Pentax Prime Recomendations

[JJ!]

So getting a K5 after a bit of over night thinking, and it has the 18-55 and 50-200 lenses with it.

Looking for a nice low light prime, either 30mm or 50mm with a budget of around 300-350.

So far I have seen the new DA 50mm, an older 50mm f1.7 and could also get hold of a sigma 30mm f1.4 - but I believe this lens does not have HSM as advertised?

What's peoples opinions on best for low light and IQ? Being new to Pentax I have no idea so any views/suggestions would be great.

 

[Cuchulainn]

If you want autofocus, then there are a few options now, and a few later. Do you know which length you use more on your zooms? 50mm on the k5 is a short telephoto and nice for portraits, whereas a 35mm gives you a field of view more like a classic 50mm normal. The DA-L 35mm, while not HSM, gets really nice reviews and is dirt cheap. It's also fast enough that, combined with the K5's good high-iso performance, you will get nice low light shots with it. There's also a DA-L 50mm f1.7 on the way, though it hasn't been officially announced yet, so it could be worth waiting a few weeks until after photokina and seeing what Pentax announce there.

Oh, the Sigma lenses are lovely and perform well, but are significantly larger than the pentax equivalents, so if small and light was something that attracted you to the K5, then it's worth taking that in mind.

If you want manual focus, then I've a lovely 50mm in the classifieds at the moment! It's auto aperture, manual focus and sharp from wide open

 

[rc_hammer]

The FA 50mm 1.4 can still be found new for around £290 but stocks will be running down. It gives you a little more to play with in low light than a 1.7 or 1.8.

I've seen DA* 55mm 1.4 lenses go for around £300 on ebay if you're considering used rather than new.

 

[Cuchulainn]

The FA 50mm 1.4 can still be found new for around £290 but stocks will be running down. It gives you a little more to play with in low light than a 1.7 or 1.8.

One thing about the 1.4 is that it's slightly soft at 1.4 (even with careful focussing). By f2 it's excellent. I certainly won't be selling mine, but it is something worth considering - you won't be shooting everything at 1.4 but when you are it's often in low light where critical focus is even more difficult. Lovely little lens though

 

[JJ!]

Found the 50 f1.4 on amazon in stock so that's a consideration!

Anyone used the siggy 30?

 

[rc_hammer]

Found the 50 f1.4 on amazon in stock so that's a consideration!

Anyone used the siggy 30?

SRS Microsystems also appear to have a few new FA 50's in stock and a used one in case you decide to plump for that option. SRS have a good reputation in the Pentax community.