What are essential lenses for dSLRs?

[sfu_lifer]

Hey all.
I finally decided to dip into the dSLR market. I just bought a Pentax K100D since I was quite impressed with the pic quality and esp the price. It came with the 15-50mm lens. It's only 6MP but I'm not really looking to blow this pic beyond at most 8.5x11 prints. What other lenses do you suggest (or essential to your arsenal)? The big draw for me was the fact all Pentax SLR lenses are compatible with this camera so I'm hoping to get some deals in pawn shops, craigslist etc. I'm a relative n00b to this and would like to get more serious through practice and forums such as this.
I definitely will grab a telephoto lens but what do you suggest is a good compromise between it being too bulky and well, usability :).
TIA.

[Gigi]

The first lens I bought to go with my kit 18-55 lens (Nikon) was the 55-200VR lens. So my recommendation: a good zoom.

[robbiex1]

It really depends on what type of photographer you are.

Interested in Portraits? Get a good mid-range or long range zoom...or fixed 50mm or 85mm primes.

Landscape? Get a wide-angle

Nature? Get a long zoom

Personally, I enjoy street/travel photography and I love my 12-24mm Nikkor. I visualize and frame my shots better with it then with all my other lenses...

Hope this helps!

[eelfliw]

Lenses are tools. So, pick the right tool for the job. Decide on what you want to shoot, what lighting condition will be, what perspective you want etc. and then get the lens for it.

[skev13]

First lens i picked up was a 50mm f/1.8 for my canon.

[robattoronto]

A definite must buy IMO. Best bang for the buck. The results are just amazing. I went with a nikon of course. Not sure how the canon version is.

First lens i picked up was a 50mm f/1.8 for my canon.

[TenzoR]

A definite must buy IMO. Best bang for the buck. The results are just amazing. I went with a nikon of course. Not sure how the canon version is.

Tis was my first lens but just wasn't practical enough for me. I sold it and got the 18-200. I do a lot of traveling around with my gf so this lens allows me to be flexible. Plus it's light and easy to use even for my gf. I

[robbiex1]

I got the 50mm 1.8 Nikon lens when I first started and guess what? I don't really use it. I just don't enjoy shooting in that range on an aps sensor camera.

Decide what type of photography interests you and choose the lens accordingly.

It's like buying a car. No sense in buying a 7-seat minivan if you're a bachelor. Same goes for lenses. No sense buying a 70-300 superzoom if you won't use it.

[goofball]

50mm doesn't really suit me either, my 50mm lens hasn't been attached to my camera in over 6 months.

As mentioned, you get the lenses that will get you the picture you want. Whether that is a wide angle zoom/fisheye, telephoto, macro, or otherwise. There are some very good lenses that can do double duty like the Tamron 90mm macro, or Nikon 105 VR macro, which also do well as portrait lenses.

Primes may/may not be your thing. While they do force you to be more creative in your composition since you can't "lazy-hand zoom", it may not be your style.

[sfu_lifer]

Thanks for the ideas. I think I'll get a better zoom lens. I'm just starting out so I have no idea what type of photos I'll do just yet :cheesygri
I like candid people shots, and will probably do some macro type close-ups of insects/flowers etc.
What do you use the most is my next question.

[CSAgent]

I would say, you need a wide angle to mid range, then mid-range to short zoom, then short zoom to big zoom.

Myself, I'm using 17-85mm for wide-angle and walk around indoor/outdoor, 50mm f1.4 for STRICTLY indoor (this lense has horrible CA outside), and a 70-200mm for when I stalk peo..uh I mean for sports and portraits.. ;)

I'm pretty much covered from short to long range. However, I plan to go all L eventually. L glass is expensive, but worth every penny.

[2000fordfocus]

Money money.... or work with what you have!

Lens are expensive stuff, but they can be good investment! If you avoid 3rd party brand (except for CZ). When I see investment, I dont mean making money from it, simply holding a good resale value.

my 2 cent

[sfu_lifer]

Money money.... or work with what you have!

Lens are expensive stuff, but they can be good investment! If you avoid 3rd party brand (except for CZ). When I see investment, I dont mean making money from it, simply holding a good resale value.

my 2 cent
I doubt I'll go overboard peripheral-wise for this new hobby, but I'm thinking long-term. The Pentax has all the features that I want (for now ;)). I do want quality when it comes to lens/filter equipment and am willing to wait for a deal :D

[2000fordfocus]

I doubt I'll go overboard peripheral-wise for this new hobby, but I'm thinking long-term. The Pentax has all the features that I want (for now ;)). I do want quality when it comes to lens/filter equipment and am willing to wait for a deal :D

For me, I can about features like 10fps or ISO 6400 quality, etc....

What I want is quality sensor that will capture a lot of DR, without annoying blown out highlight(google this term if you a unsure what I am refering).

[KorruptioN]

What I want is quality sensor that will capture a lot of DR, without annoying blown out highlight(google this term if you a unsure what I am refering).

This is often due to the meter of the camera... some will blow highlights more than others.

[KorruptioN]

50mm f1.4 for STRICTLY indoor (this lense has horrible CA outside)

Do you not know about stopping the aperture down??

[CSAgent]

Do you not know about stopping the aperture down??

I got the 50mm F1.4 for its fast aperture, I can shoot 50mm on my 17-85mm at F4 and lower, so I don't see the point in stopping it down outdoors.

[akito925]

hernys doing a show in octover...

http://www.henrys.com/show/

if your interested gonna be all sorts of deals..

[sfu_lifer]

hernys doing a show in octover...

http://www.henrys.com/show/

if your interested gonna be all sorts of deals..
You guys are lucky in Ontario. I'm out here in BC. I guess I'll just wait for boxing day.

[KorruptioN]

I got the 50mm F1.4 for its fast aperture, I can shoot 50mm on my 17-85mm at F4 and lower, so I don't see the point in stopping it down outdoors.

You don't see the point in stopping it down outdoors? You'll reduce your shutter speed (eliminating your camera's shutter being a limiting factor), increase sharpness, reduce CA, sharpen the corners, reduce vignetting, the list goes on.

If you're shooting wide open with all your lenses no matter what, you're doing it wrong. I think you're spending on all this gear, not knowing how to use it all properly. You even said the EF 50mm f1.4 was slow to zoom at one point ...

[nahim.a.a]

lenses are expensive, so make sure you buy what you need. i know this sounds vague but the more you shoot the more you will realize what you need.

So, shoot at least 5000+ pictures with your camera before you buy more lenses.

[ccubed]

Hey all.
I finally decided to dip into the dSLR market. I just bought a Pentax K100D since I was quite impressed with the pic quality and esp the price. It came with the 15-50mm lens. It's only 6MP but I'm not really looking to blow this pic beyond at most 8.5x11 prints. What other lenses do you suggest (or essential to your arsenal)? The big draw for me was the fact all Pentax SLR lenses are compatible with this camera so I'm hoping to get some deals in pawn shops, craigslist etc. I'm a relative n00b to this and would like to get more serious through practice and forums such as this.
I definitely will grab a telephoto lens but what do you suggest is a good compromise between it being too bulky and well, usability :).
TIA.

The other posters have given you some excellent insight. The potential for a DSLR can be overwhelming. You would be well advised to enroll in a beginner digital photography course at a local college or university - it will be $300 well spent! After the course you will be in a much better position to make your own decision on the next best lens for your needs..

[KorruptioN]

So, shoot at least 5000+ pictures with your camera before you buy more lenses.

Poor advice.

I'll shoot 5102 pictures and then I'll suddenly know what lenses I'll need to buy! :rolleyes:

[2000fordfocus]

This is often due to the meter of the camera... some will blow highlights more than others.

Ability to retain information in extreme DR is important to me and digital sensor in typical dSLR do a horrible job with that. Except for S5 pro, but its raw file are like 25mb, but still, I want one.

FYI, I dont use my build in metering much, I use a reliable handheld meter.

BTW, I am selling my Nikon SB800 if anyone wants it from me :)

[dumbass]

If anyone wants to sell their 50mm prime, let me know. I've currently got an old 50mm MF, but I tried the Auto-focus version, and I couldn't believe how quick it was.

[Vashin]

I like prime lenses, I've got a nikon 30mm f/2. It helps with composition, and you've got the best zoom available--manual!

[goofball]

I like prime lenses, I've got a nikon 30mm f/2. It helps with composition, and you've got the best zoom available--manual!

You mean 35mm f/2.0?

[CameraBill]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0710/07100103pentax18250.asp

Craziness. a 18-250mm lens

[2000fordfocus]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0710/07100103pentax18250.asp

Craziness. a 18-250mm lens

Is sad saying Pentax evolving into this route...

[CSAgent]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0710/07100103pentax18250.asp

Craziness. a 18-250mm lens

Tamron has one too for Nikons/Canons.

I guess its good for a general purpose walk-around.

Afterall, the Nikon 18-200 VR is a very popular lense with Nikon users at the moment. Canon's very own line of lenses got nothing like this. It's all 70 and up to 200-300mm.

[TenzoR]

Afterall, the Nikon 18-200 VR is a very popular lense with Nikon users at the moment. Canon's very own line of lenses got nothing like this. It's all 70 and up to 200-300mm.

These range are popular because they do it all for not-so-picky users.

[rubberband]

The 18-200 is my most useful lens.

I've got other, nicer, glass for various types of shooting, but for trips where you never know what you're going to see (and want to shoot!) there's nothing like it. 18mm is wide enough for reasonable landscapes, and 200 is long enough for zoom work that you'd be handholding. The VR works phenomenally well (It's great for bad lighting when you don't want to use high ISO), and the lens itself, while a bit awkward, is relatively light (compared to, say, my 70-200/2.8) and full AF-S means that focusing is very, very fast.

For travel, random shooting or the unexpected there's nothing else that even comes close.

[KorruptioN]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0710/07100103pentax18250.asp

Craziness. a 18-250mm lens

Is sad saying Pentax evolving into this route...

Tamron has one too for Nikons/Canons.

That Pentax 18-250mm there is a rebranded Tamron. Sony has one for the Alpha mount as well. The range is useful, but f6.3 blows.

[Vashin]

You mean 35mm f/2.0?


whups yea, I mixed it up with the sigma.

[mebiuspower]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0710/07100103pentax18250.asp

Craziness. a 18-250mm lens

The sun's better be out and shinning bright when you use that beyond 50mm. :lol: :lol: :lol:

And I hope you enjoy fixing image distortions in photoshop.

[CameraBill]

whups yea, I mixed it up with the sigma.

There's a sigma 30 f/2?

[trueno92]

craigslist is not bad for deals but also check out digital grin forums.

they are located in the USA, but with where our dollar is, we can get some pretty good deals there.

I just scored a
28-135mm f3.5-f5.6 Canon IS (image stabilization) USM (UltraSonicMotor), zoom lens
Canon 72mm Petal Hood
72mm Quantaray Polarizer

ALL for $300 including shipping and its in mint condition and will be an upgrade to tide me over for a few years until I learn what I like to shoot and where this lenses weaknesses are.
then money goes to other stuff like modding the house, car and bike.....!

the same lens ALONE on craigslist is $450-$550. not including anything else.


It is a very decent lens for that price until I can get up to that 24-104 L series lens..way later in life.hahah

[sfu_lifer]

The 18-200 is my most useful lens.

I've got other, nicer, glass for various types of shooting, but for trips where you never know what you're going to see (and want to shoot!) there's nothing like it. 18mm is wide enough for reasonable landscapes, and 200 is long enough for zoom work that you'd be handholding. The VR works phenomenally well (It's great for bad lighting when you don't want to use high ISO), and the lens itself, while a bit awkward, is relatively light (compared to, say, my 70-200/2.8) and full AF-S means that focusing is very, very fast.

For travel, random shooting or the unexpected there's nothing else that even comes close.
Thanks. That'll be my first lens purchase methinks. Then narrow down the specialized lenses later depending on what I want/like to do.

[bpopd]

Primes > all!!!!


Aside, they are so impractical if you are a traveler.

But for art, PRIMES RULE!

I had a 50mm F1.8 before, and it was the ugliest poorest built lens ever... Yet it enabled me to capture the most beautiful portraits.

I want to 35mm prime, and a 100mm prime or something like that. I dont even know if these exist, but I know what I want in terms of length.

[goofball]

Primes > all!!!!


Aside, they are so impractical if you are a traveler.

But for art, PRIMES RULE!

I had a 50mm F1.8 before, and it was the ugliest poorest built lens ever... Yet it enabled me to capture the most beautiful portraits.

I want to 35mm prime, and a 100mm prime or something like that. I dont even know if these exist, but I know what I want in terms of length.

Not really impractical. I don't know what system you're into but I just recently travelled with a 35mm f/2 and it was plenty fine for me. Was very good for low light, which most of the wax museums were so I needed f/2 and ISO1600 for handheld shots. 35mm on APS-C sensor is almost what they call "normal" view.
Nikon has a 105VR which is a beauty of a lens. There are older lenses which are also great (105 f/2 DC comes to mind)
Sigma has a 105 Macro which is also a very nice lens.
Tamron's 90mm macro is also a great multipurpose lens.
Not sure what Canon has to offer as I don't have this system but i'm pretty sure they have a 35mm f/2.

[goofball]

The 18-200 is my most useful lens.

I've got other, nicer, glass for various types of shooting, but for trips where you never know what you're going to see (and want to shoot!) there's nothing like it. 18mm is wide enough for reasonable landscapes, and 200 is long enough for zoom work that you'd be handholding. The VR works phenomenally well (It's great for bad lighting when you don't want to use high ISO), and the lens itself, while a bit awkward, is relatively light (compared to, say, my 70-200/2.8) and full AF-S means that focusing is very, very fast.

For travel, random shooting or the unexpected there's nothing else that even comes close.

It's no as good as fast glass for moving objects under low lighting though. That's my main concern with potentially going with 18-200VR. That, and I'm sure I would spend most of the time comparing it to my primes, where I'm sure it would not stand up to same IQ standards.

[KorruptioN]

Not sure what Canon has to offer as I don't have this system but i'm pretty sure they have a 35mm f/2.

They do.

I'd rather get a Sigma 30mm f1.4 myself...

[goofball]

They do.

I'd rather get a Sigma 30mm f1.4 myself...

Very nice lens, 1 full stop faster than f/2 but the copies I tried had a bit of a yellow cast to them (I could have corrected via PP I suppose) and 2 of the 3 had a backfocus issue. Very disheartening. Ended up getting a used 35mm f/2D Nikon for around $200 which I can't complain about, it's pretty much my most used lens at this point.

[TenzoR]

Very nice lens, 1 full stop faster than f/2 but the copies I tried had a bit of a yellow cast to them (I could have corrected via PP I suppose) and 2 of the 3 had a backfocus issue. Very disheartening. Ended up getting a used 35mm f/2D Nikon for around $200 which I can't complain about, it's pretty much my most used lens at this point.

$200? You lucky man! I'm looking for it as well but can't find any that's used or cheap ..sigh

[ritsbits]

god... reading all this makes me want to upgrade my D80+18-70 to a 18-200... and i still don't know how to use my dslr beyond full auto. how sad is that? :lol:
i should really get around to reading up about shutter speed/iso/aperture :eek:

that being said, on the other hand with the exchange rate being so great... for those who don't care much about warranty, B&H is selling the 18-200 for $749, compared to adencamera's 829.99+tax(~$945). i am soooooooo tempted :twisted: damn you NAS

[TenzoR]

god... reading all this makes me want to upgrade my D80+18-70 to a 18-200... and i still don't know how to use my dslr beyond full auto. how sad is that? :lol:
i should really get around to reading up about shutter speed/iso/aperture :eek:

that being said, on the other hand with the exchange rate being so great... for those who don't care much about warranty, B&H is selling the 18-200 for $749, compared to adencamera's 829.99+tax(~$945). i am soooooooo tempted :twisted: damn you NAS

I don't think you are missing much. I hardly use beyond 100mm anyways. Though the VR is fairly handy but most of my photos involve me + gf so I always use a tripod anyways.

[goofball]

god... reading all this makes me want to upgrade my D80+18-70 to a 18-200... and i still don't know how to use my dslr beyond full auto. how sad is that? :lol:
i should really get around to reading up about shutter speed/iso/aperture :eek:

that being said, on the other hand with the exchange rate being so great... for those who don't care much about warranty, B&H is selling the 18-200 for $749, compared to adencamera's 829.99+tax(~$945). i am soooooooo tempted :twisted: damn you NAS

Thecamerastore.com has it for 799 + GST + $10 shipping Expresspost. That's cheaper than B&H after taxes plus you get 5yr Canadian warranty.

[rubberband]

One nice thing about the 18-200 is that it actually does passable macro work. You can push it out to ~150mm and still get pretty good results.

I like this lens more all the time.. You can use it for so much, and aside from some distortion at the very wide and very long ends, the IQ is pretty good (for a zoom, of course).

[bpopd]

Oh i was just referring to carrying around alot of primes being an impractical thing.

Im in the canon system! But I use to be a nikon film guy, but I didnt get past what the kit lens gave me. Then I moved into canon.

I still am annoyed at how well nikon builds their entry level equipment, compared to canon... Rather i am annoying at how poorly canon builds their entry level equipment grrr!

Not really impractical. I don't know what system you're into but I just recently travelled with a 35mm f/2 and it was plenty fine for me. Was very good for low light, which most of the wax museums were so I needed f/2 and ISO1600 for handheld shots. 35mm on APS-C sensor is almost what they call "normal" view.
Nikon has a 105VR which is a beauty of a lens. There are older lenses which are also great (105 f/2 DC comes to mind)
Sigma has a 105 Macro which is also a very nice lens.
Tamron's 90mm macro is also a great multipurpose lens.
Not sure what Canon has to offer as I don't have this system but i'm pretty sure they have a 35mm f/2.

[2000fordfocus]

Very nice lens, 1 full stop faster than f/2 but the copies I tried had a bit of a yellow cast to them (I could have corrected via PP I suppose) and 2 of the 3 had a backfocus issue. Very disheartening. Ended up getting a used 35mm f/2D Nikon for around $200 which I can't complain about, it's pretty much my most used lens at this point.

Holy smokes! I bought mine new for $400cad...

Sigma is known to be shxtty in color rendition...

[NiMSo]

I like to shoot indoors using ambient light only (for candid stealth, and to preserve the "look" of a venue). Also, for artistic purposes, nothing beats the ability to finely control depth-of-field (bokeh is what really makes an image 'pop', and separates the 'great' from the 'good' images). Therefore I keep a whole bunch of fast aperture primes for those purposes (Sigma 20/1.8, 30/1.4; Canon 50L, 85L). I almost exclusively shoot those wide open. If I wanted to stop down, I'd just strap on a zoom. I like portraiture, so no need to fuss about critical sharpness.