, because I am suggesting lenses
about which I have found few comments or reviews.

Click to expand...

Really? These lenses are very common and often-discussed?

travelguy0519 said:

Pentax 12-24

Click to expand...

Very nice superwide

http://www.jr-worldwi.de/photo/gallery/section.php?searchterm=Pentax%20DA%2012-24
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22070130@N07/tags/da1224/

travelguy0519 said:

Tamron 28-75

Click to expand...

Very nice portrait lens. Might be both too long and short as a walk-around, but this depends on your use.

http://www.jr-worldwi.de/photo/gallery/section.php?searchterm=Tamron%2028-75%20f2.8
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22070130@N07/tags/tamron2875mmf28/

travelguy0519 said:

Quantaray 70-300 OR

Click to expand...

This is AFAIK the older Tamron 70-300 in disguise. Very cheap, but problem with purple fringing and low resolution on the long end.

travelguy0519 said:

Tamron 28-300

Click to expand...

AFAIK, it is better than its zoom range would indicate. I would find the missing wide end problematic, but you might like it.

Cheers and good luck and sorry for all the nagging questions - I'm ghurman.
Jens

--

'Well, 'Zooming with your feet' is usually a stupid thing as zoom rings are designed for hands.' (Me, 2006)
My Homepage: http://www.JensRoesner.de

travelguy0519 said:

Hi guys:

Here was my plan:
Pentax 16-45
Pentax FA 50/F1.4
Pentax 55-300

I really want wide angle for big buildings such as cathedrals...and
also for panorama type landscapes. Never shot wider than 35, and
that was a P&S, not a DSLR. So I don't know if the 24 wide angle I
will get from the 16-45 is wide enough to make me happy.

Click to expand...

I think your initial plan still makes a lot of sense. I have the same lenses, except I have the 18-55mm instead of the 16-45mm. I too only used 35mm in the past, and it's quite shocking how much more 24mm equivalent captures. I suspect the 16-45mm will serve you very well.

The other two lenses are outstanding value for the money. My Tamron 70-300mm Di is equivalent to the Quantaray you're considering, and it does not stand up well at all to the 55-300mm. As others have mentioned, don't leave yourself without a fast lens like the 50mm. You definitely will need it, especially in museums.

I was tempted to get the 16-45mm recently, but I decided to go for the 18-250mm, because because I like to minimize lens changes. When I have the kit lens on, I'm usually looking for longer, not wider.

--
Dan
CanonA720IS
PentaxK100dSuper

travelguy0519 said:

Hi guys:

Click to expand...

travelguy0519 said:

Here was my plan:
Pentax 16-45

Click to expand...

i chose this lens over the 16-50 as i find it gives a broader range of colors and better detail in shadows because it is not as contrasty as the 16-50

travelguy0519 said:

Pentax FA 50/F1.4

Click to expand...

i have this lens and it is great. however you really don't need it as you are so close to 50mm in the 16/45 and 55/300, unless you need the 1.4 for low light?

travelguy0519 said:

Pentax 55-300

Click to expand...

i don't know anything about this one.

travelguy0519 said:

So I don't know if the 24 wide angle I
will get from the 16-45 is wide enough to make me happy.

Click to expand...

that's what your feet are for, back up so it is wide enough.

travelguy0519 said:

Tamron 28-75

Click to expand...

i had this lens and sold it as i found it to be soft

travelguy0519 said:

Tamron 28-300

Click to expand...

found it to soft for my taste also.

karen clanin
http://www.pbase.com/kclanin/inbox

Hi Dan!

audiobomber said:

As others have
mentioned, don't leave yourself without a fast lens like the 50mm.
You definitely will need it, especially in museums.

Click to expand...

I'm not so sure. What would I use a fast 50 for in a museum?

Cheers
Jens

--

'Well, 'Zooming with your feet' is usually a stupid thing as zoom rings are designed for hands.' (Me, 2006)
My Homepage: http://www.JensRoesner.de