| Author: | | New Member Registered: February, 2021 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: November 26, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Low chromatic aberration, solid build | | Cons: | bad coma, heavy, focus goes beyond infinity | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 7
Value: 8
Camera Used: KS-1, K-1 MII
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I had been wanting to own this lens for a while, given the reviews it had here. I had the expectation of using it for astrophotography. So when I found an exceptionally clean copy from Japan for a good price I did not hesitate to buy it.
First of all, this lens is heavy, and it does not come with a tripod mount. But since I intended on using this for astro, it did not bother me that much.
Also the focus ring is not dampened, so it hard reaches both ends.
The lens is a tad unsharp wide open, but sharpness improves substantially at lower apertures.
My copy has low to no chromatic aberration. However, it does show bad comatic aberration wide open. At first i thought that the coma might have been caused by asymmetric force exerted on the mount given the lens weight; so I bough a tripod mount that fits this lens, and it didn't solve it. After this I thought the coma might be caused by the adapter, so I bought another adapter from a different manufacturer, but the coma did not disappeared. Together with the fact that focus goes beyond infinity, it makes it unusable for astro.
Afterwards, I decided to use the lens for wildlife photography, and image quality (above f5.6) is great for this purpose. The only downside being the weight and to a lesser extend manual focus.
  
Edited to Add Photos
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2021 Posts: 4
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 17, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $175.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | light focus, Sharpness, | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: Sony A7ii
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Picked this one up on Ebay after reading the reviews here. Amazing optics. As sharp as my Nikkor 400mm f3.5 with far better color correction, and much lighter. only down side is lack of tripod collar.
Stacked Nikon 2x and 1.6x teleconverters on Sony A7ii body, all hand held
Turned out the iShoot TA720 tripod collar is a perfect fit for this lens. can be found on eBay for about 40~50US. build quality looks very good.
 | | | | | Junior Member Registered: January, 2015 Posts: 45 | | Review Date: February 17, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Better than you expect it to be. Especially with the x2 convertor | | Cons: | People think you have a gun. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: 645z
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Absolutely stunning lens.
It took me a while to buy this one. Mainly because I was stuck between the AF version which costs three times as much. But I swayed and got the A version. It really puts things into perspective when a lens this age performs this well.
I plan to use this for Astro. So this means coupling it with both the 1.4 and x2 extenders. The image quality is still stunning with both. It is razor sharp. Chroma only appears in blown highlights and strong sunlight. Even then it's tiny. Nothing at all like the 150mm and 200mm lenses.
Sharp right across the frame. A really, really impressive lens. I'd say this would be really great for Landscapes too.
Below are handheld shots with both the x1.4 and x2 convertor fitted.
 | | | | | Junior Member Registered: November, 2013 Posts: 40
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 9, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $529.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, relatively bright for size, integral lens hood | | Cons: | Manual focus, hard to find | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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In my opinion, this is the best bargain in long throw lenses for the 645- with an F4 aperture, it matches the typically much more expensive FA F4 version, at a size and weight competitive with the F5.6, and often at a much lower price, as my own case, just a bit over $500.
On the 645D, manual focus can be something of a drawback, especially if you don't stop it down to improve depth of field. On the 645z, I find this lens comes in to it's own, as Live View with Magnification allows the needed attention to focus. Of course, one must take extra care for good results with MF and a long lens- this means that tripod shooting, with mirror up mode, and self timer mode, at least 2 seconds, and 12 seconds are better for things to settle out before the shutter does it's thing. But if you do that, you won't be disappointed- very nice rendering, and sharp even near the edges.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2011 Location: Mt. Akagi, Gunma Prefecture Posts: 374 | | Review Date: April 26, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $390.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Reasonable size, sharp wide open, nice bokeh | | Cons: | makes the 645N rather front heavy | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: 645N
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I just got this lens and ran three rolls of film thru the 645N with it, so I'm not really far enough into it to give a very detailed review.
I like the size, although on the 645N it becomes rather front heavy, making both handheld and tripod work somewhat challenging.
I love the smoothness of the focus ring.
The images appear sharp even wide open and what I've seen of the bokeh so far looks good!
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2011 Posts: 16
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 15, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $750.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, color | | Cons: | heavy without tripod mount | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Kr, Nikon D800
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This lens is typical Pentax star lens quality. Lots of metal and glass, very well built. Its mechanical movement is smooth and precise.
The lens is very sharp already at F/2, and on F/5.6 it's tac-sharp. Like any old lenses from the film era, the purple fringing can be quite bad under harsh contrast conditions.
The biggest issue I have with this lens is that it doesn't come with a tripod mount. Given its 1300g weight, it's not very stable on tripod and makes me worried about the mount. Manfrotto 293 tele lens support is highly recommended.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 422
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 27, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $690.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, smooth focus | | Cons: | a tad heavy | | Sharpness: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K5
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I picked up this lens based on the reviews here. I had a need for a 300mm for a 645D which I rent for work, but didn't want a lens I wasn't going to use on the K5 and it had to be sharp.
And I have not been disappointed, from BIF, RAAF airshow to Moon shots, its out performed my Sigma 400mm with excellent results, most shot at F4.
I was considering the DA 300mm F4 and the two reasons I didn't was one, needing it for a 645D and this lens was almost half the cost (granted one is 2nd hand the other new).
Update: I bolted my copy onto the Pentax Q and had to share here
QMoon by Pete's Point of View, on Flickr
I've had this lens for a while now, this is only the 2nd most used lens in my kit to my normal walk about lens.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: February, 2010 Location: Eerbeek Posts: 1,857 | | Review Date: February 17, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $524.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, contrasty, solid | | Cons: | no tripod mount, heavy | | Sharpness: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
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This lens inspires confidence by its solid built and feel with a smooth focus ring, metal and glass. Sharpness is very very good, and it is entirely usable (although heavy!) on a smaller dslr via adapter but also on the 645N (I have no experience with the 645D). It deserves its star-rating.
For critical use, the Manfrotto Telesupport 293 is ideal, as it supports the lens as if made for it, and also allows (courtesy to Pentax' design) to use it in portrait mode. It does make the package somewhat bulky, but then again this lens is not for spontaneous shooting. Not being autofocus, it is not ideal for sport or wildlife either.
I do not use this lens often, but admire its craftmanship and IQ. The built-in hood is practical. The soft case can be used as a shoulder-bag.
My price includes shipment ($75).
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: arlington va Posts: 18
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 4, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $2,000.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharp, great perspective | | Cons: | none | |
i have had this lens for a long time
i love it for shooting portraits from a distance
it is also great for sports
it is really not too heavy for a 300mm and well balanced on a p645 body
i have used the kirk tripod collar for a bit better balance and control
you can also use an extension tube to get a little closer focus range
i used a kinko converted borrowed from a fellow p645 user once and i do not recommend it
sharp at every f/stop but contrast is a bit less at f/22 and f/32 but still solid
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: August, 2009 Posts: 128
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 21, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $335.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Brutally sharp, well built | | Cons: | Large and heavy, but that comes with the territoy. | |
This lens performs flawlessly. Contrast and sharpness are both excellent, and although long and heavy, can be used with or without a tripod mount in my experience. f4 is nice, faster than the 80-160 zoom, and the focusing ring is damped so focus can be easily and quickly attained. Like was mentioned earlier, can be had for cheap on eBay. Great lens.
UPDATE 7/4/2015
I have used this lens on my 645 and then with adapter on both my K-5 and K-3. My copy is superior even to the two different copies of the FA* 300mm 4.5 that I tried (and were properly calibrated). It really is not that big a deal to use on 35mm with a tripod and stop down metering, needless to say I will never part with it.
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Tennessee Posts: 3 | | Review Date: May 21, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $800.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Smooth operation, good optical quality, 77mm filter fittings, sturdy | | Cons: | Weight: a tripod mount would make me feel better | |
This is a great lens.
I am considering getting a tripod V-fork head to support the lens. I will not mount a small format camera on a tripod with this lens because of the weight. That is really the only negative point I feel about using it. If it had a tripod mount, it would be perfect.
That said, this baby rocks. The 77mm filter fitting, while that seems like a small point, is a great convenience to me. I enjoy using 77mm lenses; the in-between measurements are more of a nuisance because that affects filter selection. With medium format equipment, well, I just wish it was all 77mm.
Smooth action on the focus. Comfortable static space on the barrel between the aperture ring and the focus ring. Built-in lens hood is a plus. Overall, another good lens from Pentax.
I use this lens with a 645 Adapter K on my small format cameras (35mm film and DSLR), and enjoy it.
Viewing angle for me is about four finger widths at arm's length. Easy to use; a good, sturdy lens. I would expect to get decades of use out of it.
| | | | | | | | Review Date: January 7, 2007 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Extremely sharp lens with good contrast. | | Cons: | Fairly large and heavy lens | |
I have this lens and have used it on my 645n and my Pentax DSLR's. The results on all cameras are extremely good and this is a great sharp lens which can be purchased for very little on ebay used.
Tom
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