[jocelys1]

Damn....the quest continues....

[MJKoski]

On the forum the A*300 is rated a 10

In the very center of the image this lens design is about usable wide open on K-1 but quickly falls apart towards the middle region of the imaging field. F/11 about works in landscape use if lens is properly shielded to avoid massive contrast loss due to old coatings.

[aslyfox]

no experience with the original poster's lens

and I certainly am no expert but for what it is worth, here is my story:

After using my used K 5 II + Tamron 4-5.6 70 - 300 macro zoom ld [1:2] in Tanzania last summer, (I had updated from my Pentax *st DL because of the trip), I became interested in the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450 mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW since I missed some shots because of the animals not being close enough. For 85 % or more of the opportunities, however, there was no problem.

We then decided to go to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks in early June of this year so I picked up the K 3 and added the HD Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter to use with the Tamron. Later for a combination Christmas/60th birthday present my wife agreed to let me get the "big guy" since I found an almost new one at a good price.

I have used the 150 - 450 with and without the 1.4.

I like the results and most of my experimentation has been using them hand held [ it is quiet a beast however so it will do its best performance with a monopod or tripod or other support no doubt. ]

if the original poster was in the US I would recommend that he rent the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450 mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW and HD Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter for a try out. I used LensRental.com from Tennessee to do exactly that. I don't know if such a try out could be arranged from outside of the US. I do know that LensRental allows its equipment to be rented here and taken overseas.

IMHO, YMMV

[normhead]

In the very center of the image this lens design is about usable wide open on K-1 but quickly falls apart towards the middle region of the imaging field. F/11 about works in landscape use if lens is properly shielded to avoid massive contrast loss due to old coatings.

We need you to write a review, and pull those lens scores down to a more reasonable evaluation. Trouble is, you'd have to rate it a 6 just to pull it down to a 9, which it doesn't sound like it is.

However, I note, no one else has noticed the things you do, maybe a bad copy?
The latest review was in 2014, it would be interesting to see a few reviews comparing it with the 70-200 or 150-450.

Based on that description, I'd definitely go for the 150-450, which is known to work well with 1.4 TC on APS-c for even more reach, if I had the money for it.

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Last edited by normhead; 04-04-2017 at 06:23 AM.

[jocelys1]

Thanks for the replies and advise so far. I'll post photos, maybe that'll help decide.

[aslyfox]

in case it would help, here are two uncropped photos using the K 3 + HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW + Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter hand held

1 - Trumpeter Swan

Focal Length 630.0mm (35mm equivalent: 945mm)
Exposure Time 1/640s (0.0016)
Aperture F/8.0
ISO Equivalent 125

2 - Canada Goose

Focal Length 280.0mm (35mm equivalent: 420mm)
Exposure Time 1/320s (0.0031)
Aperture F/6.7
ISO Equivalent 320

can't remember the actual distance

[normhead]

Thanks for the replies and advise so far. I'll post photos, maybe that'll help decide.

We love to help people spend their money.
The pleasure is all ours.

[onlineflyer]

Don't know if anyone will find this of interest but here are three shots from this past weekend. It was an overcast day with gray skies, high cloud cover. The object in the 1st picture was in the distance, perhaps 500 ft or more away, the 2nd in the range of 25-30 feet away and the 3rd approximately 10-12 feet. All were shot with a K-5iis, lens combination A* 300mm/f4 + F 1.7x AF adapter. All were shot handheld, in raw and converted to jpeg with minimal pp. I'm working from a Toshiba laptop, so not the best screen for me to judge photos.,

[jocelys1]

Banded Goshawk

400mm@5.6 with K5. Distance was less that 10m (30ft). Handheld.

[jocelys1]

300mm|K5
Distance - 60m (200ft)
Cropped image

[jocelys1]

300mm
80m (250ft)
Cropped image

[aslyfox]

300mm|K5
Distance - 60m (200ft)
Cropped image

great photos

just curious, are the tigers in a zoo or some type of preserve? if in the wild were you hidden?

[jocelys1]

Its the Kabini Tiger reserve in Karnataka@INDIA. Very much in the wild.

We were across the lake separated a good 50m or so. Interesting thing, these are a family of three adult cubs about 18months old. The mother was behind the bush but never came out. The cubs would keep nervously looking at her, maybe she was making calls, but we never heard her.

That single was the male fellow, the other two are females.

[aslyfox]

Its the Kabini Tiger reserve in Karnataka@INDIA. Very much in the wild.

We were across the lake separated a good 50m or so. Interesting thing, these are a family of three adult cubs about 18months old. The mother was behind the bush but never came out. The cubs would keep nervously looking at her, maybe she was making calls, but we never heard her.

That single was the male fellow, the other two are females.

what a sight


I've only seen tigers in zoos here in the US. In Kansas City and Springfield Missouri, Omaha Nebraska and down in Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom theme park in Orlando Florida as well as here in Topeka. The Topeka Zoological Park has 5: two mating adults, and 3 sisters born May of 2014 . Each of the sisters are scheduled to be transported to seperate zoos for breeding purposes tjhs spring - they will never return. They are Sumatran Tigers and apparently there are more of that species in captivity than exist in the wild if the experts are correct.

Here is one of the Sumatran Tigers in its enclosure at the Topeka Zoological Park

Photographed with the K 3 + HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW hand held through the glass window of the enclosure, may be 25 - 30 feet away?? no cropping

Focal Length 450.0mm (35mm equivalent: 675mm)
Exposure Time 1/500s (0.0020)
Aperture F/5.6
ISO Equivalent 2500

[jocelys1]

That's a nice sharp image of the Tiger. Looks sad though. We are lucky to have 82 odd tigers in this reserve. Good bio-diversity as well - grasslands, spotted deer, lakes, water-bodies, Sambar (large Indian deer) and a lot of leopards.

The friend who was with me was shooting Nik810 with the 200-500 and damn, world of difference .

But I thought - only missing the lens, can't be the K5.