Originally posted by deuces Those of you that have or have had both lenses, is there a huge difference in IQ with these two?
I have both lenses. I'm planning on comparing IQ of the kit lens + 55-300mm vs the 18-250mm, but so far I haven't found the time.
I went to the Toronto Zoo with the 55-300mm and 50mm F1.4.
Picasa Web Albums - Dan - Toronto Zoo
All of these photos were taken with the 55-300 except for the flamingoes. I never once wished for a shorter lens, but then a zoo is a rather special situation. It's rarely the entire scene that you want to capture, you want to zoom in on the subject to avoid fences and man-made things.
It's surprising how much difference there is between 250 and 300 mm FL. I often shoot songbirds with the 55-300mm, and even then, there's not enough reach. It's almost not worth bothering with songbirds with the 18-250mm. Even after cropping, they're tiny unless you manage to get really close. I added a yellow-rumped warbler to my 18-250mm album for you. It's been cropped to 2/3 normal size. I was only about 14 or 15 feet away when I took the shot.
Picasa Web Albums - Dan - Pentax 18-250mm
As far as image quality, I'm reasonably certain you'd be happy with either. The 18-250mm is a remarkable achievement for a super-zoom, it certainly beats the crap out of my 18-55mm. But from 200mm up, the 55-300mm is sharper. Somewhere below 200mm it reverses. That question of where would need some study (in other words, why worry?).
Other things to consider:
- The 18-250 creeps (mine doesn't creep, it runs). The lock is an extra thing you have to remember before you take the shot.
- The 55-300mm has quick-shift focus (changes from AF to MF automatically). To me, that's a huge plus on a telephoto lens. I missed many "bird in a tree" shots with the Tamron 70-300mm while I fumbled for the manual focus switch.
As far as which you should get, that's a personal choice. Your 16-45mm with a fast prime and the 55-300mm is a potent combo. But for convenience, there's not much comparison, the 18-250 wins.
Last edited by audiobomber; 07-16-2008 at 01:47 PM.