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Pentax smc DA L 55-300 mm f/4-5.8 ED

Pictures:
Specifications:
Manufacturer Pentax
Model smc DA L 55-300 mm f/4-5.8 ED
Lens style Telephoto zoom
Focal length 55 - 300 mm
Maximum aperture f/4 - 5.8
Angle of view 29 - 5.4 o
Closest focusing distance 1.4 m
Maximum magnification 1:3.6
Minimum aperture 22
Number of diaphragm blades 6
Auto focus type AF
Lens Construction 12 elements / 8 groups
Filter diameter 58 mm
Macro No
Available mounts Pentax K
Dimensions 71 x 112 mm
Weight 425 g
Additional information Released Sept. 2009
Average rating (3 owners reviews)
Build quality
Optical quality
Value for money

Overall

4.44 Good
Owners reviews (3)
  1. joe
    joe 26 August 2022, 09:34
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 87.148.x.x
    Owner since: 2 years
    Price: 100
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: plastic housing

    Pros: ++ very good correction of CAs ++ very sharp

    Summary: my favorite tele zoom

  2. Kiwi Jono
    Kiwi Jono 9 July 2011, 12:40
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 121.74.x.x
    Owner since: 2 years
    Price: US$145
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: Does not come with lens hood - this is the most annoying point. Could be faster but then It would be in a different price bracket. Likewise for plastic mount - which to be fair seems to be standing up to the job fine.

    Pros: Great zoom range. Good optical quality.

    Summary: Like this lens much better than the 18-55 kit zoom. Have had some great results from it and it proven to be sturdy too. Great value for money

  3. lostminstrel
    lostminstrel 25 February 2011, 19:00
    Build quality
    Optical quality
    Value for money

    Overall

    IP 138.89.x.x
    Owner since: 1 year
    Price: 221
    User profile: Amateur

    Cons: No lens hood included. Slow AF. Noticeable CA. Loss of sharpness @ 300mm, although any stopping down at all helps alleviate this. No "pseudo-macro" 1:2 mode like competition.

    Pros: Great range. Little distortion. Sharp to 260mm. Good color and contrast. Good flare resistance. Small amount of PF.

    Summary: My Optical Quality rating of 4 is relative to it's cost; in absolute terms it's more like 3-3.5. When you buy a Pentax DA L, you know you are getting a budget version of a lens. This means plastic mount, no Quick Shift, and no lens hood. I understand this, but the fact that a genuine Pentax lens hood retails for $50 is ridiculous. The good news is that I was able to pick up a knock-off for $8. The plastic quality of that hood isn't great, but it's good enough. This is a real good lens to have due to it's versatility. 55mm is very useful, and has considerably better IQ than the kit lens at that focal length. AF is every bit as slow as the Tamron and Sigma 70-300's, but the Pentax seems to have better sharpness than the Sigma (especailly @ 300mm) and better color and PF control than the Tamron. I've had 2 copies of the Tamron 70-300mm, and I really liked using the 1:2 "pseudo-macro" mode. For me, this is even more useful than the Pentax's wider 55mm. I simply got tired of the Tamron's PF, and even the purple color cast to gray tones. I use the Raynox DCR-150 macro adapter. On this lens it vignettes at some focal lengths, unlike when used with the Tamron 70-300, probably because the Tammy is a FF lens.