the small camera kit..er kits

I like my camera gear to be small. Cheap and incredibly talented is nice too.. but let's not get greedy. Well one can be greedy.. with the right gear.

My K-5 with the 18-50re is really compact for aps.c, and now the compact 50-200wr has arrived. That's a nice 27-300mm∙e kit that can go out in the rain and shoot quietly from 27-75mm∙e.

Maybe I meant the GX1 kit? With 14/2.5, 30/2.8 and 45-150mm zoom it stays small & does many things well. The 4:3 sensor does not show off to K-5 level but it's a fine 16Mpxl sensor. Its video specs definitely outperform the Pentax; it was hacked to produce 36MB/sec video with better audio too.  It could be set higher still, but then the camera cannot play back the video :(

Hm, how were these two small-kit pictures taken? That was done with the YI.M1. Yes it's also my small kit: with 12-40mm XiaoYi and 45-150 Lumix it can manage 24-300mme. It can go to 4k with its video specs and has a nice 20Mpx sensor. It does not 'do' stabilization with my current lenses but is still a talented little camera!


Any of these kits can be made larger with current lenses  (e.g. Lumix 12-60 or K-mount 100-300 or fast primes) but for small gear I'm in a good place.. and when more is better I'm good there too!

P.S. it should be noted that my wife's GF2 plus 12-32mm Lumix out-smalls all my kits!
It uses older tech but raw images are very nice and for size it is hard to beat.

just saved a bunch of money..

And it has nothing to do with car insurance :^|

My plan was to pick up a gap lens between the 18-50 and 100-300 zooms. The clear choice would be a DA70/2.4, which would be $200 (used, black) at best. Silver would be nice.. oh that's $375 if I am a lucky bidder. Well, no hurry.

No hurry became no need, as I found a bargain DA∙L 50-200wr lens. Now weather seals extend from 18 to 200mm, no gaps and about $150 less spent than on the Limited 70. Sure I'd still love to have one.. but that is for another day.

I've used numerous copies of the 50-200 - in fact I believe my first copy came as a swap for my first copy of the 55-300mm lens. I've tried both DA and DA∙L copies, both WR - and strangely enough the L version (composite mount, no quick-shift focus) has provided consistently preferable images! In any case I have preferred the overall results from the 50-200 over the 55-300, whose slower focus and less-consistent bokeh are drawbacks. OK I also admit to greatly preferring the shorter lens' bulk.

The image here is with an early copy of the DA 50-200wr on a K-7. I dropped the exposure deliberately, because it's my photo and I can do what I choose with it.

plus 3

using center-point autofocus

That seems to be a good bias for the K-5 autofocus system with my recently-(re)acquired Sigma 100-300 'slowpoke' tele-zoom.

A reasonable color match!

Yes I own one of those again - but this time in silver to match the K-5 Special. A few quick tests and application of +3 AF adjustment for this lens only, and results look better than before. Yay!

Speaking of Sigma - today they announced their first L-mount body. It's tiny, cubic and using a Bayer RGB filter array (i.e. Not Foveon) so it's an unusual Sigma camera in many respects. We shall see how it fares once price and performance are fully set.

the DA∙L 18-50 RE∙tractable

The weather-sealed K-5 demands at least one WR lens for foul weather. On a kit-lens budget that has always meant an 18-55 or 50-200mm as a staple; later the 55-300mm caught up with a HD/WR version. All of them have performed well for me at one time or another.

In the last couple of years the higher-grade 20-40 Limited and 18-50 RE have also been introduced. I owned and liked the 20-40mm, but its price is not available to me right now. The 18-50RE replaced the 18-55 as the basic wide-to-normal kit lens. and retracts almost to Limited-prime size. While I was seeking a deal on the 18-55 I stumbled upon an "as-is" copy of the 18-50RE at an excellent price. Wow: why not?

Initial gear reviewers emphasized the flimsiness of the RE design. Too much 'plastic', wobble in the front-element extension, and so on. Just the sort of things that can go wrong with an "as-is" lens? As it traveled toward me here on the wrong coast I chose to look at user reviews ..and I was surprised by its rating, which was on average comfortably higher than the 18-55. People really do like this version - users not reviewers - and my hopes went up that my incoming copy would be better than 'as-is'.

Well it's here - and it's great!

That 'as-is' disclaimer was quite pessimistic; I expected issues with AF, zoom/retraction mechanism or ..well, something. I have found no issues that limit its full capabilities. Hooray!

So I have a silent-focus WR lens that fits snugly against an equally-WR body. Nice! That saves me plenty of concern about the short end of the focal range (no 17-50 or 17-70 types need apply). It does make the 70 Limited more useful than a DA21, and beyond that the smc-M 100mm and 200mm can take over when the slowpoke Sigma 100-300 isn't the right choice. Sure the 18-50 is pretty slow in the aperture dept. but if that's its only 'issue' I can live with it.

Too bad it doesn't come in silver..

the danger of looking back

Aside from becoming a pillar of salt..

I was reviewing some older images (Pentax, of course) and to my horror it got me to thinking. The enjoyment of photography and the benefits of 24x18 sensors is valuable to me!

I've commented before on the distinct difference between dSLR imaging and modern mirrorless cameras. Here are some of them /the short version/.

• The EVF has benefits, but it is yet another screen to look at along with phone tablet computer and TV. I've had numerous issues this past week with all kinds of screens so I'm more vulnerable right now.
• The auto corrections for lenses is nice.. but having better lenses is my preference. When µ43 lenses are reviewed without corrections one sees just how hard the camera is working to reprocess images; the outer 1/3 of shots is reworked pretty hard.
• While µ43 depth of field is decent enough, it's not as impressive as aps-C shots.
• The GX1 is nearly as well known to me now as the K-5 was in the past; that's a good thing yet apparently makes subsequent bodies harder to enjoy. Yes, the complexity thing, again.
• Sensor specs, in-camera effects, yada yada²...

So off I went again, for the last time. Sure.

My first stop was shopgoodwill, where several Minolta A-mount deals were within reach for absurd prices. I bid on a Sony A100 and Maxxi 35-70/4 and 50/1.8 - for a total of about $50. Those were outbid, though amazingly not by much.

In the meantime I looked over various Pentax listings for a decent K-5, K-5ii or similar. I found a K200d in silver - I had no idea that they were made in silver!! - but it wasn't cheap compared to the black bodies. A seller had a K-5 available (black of course) and I sent along a note, which sat without response for a few days.

Then 'disaster' struck: a K-5 Silver Special edition for $220. Bingo! 

Now of course I need a silver lens. Maybe two.

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Oh yeah - this means the GX85 is leaving to fund this.. perhaps the 12-60 as well. Heck the 14-42 could also go if a 19mm Sigma shows up..

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Update: re-integrating the K-5 into my shooting

I'm surprised at what I remember, and what I don't. I used a K-50 most recently so it will take a bit of muscle retraining to get the buttons right again. At first blush I miss the touch-screen, love the optical view, and cannot tell the grip is different*. I do believe the shutter sound is slightly quieter than my non-Special K-5 bodies; it's a well-muffled click. Cool.

* and now I know why. According to PentaxForums the Silver Special was released twice: one with altered grip, and the next year with a silver DA40 xs lens (and apparently the standard grip). My grip is on the right here so not the super-special Special camera! I'm OK with this, but it's nice to know that a good reason exists for my not being able to tell the difference from my previous K-5 bodies.
Hm, I also just noticed my Silver body has the red/silver SR label not silver on black. Interesting!

spring(ish) cleaning

As I indicated earlier this year, I made the decision to pare down the camera gear to a single system - possibly just one camera. Since my wife's camera is a Lumix GF2 it was the best decision overall to go with a modern, weather-tolerant G85 camera with the 12-60 kit lens and let the equally sealed Pentax system go. This week I finally took inventory, took photos and posted a 4SALE sign on the internet.

It's not just Pentax leaving though, as I have a surplus of µ43 cameras too. The YI∙M1, GX1 and EP5 cameras are superfluous with the G85 in hand. If most other gear goes my hope is to hold on to the EP5 for its small, feature-dense specs and Live Time astroimaging capability, plus perhaps the Pentax 70/2.4 Limited for use on the µ43 bodies.

In fact the Pentax system is better equipped, with lenses ranging from the 10-20mm Sigma to a 100-300 Sigma; the full range would be 15-450mm/e with 27-80mm weather sealed. I've used Pentax for years and both know its interface and like its output - but some things are simply not in Pentax DNA and cannot be expected in the near future.  I'll miss the green button, post-shot raw saving and other cool things that make them unique.

Going with Lumix meant fewer native lenses in hand but more modern functionality. The G85 is similarly sealed for foul weather and has internal stabilization; it also has a way to use the in-lens system to boost stabilization further, and has used its video expertise to branch into both high-spec 4k video and the technique of using 4k video frames to extract an 8Mpixel image in ways Pentax won't attempt to imitate any time soon. And my lens collection isn't bad: two lens provide me with 24-300mm/e coverage (24-120 sealed) - and the adapted 4Thirds lenses add 1:1 macro and 150-600mm telephoto as well!

This decision wasn't easy - but it's done.
OK not until these things sell, but nearly so.

- - - -
3/18 the doing is happening and three lenses are ready to ship off. 
The paypal balance dropped a bit as I chose to grab a Lumix 20/1.7 for the new, smaller kit. The original plan was to dump my last unsold gear and swap for one, but this is faster - and hopefully will be a wash financially. This sets me up with 14, 20, 35 and 45-150 when the 12-60 isn't practical (that sounds like a rare event, but low-light things happen!). The 25mm fit better with 14 and 35, but those lenses are either knockoffs or a bit large compared to the revered 20mm, so I'll be OK with my gaps as they stand.

A chaotic eclipse event.

Skies cleared at an awkward time this past week. I had written off the lunar eclipse until just after it had begun, when I walked outside & looked up.

Oops! It's almost entirely clear out here!

I grabbed the GX1 and zD 70-300 and took a few shots (manual focus only) then decided the YI-M1 and its timelapse function would be easier. Oops the 70-300 won't focus manually at all on the M1(?) so try the sigma 100-300 instead, on my main tripod. By now the moon is almost totally umbra-fied so light is low and that special shade of copper! I then remembered the very small but solid kamay tripod that had never been used: out it came along with the GX1 and zD 70-300 again. Finally I pulled out the K-50 with 28-200 Sigma - and later the 10-20mm for some extra-wide views from Taurus to Leo.

No doubt I have a few keepers. It was a crazy 90 minutes though, and next time I need to do better. It's a classic case of 2MuGS (too much gear syndrome) - and that will definitely change Real Soon.

What hurts more about my frantic imaging episode is that I once was a dedicated star-gazer. If it was dark and reasonably clear I was outside, with camera telescope or binoculars. Eight years later and I don't even know where my sky journal is; I may have swapped computers a time or two since my last entry.

Hopefully that will now change!

Yes again. New year new gear.

I awoke on the 7th of January with a strong and surprising thought lodged in my head: No More.

No more holding on to two camera systems when I barely use one.
No more using one system to hold the other hostage.
No more reading and greed-ing over the best from Lumix or Pentax. Or FuCaNikSo for that matter (especially them).

No more. Just get a G85+12-60 kit. Grab your sealed camera and lens with stabilized sensor and an X at the end of the name. Let it be Lumix. It's not a G9, not an em1X, not a K-1. So what.

Time to spend no more on lenses for the K mount. Let go.

Well almost. Don't let go of the 40+70 Limited lenses yet. Maybe the 135 or 200 can stay a bit too..

~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
I spent two days fighting it.

The KP made a very good case for being the one true camera. In the end though, only the K-1 would really satisfy my Pentax desires. That's too much for now; no more.

We'll see how many aftershocks come in the next few days.

Oh wait there's more.

No More "reading and greed-ing" means something more: no more spending 45-minute chunks of spare time reading camera fora to learn more about cameras I shall never touch. No more reading threads about techniques I'll never practice, guided photo trips around the world I cannot take, or responding to things I don't really have the qualifications to answer.

No more clutter. Not in my camera bag, my gear closet, my favorites folder, my weary tech-stuffed brain.

Taking photos and making them look their best? More please! Not to post for glory or challenge, just for good friends and family. Maybe a couple per month on a forum or too.
Not often though.

more M1 testing

Illness and other distractions have allowed limited additional tests of the YI camera. More informal shooting with the 14-42ii OIS lens on the M1 and GX1 has convinced me that Lumix OIS lenses are not supported by the YI camera. A user at DPReview claims to have heard from YI that only lenses with an OIS switch can be used to stabilize M1 images. Sadly that is consistent with my test results. The GX1 view stabilizes with the shutter half pressed with OIS lenses and M1 view does not. It's possible to assemble a good kit with switched lenses - but I'm not about to change what I have for a different kit just to make the M1 more usable. It's therefore up for sale.

This comes without any formal work on raw images to test the value of the 20Mpix sensor. Images from the M1 do not radiate great vibes any more than other cameras' images that I have used, so I feel no hurry to check the deep detail.

Overall I like a lot of the M1 features. It's a decent camera with many cool features. I don't need another decent camera, however: I feel that the K∙50 and GX1 are comfortably in that category already. Given the extent of my K-mount lens the µ43 gear can remain as-is; the GX1 is plenty good enough for all video work and plenty of nice stills with the 14, 14-42ii and 45-150. Since anything I feel like adapting from the Pentax side will work too, I feel that I'm sitting pretty!

postscript ~ maybe, just maybe?
Given no interest in the M1 thus far, praps I will seek a 14-45mm to go with it. Or a 14-140?

Primes - some day. [Today?]

Perhaps some day I can fill in the µ43 kit with some primes. Not a bunch and surely not the best; f/2-2.8 is just fine and lighter on both shoulder and wallet.

The µ43 system is well endowed with steps one can choose to set up a primal kit, plus I have a Sigma 60 already.  ** Oops - I forgot my 8mm fisheye, which is the ultimate in bargain primes..

So how to make it work on a reasonably thin budget? The preferred option is to keep gaps fairly small, like these:
8-14-(19/20)-30-45-60, or perhaps 8-12-17-25-42-60

Hmm.. not all that cheap is it? Even going with the Rokinon 12 instead of the Olympus.

Plan B: bigger gaps, perhaps? Instead of using the multiple method (e.g. multiples of 8 = 8/16/24/32 &c) one could double each focal length and leave larger spaces between. Cheaper, and occasionally a problem - though a handy compact zoom like the 12-32, 14-42ii or 45-150 can take over when a gap feels like a hardship.

My Plan-B choice: 8-14-24-40-60.  This is good because

• the DA40/2.8 Limited is in hand, 
• it's incredible with any sensor and
• I paid under $130, and no native µ43 lens can beat that.

Don't make me think about this for too long - I could sell the Sigma 60 and for a bit more cash pick up the equally-excellent DA70/2.4 Limited to go with the DA40!

Bargain #1 is now in transit, as I found a Lumix 14mm for an excellent price. That will be my nearly-pocketable pancake option and my star-shooter (about a stop faster than my f/3.5 zooms).

Update: Bargain #2 has appeared! What a surprise, one need only look to find (and define) a bargain in today's elderlenses. I found a PK Vivitar (Tokina) 24/2.8 for about $70 to make all the steps feasible. That's cheaper than a Pixco/7Art/Meike 25mm options - and the K-50 will thank me too!

… . . . . . . . . . .  .  .   .   .    .    .    .

On the longer end I have Pentax' M100/2.8, Tak135/2.5 and M200/4 primes that can play nicely with internally stabilized bodies. To extend it wider isn't really practical though, as wide K-mount lenses (e.g.24/2.8) are not cheap either.

the crack in µ43's armor

The one disheartening issue in my tests of µ43 kit lenses stood out: the poor flare control when shooting into sunlight. I'd seen it before in the occasional shot, and it was clearly an issue for the three kit lenses that I tested.

This is on a camera that autocorrects many issues that are inherent in electronic lenses, such as distortion and chromatic issues. I have no doubt that the more expensive lenses do not have the kit lens problems that I see here -- however I am not at financial liberty to explore those better options. For my budget I can only manage what the lenses above can give me, unless a 14mm Lumix and something in the 17-20mm range become available on a fire sale.

Let's look at the K-50 and its $75 kit lens as a comparison. Taken on a different day but as the sun sank low into the same batch of trees.

Some issues are visible but nothing like what the µ43 lenses show. The DA18-55wr also has weather seals and a closer close focus of about 0.34x compared to 0.25x on the Oly 14-42ez. And the camera has no correction settings enabled for distortion or chromatics.

I suppose the next thing to check is how the 18-55 looks when adapted to the GX1 or EM10b. That would disable all autocorrections and let the game be played on the level. We'll see if I can get to that.

dueling banjo-cams

I went to a baseball game with GX1 and K-50 cameras and reasonable telephoto choices. Both took decent photos but the K-50 was easier to set up to shoot past the chain-link fence; I suspect that greater Pentax practice is the reason as center-point AF is available on both systems. Even so, I ended up using manual focus and pre-focusing on the base of choice for most of the shots, and either camera can manage that sort of work.

I won't say that I learned anything convincing about either camera. Both did just fine, neither exceptional nor lousy. It's a fact that more modern µ43 systems have improved their AF systems faster than Pentax, but in my budget range the choices are limited in both models. The Olympus E-M1 would have phase-detect points but its price remains consistently above my limits, while Lumix DFD contrast technology is a bit closer to my budget. If a true deal appears I could be swayed.. perhaps?

I am once again standing with a foot in both systems, with neither foot firmly settled.
Sure wish I'd get past this position..

Well, I'm back I

- back in my comfort zone with a Pentax camera. No surprise there, but the trip was a strange one; I’ve had no Pentax digital SLR for several months now, but many lenses remained that had near-zero resale value. 

First off let me confess (again): I have owned so many camera bodies since 2010 that I’ve lost count. My best guess is K100d then K-7, whose sensor drove me to try G1 and GH1. Then I found the joys of owning a K-5. After that it gets hazy, and includes two K200d, every flavor of K-5, two each of K-r, K-s1 and k-01,  a silver K-3ii and at least two K50. We can also include EM10, EM5, ePM2 and ePL5/6/7, G7, GX7, GM1, GX1 and GF2 – not to mention a couple of Samsung NX300 bodies. And don’t bother asking about lenses!

The pattern that caused this amount of turnover repeated often, sometimes in the same year. Assemble a good kit for decent prices, then sell it cheap and step up. Immediately encounter a financial issue that requires a selloff (other things too but mostly easily-moved camera gear). Pick up a consolation prize soon after for cheap and repeat the cycle. Occasionally alternate between Pentax and Panasonic, just in case.

Our finances have been seriously strained for a while, so two GX1 and kit lenses were all we could manage. As things began to look up at last, I looked over what was missing in my kit. The major point to me was weather seals; I recall worrying about the GX1 as it sat on a glove surrounded by a foot of snow as we cruised past it on saucers. I could do better, and either system could make it happen. How best to address that on a budget, given that I owned no sealed lenses?

The bargain µ43 setup would be an EM5 and the Oly 12-50mm lens, which would be at least $350. The better options to my mind would be an EM1 or G85 paired with a Lumix 12-60mm - but that would be $700-950 to make that happen.

My other issue to be addressed is the hidden electronic manipulation of 4Thirds images. I’ve learned to live with focus-by-wire, but when images are autocorrected for distortion and color fringing I get.. nervous. Those corrections are optional in Pentax bodies but only by developing micro43 raw files with ‘non-conforming’ software can I see the untouched image. Results are still good – but it still feels uncomfortable.

I searched optimistically for a K-s2 but the budget suggested a lower price would be best, so I settled for a lightly used olive-green K50 with repaired aperture-control part that is prone to fail on mid-tier Pentax bodies. The 18-55WR and body came to less than $250, which no µ43 body can match!

And so my elder lenses have a natural home again. Sigmas 28-80 and 100-300 ‘slowpoke’, Rikenon 70-150 f/4 XR, and Pentax 18-250 (no autofocus), A50 and M100 can be used as before.

If I can trust my previous post (and the title says it all!), this is my fourth K-50.. ergo K-54?

If I start looking to acquire a higher-spec body I hope I remember writing this!

Here's the latest olivine camera and its stylish '70s strap!

For shame. Timeout.

I've just skimmed my past posts* and learned just how big a problem I have with holding on to camera gear. Several absurdly excellent kits were tossed back into the pool for pathetic reasons. I called myself out several times, and then excused my behavior as financially driven. That's only true because I overreached when I already owned really nice gear but wanted more - and that's entirely on me and my collecting/hoarding illness.

* Of course I don't read my own blog, I write all this for mythical others.. or so I've told myself.


Therefore read, and Learn!

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Could anything embarrass me more than this note from April 2015?

For a total of $118 I have two |k-r|bodies in like-new condition with a total of 130 shutter actuations.  

Well perhaps this from July of 2011?

The k-x became a k-r, and several lenses came swiftly. Some were bargains, others simply irresistible - but the result was too many lenses, especially considering that family health issues kept us from traveling to photogenic places. I took some great shots of the yard and my bike commutes to work.. but any camera could do such things justice.

Or even Nov 2010?

So why don't I just buy more Pentax stuff with that gift card? Fact is, I'm all out of 'needs' there.   I have modern lenses (16-45, 50-200 and 55-300) plus a half-dozen manual primes and intermediate zooms.  I have a nice tripod and a flash sufficient for my needs, and several SD cards.  Not only is that enough, it's too much - especially as I've been homebound and not able to use much of this.  
A smaller camera with decent IQ would provide just as much camera satisfaction and be a smaller cash drain.

The occasional great image I've taken in the intervening thirty months since I owned the K-r would certainly look no worse with that camera. Or a K200d and Sigma 18-200 (March 2011). Or the K100d, 16-45 and 55-200 Sigma (June 2010).

What cameras have I owned in the past five years? Let me gasp as I count them - and several were owned more than once..

• Pentax 200d/k-r/7/5/5ii/5iis/3ii/s1 
• mu43 pm2/pl5/pl6/em10/em5/g7/gm1/gx7/gx1 
• fuji f550, nikon-1, oly e500 and Samsung NX300 
• lenses: easily a few dozen in K mount, perhaps twenty µ43/4Thirds
• imaging-related tags in this blog: ~190

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

What have I gained from all this? Precious little.

What I lost: time energy.. and now, self respect.

And with this fresh in my mind,

I shall walk away from 'gear talk' on this blog for a spell.

aftermath of the Shadow's passing

cropped and re-leveled but not really processed.. yet!

Since the eclipse on 21.August, several changes have occurred in many types of gear.

• Our largest telescope has sold, 
• an eyepiece and the Canon A720is sold at the star-party swap meet - and 
• the K-5 that took the photo above (and many others) has moved to Carolina.

In some ways this was ideal! I got to use the 'scope before it sold and the K-5 was the superior imaging system to have on-site. The GX1 isn't bad by any means, but the K-5 has the better sensor for dynamic range and pixel size - so no complaints here.

and I have the silver 14-42mm lens!
from imaging-resource.com review

These changes allowed me to pick up another bargain GX7. The GX85 and GX8 are tempting in different ways, and I even considered the current deal on the YI-M1 + 12-40mm lens - but for now the familiar and lower-priced GX7 will serve very nicely while other debts are paid down. I enjoyed the GX7 in black but prefer the look of the silver model.

What next for my µ43 kit?
I'd like the set of 7.5/14/20/30 for primes, meaning that a 7.5mm fisheye and 20mm f/1.7 Lumix might be sought in the near future. I've learned of the 7Artisans f/2.8 fisheye which is competitive with the Samyang in many ways for a somewhat lower price, so when the time comes we'll see what prices look like. Also there's no denying the appeal of the 60mm Sigma and even the 100-300 Lumix.. but the 45-150 is both talented and tiny so it will be sufficient for now. I still have a K-mount copy of the Quantaray 100-300, which is less convenient than the Lumix version but somewhat stabilized on the GX7 so that's fine too.
Also: focus peaking is back, how nice!

Busted :¬(

I am forced to admit that Pentax gear brings out the hoarder in me.
I cannot explain it.

With my Sony gear I did my share of swapping lenses, to a lesser degree - but that's not really a surprise since I've used Pentax gear far longer. The latest K-5 purchase spun up an amazing kit in a hurry, at great prices - yet once again it was more kit than I could really afford. The acquisitive feelings are still with me in the micro43 world, but I have managed to be a bit more resistant.
Is that from years of practice, the system itself, or something else entirely?
Hard to say.

I really want to just love one system that does everything - but without more funding that's just not possible. And Pentax is such a good fit for me, thanks both to their design philosophy and my spending enough time in the system to make it work well for me.

I suspect that a some amount of gear should go pretty soon. Again.
Will I choose wisely this time? Hope so!

Reconstructions

After some consideration, and the arrival of the 18-50, I decoded to unmake the 18-55wr and remake the 50-200wr. This frees up the 55-300 to become cash like it was supposed to be and that we can make use of in non-photo categories.

Sometimes reassembly of a Pentax lens takes five minutes..this time it was a bit over an hour. Resetting the six gold data-transmission pins takes time, then in this case the wr gasket must be right, then setting the mount gently so the data pins poke through without bending or springing out - everything just right or start over!

I started over about a dozen times. The pins fell out, then they were right but the AF drive pin had fallen out. More pin issues ensued but it was finally assembled - however, the lens was not sending data. Sure enough a pin had slipped out, so a few more attempts (and re-seating the wr gasket twice) finally produced a functional 50-200mm lens. AF works, metering works, focal length is reported to stabilizer and to image file. All is well.* Again!

add 100-300 Sigma 'slowpoke' when range is needed

With this decision made, the kit clears up a bit. 
I have cast the kit upon KEH' buying department, I'd like to keep the 17-28, 18-50 & 50-200wr and send off the rest. That plus the K-5 is a 1.5kg kit of small lenses and decent range. Good enough for my purposes - and the 100-300 can stay too for longer (eclipse?) shots.

If KEH would offer more for the 17-28 I would tolerate the extra 200 grams and keep the Tamron 10-24mm in its place. And if they offer a decent number for all things Pentax.. so be it.

*Except for the 18-55 of course, which is now mount-less. Again!!

Update - a new/used Lumix 14-42ii is on its way, so my 'need' for the Sigma 19 (or any 17-20mm prime) has been lowered.. theoretically! This one will be black, so we can more easily tell our cameras apart - as if my spouse's pink neck strap was insufficient.

Today's Thinking

My ideal kit is now here. I may not recognize it yet but it's still true.. probably. Sure it would be much different with a $2k budget, but that is not coming about soon.

Part of my kit problem is that some of this should not be here. The 55-300 was supposed to be a check, the 17-28 fisheye would not be here if the 10-24 deal did not fall apart for 10 days, and in fact the K-5 was supposed to be a GM1! Go figure. On the other hand, the E500 and 4Thirds gear became much more useable as the 17-28 and some of these lenses can still become cash.. inevitably.

So here is today's Favorite Kit. *
F17-28, because small is beautiful
S18-50 for silence and a pinch more speed
DA50-200wr, see 17-28 + wr protection
S100-300 fast focus and decent IQ
S28-200 to pair up with 17-28 now and then

* Tomorrow is another day; I shall worry about that kit tomorrow. (Katie Scarlett O'Hara)

Honestly, I really like the other lenses. Nobody really dislikes results from the 55-300 in any of its many forms..but oh that pokey focus. And going to 10mm is amazing..now and then. The 18-55wr is small and talented and wr, and anyway I can't sell it with a non-wr lens mount. Guess it stays too, in the closet.

1 Thing still missing?

Looking over the pile of recent acquisitions it seemed that nothing major was lacking. I have coverage from 15-450mme plus the 600mme Hanimar long telephoto, weather seals from 27-450mme, a fisheye zoom and a couple of fast manual primes. All is well..

Almost.
The one thing I lack here is a quiet lens for the quiet body. The K-5 has a nicely muted shutter sound but a typically noisy AF screw drive. The best options to beat this are Sigma's HSM lenses with Pentax SDM good but tarnished by a few bad copies (make that several dozen bad copies..).

 I found a Sigma 18-50 f/2.8-4.5 HSM OS Macro &c lens for under $100. I've owned this before and it does a good job. No weather seals but zoom and focus are internal so water is less apt to get inside. Focus is nicely nearly silent, and it even has in-lens stabilization which is very rare in Pentax mount. It has switches for both OS and AF (which allows for catch-in focus on the K-5). I will get an extra stop of light along with silence.. and an extra 100g of bulk.
Given the advantages of silence I'm letting this one back into my lineup. Maybe someone else will take a white 18-55wr off my hands?

The gang's all here

A few final items have now dropped into the Pentax pile. 
Now to decide what stays!

As noted earlier, the whole Pentax thing came about because the µ43 bargains dried up and K-mount items became cheap and plentiful. Definitely not my plan, but circumstances are not under my control! I re-joined µ43 because it was where good cameras could be had for $200 ..and so was my K-5. When the auction on a K-mount 10-24mm was canceled I swapped unused 4Thirds gear for a Pentax-F 17-28mm fisheye. When the 10-24 seller repented I took that too! When B&H had trouble sending me a check for some trade-in gear I converted it to store credit, then into a Pentax HD 55-300. When KEH had a $16 "UGly"-rated Sigma 28-200mm I grabbed it. When i could not find a lens mount for my 18-55wr I bought a bargain 50-200wr and robbed it.

It all happened so fast!

So what did I learn? No surprises:

• The HD 55-300wr is a typically excellent copy and offers me a weather-friendly kit with the 18-55wr.
• KEH still undervalues slow-selling lenses. The 28-200 looks new and works great (as good as the 55-300 in tests, and focuses much faster & closer), so a fair-weather pairing of this with either 10-24 or 17-28 is fun and light.
• The 10-24 is relatively large but is like nothing I've owned before. The 17-28 is great in different ways.
• In the closet I also have Sigmas 28-80 (1:2), 100-300 f/4.5-6.7 and Rikenon 70-150/4, and two primes (A50/1.7, M100/2.8). And oh yes, the manual-focus-only DA18-250! Kits beyond calculation..

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