Pentax smc FA 35-80 mm f/4-5.6? thought on this lens please

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stevescleenz

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wondering what peoples thoughts are for this lens Pentax smc FA 35-80 mm f/4-5.6, all im after is a lens that has a little more zoom than my 18-55, and found one for £20 on ebay, is this a good price too?, also does anybody have and pics to show the difference between 55mm and 80mm

many thanks :D
 
Dunno about the lens - given the focal lengths I would say it was designed for a full frame camera.

The difference between 50 and 80mm? about two steps forward.
 
I believe that's an incarnation of the kit lens that was supplied with Pentax's autofocus film cameras. Don't expect any better pictures than from your 18-55 but if the extra reach is useful, go for it.

After all, the Pentax DA 18-55 (and the II, the DAL, the WR etc etc, they're all the same) is the best kit lens out there.

Remember that you will have a startling loss of wide-angle. Try setting your kit lens to 35mm to give you an idea of where it'll start.

To be honest, if I had £20 and your stuff, I wouldn't bother. I'd see if I could get hold of a Pentax-M SMC 50mm f1.4 or f1.7 prime lens, and you can teach yourself about manual focus and stop-down metering while taking some cracking shots in the process. Spend £45 and you could get the Pentax-A instead (no need for stop-down metering), or £150 and get the modern autofocus (the SMCP-FA version).
 
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all i am after is a little more zoom, as with the 18-55mm i just dont get enough zoom when taking pics, mainly for when i am taking pics of my daughter dancing at her shows and thought the 35-80 would give me that, also i need auto focus as i already have some manual lens but cant get the hang of it lol
 
You really want something of the 70-200mm variety (sorry, don't know Pentax lenses to say exactly) to get better shots of a stage.
 
Check out this list.
 
You can get the 55-200DAL for around the £100 mark, your only problem here is at 200mm you are also F5.6 which means you will be a bit slow for lower lighting that you would probably have at a dance show - but you can up the ISO a bit and it is a good compromise and good lens for that money.
 
For zooms more suited to low light conditions, look out for the Tamron ƒ/2.8 28-75mm or Tokina ƒ/2.6-2.8 28-70mm or Sigma ƒ/2.8 24-70mm. Get a Pentax FA 28-70mm if you feel like splashing out...

I've used the manual focus version of the old Tamron ƒ/2.8 35-105mm for village hall productions where I've been close to the stage, and found that range very useful.

Currently available "fast" longer lenses include the Pentax 50-135mm and Sigma 50-150mm.
 
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