da*60-250 or da HD 55-300

bdery · 10-03-2014, 05:45 AM

Originally posted by gf1

Could the 60-250 be considered a "walk around" lens or is it truly too big?

I walk around with my 60-250 all the time. I've got a nice lineup of lenses (see my sig) and the 60-250 is the best lens I own.

normhead · 10-03-2014, 06:02 AM

The DA 18-135 and DA*60-250 is the perfect walk around combo, made even better if you bring the Pentax HD DA 1.4 TC to extend it's range. That will give you more reach than the 55-300 (350 as opposed to 300) and faster at the maximum Aperture, OK, just a little bit faster, but hey, it's still faster.

I'm not sure how the TC would work with the 55-300, but I'm guessing not near as good as it does with the 60-250. TCs bring out the weaknesses in a lens, and the 55-300 has more of them. Especially given the fact that when I put the TC on a 5.6 lens, it often doesn't have enough light to focus, at all, forget about adequately. ƒ4 would seem to be the upper limit for the effective use of a TC, remember the Pentax AF system is rated at ƒ2.8. ƒ4 is already pushing it. ƒ 5.8 is over the top, used with a TC and taking it to ƒ8.3.

Homo_erectus · 10-03-2014, 06:04 AM

I sold my Tamron 70-200 F/2.8 and bought a da* 60-250. My copy of the Tamron was decentered and abysmally soft wider than F/4. I sent it in to Tamron for repairs and they did fix the decentering but it was still unusably soft.

The 60-250 is just a way better lens in every way. I've been shooting with it almost every day for the last three weeks and it's hunted maybe three or four times. The Tamron was a dedicated hunter. The 60-250 does a far better job of keeping focus while tracking a moving target too. And the quality of images it produces is really special.

That being said, the 60-250 is probably not the best choice for indoor sports unless the venues have really *great* light. F/4 is totally usable, it's plenty sharp, but you'll be using quite high ISOs if you want to stop motion.

If you can, go to one of the indoor locations and do some experiments with a lens you currently have. Shoot at F/4 and the shutter speed you need for the sport you are shooting and see if you are happy with the results.

If you decide you need an F/2.8 lens, look at the Sigma. My personal experience with Sigma is that their lenses are much higher quality than Tamrons.

normhead · 10-03-2014, 06:17 AM

Quote:

If you can, go to one of the indoor locations and do some experiments with a lens you currently have. Shoot at F/4 and the shutter speed you need for the sport you are shooting and see if you are happy with the results.

Even that will be deceptive because when you have a 2.8 lens on the camera, the AF system focuses with the light provided at 2.8 even if you have the camera set to ƒ4.

And a few more comments....

That Sigma lens has been discontinued so if you want one you'd better act quickly.

As for the Tamron 70-200 2.8. If you buy it be prepared to return it, and buy from a place that allows you to do so. It has almost a 10% return rate among forum users, either DOA or not functioning properly on arrival. The overall theme seems to be, that if you get a good one, you'll love it forever, but your chances of getting a good one are much lower than they should be. My personal take on that is that they were all working when they left the factory and they are less able to stand up to the rigours of travel than better constructed lenses. That in itself makes me hesitant, because my lenses get hauled around in pelican cases. Not durable is not good for me. If you baby your lenses, it's more of an option.

Thats an opinion based on my personal research into the lens... and because of it I just can't bring myself to sell my DA*60-250 for the Tamron, and I'm definitely not carrying both. Even though the 60-250 can search a little in low light.

Last edited by normhead; 10-03-2014 at 06:25 AM.

Marktax · 10-03-2014, 06:49 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by jatrax

My wife carries a DA 18-135 and the DA 55-300. .

Lucky you. When I carry any kit at all, my wife generally carries an impatient look.

**jatrax** · 10-03-2014, 08:47 AM

Originally posted by Marktax

Lucky you. When I carry any kit at all, my wife generally carries an impatient look.

Lucky = Yes! Most of the time I'm the one with the impatient look.

We both enter pictures at the county fair, I won 2 first place ribbons this year. And managed to keep that superior smirk on my face until I noticed she also won 2 first place ribbons and "best of show". Very humbling. She is an exceptional photographer with a great eye.

normhead · 10-03-2014, 08:50 AM

Originally posted by jatrax

Lucky = Yes! Most of the time I'm the one with the impatient look.

We both enter pictures at the county fair, I won 2 first place ribbons this year. And managed to keep that superior smirk on my face until I noticed she also won 2 first place ribbons and "best of show". Very humbling. She is an exceptional photographer with a great eye.

What do those State Fair people know anyway?

**jatrax** · 10-03-2014, 09:41 AM

Originally posted by normhead

What do those State Fair people know anyway?

Enough to give her one really big ribbon........ Not ever going to live that one down.

MikeD · 10-03-2014, 11:22 AM

I have the Tamron 17-50, 90 macro and love them both but really love the F4 60-250 great range and super IQ. Yes it's big but not as big as the 70-200 Tammy or Sigma. However since you are doing "indoor" sports you will want to go with the 70-200 2.8 you will most likely want that extra stop of light and the range will work well. I wouldn't bother with the 55-300 it's too slow and the IQ won't match up to the Tammy/Sigma 70-200s or 60-250 Pentax.

**clackers** · 10-03-2014, 01:15 PM

Originally posted by normhead

My personal take on that is that they were all working when they left the factory and they are less able to stand up to the rigours of travel than better constructed lenses.

Seems unlikely. In my reading, several reviewers have instead given the opinion that Sigma quality control is better ie more Tamron duds make it out to the customers.

phoned · 10-03-2014, 01:34 PM

I enjoy my HD55-300mm. For the price, it takes really nice pictures and I've got quite a few keepers. f/5.8 is not exactly fast though, and I normally try to keep a fairly high shutter speed so you will be in the high ISO range unless you have a fully clear and sunny day. I've had a few high contrast pictures show very bad CA, but they are pretty few and far between for my usage. My flickr is mostly things with this lens: https://www.flickr.com/photos/phoned

I'm just getting used to my pentax setup, so someone with more skill can obviously juice quite a bit more of out this thing.

normhead · 10-03-2014, 01:37 PM

Originally posted by clackers

Seems unlikely. In my reading, several reviewers have instead given the opinion that Sigma quality control is better ie more Tamron duds make it out to the customers.

Unfortunately it' an untestable theory, so we'll never really know.

**clackers** · 10-03-2014, 01:38 PM

Originally posted by phoned

I enjoy my HD55-300mm. For the price, it takes really nice pictures and I've got quite a few keepers.

Yeah, no one's dissing it, Phoned.

It's often in my backpack because of size. It's good for what it is ... a slow consumer zoom, WR at that!

Forget the Canikon philosophy of image stabilization in this lens or that, we've got Pentaxes.

---------- Post added 10-04-14 at 06:42 AM ----------

Originally posted by normhead

Unfortunately it' an untestable theory, so we'll never really know.

Agreed, Norm.

No law requiring companies to disclose warranty repair rates, so we'll never see numbers.

**RGlasel** · 10-03-2014, 02:00 PM

Originally posted by gf1

I intend to shoot indoor sports, this is not an additional reason for the 60-250

The in-depth review that Adam referred to has a head to head comparison of AF, and the 60-250 with SDM got beat by the 55-300 with screwdrive. AF performance is crucial for indoor sports, period, full stop, end of story. Especially in sports like hockey, basketball and soccer where players are moving all over the court or field in unpredictable patterns. And your lens is only half of the equation. The AF on a K-3 will out-perform the AF on any other Pentax DLSRs. The AF on my son's T4i is at least as good as my K-30, even if everything else about his camera is inferiour to mine and his pictures of university sports are good enough to get published in the college newspaper.

Some other considerations: The 55-300 has a full stop slower aperture at the long end, but you might be surprised how often your focal length is less than 100mm, especially if you are standing close to the sidelines. Unless the facility has broadcast quality lighting, you will struggle to avoid high ISO values even with f4, but don't be afraid to go as slow as 1/250 second for your shutter. It's easy enough to experiment for yourself with shutter speed, but in my experience, noticeable motion blur goes away at 1/250, and my son has successful action pictures from football games at 1/160. Getting the right player in focus is way more important than any other consideration.

normhead · 10-03-2014, 02:31 PM

For indoor shooting or low light shooting, I'm not recommending anything slower than ƒ2.8 glass. If that's the priority, the 55-300 doesn't come close.
The 6.3 Aperture of the 55-300 will be a serious impediment to quick focusing in low light. I notice a difference even with ƒ4, compared to ƒ2.8.

DA*50-135 if you think it will do, Tamron 70-200 if you think it won't.

10-03-2014, 06:02 AM	#17
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,450	The DA 18-135 and DA60-250 is the perfect walk around combo, made even better if you bring the Pentax HD DA 1.4 TC to extend it's range. That will give you more reach than the 55-300 (350 as opposed to 300) and faster at the maximum Aperture, OK, just a little bit faster, but hey, it's still faster. I'm not sure how the TC would work with the 55-300, but I'm guessing not near as good as it does with the 60-250. TCs bring out the weaknesses in a lens, and the 55-300 has more of them. Especially given the fact that when I put the TC on a 5.6 lens, it often doesn't have enough light to focus, at all, forget about adequately. ƒ4 would seem to be the upper limit for the effective use of a TC, remember the Pentax AF system is rated at ƒ2.8. ƒ4 is already pushing it. ƒ 5.8 is over the top, used with a TC and taking it to ƒ8.3. Last edited by normhead; 10-03-2014 at 06:28 AM.*

10-03-2014, 02:31 PM	#30
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,450	For indoor shooting or low light shooting, I'm not recommending anything slower than ƒ2.8 glass. If that's the priority, the 55-300 doesn't come close. The 6.3 Aperture of the 55-300 will be a serious impediment to quick focusing in low light. I notice a difference even with ƒ4, compared to ƒ2.8. DA50-135 if you think it will do, Tamron 70-200 if you think it won't. Last edited by normhead; 10-03-2014 at 03:45 PM.*

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10-03-2014, 05:45 AM	#16
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,357	Originally posted by gf1 Could the 60-250 be considered a "walk around" lens or is it truly too big? I walk around with my 60-250 all the time. I've got a nice lineup of lenses (see my sig) and the 60-250 is the best lens I own.

10-03-2014, 06:04 AM	#18
Homo_erectus Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 410	I sold my Tamron 70-200 F/2.8 and bought a da* 60-250. My copy of the Tamron was decentered and abysmally soft wider than F/4. I sent it in to Tamron for repairs and they did fix the decentering but it was still unusably soft. The 60-250 is just a way better lens in every way. I've been shooting with it almost every day for the last three weeks and it's hunted maybe three or four times. The Tamron was a dedicated hunter. The 60-250 does a far better job of keeping focus while tracking a moving target too. And the quality of images it produces is really special. That being said, the 60-250 is probably not the best choice for indoor sports unless the venues have really great light. F/4 is totally usable, it's plenty sharp, but you'll be using quite high ISOs if you want to stop motion. If you can, go to one of the indoor locations and do some experiments with a lens you currently have. Shoot at F/4 and the shutter speed you need for the sport you are shooting and see if you are happy with the results. If you decide you need an F/2.8 lens, look at the Sigma. My personal experience with Sigma is that their lenses are much higher quality than Tamrons.

10-03-2014, 06:17 AM	#19
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,450	Quote: If you can, go to one of the indoor locations and do some experiments with a lens you currently have. Shoot at F/4 and the shutter speed you need for the sport you are shooting and see if you are happy with the results. Even that will be deceptive because when you have a 2.8 lens on the camera, the AF system focuses with the light provided at 2.8 even if you have the camera set to ƒ4. And a few more comments.... That Sigma lens has been discontinued so if you want one you'd better act quickly. As for the Tamron 70-200 2.8. If you buy it be prepared to return it, and buy from a place that allows you to do so. It has almost a 10% return rate among forum users, either DOA or not functioning properly on arrival. The overall theme seems to be, that if you get a good one, you'll love it forever, but your chances of getting a good one are much lower than they should be. My personal take on that is that they were all working when they left the factory and they are less able to stand up to the rigours of travel than better constructed lenses. That in itself makes me hesitant, because my lenses get hauled around in pelican cases. Not durable is not good for me. If you baby your lenses, it's more of an option. Thats an opinion based on my personal research into the lens... and because of it I just can't bring myself to sell my DA60-250 for the Tamron, and I'm definitely not carrying both. Even though the 60-250 can search a little in low light. Last edited by normhead; 10-03-2014 at 06:25 AM.*

10-03-2014, 06:49 AM - 1 Like	#20
Marktax Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Washington DC Photos: Albums Posts: 610	Originally posted by jatrax My wife carries a DA 18-135 and the DA 55-300. . Lucky you. When I carry any kit at all, my wife generally carries an impatient look.

10-03-2014, 08:47 AM	#21
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Originally posted by Marktax Lucky you. When I carry any kit at all, my wife generally carries an impatient look. Lucky = Yes! Most of the time I'm the one with the impatient look. We both enter pictures at the county fair, I won 2 first place ribbons this year. And managed to keep that superior smirk on my face until I noticed she also won 2 first place ribbons and "best of show". Very humbling. She is an exceptional photographer with a great eye.

10-03-2014, 08:50 AM	#22
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,450	Originally posted by jatrax Lucky = Yes! Most of the time I'm the one with the impatient look. We both enter pictures at the county fair, I won 2 first place ribbons this year. And managed to keep that superior smirk on my face until I noticed she also won 2 first place ribbons and "best of show". Very humbling. She is an exceptional photographer with a great eye. What do those State Fair people know anyway?

10-03-2014, 09:41 AM	#23
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Originally posted by normhead What do those State Fair people know anyway? Enough to give her one really big ribbon........ Not ever going to live that one down.

10-03-2014, 11:22 AM	#24
MikeD Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: traverse city MI Posts: 346	I have the Tamron 17-50, 90 macro and love them both but really love the F4 60-250 great range and super IQ. Yes it's big but not as big as the 70-200 Tammy or Sigma. However since you are doing "indoor" sports you will want to go with the 70-200 2.8 you will most likely want that extra stop of light and the range will work well. I wouldn't bother with the 55-300 it's too slow and the IQ won't match up to the Tammy/Sigma 70-200s or 60-250 Pentax.

10-03-2014, 01:15 PM	#25
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by normhead My personal take on that is that they were all working when they left the factory and they are less able to stand up to the rigours of travel than better constructed lenses. Seems unlikely. In my reading, several reviewers have instead given the opinion that Sigma quality control is better ie more Tamron duds make it out to the customers.

10-03-2014, 01:34 PM	#26
phoned Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 40	I enjoy my HD55-300mm. For the price, it takes really nice pictures and I've got quite a few keepers. f/5.8 is not exactly fast though, and I normally try to keep a fairly high shutter speed so you will be in the high ISO range unless you have a fully clear and sunny day. I've had a few high contrast pictures show very bad CA, but they are pretty few and far between for my usage. My flickr is mostly things with this lens: https://www.flickr.com/photos/phoned I'm just getting used to my pentax setup, so someone with more skill can obviously juice quite a bit more of out this thing.

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10-03-2014, 01:37 PM	#27
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,450	Originally posted by clackers Seems unlikely. In my reading, several reviewers have instead given the opinion that Sigma quality control is better ie more Tamron duds make it out to the customers. Unfortunately it' an untestable theory, so we'll never really know.

10-03-2014, 01:38 PM	#28
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by phoned I enjoy my HD55-300mm. For the price, it takes really nice pictures and I've got quite a few keepers. Yeah, no one's dissing it, Phoned. It's often in my backpack because of size. It's good for what it is ... a slow consumer zoom, WR at that! Forget the Canikon philosophy of image stabilization in this lens or that, we've got Pentaxes. ---------- Post added 10-04-14 at 06:42 AM ---------- Originally posted by normhead Unfortunately it' an untestable theory, so we'll never really know. Agreed, Norm. No law requiring companies to disclose warranty repair rates, so we'll never see numbers.

10-03-2014, 02:00 PM	#29
RGlasel Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Saskatoon Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,227	Originally posted by gf1 I intend to shoot indoor sports, this is not an additional reason for the 60-250 The in-depth review that Adam referred to has a head to head comparison of AF, and the 60-250 with SDM got beat by the 55-300 with screwdrive. AF performance is crucial for indoor sports, period, full stop, end of story. Especially in sports like hockey, basketball and soccer where players are moving all over the court or field in unpredictable patterns. And your lens is only half of the equation. The AF on a K-3 will out-perform the AF on any other Pentax DLSRs. The AF on my son's T4i is at least as good as my K-30, even if everything else about his camera is inferiour to mine and his pictures of university sports are good enough to get published in the college newspaper. Some other considerations: The 55-300 has a full stop slower aperture at the long end, but you might be surprised how often your focal length is less than 100mm, especially if you are standing close to the sidelines. Unless the facility has broadcast quality lighting, you will struggle to avoid high ISO values even with f4, but don't be afraid to go as slow as 1/250 second for your shutter. It's easy enough to experiment for yourself with shutter speed, but in my experience, noticeable motion blur goes away at 1/250, and my son has successful action pictures from football games at 1/160. Getting the right player in focus is way more important than any other consideration.