Pentax DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras
- Extreme telephoto range zoom lens
- PENTAX SP coating protects the exposed lens elements
- ED elements compensate for chromatic aberration
- Developed specifically for PENTAX digital SLRs
- Focal length equivalent to 82.5mm to 450mm in the 35mm format
Pentax smc P-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED Auto Focus Telephoto Zoom Lens 21720 Lenses & Filters The versatile Pentax DA 55-300mm zoom lens offers a focal length equivalent of 82.5 to 450mm in the 35mm format, making it ideal for moderate to long sports and wildlife shots. The lens is outfitted with multiple ED glass elements, which are designed to minimize chromatic aberration and makes images look crisper and sharper than ever before. The Pentax Super Protective coating, meanwhile, protects the exposed lens elements against dirt and contamination. Other features include a focusing ring that permits easy manual focusing, a 4.6-foot close focusing distance, and a 58mm filter diameter. Specially adapted for high-quality Pentax and Samsung digital SLR cameras, the lens carries a one-year warranty. Specifications
Focal length: 55-300mm Maximum aperture: f/4 to 5.8 Minimum aperture: f/22 to 32 Lens construction: 12 elements in 8 groups Angle of view: 29 to 5.4 degrees (when used with Penta
List Price: $ 429.95
Price: $ 429.95
Related to :
Small, sharp, and LOOOOOONG!,
This is a terrific lens for the K20D or any other Pentax. OK, it’s not as fast as the DA*50-135, or the Sigma 70-200…But this one is half the weight of either and a lot smaller than most compact 70-300s…makes the Tamron 70-300 look like a tank. And f4 isn’t that slow! Stays at f4 till almost 135mm, and then only gets past f4.5 around 215! If you are doing your quick DSLR calculations, you see that this means and f4 85mm, an f4 135mm an f4 180mm…and a 300mm f4.5! Most times this lens gets you within one stop of the heavy expensive glass–and this one goes with you instead of staying at home or in the bag.
Add to this that it is sharp and contrasty, and shows just about zero CA. The evil purple fringe is banished, too. Check out Pop Photo’s review!
It’s hard to get this lens off the camera, because getting down to 55mm makes it work in tighter quarters than the 70-300 types.
Another great feature is the ease of using manual focus while in auto focus mode. No fuss, just focus! This offsets some hunting at the f5.8 racked-out point; just get it into rough focus and then the auto focus works like a charm (bit loud, though).
Oh, and even with the hood on, it won’t block the pop-up flash even at 300! I TOLD you it is compact!
Was this review helpful to you?
|Nice general-purpose telephoto,
I got this in the hopes of replacing both a Pentax 50-200 and a Sigma 70-300. Luckily, the image quality seems to be an improvement over both, though they were acceptable on their own. This lens is just a bit smaller than the Sigma, though not close to the small size of the 50-200.
The Pentax 55-300 does not have a quasi “macro” mode as do some other xx-300’s including the Sigma, and the closest focusing distance is 4.67ft (1.4m) which is not particularly close, either.
As seems standard with Pentax, the lens hood has a hatch to allow turning a polarizer filter, and the “Quick Focus” ring allows manual focus to fine-tune the auto-focus when the shutter is still half-pressed.
Not particularly a fast focuser, it can hunt in low-contrast situations and when going from very close to very far, or occasionally lock up. The variable f4-5.8 speed is not great for low light but is is OK in most daylight circumstances and helps to keep the cost and size down.
Comes with front and rear caps, a black nylon pouch with no strap or loop, and a manual.
Was this review helpful to you?
|