Cheaper alternatives to DA*

[taekimon]

Hi ppl,

what are the current prices for the following lenses
DA* 16-50mm
DA* 50-135mm

I was quoted 900SGD for the DA* 16-50mm
and 990 for the DA* 50-135mm at a ground floor shop at SLS

are those reliable shops to buy from? The shop owner claim got international warranty though.

and what are the cheaper alternatives to those DA* if i need fast lens? Please provide pricing and shop name if u can. Thanks.

[hjbyeo]

which ground floor shop... that's really good pricing. Even better than most reputable ones. I think it's ok to state.

You can also refer to the price list for most updates.

[Vulpix0r]

I think you should just get the DA* because they are worth every cent. I paid nearly 1.3k each quite sometime back...

[taekimon]

does the SDM make ALOT of difference in AF speed?

oh and btw, wld a standard dry box be able to fit a camera and the above mentioned 2 lenses?
i dun think i'd get a dry cabinet. really no room for that.

[creampuff]

Good price, but which shop?
Given that these lenses cost quite a bit, having a full warranty (preferably local) is something I would go for, just in case got the odd chance of a malfunction...

[hjbyeo]

Standard dry box? not sure, but likely not.

Alternatives to DA*
Tamron 17 - 50 f2.8
Tamron 70 - 200 f2.8
Sigma 18 - 50 f2.8
Sigma 50 - 150 f2.8 (not sure if there's one for Pentax mount)
Sigma 70 - 200 f2.8

[creampuff]

Originally Posted by taekimon does the SDM make ALOT of difference in AF speed? oh and btw, wld a standard dry box be able to fit a camera and the above mentioned 2 lenses? i dun think i'd get a dry cabinet. really no room for that.

SDM equates to quieter focusing, not necessarily faster. Definitely best results if mated to a K20D...

If you're prepared to plonk a lot of money for the DA*s or any other lens for that matter, it makes no sense not to invest in a electronic dry cabinet, especially in our weather. Why risk your lenses being susceptible to fungus and paying money to get it cleaned later? Once a lens has fungus, the lens coating might never be the same even after cleaning, and you can write-off whatever second-hand value if any.

Years back I had a Minolta MD 300mm f/4.5 ruined because I kept it in a dry box with silica gel only to discover that the rubber seals had failed and there was fungus all over. I have also seen a new lens that was barely 6 months old with fungus simply because owner thought no problem to keep the camera and lens in his clothes cupboard.

Just some friendly advice.

[ishou80]

I think it might be the price b4 GST

[felixcat8888]

Originally Posted by taekimon Hi ppl, what are the current prices for the following lenses DA* 16-50mm DA* 50-135mm I was quoted 900SGD for the DA* 16-50mm and 990 for the DA* 50-135mm at a ground floor shop at SLS are those reliable shops to buy from? The shop owner claim got international warranty though. and what are the cheaper alternatives to those DA* if i need fast lens? Please provide pricing and shop name if u can. Thanks.

Is price b4 or after GST? Watch out for the other SLS shops except for Alan Photo. Make sure you get at that price quoted and dun pay $$$ more than $10 for your filter. Dun buy other unnecessary items also.

[Gengh]

Those are pretty good prices even if they're without GST. Frankly, I'd be careful of ANY shop selling cameras in SLS, except one upstairs.

Agree with creampuff on the dry cabinet. It's something worth making room for. If you're committed to keeping your lens collection small, even the smallest dry cabinet will suffice (though some will advise you to alwqays give yourself some room for expansion, LBA is strong...), and it's not going to take much real estate. You can still put things on top of it to maximise space usage.

[alanswan]

I have bought from 3 camera shops in SLS before.
But I go back to only 2 regularly - AP and OP.

[hjbyeo]

AP is getting really expensive. Or at least everytime I ask, they think I own a bank ... a UV filter (Pro-1D) was quoted 45 dollars (49mm)! Siaoz...

[P3ntx]

Don't mess around with lens /body thinking it can suvivie without dry cabinet.. oneday you will see some alien particles around the glass elements..

Water or heaviers moisture .. can definite affect your lens and Camera body also if it get inside for over a period of time.

But my Super Tukumar lens survived with fungas but still take good picture.

I test my $2 daiso watch: accidently water caused to display to become weak and flash intermittently .. I put inside dry cabinet it dried and was O.K. but the watched died after a short period.