Debra, Have you ever considered fast primes? All of the zooms are somewhat slow - even the faster ones. I have the Tokina 20-35 f:2.8, 28-70 f:2.6-2.8 and 80-200 f:2.8 and don't really think of them as fast, just adequate. I tend to use primes whenever I can and appreciate the speed and optical quality.
Bruce Dayton Monday, January 28, 2002, 2:11:04 PM, you wrote: DW> I'm looking for a relatively fast zoom lens to start DW> on a Pentax ZX-5n. Budget is a consideration, around DW> $150 new or used. I was looking at used lenses and DW> saw two that looked interesting: the Vivitar series 1 DW> 28-105 f2.8-3.8 and Sigma 35-85 f2.8-4. DW> Can someone tell me a little more about these lenses? DW> Are they autofocus, or at least auto-aperature? I've DW> read that the Vivitar is a varifocal design. Is this DW> true of the Sigma as well? Is varifocal a pain or an DW> improvement in image quality? DW> Somewhere I read that the Vivitar has a minimum focus DW> distance of almost 5 feet. That's a little too far DW> out there. Does anyone know or can guess as to the DW> minimun focus of the Sigma? I can't find any specs on DW> it. DW> As far as new lenses go, I was looking at the Sigma DW> 28-105 f2.8-4 and maybe the Tokina 28-70 f3.5-4.5 or DW> 28-105 in the same focal length. The Tokina isn't DW> very fast, but I've been wondering about it, too. DW> Some think very highly of Tokina lenses and I'd like DW> to know how they stack up against the others. DW> I know someone will recommend the Pentax 28-70 f4; DW> however, I think it will be a bit too slow. I would DW> like to shoot in existing light in concert halls and DW> do some night photography around town. DW> Thanks for the help, DW> Deb - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
