I've been an amature and lover of B&W for five years and took a year's worth of B&W photography course including developing film and printing. My camera for the course had to be a manual 35mm and I purchased a Pentax KX with a 1:2 55 mm lens. I would like to purchase a zoom lens for the camera and could use some advice regarding what to purchase or, if indeed, I should look for an additional camera of a more modern vintage. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

-- Rosmarie Binns (mamoose@idirect.com), November 26, 1999

Answers

After years of being interested in all kinds of lenses and zoom lenses, and trying this and that, I am now using my 50mm lens more and more. Also I am back to using my totally manual 'bottom of the line' Yashica FX-3 Super. One reason I bought Yashicas in the first place is that they can be used with Carl Zeiss lenses, and I find that there is a difference with those lenses! The extra shaprness and contrast sure show up in the print. I am not 'hung-up' on lenses per se. I use toy & pinhole cameras and love them. I do think the Yashica/Zeiss lens combination is a wonderful one. Getting an FX-3 and a 50mm Zeiss lens will give you a relatively inexpensive system that I believe can't be outperformed by any other 35mm camera/lens system, regardless of price. But that doesn't answer your question. If you want to stick with your present camera, which I think is fine, I would get the best zoom lens you can find (which will probably be the most expensive one too). You did not say which zoom range you were interested in. Of the zoom lenses I have, I like my Tokina AT-X 80-200 a lot. But that it is a pretty big zoom range, and unless you really need it, I would go for a smaller range.

-- Christian Harkness (chris.harkness@eudoramail.com), November 27, 1999.

Here's my standard, unpopular, outdated (but still valid to some of us!) response: forget the zoom, and get yourself two nice prime lenses, preferably of the original series for your camera's lens mount.

Something like a 28mm and a 100mm in reasonably fast speeds (f/2.8, or if you can afford it, f/2) should do the trick. You almost certainly won't spend any more, and you'll have two smaller, lighter, faster lenses. And the discipline of having one focal length (and one more in your bag, but it does take a minute or so to change) and having to move around looking for a good POV will often yield better images. At least it does for me, and plenty of other dinosaur photographers.

Nothing against modern zooms, they are mostly very fine lenses. But there's a charm and solid sense of craft to using only two or three focal lengths that can work wonders. Like I said, this is now a very unpopular view (it was gospel 30 years ago when zooms were really soft in comparison to prime lenses, and 400-speed color films were brutally grainy - only a rank amateur would be caught dead with a lens slower than f/3.5!), but since you've done so well all along with a 55mm, you might have the right stuff to make good use this approach.

Just a modest proposal...

-- Michael Goldfarb (mgoldfar@mobius.com), November 27, 1999.

I second Michael's advice. I sold my last zoom at least a decade ago, and shoot mostly with a 50mm, a 28mm, or a 105mm. These three lenses cover 95% of what I want to shoot. I used to carry a longer lens, but that was all I ever did with it- carry it. Now I don't even keep it in the bag. Yes, zooms are much improved, but I find the dicipline of using separate lenses is good for me. This certainly isn't the answer for everyone, but consider your needs carefully to be sure your need for a zoom isn't just the result of someones marketing campaign!

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), November 27, 1999.

I won't start a zoom vs prime war here (unless you want to) but I'd very firmly suggest you get a zoom lens and be in a better position to grab quickly changing compositions. That's why they made the zoom for in the first place. Yeah, yeah. The old farts will tell you that you should hone your vision and craft by using a single focal lenght lens. Hog wash! Get a zoom so you can get the shot at the right time and not miss so many quick situations. Kids don't wait for you to change lenses. And life passing quickly by won't wait either. In quickly changing situations it doesn't matter if that Zeise lens is a 2.8 or not. Across the street is a scene that just starts happening really fast and a 28 or 50 no matter how fast won't reach out and capture it. And there are zillions of scenes that just won't let you get intimate with a 50 or shorter so why miss the opportunity just to be true to the old ways of doing things. True to Winograd or Bresson? Bull! Get the zoom and have more fun and you won't miss those shots anymore. Primes a better lens? Unless you are a professional who demands certain characteristics from your equipment, show me the difference. Quit missing photographic life, get a zoom. And if you want to war, my E- is right there. James

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), November 28, 1999.

James, you're right on every count! I *am* an old fart, and when you finally get there, you'll be just as proud of it as I am. Zooms suit many people, and I'll even admit that within the last week I had a situation where it would have been the absolute superior choice to anything else I had. But, in general, they don't suit the subjects I shoot, or my way of working. In spite of the times where it would be the better choice, I just have no burning desire to lay down the bucks and buy one. We're all different, and certainly zooms are the right choice for some, possibly even the majority, of people.

-- Conrad Hoffman, O.F. (choffman@rpa.net), November 30, 1999.

James, you're certainly entitled to your opinion, and far be it from me to prevent anybody from using any equipment they want to. I merely wanted to point out to Rosmarie that despite the prevailing conventional wisdom, not everybody needs or wants a zoom. Some of us prefer primes, the same way some of us prefer large or medium format to 35mm, and some of us prefer different films and papers. These are the differences that make photography an indvidual art.

I don't see where your impatience or anger is coming from, but it's not appropriate here. Rosmarie will decide how she wants to work and what she wants to use. You prefer zooms - fine. I prefer primes - also fine. As long as we're both getting the images we want and having fun, what's the difference?

It's not like I insulted the idea of zooms. I've owned zooms. I've used zooms. Sometimes they're very handy. But when I get serious, I prefer working with a fixed lens and a (very) manual camera. And I don't walk around bemoaning my lack of dozens of focal lengths any more that I think that having autofocus, autoadvance, matrix metering, TTL flash - or any of the other now-"irreplaceable" advancements of the last 20 years - would vastly improve my ability to get the images I want. If I've learned anything in 35+ years of photography, it's that equipment is absolutely secondary to talent and skill.

Different strokes for different folks. Allow room for some UNconventional wisdom, guy.

-- Michael Goldfarb (mgoldfar@mobius-inc.com), November 30, 1999.

James, I have to agree with Michael here...Rosmarie asked for advice and you gave her a screed (look it up). Too much anger; maybe it's how you write and you really aren't that way in person, but...it's distracting and borderline off-topic.

I do think there's merit to posting a discussion about using zoom vs. fixed focal length lenses, and you're invited to start a new thread about that.

Rosemarie, you got off to a good start with a 55mm Macro! I always advise beginners to get familiar with one focal length, then try a zoom, so you're doing things in the right sequence.

Since you're using a Pentax K mount camera you have a very wide choice of zooms. You first need to decide what kind of range of focal lengths you want. Are you looking for a wide-angle-to-telephoto zoom, a moderate-to-long tele zoom, or a wide-to-superwide zoom? (I have and love to use the latter, a funky off-brand 18-28mm model with built-in vignetting ;-) that I picked up for $99. As someone else wrote here, different strokes!)

Try getting a hold of Pop Photo & look at the ad for B&H. Lots of lenses there, will give you a better idea of price range for new equipment.

Hope these random ideas help!

-- Mason Resnick (bwworld@mindspring.com), December 01, 1999.

I too am an old fart and my recomendation is that you get a zoom lens in the 35 to 70mm or 35 to 105mm range. Too many people get the longer zooms and they are fine if you do mostly portraits and stuff like birds and butterflys but the short zoom will give you a somewhat wide angle lens. Wider than the 55 at least. To me, a wide angle is a must and with the long end at 70 or 105mm (I suggest 105) you still have a fine portrait lens. There was a time not too long ago when zooms just weren't very sharp or even well made. Some did fall apart. That isn't so now. I do suggest that you get the best lens you can afford. That is true with any lens you buy. Get the best you can afford.

-- Joe Cole (jcole@apha.com), December 01, 1999.

Mason, where do you get the idea I'm angry? Because I'm irreverent and a little flippant Because I dissagree with you? And you're a writer. And Michael, I always take the position of zooms are better than primes for 90% of photography that deals with any changing situation because they are. And I always advise beggining photography students to get a zoom so they can see what choices in lens focal length is out there all at once. If they don't see the difference between a 50mm and a 105mm or a 28mm how will they decide which focal length suits their vision? Rosemarie is experiencing that dilema now. And I have found most students are much happier with a modern AF camera than a purely manual one because they can just go out and shoot for the fun of it and get something. They can also learn to shoot in the manual mode when they want to. It's like learning to ride a bike. When they want to take off the training wheels they can but they can start riding that sucker right away instead of losing interest because they fall off alot in the beggining. We as experienced photographers, and I'm pointing the finger backwards too, tend to see from an accomplished direction too often and forget what it's like to not know an fstop from a stoplight. And we get jaded with our forebears ideas and what we think they would have used and done. Bresson used primes. Hell yes he used them. Good zooms were unavailable. Would he eschew zooms now? We don't know. But from my experience I think he would have included some in his bag. I am not one to start slowly and learn in small steps. I don't go with the idea of getting one lens and using it till I know it's characteristics intimately. I say do everything at once and have fun. I shoot everything from 16mm to 8x10 and process and print my own. I use 4 different developers and 6 different papers. I use three different developing scemes and print 3 different ways. I don't think beginners should limit themselves to only one way with one piece of equipment. The learning curve is too shallow. So Rosemarie, get out there and grab a zoom and have fun with it. James

-- james (James_mickelson@hotmail.com), December 02, 1999.

James, you raise some interesting questions on the best way to learn. I'm going to start a new thread on the topic...

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), December 02, 1999.

HELLO ROSMARIE YOU CERTANLY GOT A LOT OF SUGGESTIONS ON YOUR LENS QUESTION ON B/W/ WORLD I HAVE A PENTAX PZ1 AND AM GLAD THAT I GOT THAT ONE INSTEAD OF A LOT MORE EXPENSIVE CANNON OR NIKON. I AM A 2ND YR. SELF TAUGHT SHOOTER. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT EQUIPMENT IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN PHOTOGRAPHY. YOUR VISION IS. I HEARD THIS ADVICE WHEN I FIRST STARTED BUT IT DIDN'T SINK IN BUT IT IS VERY TRUE. IN MY PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB A PERSON WON FIRST PLACE WITH A POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA. THE SUBJECT OF THE SHOT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. THE VERY BEST TECHNICAL SHOT OF A BORING OR UNINTERESTING SUBJECT WILL SUCK NO MATTER HOW SHARP THE IMAGE IS. USE WHAT EVER EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO TRANSPORT YOUR VISION FROM YOUR MIND TO THE FILM. TRY THIS SITE http://www.cs.purdue.edu/~bdd/Pentax/

GOOD LUCK RODNEY

-- RODNEY (CARCON@SPINN.NET), December 14, 1999.