Which lenses to keep?

[Daisy14'sDH]

Its time to thin out my gear to make room for more!!! lol, I'm having an internal fight with which lenses to let go of.

I'm selling them all to fund the purchase of the Pentax DA* 50-135 f2.8 so with that in mind what would you sell.

Should I sell my Takumar 135 f2.5? From all reports its not as sharp as the DA but I love primes!!!

Should I sell my Vivitar 100mm Macro? I dont shoot any macro but what if I want to start?

Should I sell my Tamron 18-250? I'm hoping that I will have enough range between the 12-24 and 50-135 for walkaround

Which should I keep, the Pentax M 28 f2.8 or the Sigma 24mm f2.8 Macro? Or should I sell them both?

I am dumping the kit lenses that I have 18-55 and 50-200, as well as a bunch of others up to 500mm, tele-converters...

After the bag clean up my kit will be like this...

DA 12-24, 24 or 28mm prime, FA 50 1.4, DA* 50-135 f2.8, M 200mm f4, and maybe the 100mm Macro...

LMK what y'all think. After this I think I'll try to learn how to use them...

 

[gokenin]

Its time to thin out my gear to make room for more!!! lol, I'm having an internal fight with which lenses to let go of.

I'm selling them all to fund the purchase of the Pentax DA* 50-135 f2.8 so with that in mind what would you sell.

Should I sell my Takumar 135 f2.5? From all reports its not as sharp as the DA but I love primes!!!

Should I sell my Vivitar 100mm Macro? I dont shoot any macro but what if I want to start?Is this the Vivitar series 1 105mm lens? if it the lens is thought of rather highly so its probably one I would keep

Should I sell my Tamron 18-250? I'm hoping that I will have enough range between the 12-24 and 50-135 for walkaroundAs long as one of those lens covers what you shoot the most and you are comfortable with having to change lens instead of zooming them I would sell the lens.

Which should I keep, the Pentax M 28 f2.8 or the Sigma 24mm f2.8 Macro? Or should I sell them both?I would keep the M series lens its small and easy to carry and it does produce rather nice pictures

I am dumping the kit lenses that I have 18-55 and 50-200, as well as a bunch of others up to 500mm, tele-converters...

After the bag clean up my kit will be like this...

DA 12-24, 24 or 28mm prime, FA 50 1.4, DA* 50-135 f2.8, M 200mm f4, and maybe the 100mm Macro...

LMK what y'all think. After this I think I'll try to learn how to use them...

I don't know if you have an ebay account already or if you don't mind dealing with ebay but I would suggest you head over to Pentaxforums they have a marketplace there.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

Thanks for the heads up, I do have an account at Pentaxforums, but havent sold on there yet, I am a site supporter but am leary over having to take such detailed photos and lowball offers. Ebay I stopped selling on due to the constant rate increases.

Its not the series 1 lens, but is still surprisingly sharp! Its plasticy and cheap looking and feeling but I really like what it has shown me..

The 28mm is a toughy for me cause the Sigma has the A setting and the M is just that, an M lol!

 

[Groucho]

I would keep the 18-55mm kit lens - it's not worth much since just about everyone has one, but if you sell yours, that gives you nothing from 29mm-49mm... that's a pretty big gap.

I recently sold my Pentax-A 28mm F2.8 - I just wasn't using it. I do still have my Sigma 28mm F2.8 (also with "A" contacts) but that's almost a nostalgia thing - that was my first prime, bought 20+ years ago.

Is the Takumar F2.5 the K-mount one? If so, I would dump it - I haven't heard much good about the relatively cheap K-mount Takumars (very unlike the old M42 ones), and I am pretty sure that the 50-135mm will handily beat it in IQ!

I've got the Dine 105mm macro which is identical to the Vivitar Series One Macro (actually sold as a 105mm I think, although one clone was marked 100mm IIRC), and it is spectacular, but I wonder if I wouldn't have been better off keeping the Tamron 90mm F2.5 Adaptall macro that I had for a little while. The Dine/Viv S1 macro has been called the best macro lens but the Tamron is also very highly regarded, and weighed a lot less. It only went to 1:2 (without adapter) but I very, very rarely shoot even that close. Back to yours... do you find yourself shooting macro at all? If so, keep it; if not, sell it. If you do shoot macros occasionally, you won't be able to do that with your other lenses, at least not without screwing around with tubes and such.

Good luck with your quest... the 50-135mm is really quite magnificent. I don't use mine as often as I should but I am always pleased when I do. I continue to be shocked that the other non-Pentax APS shooters have not realized what a terrific range this is on a crop-sensor DSLR; very similar to the usual 70-200mm on FF/film but much smaller and about half the weight.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

Thanks for the opinion Groucho. I still havent listed anything past throwing a few on Kijiji.

The 135 is the Takumar with A setting, Its not as sharp as my 200mm (Which I rarely use) but I do find myself using it (135) alot! I've always been more than satisfied with the results its got decent contrast and the DOF is awesome! Which is why I am sure I will be happy with the 50-135mm zoom range. At a recent football game I was in the nosebleeds (small stadium Ivor Wynne if anyone cares) and it was close enough and sharp enough with cropping if I wasnt close enough.

But I do keep asking myself id I want a 130mm differential or 85mm for basically the same price. The 70-200mm isn't as sharp but I'm not out selling anything and have no plans of ever turning pro, so with that said is the extra sharpness from the DA* worth the 45mm range I'm losing out on?

The Macro I got is not the Series 1, if it was theres no way I would consider dumping it. I haven't tried macro photography since high school, but you never know when one will find the strange urge to start taking pictures of mating flies or whatever one shoots with their macros! lol, that was said tongue in cheek of course! I look at DCG's shots all the time and love what he does when he gets in close!

I am also considering purchasing a 35mm prime to fill in that hole between 24 and 50, just not sure which one yet.

I want to start buying lenses that are weather sealed for if I purchase a used K7 or move to a K5...

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I forgot to mention I bought a wicked Pentax SF1 kit today!!! F 50mm 1.7, F 28-80, F 70-210, body, all the filters, cokin filter system, close up lenses, great lowepro case, with books manuals but no boxes!!! It was such a great deal I couldnt pass it up, so now I have a few more to throw on the block!!! When I get to the block of course!

 

[Groucho]

But I do keep asking myself id I want a 130mm differential or 85mm for basically the same price. The 70-200mm isn't as sharp but I'm not out selling anything and have no plans of ever turning pro, so with that said is the extra sharpness from the DA* worth the 45mm range I'm losing out on?

I'm not sure I understand the questions... but I think you're wondering if the 50-135mm or 70-200mm makes more sense?

Maybe I'm in the minority as most non-Pentax APS-sensor buyers get the 70-200mm, but I think that the range of the 50-135mm is much more useful. 70mm is pretty long (105mm equivalent) for your widest end of the zoom. I would rather have the extra 20mm at the wide end (50mm vs 70mm) and just crop if I need to get closer on the far end... and the lens is sharp enough to crop with a good amount of confidence of still having a good shot.

I want to start buying lenses that are weather sealed for if I purchase a used K7 or move to a K5...

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I agree with you! Which is why I have posted on pentax forums my strong urgent desire to acquire this marvel of Pentax technology!!! I am getting the 50-135, I have offloaded my 28mm and an unlisted lens, the pentax f 50mm 1.7, which I had forgotten I had, and while I dug that bag out I found yet another F 28-80, and 70-200...