[tduell]

Hello All,
I am looking at the following choices, for use on my K-3II.
Sigma 50-500 F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM ($1970)
Sigma 150-500 F5.0-6.3 APO DG OS HSM ($1290)
Pentax HD DFA 150-450 F4.5-5.6 ($2900)

The prices are as advertised by the local (Oz) distributor, so they may be available for less.
I would really like as much reach as I can get, hence attracted to the Sigmas for that reason, but that difference isn't great
From I have read, the Pentax has excellent IQ. The extra 1/3 stop at the long end is also a plus, but again not a big difference...but it all helps I guess.
I would love to hear the views of anyone who has these lenses or has been through the same decision making process, or indeed from anyone who can point me to another, similar lens, that I have missed.

Cheers,
Terry

[Imp]

Is money a concern? If not, get the Pentax, maybe in the future add a 1.4x tc

[tduell]

Is money a concern? If not, get the Pentax, maybe in the future add a 1.4x tc

Money isn't a part of the decision process, at this stage.

Cheers,
Terry

[derekkite]

Hello All,
I am looking at the following choices, for use on my K-3II.
Sigma 50-500 F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM ($1970)
Sigma 150-500 F5.0-6.3 APO DG OS HSM ($1290)
Pentax HD DFA 150-450 F4.5-5.6 ($2900)

The prices are as advertised by the local (Oz) distributor, so they may be available for less.
I would really like as much reach as I can get, hence attracted to the Sigmas for that reason, but that difference isn't great
From I have read, the Pentax has excellent IQ. The extra 1/3 stop at the long end is also a plus, but again not a big difference...but it all helps I guess.
I would love to hear the views of anyone who has these lenses or has been through the same decision making process, or indeed from anyone who can point me to another, similar lens, that I have missed.

Cheers,
Terry

I had the 150-500. It was reasonable from f8-f11, the autofocus was smooth and fast. The internal stabilization is nice if you handhold. I'm in a dark valley and found that I could use it only for 3-4 months of the year, otherwise shutter speeds were too low and iso was too high. As well in extremely bright conditions on water it didn't seem to handle the stray reflections very well causing unpleasantness. In very nice light it took great shots. I used it on the K-5.

When I upgraded to the K-3 I found that the DA*300 had more effective length than the Sigma in most shooting situations that I ran across. Meaning that more often than not I could crop and get a better shot with the 300mm.

I haven't used the other two. I used the DA*300 with the TC and had so-so results. Some very very nice, but it had to have very good light to get the shutter speed high.

The Sigma 500 f4.5 is better than all three. More money though, and a zoom is nice.

[Rupert]

I'd go to both the Sigma long lens thread and the Pentax 150-450 thread and take a look around. It all depends on what you require, how much you want to spend, and what you see as your future use for a long lens. If it is more in the Pro mode, then the Pentax might be a better long term choice.

If you are an old squirrel shooter like me, then the Sigmas will satisfy your needs very nicely. They don't always satisfy the most particular squirrels, but when they start paying for my equipment, they can choose anything the want.

Regards!

[UncleVanya]

Everything I read indicates the Pentax will be the best but the advice above by Rupert is the best I think.

[tibbitts]

Hello All,
I am looking at the following choices, for use on my K-3II.
Sigma 50-500 F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM ($1970)
Sigma 150-500 F5.0-6.3 APO DG OS HSM ($1290)
Pentax HD DFA 150-450 F4.5-5.6 ($2900)

The prices are as advertised by the local (Oz) distributor, so they may be available for less.
I would really like as much reach as I can get, hence attracted to the Sigmas for that reason, but that difference isn't great
From I have read, the Pentax has excellent IQ. The extra 1/3 stop at the long end is also a plus, but again not a big difference...but it all helps I guess.
I would love to hear the views of anyone who has these lenses or has been through the same decision making process, or indeed from anyone who can point me to another, similar lens, that I have missed.

Cheers,
Terry

My opinion is that much of what matters is the 50mm vs. 150mm bottom end and how useful or not that would be to you. 450mm vs. 500mm is just not that exciting, and it's certainly possible that the Pentax would outperform the bigma (particularly at the long end) sufficiently that a 450mm crop from it on a high-mp body would be better than a 500mm image from one of the Sigmas. So I don't think it makes that much sense to favor the Sigmas for that reason. But that low-end could be a game-changer in some environments where you just don't have time to change lenses or even lenses/bodies. Of course this all assumes you're comparing equally good copies of each of the lenses.

[Ex Finn.]

Second (or third) vote for the Pentax.

[tduell]

I have been tracking down some more discussions elsewhere which add info on the comparisons of these lenses.
the general opinion seems to be that the Pentax 150-450 will be better at the long end, which is where I would expect to be using it much of the time.
Thanks to all who have commented.
I'll keep an eye on the thread.

Cheers,
Terry

[mcgregni]

Money isn't a part of the decision process, at this stage.

Cheers,
Terry

I think that sounds like a great approach .... we should all remove money from the decision process, that way things would be much easier!!

[drypenn]

I think that sounds like a great approach .... we should all remove money from the decision process, that way things would be much easier!!

Yup, removing money out of the decision process makes everything simple.

But removing money out of the actual buying process is where everything leads into all sorts of trouble.

[tduell]

Yup, removing money out of the decision process makes everything simple.

Yes, at the very least it allows one to get to some sort of rank order for the lenses based on lens parameters and the use case, without being distracted...Then one can go down the list to find one that fits the cost constraints. That, I think, is a rational approach to the problem.

Cheers,
Terry

[reeftool]

I have the Sigma 150-500 DG OS HSM. I'm pretty sure this lens is now discontinued. I bought mine for $769 new about 10 months ago. It's been replaced by the 150-600 which isn't currently being built in a Pentax mount. Too bad because it's a very good lens. You're really down to a 2 lens choice unless you find some old stock or buy used.

[tduell]

Well it turns out to have been a bit of an academic exercise.
The Sigma 150-500 is unavailable...may have been discontinued, the retailer didn't elaborate. The Pentax 150-450 is also unavailable, with no indication of when it will be, and the Sigma 50-500 is out of stock, new shipment maybe in October.
I was leaning towards the Pentax 150-450 and it's a bit disappointing that nothing is available.
So, greatcoats off, I'll just have to put it on the backburner for now.

Cheers,
Terry

[tduell]

Well, I was lead astray...the Pentax 150-450 IS in stock at the distributor, so ordered quick smart.
Looking forward to using it...and hoping I have made a good choice.

Cheers,
Terry