Which PENTAX lens to rent for upcoming trip?

[Golf4food]

Fellow Pentaxians - I just discovered that www.cameralensrentals.com has some Pentax lenses to rent and am totally going to take something fun to WDW next month - but which one!?!?!?

http://www.cameralensrentals.com/shop/category.asp?catid=13

I generally only take a Sigma 18-125 because of the versatility, but would love something faster for low light and more bokeh (thinking the 50mm 1.4) and maybe a fast telephoto for shows.

And heaven help me if they don't also rent bodies and have a K-7 in stock...

Somebody stop me before I spend more renting cameras and lenses than the entire cost of our trip! (AP, free dining, only paying for the room for four nights, lol - I could pass that easily with just a few mouse clicks!)

 

[Golf4food]

How do these sound:

Pentax 200mm f/2.8 ED(IF) SDM smc P-DA *

Pentax 50mm f/1.4 smcP-FA

Hard to beat $1800 worth of glass for $100 for a week...

 

[RBennett]

Well, when I read your first post the lens that first popped into my head is the 50mm f/1.4 (which you later added in the second post.) I say I probably have more fun with that lens than most other lenses simply because the night shots you can get w/o a tripod are a lot better! But also, the day shots with the wide aperture/depth of field shots is a BLAST!! It just gives us so many more options with our photography. The 200mm sounds good too, but for some reason or another the only place I tend to use my zoom lens is at Animal Kingdom. I guess when it comes to the shows if I want a close picture I try and sit up close. But I guess if you wanted to shoot Fantasmic the zoom would come in handy! Good choices!! (And good PRICE too!)

 

[Golf4food]

Thanks. I know I definitely want the 50 since I intend to make that one my next lens purchase anyway - get to play with it some now.

As for the 200mm f/2.8 I was thinking shows like Beauty & the Beast, Indiana Jones, etc. where the lighting isn't great all the time, or night shots of the various countries around Epcot from various points around the lake. We won't be visiting AK this trip (been there, done that, would rather go to a Yesazoo), but it would probably be a good AK lens as well.

I might just drop the 200 for something a little more versatile this trip, still debating that one. It's close to $50 for the week for that one and I'm not sure exactly how much use I'd really get out of it...

 

[gokenin]

Whats your most used focal length on your last trips? for something diffrent you should look at the 10-17 its not something that everyone likes but it is a great lens for fun shots. The 31 and the 77 are fantastic lens I have the 77 and if you want to isolate something with creamy out of focus background the 77 is a great lens. I just saw they now have the FA*28-70 man thats tempting to rent for my trip instead of bringing my 17-70 to get a constant f2.8 with a lengendary lens

 

[WVDisGeek]

Fellow Pentaxians - I just discovered that www.cameralensrentals.com has some Pentax lenses to rent and am totally going to take something fun to WDW next month - but which one!?!?!?

http://www.cameralensrentals.com/shop/category.asp?catid=13

Didn't know they rented Pentax....could spell trouble for my December trip!

I have the 50 1.4 and love it. It is probably the sharpest lens I have (once you get to 2.0 or better, soft at 1.4) and great for those night shots. I didn't have it last year for my trip (had on old 50 2.0) so I am looking forward to using it in December. I will check out the site myself, but the other lens I am looking into is the 16-50 DA* for the weathersealing. Did they happen to have that one available?

 

[Pooh_Girl]

Hey, RBennett here. (On DW's account; didn't feel like logging her off and me on.) You know, all this talk about lenses and I can't decide if I want to rent one for my trip in November. My focal ranges are pretty covered; 10-17mm, 18-55mm, 50mm f/1.4, and 70-300 (Tamron). Now my main focus is not which lenses to take but rather, what SHOTS do I want to take!!

 

[Golf4food]

Didn't know they rented Pentax....could spell trouble for my December trip!

I have the 50 1.4 and love it. It is probably the sharpest lens I have (once you get to 2.0 or better, soft at 1.4) and great for those night shots. I didn't have it last year for my trip (had on old 50 2.0) so I am looking forward to using it in December. I will check out the site myself, but the other lens I am looking into is the 16-50 DA* for the weathersealing. Did they happen to have that one available?

How do you like the Pentax 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 (I see in your signature list)? They have that one and I was thinking about it and the 50 f/1.4 instead of getting the 200 prime that I might only really use in two shows...

 

[ukcatfan]

I love my 50mm f/1.4! However, I have heard that the 55mm f/1.4 DA* is supposed to be even better. I cannot remember what camera you have though, b/c I do not believe it will AF on a K100D as it is only SDM focus.

 

[Golf4food]

I love my 50mm f/1.4! However, I have heard that the 55mm f/1.4 DA* is supposed to be even better. I cannot remember what camera you have though, b/c I do not believe it will AF on a K100D as it is only SDM focus.

An older ist*DL in case that makes a difference (as it apparently does!)

To be replaced with a K-7 as soon as I can afford it! I was holding out for the K20 replacement.

 

[ukcatfan]

An older ist*DL in case that makes a difference (as it apparently does!)

To be replaced with a K-7 as soon as I can afford it! I was holding out for the K20 replacement.

It is only the K100D Super and newer that can use SDM focusing. As far as I know, all the DA* lenses only have SDM and no screw drive.

 

[Golf4food]

It is only the K100D Super and newer that can use SDM focusing. As far as I know, all the DA* lenses only have SDM and no screw drive.

So I'll have to avoid any of the SDM lenses then, correct? That could damper things a bit!

 

[Groucho]

Yesazoo?

Golf4food: Only the newer SDM lenses don't also have screw-drive AF. The earlier ones (16-50, 50-135, I think the 200 and the 300 but I'm not sure, maybe others?) will AF on all Pentax DSLRs, SDM or not. Something pretty new like the 55mm F1.4 will not AF unless your camera supports SDM.

The 200mm F2.8 might be really nice; it's supposed to be a terrific lens. I used a Vivitar 200mm F3.5 M42 a few times last trip, including for Indiana Jones and LMA and it worked quite well. That being said, it's definitely not the most useful length at Disney. If you want that kind of focal length for WDW, I would spend a little more and rent the Pentax 60-250mm F4.0, or spend a little less and rent the Tamron 70-200 mm F2.8.

The 31mm F1.8 is absolutely stellar, I would probably be inclined to rent that one rather than the 50mm F1.4 - it is a little more, but you're probably more likely to buy a 50mm of your own than a 31mm. It's a legendary lens and this is a good way to experience it for relatively cheaply. The 50mm is very, very nice but the 31mm is in another league construction-wise and certainly has superior optics, too. The focal length is a little more useful, too. (My 50mm sees very little use now that I have the 31mm.) The 77mm isn't quite as legendary but some like it even more - it's high on my list of "must get" lenses, but again, the focal length probably wouldn't be ideal for Disney.

Other lenses of note... obviously I'm a huge fan of fisheyes at Disney, so that's an obvious suggestion. (Other people must be, too; my fisheye shots usually do well in the weekly competitions while my non-fisheyes tend to do poorly!) The 35mm F2.8 1:1 macro is supposed to be just wonderful, that is a cheaper alternative to the 31mm and will let you get close for things like merchandise photos, etc.

 

[Golf4food]

Thanks, Groucho - I was hoping you'd chime in.


Perhaps the Tamron 70-200 mm F2.8 and the 35mm macro would be a good combo - I've never played around with a true macro lens, so that could certainly add a new element of fun, and the Tamron would certainly be more versatile than the 200mm. Thanks.

 

[Golf4food]

OK, I've narrowed it down to the 31mm F1.8 or the 35mm F2.8 Macro. Only going to do one this trip. DW wants good food pictures for our dining review of the deluxe dining plan, so you could say this trip is mostly about the food, lol. That said I'm kind of leaning towards the 35 macro for it's min 5.5 inch focus distance - as long as it would also be decent enough for non-macro shots as well.

Any thoughts before I pull the trigger on the reservation?

 

[RBennett]

You know, between those two, (and I know a few things about food shots... DW likes to scrapbook) I would probably lean with the macro lens. Simply because the two are so close in focal range and the aperture isn't TOO tremendously different, but you'll be able to get closer shots with the macro. The only thing I will caution you on is at 38mm, that puts you pretty close to your food/table with the shot. You might want to strap on your kit lens before you decide and set it at 31mm and 38mm and see what you think.

 

[Groucho]

I'm not sure that 1' is much of a problem for food shots (and the larger aperture means less DoF which is nice for those things)... but the 35mm certainly seems to be a pretty strong contender. Mike J at Online Photographer is a huge fan, he and another did a discussion/review at photo.net here - if you read this, that'll probably push you over the edge in this decision.

I’ve used it for a few months now, and the nature of my reaction has been something between delight and awe. At first I started doing my standard battery of tests on it; now I tend to photograph and then just marvel at just how damn good the lens is.
...
Still, for what it is—a 50mm equivalent lens for APS-C with macro capability, that can readily be used as a general-purpose normal—the SMC Pentax DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited is a paragon. It really is just beautiful, and will gratify…no, it will spoil anyone who likes the very best optical quality and appreciates what truly outstanding lenses can do. It ranks right up there with the best lenses I’ve ever used in any format.

One other thing is that it's a "Limited" lens like the 31mm, so you'll still get that wonderful all-metal build quality that spoils you for compared to the plastic bodies of most modern lenses.

I guess it boils down to - if you want speed, go with the 31mm; if you want macro, go with the 35mm. You really can't go wrong with either one.

 

[Golf4food]

That review of the 35mm Macro sounds great. I think I'll go with that one this trip and do the 31mm next time around. Thanks ya'll.