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Pentax smc DA L 55-300 mm f/4-5.8 ED
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 (2 owners reviews).
| Build quality | 4.00 |   |
|---|---|---|
| Optical quality | 4.00 | |
| Value for money | 4.50 |  |
| Overall | 4.17 | |
| Build quality |  |
|---|---|
| Optical quality | |
| Value for money | |
| Overall | |
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
| Build quality | |
|---|---|
| Optical quality | |
| Value for money | |
| Overall | |
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.
