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Author
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joele
Pentaxian
Registered: September 2006
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 1235
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Review Date: Sun January 7, 2007
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Would you recommend the lens? Yes |
How much did it cost? (U.S. Dollars): None indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Tripod mount, solid build, optical quality, built in hood
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Cons:
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Bit on the heavy side...
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This is a lovely lens.. Fantastic optical quality, slightly above in my opinion the Canon equivelant, though much smaller and still very well constructed... Optically it is the same as the FA version, but I prefer this one due to the tripod mount..
Minimum focus distance is around 2 meters which can mean some nice closeups with the equiv. FOV of 450mm on our APS DSLRs.. It has a 67mm thread for filters and comes in at just under 900gm..
No problems on any Pentax DSLRs focuses accurately no FF or BF issues at all to speak of..
Built in hood is handy (one less thing to forget), it unscrews ad slides out then screws into place securely.. Tripod mount is removable when you don't need it.
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ShadZee
Site Supporter
Registered: November 2006
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 109
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Review Date: Sat February 3, 2007
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Would you recommend the lens? Yes |
How much did it cost? (U.S. Dollars): $600.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, Sharp, Sharp, lovely Bokeh
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Cons:
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slow focus, AF won't work in M mode
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This is easily my best lens. It's so light and small that you don't need the tripod mount. (the FA* version does not have it).
I almost exclusively shoot it wide open. There is no FF/BF and the thin DOF creates fantastic three dimensional and nice bokeh.
If you have the opportunity to get one, don't hesitate. These days (Jan 2007) the price of pristine sample is well over $1000 US.
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ivoire
Site Supporter
Registered: March 2007
Location: chicago
Posts: 1063
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Review Date: Mon May 14, 2007
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Would you recommend the lens? Yes |
How much did it cost? (U.S. Dollars): $1,250.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharp, vivid detail, excellent bokeh
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Cons:
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autofocus hunts quite a bit and is a bit slow
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I've been looking for a very sharp lens in this mm range and after reading the 2 prior comments and other online reviews, paid a small fortune on ebay. It is worth every penny. Whenever I shake my head over the amount paid, I just call up a few images and GRIN! Handheld shots are possible and the tripod mount is a huge +. If you are fanatical about sharp, sharp detail, don't hesitate over cost, just buy one and enjoy. I sold this one when i accidentally won another on ebay for less $s. Both were equal in performance.
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ketch22
New Member
Registered: May 2007
Location: Chicago
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Thu May 24, 2007
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Would you recommend the lens? Yes |
How much did it cost? (U.S. Dollars): None indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Relatively compact, extremely sharp and positive auto-focus..
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Cons:
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The cost now is considerably higher than when new.
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I've owned dozens of Pentax lenses thru the film and now digital years. The 300mm while not used often has produced some magnificent images.
Art Ketchum
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Geyst
Senior Member
Registered: July 2007
Location: Maaseik, Belgium
Posts: 158
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Review Date: Wed January 2, 2008
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Would you recommend the lens? Yes |
How much did it cost? (U.S. Dollars): $1,500.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, wel build,
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Cons:
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Its an amazing lens. I use for about everything from landscapes to portraits but mostly for wildlife.
Wonder if the new DA 300 sdm wil beat this quality.µ
Guido
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ivoire
Site Supporter
Registered: March 2007
Location: chicago
Posts: 1063
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Review Date: Fri March 7, 2008
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Would you recommend the lens? Yes |
How much did it cost? (U.S. Dollars): $930.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp with excellent bokeh and beautiful color rendition
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Cons:
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if any slight cons it would be slow and somewhat noisy autofocus
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This lens delivers sharp, detailed images with beautiful bokeh and color, excellent build quality. I use it for birding and have had superb results. On APS C sensor its a 450mm equivalent. Buy one, you will never regret it.
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sbc
New Member
Registered: March 2008
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Tue March 11, 2008
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Would you recommend the lens? Yes |
How much did it cost? (U.S. Dollars): $850.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharp right from f4.5
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Cons:
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the lousy grey paint
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Used for shooting aerial displays. Never let me down. Now used on K10D, its even better. Wonder how the DA300 is going to top this one. 
Oh, I prefer this to the FA version because it has a retractable hood and a removable tripod mount.
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Abbazz
Pentaxian
Registered: November 2006
Location: Brunei
Posts: 310
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Review Date: Fri January 16, 2009
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Would you recommend the lens? Yes |
How much did it cost? (U.S. Dollars): $1,200.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, contrasty, nice colors, no chromatic aberrations
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Cons:
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Bokeh can be a bit unpleasant at times
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A great telephoto lens able to capture sharp, contrasty, pictures with glorious colors, even when used wide open. It exhibits a remarkably small amount of chromatic aberrations for a lens of this focal length and those are never visible on the printouts, even with dark subjects shot against a bright sky.
The bokeh can be a wee bit disturbing on some pictures, but this is only apparent on very few pictures and doesn't impair global image quality that much.
The lens is very well constructed and feels sturdy. It looks much better than the FA version IMHO and has two advantages over its more recent sibling: a removable tripod mount as well as a built-in collapsible hood.
Some will say its main drawback is that it's only F/4.5. Maybe, but then it's fully usable wide open and also much smaller and lighter than an F/2.8 behemoth. It's also much easier to carry in the bag just in case and easier to use handheld to shoot the unexpected.
Cheers!
Abbazz
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Jason
New Member
Registered: October 2008
Location: London / Southampton
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Wed February 4, 2009
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Would you recommend the lens? Yes |
How much did it cost? (U.S. Dollars): $600.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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*Really Sharp*, compact, well built, sweet bokeh
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Cons:
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no AF limiter
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Managed to find one of these beauties in a local camera shop for £300 and it is worth every penny.
Wide open the lens is pin-sharp, beats the resolution on the K20D and produces wonderful 8x10 prints from Ilford FP4 (pushed to ISO200). As the lens performs fantastically wide open the relatively slow f/4.5 is not a problem and gives really powerful bokeh. The compact size makes it great for birding, airshows etc and I don't find the weight too much of a problem. The tripod mount is useful, and a valuable feature over the FA version as is the built-in hood.
Only feature lacking is an AF limiter although for my purposes the AF speed is more than adequate, although hunting can be an issue in lower light.
If you find one, buy it!! It's an incredible bit of glass.
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Skooterman
New Member
Registered: April 2009
Location: Centreville Virginia
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Sun April 5, 2009
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Would you recommend the lens? Yes |
How much did it cost? (U.S. Dollars): None indicated
| Rating: 0
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I have not had a chance to review the lens I just purchased it off ebay and it will be here soon. I did have one question for anyone that has this lens. I purchased the lens without the mounting collar and would like to get one... does anyone have any suggestions where I can pick one up. Thanks in advance for your help! I will post my review once I have a change to use it. I shoot mostly soccer pics and am very excited to get it and give it a go. Cheers!
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Indecent Exposure
New Member
Registered: September 2008
Location: Michigan
Posts: 19
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Review Date: Sat June 6, 2009
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Would you recommend the lens? Yes |
How much did it cost? (U.S. Dollars): $554.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Ultra Sarp, Great Bokeh,
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Cons:
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Just a Tad slow on AF but acceptable
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I use this lens for my wildlife photography mostly the canvas back ducks on lake Saint Clair, Next to the SMC Pentax-FA 50mm F2.8 Macro. This lens is just as sharp. When considering the different range between the two. These are the sharpest lenses that Pentax has ever made hands down.
Then lets consider bokeh it is simply wonderful. This lens is pretty rare and hard to find and at nearly a thousand dollars if one can afford it. It is worth every penny spent.
Skooterman In response to the mount, You may want to contact
PENTAX Customer Care in Denver Colorado
Toll Free: (800) 877-0155
Phone: (303) 799-8000
This lens is so rare I doubt that you will find anyone with this mount. Pentax does still service some of the F lenses and your best bet on finding this mount is through them.
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;)
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