18mm-200mm for Pentax K-x ?
- Thread starter macme
- Start date
I just got my Baby white Kx. Managed to Phsyco my best fren to turn into the dark side and he jumped from compact to Pentax Kx too today. But he kinda gg impulse when Mr Quek only have 1 set and he have to wait later in the afternoon for his set. So we ride up to Penin and funan and basically he bought lowerpro bag,Tripod,charger,memory card filters and lense. 1.5K in an impulse! *faint*
But I had a bad experience with one of the camera shop in chinatown that I went in to find a charger. I didnt bought it since its not the one I want, I said its ok. When I walk out, he said "Why, is it tooo espensive for you?" Felt like smacking him just bcoz i'm local. $24 charger I can buy 10 sets if he wants it. But too bad, its not the one.
Anyways, we decided to just get the 50-200. It may be a mistake or not. But its ok since can play around. hehe. Will be investing on other things also. Most prob, invest on a prime lens. will ask recommendation from the seniors here. *bow*
But I had a bad experience with one of the camera shop in chinatown that I went in to find a charger. I didnt bought it since its not the one I want, I said its ok. When I walk out, he said "Why, is it tooo espensive for you?" Felt like smacking him just bcoz i'm local. $24 charger I can buy 10 sets if he wants it. But too bad, its not the one.
Anyways, we decided to just get the 50-200. It may be a mistake or not. But its ok since can play around. hehe. Will be investing on other things also. Most prob, invest on a prime lens. will ask recommendation from the seniors here. *bow*
hahaha to creampuff and pinhole cam, you must understand that there really are some people who must have that extra reach. i am one of them 
there are some shots that you just cannot take without zooming in that much, and you don't have the time to move yourself to compose the shot.
to the threadstarter - if you are sure you want it, go get it. the first lens i searched for immediately after i got my k-x was the Pentax 18-250. I also spent a lot of time thinking about whether to get the 55-300 instead to couple with my kit lens(cheaper alternative). On a student's budget, it was important for me to make the right decision!
I bought a 2nd hand Pentax 18-250 for $400 in the end. In a way, the low price made the decision for me and having experienced it, i am sure it was the right choice for me. :bsmilie:
For 1-2 months after buying it, i hardly used it. Because i was new to DSLRs, the photos from the 18-250 were not coming out as bright and vibrant as i wanted. I even contemplated selling it, but i held on to it for a while. I next got a 50mm f1.4, also second hand, and with it i learnt all that i know now regarding how to make my shot look how i want it to look.
After this 1-2 month hiatus, i clicked on my 18-250 again, and i am so happy with it! Here is my humble opinion.
Pros.
1. 18-250 is versatile. Really versatile. At 18mm the wideness makes you happy, and at 250mm the zoom makes you even happier. Whatever you want, you can take with this lens. This lens was also voted the King of Superzooms on the Pentaxforums.
2. Why 18-250 over 50-200? Cos you get a 2 lens combined into one with further reach. And when you want to take the photos that matter to you, like going out with friends, at parties, on excursions etc, you do not really want to change lens to transit from below-50mm to above-50mm. I find it an hassle, you might not.
3. Why 18-250 over 55-300? Exact same reason. In addition, the greater the zoom, the more your hand shakes get amplified and that will contribute greater to the blur pictures you might have.
Here are the downsides and why i am okay with them. You might, too
1. There is distortion at the extreme ends. Meaning you see a slight curvy distortion to straight lines. But, unless you go and shoot like a brick wall or a lot of vertical lines, you will hardly notice it. After all, you are shooting people and scenery. I have been happy with the images shot at 18 mm so far. That being said, i believe i got a very decent copy of the lens.
2. This lens does not work very well in low light settings. The 18-250 works best outdoors where there is plenty of sunlight. In dim settings, you will need a longer shutter and/or higher ISO. While higher ISO is not much of a problem for the k-x, a longer shutter will amplify your blurness of the picture. Especially at the longer zooms, sometimes when there is too little light i can't use the 250 end cos it will be too blur. You need to work on your holding techniques on this one.
To this, there is no real solution. You will have to adjust the exposure, and see what the shutter can give you. Then here is where a fast prime comes in. Above i talked about my 50mm f1.4. It takes care of all of my low light needs. You need a superzoom? Then you NEED a fast lens too.
3. Zoom creep, meaning the lens will extend when you tilt it downwards beyond around 30 degrees to the horizontal.
Well, the lens is heavy, so what do you expect? I dun find it an issue, cos when u are shooting, you will be holding on to the lens anyway. There is a lock at 18mm that will hold it in place. Beyond 18mm, no lock and hence can creep. However, since i don't have a tripod yet my lens hasnt crept on me when i do not want it to yet. Not an issue. I do wonder why people should be too particular over this point though. I feel it's more of a feature of a heavy lens than a disadvantage.
4. Vignetting. I do not really experience it. My shots turn out fine. But like i said i probably have a decent lens with me. Or maybe it has always been there but i think there isnt? Haha. But either way i am not turned off in any way by this point.
In conclusion, go and get your 18-250!! :devil: It will satisfy you. I have experienced many occasions where i use a long zoom at one moment to catch someone with a thinner depth of field(above 70 mm, you get rather pretty bokeh already), and the next moment the 18mm comes in to take group shots.
For low light shooting and wonderful bokeh, a prime is a must. If you think and shoot the way i do(which you probably do), go with this 18-250 plus a prime setup first. I cannot buy too many lenses or my parents will killlll me, so this is what i can tell you about this setup and this lens. The 18-250 has made me very happy indeed
there are some shots that you just cannot take without zooming in that much, and you don't have the time to move yourself to compose the shot.to the threadstarter - if you are sure you want it, go get it. the first lens i searched for immediately after i got my k-x was the Pentax 18-250. I also spent a lot of time thinking about whether to get the 55-300 instead to couple with my kit lens(cheaper alternative). On a student's budget, it was important for me to make the right decision!
I bought a 2nd hand Pentax 18-250 for $400 in the end. In a way, the low price made the decision for me and having experienced it, i am sure it was the right choice for me. :bsmilie:
For 1-2 months after buying it, i hardly used it. Because i was new to DSLRs, the photos from the 18-250 were not coming out as bright and vibrant as i wanted. I even contemplated selling it, but i held on to it for a while. I next got a 50mm f1.4, also second hand, and with it i learnt all that i know now regarding how to make my shot look how i want it to look.
After this 1-2 month hiatus, i clicked on my 18-250 again, and i am so happy with it! Here is my humble opinion.
Pros.
1. 18-250 is versatile. Really versatile. At 18mm the wideness makes you happy, and at 250mm the zoom makes you even happier. Whatever you want, you can take with this lens. This lens was also voted the King of Superzooms on the Pentaxforums.
2. Why 18-250 over 50-200? Cos you get a 2 lens combined into one with further reach. And when you want to take the photos that matter to you, like going out with friends, at parties, on excursions etc, you do not really want to change lens to transit from below-50mm to above-50mm. I find it an hassle, you might not.
3. Why 18-250 over 55-300? Exact same reason. In addition, the greater the zoom, the more your hand shakes get amplified and that will contribute greater to the blur pictures you might have.
Here are the downsides and why i am okay with them. You might, too
1. There is distortion at the extreme ends. Meaning you see a slight curvy distortion to straight lines. But, unless you go and shoot like a brick wall or a lot of vertical lines, you will hardly notice it. After all, you are shooting people and scenery. I have been happy with the images shot at 18 mm so far. That being said, i believe i got a very decent copy of the lens.
2. This lens does not work very well in low light settings. The 18-250 works best outdoors where there is plenty of sunlight. In dim settings, you will need a longer shutter and/or higher ISO. While higher ISO is not much of a problem for the k-x, a longer shutter will amplify your blurness of the picture. Especially at the longer zooms, sometimes when there is too little light i can't use the 250 end cos it will be too blur. You need to work on your holding techniques on this one.
To this, there is no real solution. You will have to adjust the exposure, and see what the shutter can give you. Then here is where a fast prime comes in. Above i talked about my 50mm f1.4. It takes care of all of my low light needs. You need a superzoom? Then you NEED a fast lens too.
3. Zoom creep, meaning the lens will extend when you tilt it downwards beyond around 30 degrees to the horizontal.
Well, the lens is heavy, so what do you expect? I dun find it an issue, cos when u are shooting, you will be holding on to the lens anyway. There is a lock at 18mm that will hold it in place. Beyond 18mm, no lock and hence can creep. However, since i don't have a tripod yet my lens hasnt crept on me when i do not want it to yet. Not an issue. I do wonder why people should be too particular over this point though. I feel it's more of a feature of a heavy lens than a disadvantage.
4. Vignetting. I do not really experience it. My shots turn out fine. But like i said i probably have a decent lens with me. Or maybe it has always been there but i think there isnt? Haha. But either way i am not turned off in any way by this point.
In conclusion, go and get your 18-250!! :devil: It will satisfy you. I have experienced many occasions where i use a long zoom at one moment to catch someone with a thinner depth of field(above 70 mm, you get rather pretty bokeh already), and the next moment the 18mm comes in to take group shots.
For low light shooting and wonderful bokeh, a prime is a must. If you think and shoot the way i do(which you probably do), go with this 18-250 plus a prime setup first. I cannot buy too many lenses or my parents will killlll me, so this is what i can tell you about this setup and this lens. The 18-250 has made me very happy indeed
wow! $400 for the Pentax 18-250?? I bought mine for $900+ way back...but at least I got my money's worth out of it.
If you are going for a photographic expendition, leave this at home! But if you need a versatile lens for the holidays and want to bring ONE lens, this is it. 18 mm wide and 250mm tele! So what if there is slight distortion if you capture your holiday moments in DSLR glory? But if you must have a prime, then the DA40mm would be a good companion for it.
BTW, have been playing with my two 17-70mm for a while now and while they are fun and flexible, I realised the difference in picture quality the moment I put the limited lens back on...
So if you are fussy about IQ, then the mega-zooms are not your thing.
If you are going for a photographic expendition, leave this at home! But if you need a versatile lens for the holidays and want to bring ONE lens, this is it. 18 mm wide and 250mm tele! So what if there is slight distortion if you capture your holiday moments in DSLR glory
? But if you must have a prime, then the DA40mm would be a good companion for it. BTW, have been playing with my two 17-70mm for a while now and while they are fun and flexible, I realised the difference in picture quality the moment I put the limited lens back on...
So if you are fussy about IQ, then the mega-zooms are not your thing.
I agree with both viewpoints. I also have both primes and zooms and feel the need for both as and when the situation demands. Very good viewpoints and personal observations have been shared in this thread already.
But I can fully understand Creampuff's statement. Keep in mind that he is a very serious and experienced Pentaxian and from his posting history it is evident that he has used a wide range of Pentax lenses... maybe even every single one them... I don't know! The thing with people who are serious photographers, audiophiles, etc. is that it is difficult to go backwards. You have to be one to understand this. Creampuff would easily get frustrated with the IQ of most zoom lenses because his personal standards for IQ are much higher than most of the newbies present here. To his mind the 'value' vs. 'convenience' of using a long single zoom vs. a collection of interchangeable shorter zooms/primes is naturally going to be different from most of us here who just haven't had the experience of using something 'better' as yet.
Technically Creampuff is absolutely correct. I think as most newbies transform into serious amateurs or enthusiasts, they will realize that his opinion above makes a lot of sense and thus then tend to agree with him.
I'm in the same boat. Having been exposed to higher standards of IQ (camera bodies, quality of sensors, processing software, etc.) and audio quality (branded music systems, media formats, quality of amplifiers, speakers, equalizers, etc.) over the years, I find it irritating and frustrating when I am not able achieve at least the higher standards that I have become used too. So, basically, I agree with the practical futility of owning an interchangeable lens system and not using it to your advantage if and when you can!
That said, I'd personally prefer using a very long range zoom only as a last resort option... primarily for the sake of convenience when changing lenses is not 'easily' possible (for whatever reasons.) When you are used to better quality lenses, you will easily recognize the trade-offs with such so called 'versatile' very long range zooms.
I'd, thus, always endeavor to have a collection of short range zooms and primes that together cover a very long focal range because I know that the IQ from such lenses simply can't be beat! But since building up such a collection can be heavy on the wallet for many, I can understand the appeal and reasons of newbies and serious amateurs/enthusiasts for desiring to use a single 'versatile' very long range zoom.
And, luckily for us Pentaxians, the Pentax and Tamron versions of the 18-250mm are optically quite good... definitely better and above average when compared to other similar lenses of other brands.
But I can fully understand Creampuff's statement. Keep in mind that he is a very serious and experienced Pentaxian and from his posting history it is evident that he has used a wide range of Pentax lenses... maybe even every single one them... I don't know! The thing with people who are serious photographers, audiophiles, etc. is that it is difficult to go backwards. You have to be one to understand this. Creampuff would easily get frustrated with the IQ of most zoom lenses because his personal standards for IQ are much higher than most of the newbies present here. To his mind the 'value' vs. 'convenience' of using a long single zoom vs. a collection of interchangeable shorter zooms/primes is naturally going to be different from most of us here who just haven't had the experience of using something 'better' as yet.
Technically Creampuff is absolutely correct. I think as most newbies transform into serious amateurs or enthusiasts, they will realize that his opinion above makes a lot of sense and thus then tend to agree with him.
I'm in the same boat. Having been exposed to higher standards of IQ (camera bodies, quality of sensors, processing software, etc.) and audio quality (branded music systems, media formats, quality of amplifiers, speakers, equalizers, etc.) over the years, I find it irritating and frustrating when I am not able achieve at least the higher standards that I have become used too. So, basically, I agree with the practical futility of owning an interchangeable lens system and not using it to your advantage if and when you can!
That said, I'd personally prefer using a very long range zoom only as a last resort option... primarily for the sake of convenience when changing lenses is not 'easily' possible (for whatever reasons.) When you are used to better quality lenses, you will easily recognize the trade-offs with such so called 'versatile' very long range zooms.
I'd, thus, always endeavor to have a collection of short range zooms and primes that together cover a very long focal range because I know that the IQ from such lenses simply can't be beat! But since building up such a collection can be heavy on the wallet for many, I can understand the appeal and reasons of newbies and serious amateurs/enthusiasts for desiring to use a single 'versatile' very long range zoom.
And, luckily for us Pentaxians, the Pentax and Tamron versions of the 18-250mm are optically quite good... definitely better and above average when compared to other similar lenses of other brands.
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Congrats on your friend's purchase. Hope he enjoys it
You can't go wrong with the 50-200mm. Did you buy any other lenses? Just the Kx twin lens kit + bag tripod charger memory card and filter shouldn't add up so much to $1.5k
I find the 18-250mm very handy and convenient especially for holidays.
Find a brand new one cost about $700 and is ex.
Image quality still pretty acceptable (Tamron and Pentax) especially for new dslr users
but most likely not for experienced dslr users.
Changing to prime and limited is I think a natural progression lo and that is part of the fun to some.
Find a brand new one cost about $700 and is ex.
Image quality still pretty acceptable (Tamron and Pentax) especially for new dslr users
but most likely not for experienced dslr users.
Changing to prime and limited is I think a natural progression lo and that is part of the fun to some.
Why not do it right from the very start than settle for the easy way out at first but end up upgrading (and losing money in the process) later on?
Wow, am I Barack Obama or what?
Now I got a spokesperson to explain in detail what I have posted. I'm amazed anyone can talk and explain about my personal standards on my behalf. By the way, do I know you? Have we even met?
BTW don't think my so-called standards are any different than everybody else.
Any lens is better than no lens,
A crappy image is better than no image.
The best lens is the one that allowed you to take the picture.
Why not do it right from the very start than settle for the easy way out at first but end up upgrading (and losing money in the process) later on?
That is call a learning path? then try and hands on... sure lost $ one...
there are no standard answer,right or wrong, in this area i think...
really have to try myself to see which one i like the most...
and i don't belive that there are perfer lens for DSLR else they will just make that lens and fix it at the body and no need to change lens anymore... just like PNS...
That is call a learning path? then try and hands on... sure lost $ one...
there are no standard answer,right or wrong, in this area i think...
really have to try myself to see which one i like the most...
and i don't belive that there are perfer lens for DSLR else they will just make that lens and fix it at the body and no need to change lens anymore... just like PNS...
Well, in the early film days, most people only had one lens on their cameras, a 50mm. They took everything w/ just one lens, and most people didn't even think of buying another lens. In this digital era, the first thing we think of is to get all the focal range covered when we buy a camera. But end up we'd only use a few of those available lenses.
One thing for sure, a better lens won't guarantee to make better photos for you. But if you don't go out shooting around, you'd never get any good photo
Why not do it right from the very start than settle for the easy way out at first but end up upgrading (and losing money in the process) later on?
This seems to describe me fully - a newbie with a KX and 18-200 (Tamron). One the issue for noobs like me is that we do not know what is the "right" or our eventual "preferred" way. Thus a superzoom is a convenient point to start. An a 18-200mm is definately much more friendly to the pocket.
For an experienced user, it is might be clearer to them what they will target for.
All the jargon and technical terms used are already damn confusing for me. Throw in the variety of lens that can be purchased. The mind goes into information overload.
Thus, the 18-200mm at the start could just be the safer option.
Of course, with all the poison you hear and see during the Pentax outings. It could change your mind.:bsmilie:
That is call a learning path? then try and hands on... sure lost $ one...
there are no standard answer,right or wrong, in this area i think...
really have to try myself to see which one i like the most...
and i don't belive that there are perfer lens for DSLR else they will just make that lens and fix it at the body and no need to change lens anymore... just like PNS...
That is why we are here in this forum right?
To get inputs from those who have already done the $$:flame: so that the same path need not be walked again.
Yes, the choice is personal. I used a 28-200mm as my only lens for a good 4yrs on film. On a small media like 4R prints super zooms are fine (in fact the convenience makes them rather good). On digital, with the higher potential to view at large sizes and crop, the super zooms can be a bit lacking.
MHO, I've never heard of anyone who has used good shorter zooms/primes going back to super zooms. Occasional uses yes, but never has the super zoom replaced them.
The argument for super zooms at ~$600 is rather weak with the dual kit lens costing a rather similar price.
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:nono: say already, friendliest to the pocket is dual kit lens! With the superzooms, you're still paying a premium for the convenience. Unless you're buying body only, then maybe a cheap 2nd hand superzoom as a first lens may not be a bad idea.
But it's true that when we first start out, having the full range of focals covered helps us in some ways to better decide what upgrades we want later on.
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It probably doesn't make as much sense to get a superzoom now when the twin lens kit is so cheap, compared to a year ago.
Well, in the early film days, most people only had one lens on their cameras, a 50mm. They took everything w/ just one lens, and most people didn't even think of buying another lens. In this digital era, the first thing we think of is to get all the focal range covered when we buy a camera. But end up we'd only use a few of those available lenses.
One thing for sure, a better lens won't guarantee to make better photos for you. But if you don't go out shooting around, you'd never get any good photo
:bsmilie: True 'dat.
I survived on the kit lens (28-70?) and a nifty fifty during my film days. That and the cheap and reliable 35mm PNS. Didn't complain much.
I blame the internet for BBB virus since it's so easy to find lots of resources in a short period of time. Back then, we had to rely on either word of mouth or magazine reviews. Photography was simple (no WB/megapixel worries) yet frustrating (when you receive bad prints from the developers) and fun. (developing own B/W film)
That said, I could survive on a 12-24/4, 70/2.4 and 135/2.5 trinity if I wanted to. But exotic lenses are just too cheap to resist sometimes. :sweat:
Thats true..when the KX first came out. It was only a single lens kit. I could not get the dual lens kit. Some camera shop asked me to pair it with the 50-200 WR lens. Which was abt $600+ then. The cheaper option for me was the 18-200 Tamron at $300+.
But if the dual lens kit was available then..I would have definately gotten that.
Anway, it has been great few months with the KX...made so by the friendly Pentaxians here and during the outings. That by itself made up more then missing the dual lens kit.
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