[Hyperfocal]

Hello,

Suddenly, I am in the need of a telephoto lens. My son is growing up and he's starting to play sports (indoor and outdoor), but my longest lens is a 70mm, which is too short. Until now, I've been mostly covering family events, family portraits, and the sort; so a telephoto lens was not in my wish list.

About my current equipment:

• Pentax Z-1p (main camera)
• Pentax K-S2
• SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL
• HD Pentax-DA 70mm F2.4 Limited

Although I suffer a bit of "prime-bias" (I've been shooting prime-only for many years, and I really love my two primes), I am open to zooms and manual focusing lenses. I think I need at least "A" aperture setting for Hyper-Manual and Hyper-Program modes. Regarding budget, no more than $250. The only real limitation is that the lens has to work in both cameras.


I am not a professional photographer, but I like to have good tools, when possible. I would really appreciate any suggestion you could give me.


Many thanks

[Skodadriver]

I may be wrong here but believe the Pentax 55-300mm lenses that are pre PLM can be used on the Z-1p.
You may find some older stock still available new at your budget.

[GlennG]

My DA 55-300 was good enough for outdoors during daylight hours. It was woefully inadequate in a well-lit gymnasium. For that, get a 2.8 something and a more modern dslr - much better high iso - than the 2006 vintage camera I was using at the time.

[twilhelm]

Although the 55-300 would probably work, I would probably start with something older in a manual focus. For your budget, you could probably find an A 135 (3.5 or 2.8) and an A 200 f/4. I picked up an A 135 2.8 and an M 200 4 for less than $200.

[normhead]

In an age where kit lenses approach $200, think how much more glass you need in a telephoto.

Everyone wants an telephoto for use in gyms for their kids sports. So far no one has been able to come up with anything for $200.

But just for arguments sake, how about an A 200 ƒ4,
Pentax A Prime Lenses - Reviews and Specifications - SLR and Interchangeable Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-A-200mm-F4-Lens.html

I've never used one or probably even seen one, but it looks like it might be the best compromise for under $250.

[TwoUptons]

I’ve heard good things about the F70-210... it’s old and (subjectively) ugly but has a good reputation.

But I’ve not had great luck in long zooms. I have an inexpensive Tamron 70-300 that is quite happy with film but purple fringes epically on digital.

I do have a SMC-A 200mm f4 that is nice, but it lacks flexibility and is manual focus only.

The choices that seem to make the most people happy are above your price range... the DA60-250 f4 with the full frame mod, for example, or the 80-200 f2.8s from Tamron and such.

I can’t forget to suggest poking through the reviews here to see if something catches your fancy...

My daughter is five, so I’m saving pennies for next year’s DFA 70-200 f4... I’ll have to get better at post processing purple fringing in the meantime...

-Eric

[disconnekt]

You could try going on shopgoodwill.com & find a 135mm f2.8 for pretty cheap.

[Wasp]

Since you are a prime guy, you could go with a 135mm or 200mm prime. There are a lot of choices on the used market. As for new, not so much. The Mitakon Zhongyi Creator 135mm f/2.8 at $229 fits the bill, but I don't know how good it is. It is an all manual thing, focus and aperture. That would make it a bit of hassle for sports.

Mitakon Zhongyi Creator 135mm f/2.8 Mark II Lens MTK135M2BKFPK

Apart from 70-300mm zooms from Tamron and Sigma, there is not a lot of choice apart from the Pentax 55-300mm already mentioned. There is also the Pentax 50-200mm that is well within budget, but the extra reach of a 300mm is good to have when shooting sport. So the Pentax 55-300mm looks like a winner, but it is about 20% over budget.

Pentax HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED WR Lens 22270 B&H Photo

[pepperberry farm]

In an age where kit lenses approach $200, think how much more glass you need in a telephoto.

Everyone wants an telephoto for use in gyms for their kids sports. So far no one has been able to come up with anything for $200.

But just for arguments sake, how about an A 200 ƒ4,
Pentax A Prime Lenses - Reviews and Specifications - SLR and Interchangeable Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

SMC Pentax-A 200mm F4 Reviews - A Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

I've never used one or probably even seen one, but it looks like it might be the best compromise for under $250.

I have an SMC A 200mm f4 and it's an awesome lens...

if a monopod is an option, maybe a K300mm f4 would suffice?

[TwoUptons]

I paid about $100 for my A 200 f4 from Japan. It is nice and works a treat with a Raynox for closeups...

I also have a K300 f4, but it needs a tripod collar... and while plenty sharp, it has lots of purple fringing...

With a dose of patience and good luck, the OP might be able to get both for not much more than the $250 budget...

-Eric

[SSGGeezer]

Tamron has an 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 so at shorter focal lengths it is a bit faster than the kit lenses. Lightweight and takes good images. The question is would it work indoors at a gym? Probably not great but it is as cheap or cheaper used than most of the previous suggestions and is autofocus.

[Skodadriver]

If you don't need a long 200-300mm lens, the Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 is a nice lens that might surprise you with it's quality of image.
Could be bought alongside a Pentax-A 70-210 F4 or a Pentax-F 70-210mm F4-5.6 for a lot less than $250 and you then have telephotos on both cameras.
I warn you though that the -F 70-210mm can be quite violent and loud using AF.

[mikesbike]

I am skeptical that the DA 55-300mm lens can work with the Z-1p because it is a lens specifically for APS-C use and would cause some vignetting problems on a FF body. Sigma and Tamron make 70-300mm lenses that are reasonably priced. Of current models, the Tamron seems a clear winner. As to aperture, in your price range a zoom lens of f/2.8 for sports use (where AF is a must), would not be feasible. But the Tamron lens will probably have f/4.5 capability to about 180mm or so, which is pretty fast.

That said, the APS-C format is especially useful for telephoto with its 1.53 x image factor, so at 300mm your image is similar to that from a 460mm lens on your Z-1p, and the older screw-driven AF Pentax DA 55-300mm ED WR lens can be had at a very good price these days, since the newer PLM version has arrived. It is an excellent lens, and would be a perfect match for your K-S2. I have one and recommend it highly. It can keep to f/4-4.5 all the way to nearly 200mm, or about one stop off the expensive, heavy f/2.8 70-200mm zoom lenses. And your K-S2 can produce a cleaner image at a higher ISO like 1600 or even 3200, compared to using fast speed film. People have said the older Pentax zoom's screw-driven AF is slow, but it is only slow when going from a very near to a very far distance and back. This is due to the large rotation of the focus collar, which is actually better for fine-tuning manual focus. When shooting at mostly distant range or at mostly closer range, its AF is fairly fast.

The PLM version has very fast AF, but costs more and its aperture is slower f/4.5-5 to about 140mm then about f/5.8-6.3 to 300mm. But its exceptionally fast AF on your K-S2 might be just the thing for sports, although test reports indicate its AF is not always reliable for action shooting either.

[Kozlok]

Save up and get the Tamron 70-200. An amazing lens. Used should be able to find one under $450.

[Wasp]

Here is a nice autofocus Pentax 135mm f2.8 for $228. It just might fit the bill.

Pentax 135mm F/2.8 SMC FA IF K Mount Autofocus Lens {52} at KEH Camera Store

They must be fairly rare. I didn't even know they existed before I spotted this one.