I bought my third lens off Craigslist today, which brings my total AF lenses for the Pentax K100D up to four. The only lens I didn’t buy off Craigslist was the Pentax 18-55mm F3.5 kit lens — which I got stuck with because there wasn’t a body-only option on the price list at the online shop where I bought it.
I scour Craiglist on a regular basis for Pentax-compatible AF lenses, but they don’t come up very often. I needed another portrait lens that was wider than the 50mm I currently have, and one lens I’m still searching for is a wide-angle, eg., 10-12mm. There was a 12-24mm on sale at the end of last year, but $700+taxes is more than I’m willing to pay these days. I can buy a plane ticket for that, and that’s usually what I end up doing.
Pentax has a small market share, but companies like Sigma, Tamron, and others do make lenses for the Pentax system and they’re significantly cheaper than what’s available for Nikon and Canon. [Edit July 20: the EXACT SAME lens for a Canon mount is listed in Craigslist for $350, nearly 75% MORE than what mine was listed for. It's the same glass, only the mount is different.]
I have one other Sigma: the 28-135mm f/3.8 Macro, which I’m pretty happy with considering what I paid for it. The most I’ve paid for a Craigslist lens is $200, which makes DSLR photography affordable for me. If I went with Nikon or Canon, I’d be shelling out more money. I’ll switch systems one day if I decide to go high-end (i.e., commercial), but I’m still in the early learning stage and I have other priorities for my money (i.e, travel).
That said, when the deals come my way like they did today, I take advantage of them when I can!
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