Quote Originally Posted by Fortytwo View Post
DA* (or anything with a star in it) is more than a match for Canon L lenses or top spec Nikkors. Just because they're more affordable doesn't make them less. Pentax has a tendency to be very reasonalby priced compared to the compitition...
Hi, pardon me for jumping in the middle of this thread.

Are Pentax's lens prices still competitive since they raised them last summer? I'm shopping for my first DSLR and I am considering the K7 (I would go with the Kx except for the lack of AF points in the viewfinder). However I was rather disappointed to see that they hiked the price on the 50mm f1.4 so much.

Also, what would be some good beginner lenses to go along with the K7 on a $1500-2000 (US) budget? Mainly, I would like to try to do some amateur birding with a sharp telephoto that is not too heavy, but also landscapes, maybe night photography and macro. Does Pentax have a good telephoto zoom that would fit the bill? Thanks!