Earlier this year bought a Pentax K100D camera kit at the Ritz GoB for $235. Been looking for a Zoom lens for awhile but on eBay they sell for at least $120.
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If you just need some alternative lenses, or if you're looking to do things as cheaply as possible, this is a fine deal. But keep in mind that most Pentax-branded lenses will retain most of their value in resale; they're not like most technology that loses half its value the week after it comes out. These lenses don't have particularly desirable characteristics, and while Sigma is a fine brand, simply not being Pentax will hurt their resale value should you decide to upgrade later. That said, they're so cheap, you might just be able to resell them and recoup the cost anyway.
Again, this is a fine purchase if you're starting out or just want to experiment, but high quality glass is usually worth the investment.
Just So you know, You will have to operate in manual mode when using this lens. Notice there is no "A" on the aperture ring to set it for use on your camera, which means that the camera can not automatically adjust the exposure in program mode or aperture or shutter priority mode. you have to manually set the aperture by twisting the aperture ring to the appropriate F-stop, than pick a shutter speed for proper exposure. You exposure compensation dial won't work either. I have a similiar Tamron lens I use on my Pentax K-10. Also, Auto focus may or may not work, on mine I have to use manual focus as well. Pictures are fine looking. Good Price, just be prepared to go manual.
The way I see it, the 28-80 is a waste of money. You'd be better of putting the 99 bucks towards a sigma 70-300 APO or tamron 70-300 DI or even buy a used one of these for that amount...
zorobabel said:The way I see it, the 28-80 is a waste of money. You'd be better of putting the 99 bucks towards a sigma 70-300 APO or tamron 70-300 DI or even buy a used one of these for that amount...
Sell the 28-80 on eBay for about $40, and you still have the camera bag and 70-300 for about $65.
moveover said:zorobabel said:The way I see it, the 28-80 is a waste of money. You'd be better of putting the 99 bucks towards a sigma 70-300 APO or tamron 70-300 DI or even buy a used one of these for that amount...
Sell the 28-80 on eBay for about $40, and you still have the camera bag and 70-300 for about $65.
I can't vouch for the Pentax version, but the Minolta version of the 28-80 is a very good and affordable alternative to a real macro prime lens. It has a switch to do 1:2 macro at 80mm, which gives you very close minimum focus distance. It is not a very sharp as a zoom, but quite sharp as a macro.
zorobabel said:The way I see it, the 28-80 is a waste of money. You'd be better of putting the 99 bucks towards a sigma 70-300 APO or tamron 70-300 DI or even buy a used one of these for that amount...
Care to elaborate? what's wrong with a 28-80mm lens? Or are you talking about this one in particular?
I didn't go for the Minolta kit but I found "Quantaray 261660237 2x AF Tele-Converter for Minolta" for $48~ plus shipping totaling $57.49 and went for that instead. I have a Sony A350. I think it the teleconverter would work with my A350. If anyone knows it won't please let me know. Thanks.
EDIT: I forgot the coupon code so I cancelled and re-ordered. It came out to $52.63 including shipping.
Message edited by: vcarpio on 2009-09-18 15:18:50 CDT
I got the 28-80mm at Ritz for $18 during the clearance. It's what you would expect from a cheap Sigma lens (I love Sigma's high end stuff, but the low end stuff...ehh). In actuality, you can get some decent pics out of it in outside / moderate light levels. It's an odd lens in that I actually found the sweet spot to not be at f/8 but actually at f/11 (I think it was f/11). Basically, it's worth is in the fact that it does close focus and will take a reasonably sharp picture as long as you don't expect much out of it.
I have no experience with the other lens so I can't say. I will say that you will probably get what you pay for. 2 low to moderate performing lenses for $100.
...personally, I would be happier spending the $100 on some old used manual vivitar lenses or something of the sort, but I also don't mind manual focus.
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