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12-29-2012, 02:29 PM   #16
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Thanks everyone for the wealth of information. Still hesitating on making a decision, but from what I gather everyone really likes the DA 55-300. Perhaps I should look for a used one. Amazon is selling for 364.00 a bit over my amount available at the moment..............I wish there was a contender in the 175.00 market - David

12-29-2012, 02:31 PM   #17
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Ebay has new DA L 55-300mm in the 240.00 range but not sure I want to wait for shipping from Japan....
12-29-2012, 03:24 PM   #18
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Depends on your time frame. If you want it NOW then you have to pay more. If you are patient you can get one in your price range either on ebay or here in the marketplace. There are more than 10 on sale at ebay right now. Several below your price so far.
01-02-2013, 09:50 AM   #19
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Thanks Everyone. I think I made a good purchase thanks to everyone's input. I bought a new Pentax DA L 55-300 mm f/4 - 5.8 ED lens. Price was 239.00 and that includes free shipping. Hopefully that was a good deal on the price.

David

01-02-2013, 09:59 AM   #20
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Does anyone know if this particular model I showed above comes with the lens hood?
01-02-2013, 10:38 AM   #21
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Also, what am I losing here without having the Quck Shift? What does that do in the DA version that the DAL does not?
01-02-2013, 06:35 PM   #22
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DA L version is optically identical to the DA version.

DA L does not have a hood, quick shift and it has a plastic mount instead of metal.

The hood you can get for less than $10 on ebay.
The quick shift is very useful but I'm not sure it would worry me on this lens, with my eyes I would not be able to focus at 300mm without AF anyway. On shorter lens yes I use it a lot. But it is not a deal breaker for me.
The plastic mount is no big deal IMHO, some have faulted the lens for it but I don't think anything that is going to break the mount is going to care if it is plastic or metal. And I would rather have the lens mount break than the camera side.

01-03-2013, 05:26 AM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by jatrax Quote
DA L version is optically identical to the DA version.

DA L does not have a hood, quick shift and it has a plastic mount instead of metal.

The hood you can get for less than $10 on ebay.
The quick shift is very useful but I'm not sure it would worry me on this lens, with my eyes I would not be able to focus at 300mm without AF anyway. On shorter lens yes I use it a lot. But it is not a deal breaker for me.
The plastic mount is no big deal IMHO, some have faulted the lens for it but I don't think anything that is going to break the mount is going to care if it is plastic or metal. And I would rather have the lens mount break than the camera side.
Will I be able to manually focus with the DAL? Thanks again JATRAX
01-03-2013, 05:42 AM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by ruemiser Quote
Also, what am I losing here without having the Quck Shift? What does that do in the DA version that the DAL does not?
I don't miss the lack of quick shift, because there's an easy cheat: Pressing the lens release button allows you to turn the focus ring. Unless your lens fits abnormally loose on the mount, you don't have to worry about the lens falling off or anything.

You can manually focus by switching the camera to MF or pressing the lens release button.

Other than the quick shift and plastic mount, the DA & DA-L are optically identical. The hood is available for less than $5 on eBay, and is identical to the original Pentax hood.

I think you're gonna like it! Congrats... :-)
01-03-2013, 08:46 AM   #25
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Here is an example shot using the DA L 55-300 at 300mm wide open, hand held, auto focus, and literally, on the run.
01-03-2013, 10:12 AM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by ruemiser Quote
Will I be able to manually focus with the DAL?
Yes, but you have to turn the camera to MF. That is the advantage of quickshift, you can focus with the AF then fine tune with the quickshift without changing the focus mode lever. If cost is no object I would definitely get the DA version but I am happy enough with the DA L version that I see no reason to change. YMMV.
01-03-2013, 11:00 AM   #27
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Make up your own mind:

Sigma 70-300 APO. 190 bucks shipped to my door. 300mm handheld at ISO 1600 which is pushing the old K20 a bit.
With a bit more PP they could be better.
At 300mm neither one of these people had a clue I was taking their pics. It was at a outdoor wedding.

Last edited by wildman; 01-20-2013 at 04:30 AM.
01-03-2013, 11:19 AM   #28
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My most common use for Quick Shift is in low light when AF struggles with slow max aperture lenses. If you manually prefocus a lens to anywhere close to in focus in these conditions, then actuate AF, the camera will usually lock focus quickly and easily, and is usually very accurate. At these light levels, it would usually be very hard to MF the lens more accurately for most. My vision doesn't allow me to MF really accurately without significant aids, so I have to rely on AF for the most part, and this is one way to help out the AF system and make it work for me.

This can also be accomplished easily by turning the camera to MF or pressing the lens lock button, it's just easier and more convenient with QS lenses.

Scott
01-04-2013, 08:26 PM   #29
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Wow.....great results with the Sigma......fine detail and color saturation...


QuoteOriginally posted by wildman Quote
Make up your own mind:

Sigma 70-300 APO. 190 bucks shipped to my door. 300mm handheld at ISO 1600 which is pushing the old K20 a bit.
With a bit more PP they could be better.
At 300mm neither one of these people had a clue I was taking their pics. It was at a outdoor wedding.
01-04-2013, 08:27 PM   #30
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Thanks again everyone for all the views and recommendation......Waiting for my shipment to arrive from Canada !!
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