Pentax HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED WR Lens

I am very happy with my purchase! The item arrived today packaged extremely well and professional. The item functions like it should and even came with a lens hood which was a happy bonus. I would gladly do business again with this seller :)

A zoom lens is by nature a bit of a compromise, but the compromises this one makes fit a lot of people's needs well. It's not excessively large and heavy and thus good for shooting wildlife and sports where a lens with a larger aperture would have needed a larger/heavier front element to gather that extra light, thus making the whole affair unwieldy when you're trying to swiftly swivel the camera to keep up with the action. But it'll still open plenty wide even at 300mm to capture a seagull in mid-flight in sharp focus with the sea nicely out of focus behind him.The only real warning I have is that this is *not* a macro lens. If you think you're going to get an ultra-tight view of a bee that is on a flower three feet away from you, think again. It won't focus that close. It's a lens for shooting wildlife and sports at greater than arms length distances, generally in full daylight, and for that purpose it shoots amazingly distortion-free and sharp at both the near and far ends of its zoom range where most zoom lenses really only work well in the middle of their zoom range. It is also relatively fast to focus despite the screw drive, which is always helpful when attempting to catch a flock of pelicans in mid-flight.Only real downside is the cost of the WR model versus the non-WR model of this lens. Surely seals can't be that expensive? Still, if you have a Pentax body this is the best zoom of its type (i.e. relatively compact 50-300mm class zooms for photographing wildlife and sports), handily beating the third-party offerings in quality and, of course, weather resistance (the WR part of the model number).

I have heard a lot of good things about this lens but don't really need this lens since I have Sigma 70-200 f/2.8, Sigma 100-300 f/4, Pentax 50-135 f/2.8. I bought it because I need WR even though the Pentax 50-135 is WR but the range is a little on the short side. I was not expecting much optically. It shares the same optical formula as the DA-L version which is priced very competitive. However, I am extremely happy with image quality. I have little concerns using it in place of the other three, However, I must emphasize that the aperture is definitely on the slow side. Subject background isolation is limited.Nov 12 2014 update:I have used it a couple times since the original review but there is no change in opinion. I want to update because I found out that it works really well with an inexpensive 1.4X tele-converter (Vivitar Series 1 1.4X TC). The combination in conjunction with a K-5 IIs had no problem focusing under fairly dim condition at all focal lengths. IQ is more than acceptable even wide open, at least in the center. With this result, I decided that I will only bring this zoom for an upcoming trip to cover the tele part of the focal length instead of the three faster zooms mentioned above.

I’m an enthusiast photographer, so IQ is my main priority, followed by fast AF acquisition, and authentic color rendering. They’ve packed a lot of value into this lens. You are really getting the key features that matter most in a lens in this offering. If you want to pay $500 more to get the DC motor, better bokeh, no vignetting, and internal focus, then get the smc DA 60-250mm f/4. But the image quality results between both of these lenses are very comparable if you’re using a K-5 or K-50 body. However, if you use a K-3 (or something with more MP’s), you will see more detail difference between these two lenses, thereby justifying buying the higher cost lens.Maximum Aperture limits• F4: 55 - 97.5mm• F4.5: 107.5 - 190mm• F5.6: 210 - 260mm• F5.8: 300mmMinimum Aperture limits• F32: 300 - 210mm• F29: 190 - 107.5mm• F22: 97.5 - 55mmI keep it simple with this lens: the first 100mm, then Max Ap is f/4, the next hundred is f/4.5, and the last 100 is between f/5.6-5.8The good points of this lens:IQ is between “very good to excellent” for this price point. It starts to lose just a tiny bit of edge sharpness, starting beyond 250 mm. I’m using a K-50 with 16 MP max. So if you are packing a higher MP body, you will enjoy this lens even more for its resolution and detail.Quick AF subject acquisition. It’s not quiet, but it’s as fast.Very flexible focal range that works for portraits, landscapes, and longer-distance zooming use (full moons). A good walking around lens that keeps one lens on the camera all day; good for sightseeing visits. I do prefer the 18-135mm as my go-to walking-around lens. But if I need the extra reach to my subjects, and not the wide-angle, then the 55-300mm works out better for me.Acceptably pleasant bokeh results, which would be improved if it had wider aperture like f/4. It does have 6 rounded blades; 9 would have been awesome.Weather Resistant build, and HD Special Coating on the lens. Also has internal ED lenses to reduce CA. I didn’t get CA in my test shots. The HD Nano-coating outperforms the SMC at flare suppression.Nice genuine Pentax soft case and hood are included.The downside of this lens:Screwdrive motor, instead of silent DC (Direct Current) AF. Pentax should sunset the screwdrive motor lens system already.Could be a little faster aperture range, wish it was f/4 across the entire focal range.Wish the front of the lens did not rotate (annoying when using filters)Vignetting is most evident from f/4 to f/7.1 at maximum focal length of 300 mm. But stopping down past f/8 (or smaller), vastly reduces the vignetting issue when using max focal length. Just up your EV a little to compensate for letting in less light.Summary: For the money, this lens is about an 8.75/10. It does a lot of things well within almost all of its focal range, and what it doesn’t do well is confined to either extreme of its focal range. That’s typical of the limitations of many telezoom lenses. It’s difficult to make a lens that performs without compromise across such a variable range of focal lengths, and without becoming prohibitively expensive at the same time. This lens does the majority of its focal range very well, and if you employ a little creativity, you can compensate for its shortcomings.

First time using a lens not made before the 80s and works great. The motor is a bit noisy but it works very quickly and precisely. It is on the noisy side but the birds don't seem to care.

It is well made and VERY sharp. Wish it had a fast lens and wish it did 18 to 300. That would make it the perfect all round lens. I sent it back because it can only focus about 5 to 6 feet away from the object. Bought a lens that focused within 13 inches, but alas, it is not a Pentax and not weatherproof. And almost as sharp. There are trade offs, this is NOT a macro lens and does not focus close, but it is FAST focus an great for sports etc that are more than 6 feet from you. I love the Pentax quality. I do a lot of flowers and wildlife that is closer that 6 foot. Other than that I liked the lens.