[SpecialK]

Mine is the KP, but I’m more interested in IQ and compactness...

55-300 better IQ than the Sigma/Tamron 70-300, or Pentax 50-200.
50-200 more compact.

I had the Pentax 50-200 and Sigma 70-300 and the IQ was essentially the same. A noticeable improvement with the original Pentax 55-300.

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Last edited by SpecialK; 02-17-2018 at 10:11 PM.

[Des]

I would be crushed if this was the only PLM lens introduced.

It's not that bad. In the wide to normal range, as Jatrax says the DA 16-85 and DA 18-135 are both quiet (so is the DA 20-40 Ltd) and the AF is fast enough for most situations. It's not like they are crying out for PLM to make them usable! If any new lenses are DC rather than PLM it won't be the end of the world.

Once you go with a silent lens, there is no going back to screw drive either.

Depends on the situation, and the lens. You'd put up with a little AF noise to get the results that the Limited and star (*) lenses can offer. ;-)

Having said that, I used my old DA-L 55-300 rather than the PLM yesterday and it does seem rather crude. The image quality is good though.

[Bui]

I think it also depends on the lens, and our perception considering the environment. Some screwdrive lenses, for example the Tamron 17-50 or Pentax F70-210, are really noisy. But I'm fine with my DA Ltds, they are quieter and faster (focus). But of course using a PLM or DC lenses (I have/had the 18-135, 20-40, 55-300) is a joy. I recently came back from a trip with only the 16-50 (screwdrive), then put back my 20-40 on the camera and I almost could not recognize it, it was so silent.

[Chaser]

I've been shooting baseball (Grandson 13 yrs old) using 18-135 with much success, I'm looking at 55-300mm but can;t decide HD DA WR or PLM. I generally focus on the base where I think the action will be and shooting continuous mode K3 iso 3200 TV 1/3200. Any suggestions on which way to proceed?

[aslyfox]

I've been shooting baseball (Grandson 13 yrs old) using 18-135 with much success, I'm looking at 55-300mm but can;t decide HD DA WR or PLM. I generally focus on the base where I think the action will be and shooting continuous mode K3 iso 3200 TV 1/3200. Any suggestions on which way to proceed?

my standard recommendation to such questions is to recommend you look into renting equipment and do your own testing

I have used LensRentals.com with good luck, there are other companies

once you make a decision, then you can look for what you want and if interested in " experienced " equipment be sure to check the forum's market place

[timb64]

The general feeling is that the PLM model is the one to get,much quicker and accurate autofocus.

[Bui]

I did get the 55-300 PLM according to everybody’s advices here. I haven’t used it much since, as I don’t do much telephoto, but it delivers whenever I need. The lens is very sharp especially in the center, with nice bokeh, and super fast and silent focus.

[UncleVanya]

I've been shooting baseball (Grandson 13 yrs old) using 18-135 with much success, I'm looking at 55-300mm but can;t decide HD DA WR or PLM. I generally focus on the base where I think the action will be and shooting continuous mode K3 iso 3200 TV 1/3200. Any suggestions on which way to proceed?

The HD DA and the HD DA WR and even the older DA and DAL all have screw drive focusing that is a bear to recover from a missed focus due to the long focus throw of the lenses. This means - if you miss focus in a shot it often takes a while to recover back to trying to take more - it can be done - and the models that support QuickShift (the DA not DAL) are easier to recover if you setup for back button Autofocus.

HOWEVER the new PLM is supposed to be lightning fast at focusing and the K-3 supports that lens with the latest firmware. I would not hesitate to grab one of these over the older version for your intended use. It will focus as fast or likely faster than the 18-135 which is already speedy.