HELP, With Choosing A Lens!!......please?

[SolracSelbor]

I hope I got your attention :D


Im looking for a telephoto lense in about the 300-400$ price range for a Pentax. Im really not sure what to look for and I dont really know what zoom I am looking for either. I was thinking that maybe 300mm would be good enough for most photography, but Im not really sure. I have never bought a lens besides the kit lens which so far is serving me fine.

Initially I thought that maybe the Pentax SMC P-DA 18-250 MM F/3.5-6.3 ED/AL (IF) Zoom Lens, but people are saying it may be too slow. But then, what is an ideal aperture that overall good and not expensive.

Thanks

P.S:
Can anyone tell me if these 2 lenses are the same, or if one is better than the other:

Pentax SMC P-DA 18-250 MM F/3.5-6.3 ED/AL (IF) Zoom Lens (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/526240-USA/Pentax_21697_SMCP_DA_18_250mm_f_3_5_6_3_ED.html)

Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 Di-II LD Aspherical IF Macro Autofocus (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=477061&is=REG&si=rev#goto_itemInfo)

Any suggestions? Anyone?

[jpfisher]

The Tamron and the Pentax 18-250mm are the same lens -- Pentax is simply putting their logo on the Tamron lens.

There are always going to be compromises in quality when looking at a superzoom such as the 18-250mm. You may want to consider something to complement your 18-55mm kit lens.

The 55-200mm (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/383248-REG/Pentax_21567_SMCP_DA_50_200mm_f_4_5_6_ED.html) is the companion to the kit lens, and is more reasonably priced than the Tamron/Pentax superzoom solution. It is set to be replaced this summer, but a 55-300 f/4-5.8 zoom. That will be hitting at a higher price point (over $500), and is not available yet of course.

There is also a Pentax 60-250mm f/4 that should be out this year, but that will almost certainly be more expensive than the 55-300mm.

[SolracSelbor]

The Tamron and the Pentax 18-250mm are the same lens -- Pentax is simply putting their logo on the Tamron lens.

There are always going to be compromises in quality when looking at a superzoom such as the 18-250mm. You may want to consider something to complement your 18-55mm kit lens.

The 55-200mm (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/383248-REG/Pentax_21567_SMCP_DA_50_200mm_f_4_5_6_ED.html) is the companion to the kit lens, and is more reasonably priced than the Tamron/Pentax superzoom solution. It is set to be replaced this summer, but a 55-300 f/4-5.8 zoom. That will be hitting at a higher price point (over $500), and is not available yet of course.

There is also a Pentax 60-250mm f/4 that should be out this year, but that will almost certainly be more expensive than the 55-300mm.

Whats a reasonable speed for a zoom lens?

[cube]

I have a relatively old Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED and it's very usable.

I haven't used it for sports, but it can deal with an airshow on a sunny day (of course on full frame and I guess even on crop it's too short except for the flybys). The autofocus of this lens is not great for that.

[jpfisher]

Whats a reasonable speed for a zoom lens?

Pro zooms are generally f/2.8 constant, prosumer f/4, and consumer usually have a variable aperture -- f/3.5-5.6 or f/4-5.6 is pretty common. Take a look at the pricing between the Pentax 18-55mm kit lens (f/3.5-5.6), the prosumer 16-45mm f/4, and the pro 16-50mm f/2.8 -- that's a pretty good indication of how the line works with price:performance in the Pentax system.

[SLC Flyfishing]

Tamron has a 70-200 mm f/2.8 that should be hitting the shelves soon. It's not going to be more than $600, which I think is a great price for a constant f/2.8 through to 200 mm. I'm prepared to shell out $1,200 for Pentax's DA* 200 f/2.8 prime!

SLC