hello all!
i got my k-x a month ago.. and all these while i've been happily using my kit lens, intending to max out its and my potential before investing in another one, and in the meantime find out which lens i need/want.
a few recent events have left me wishing for primarily a lens with more zoom. For example, i went for my brother's commisioning parade on saturday, and was really limited with my kit lens. Now, while i have uncovered what type of lens i want, the downside is that as a newbie i devoted much more time to shooting, and i had never bothered a single bit about lens - their nomenclature, reputations, etc etc - up to now.
hence i have a few questions!
1. what does a name of a Pentax lens consist of and what can we know about it? The only thing i know for sure is the focal length, of course. What about DA, DAL, DA* etc etc? As well as the other initials that may appear in the lens name? I believe also that F4-5.8 for example refers to the aperture range. However that does not appear all the time when i see fellow csers talking about lenses. Is that part of the name of a lens also?
2. third party lens! tamron and sigma are the brands i read of the most. Needless to say, apart from the focal length, i know nothing else about it whenever i read of fellow csers discussing them. does any brand have a specialty?
3. what are the reputations of the various brands of zoom lens? are there any popular ones? also, can i deduce that what i am refering to are also named "telephoto" lens?
4. will the picture quality of a 18-200 lens be poorer that that of a 18-55 or a 50-200 lens? in other words, is there a price(apart from the literal price:bsmilie to pay for convenience?
5. what are primes? i have heard of lens with fixed focal lengths or fixed apertures. are those called primes? i vaguely recall primes being linked with delivering specially good bokeh. correct me if i am wrong please.
6. lastly, maybe a recommendation of a zoom lens for me as well as the price range i can expect? i do know i can check out price guides.. but that will have to wait until i understand the lens nomenclature and arrive at a decision. meanwhile, could i get help in knowing roughly what to expect?
thanks in advance for answering my questions, or perhaps pointing me in a direction where i can get my answers. i do understand the pain of watching a newbie ask questions of answers they can so easily get themselves.
i got my k-x a month ago.. and all these while i've been happily using my kit lens, intending to max out its and my potential before investing in another one, and in the meantime find out which lens i need/want.
a few recent events have left me wishing for primarily a lens with more zoom. For example, i went for my brother's commisioning parade on saturday, and was really limited with my kit lens. Now, while i have uncovered what type of lens i want, the downside is that as a newbie i devoted much more time to shooting, and i had never bothered a single bit about lens - their nomenclature, reputations, etc etc - up to now.
hence i have a few questions!
1. what does a name of a Pentax lens consist of and what can we know about it? The only thing i know for sure is the focal length, of course. What about DA, DAL, DA* etc etc? As well as the other initials that may appear in the lens name? I believe also that F4-5.8 for example refers to the aperture range. However that does not appear all the time when i see fellow csers talking about lenses. Is that part of the name of a lens also?
2. third party lens! tamron and sigma are the brands i read of the most. Needless to say, apart from the focal length, i know nothing else about it whenever i read of fellow csers discussing them. does any brand have a specialty?
3. what are the reputations of the various brands of zoom lens? are there any popular ones? also, can i deduce that what i am refering to are also named "telephoto" lens?
4. will the picture quality of a 18-200 lens be poorer that that of a 18-55 or a 50-200 lens? in other words, is there a price(apart from the literal price:bsmilie to pay for convenience?
5. what are primes? i have heard of lens with fixed focal lengths or fixed apertures. are those called primes? i vaguely recall primes being linked with delivering specially good bokeh. correct me if i am wrong please.
6. lastly, maybe a recommendation of a zoom lens for me as well as the price range i can expect? i do know i can check out price guides.. but that will have to wait until i understand the lens nomenclature and arrive at a decision. meanwhile, could i get help in knowing roughly what to expect?
thanks in advance for answering my questions, or perhaps pointing me in a direction where i can get my answers. i do understand the pain of watching a newbie ask questions of answers they can so easily get themselves.
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