[DriftlessPhotographe]

Hello,

I currently have a k70 body with a 18-135mm kit lens. I'm looking at investing in the Pentax 300mm SMC DA lens for birding as I've developed a primary interest in that area. My questions are, does anyone use this lens on the k70? If so what are your thoughts on image quality, especially on cropped images? Also any sample images would be awesome and appreciated.

Thanks all!

[Adam]

Hello,

I currently have a k70 body with a 18-135mm kit lens. I'm looking at investing in the Pentax 300mm SMC DA lens for birding as I've developed a primary interest in that area. My questions are, does anyone use this lens on the k70? If so what are your thoughts on image quality, especially on cropped images? Also any sample images would be awesome and appreciated.

Thanks all!

The DA* 300mm was originally designed for crop bodies, and image quality wise it's phenomenal. The AF isn't cutting edge, but it seems folks are getting along with it just fine

Here's a bunch of samples:
Smc PENTAX-DA* 300mm F4 ED [IF] SDM | Sample Photos for Pentax Cameras & Lenses - PentaxForums.com

There aren't too many from the K-70 or KP just because this lens attracts users of the flagship line a lot more, but plenty of K-3 and K-5 shots.

[koekie]

Well I can't directly show any pictures since I don't own the 300mm myself, but my dad does. I do know it's quite good on quality together with his K-70, but it's not exactly fast focussing. But if you are experienced in general and especially with the K-70, then you should be able to get good photos with it.

But if I have to brutally honest, if birding is your primary interest now, you are much better off changing systems to a Nikon D500 or a Panasonic G9 or something. Sure that means spending a lot of money and stuff, so it's not ideal and maybe not possible for you, but I would save the 1000-1200 usd/euro you would normally spend for this lens. Save it to invest in a better system for birding.

I sort of get by with the K-70 and the 55-300 PLM which is a great lens in its own right. But for example I always dislike the max of 6fps on the K-70, let alone the focus capabilities. Such a shame that Pentax takes way too long on the K-3 Mark 3. But it is what it is.

[Eyewanders]

I currently have a k70 body with a 18-135mm kit lens. I'm looking at investing in the Pentax 300mm SMC DA lens for birding as I've developed a primary interest in that area. My questions are, does anyone use this lens on the k70? If so what are your thoughts on image quality, especially on cropped images? Also any sample images would be awesome and appreciated.

A reasonably recent, sealed, K body with the DA300 is one of the best birding values there is IMO and one of the sole reasons I keep my K-3 around.
"Better off changing systems" is as subjective a statement as I can imagine, particularly in a budgetary sense.

The DA*300 is superb; one of the greats produced by Pentax in the past decade. It has also been around long enough now that you can regularly locate it on the used market at a huge cost savings. Every camera is about the glass, not the other way around. The K-70 is more than capable, and you already have it. The DA300's reputation is already established. Expand your image search to include shots taken with the K-3 and K-3ii - it is essentially the same sensor.

What's more, the DA*300 is entirely full-frame compatible, and I even use it regularly on MZ-S film camera (in P mode only due to lack of aperture ring like most modern lenses, but that's neither here nor there). If you'd like to move up to Pentax FF in the future it can come with you. In any case, it's a lens that will hold it's value for far, far longer than your K-70. There wont' be any regret purchasing one. I wish I'd bought mine far sooner.

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Last edited by Eyewanders; 06-07-2018 at 11:00 AM.

[DriftlessPhotographe]

Thanks for the advice so far, it's been great tipping me over the edge to purchase.

I would love to get the Nikon D500 and pair it with the Nikon 200-500mm lens, but that's alot to spend currently. I currently use the kit 18-135mm as mentioned, which works well, but I have to crop in due to its short range, which then degrades image quality. The 300mm appealed to me being the longer reach and if I have to crop in the images would still retain good quality. That's my thinking at least haha.

[Azergoth]

Hi 🙂

I’ve been using the 300 mm on my K3 for a while and I can reassure you, this lens is really rally sharp!

It is «only» a f4 lens but the flip side of the modest aperture is portability and usability. You can easily use the lens handheld. It’s definitely my favorite lens, and by far!

Only one warning: 300 mm is not that long for birding. I’d like to have a slightly longer lens 😉

[onlineflyer]

I don't use on the K-70 but do on the K-5iis. All I can say is, it's an outstanding lens. The following is an example of what you can expect. No pp, direct from camera.

Attached Images

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File Date

 

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Last edited by onlineflyer; 06-07-2018 at 06:31 PM.

[Eyewanders]

Full-res JPG cropped file of the below is here. (Unfortunately forum-embedding at 1024px nearly destroys the image.)




K-3, handheld. No raw process but for light export sharpening.

[grispie]

I would love to get the Nikon D500 and pair it with the Nikon 200-500mm lens, but that's alot to spend currently. I currently use the kit 18-135mm as mentioned, which works well, but I have to crop in due to its short range, which then degrades image quality. The 300mm appealed to me being the longer reach and if I have to crop in the images would still retain good quality.

I also was almost persuaded by a d500. Still glad i opted for the da300 & didn't spent money on changing to another system. I bought the 1.4 tc as well.
IQ after cropping is outstanding.

[Eyewanders]

Hi 🙂

I’ve been using the 300 mm on my K3 for a while and I can reassure you, this lens is really rally sharp!

It is «only» a f4 lens but the flip side of the modest aperture is portability and usability. You can easily use the lens handheld. It’s definitely my favorite lens, and by far!

Only one warning: 300 mm is not that long for birding. I’d like to have a slightly longer lens 😉

An f/4.0 maximum aperture is actually very fast for this focal length. More than that, anything faster would give you a literal razor's edge of available DoF. Even as-is, with the DA300 wide open you still run into situations where focus is PARAMOUNT because with so much compression, even the difference/distance between a tail-feather and a beak (if using the bird analogy) can change from in-focus to out-of-focus.

[DrawsACircle]

K-70, the DA*300 and a Marsh Harrier

[Des]

I would love to get the Nikon D500 and pair it with the Nikon 200-500mm lens, but that's alot to spend currently. I currently use the kit 18-135mm as mentioned, which works well, but I have to crop in due to its short range, which then degrades image quality. The 300mm appealed to me being the longer reach and if I have to crop in the images would still retain good quality. That's my thinking at least haha.

Good thinking I'd say. I've tried a range of telephoto options and for me a 300 prime (with teleconverter where necessary) gives the best balance of image quality, portability/size, and value for money.

I have the FA*300 f4.5, one of the ancestors of the DA*300, and it's a superb lens. One of Pentax's best. The DA*300 is 1/3 stop faster, has newer coatings, quiet AF, QuickShift and WR. The only knocks on it are that the AF isn't lightning fast and the SDM focus motor fails occasionally. But most people manage OK with the AF, and if the SDM fails out of warranty it can be readily converted to screw-drive AF which apparently works well.

As @Azergoth points out, you would probably also want to get the Pentax 1.4x TC at some stage - it's expensive, but retains the WR, and seems to be a high end TC. Cropping with a 24mp sensor works quite well as @Chickentender shows, but there comes a point where more reach is better. Theoretically you could use one of the Kenko or Tamron TCs that has the pz contacts (I have a Kenko, and it's very good) to drive the SDM (and save some money that way), but user reports suggest the SDM AF doesn't work so well with those TCs as with the Pentax TC.

The alternative is one of the long zooms, like the Sigma 150-500 or 50-500, or (if the budget runs to it) the Pentax DFA 150-450. But each of those lenses is much bulkier and heavier than the DA*300 (even if you add the TC to it). Each of those zooms weighs 2kg or more, and believe me, that really limits its usability. I had a Sigma 170-500 for a while and even at 1400g I found it a beast to carry and use. The 300 prime is much more user-friendly.

I think the DA*300 should work well on the K-70, and even better if you later get one of the flagship models. I used long lenses on my old K-30 and got many worthwhile images. With the extra pixels and probably better AF the K-70 should be fine.

For those times when you want the flexibility of a zoom and coverage between 135 and 300mm add one of the 55-300 lenses. But while I'm a big fan of those lenses (I've got both a DA-L 55-300 f4-5.8 and a DA 55-300 f4.5-6.3 PLM) neither can hold a candle to the FA*300 at 300. And it's not just that the prime is about a stop faster - it just has much more resolution. That shows particularly when you are at a distance and need to crop.

If you get the prime, you won't regret it.

Incidentally, if you find the DA*300 too expensive, consider an F*/FA*300 f4.5. You may find one for around $US650-750. Add one of the better TCs (say $150) and you have something like a pro-level kit on a hobbyist's budget. If you look at the reviews of these lenses, you will see how much people love them. Here are some samples of my photos with this lens: Flickr - Des(Australia) - Pentax FA*300mm f4.5 samples

[Eyewanders]

The only knocks on it are that the AF isn't lightning fast and the SDM focus motor fails occasionally. But most people manage OK with the AF, and if the SDM fails out of warranty it can be readily converted to screw-drive AF which apparently works well.

All good stuff in above, except I've never heard of a DA*300 SDM failure here or elsewhere. That's not to say there haven't been some but I've never heard or seen a thread about it. Early DA50-135, absolutley, and some of the 55s if I remember right...

---------- Post added 06-07-18 at 03:02 PM ----------

Incidentally, if you find the DA*300 too expensive, consider an F*/FA*300 f4.5. You may find one for around $US650-750.

The FA is stupendous, but it's worth mentioning I bought my DA* nearly pristine from a PF'r here for $750.

[Des]

I've never heard of a DA*300 SDM failure here or elsewhere. That's not to say there haven't been some but I've never heard or seen a thread about it.

@UncleVanya has done a number of conversions with the DA*300: SDM to Screwdrive Conversions - PentaxForums.com It's also been discussed a few times in the 300mm+ thread. I remember it happened to Roger Knief ( @rgknief60 ) a year or so ago - we had a PM exchange about it. No-one suggests it's common, but it does happen. And the good news is that Roger reported that the lens worked really well after the conversion.

The FA is stupendous, but it's worth mentioning I bought my DA* nearly pristine from a PF'r here for $750.

That's killed my argument. ;-)

When I got my FA*300 in 2016 there was at least a $A250 gap between a second hand FA*300 and a second hand DA*300 (in Australia anyway). If the gap has narrowed that much, the DA* is an especially good buy.

The only other thing about the FA*300 is that, unlike the DA*300, it works well with a range of TCs. My Kenko TC cost about $A200 and the FA* about $A850 from memory. That's about $US720 all up. The Pentax 1.4x TC is very hard to find second hand, and the few I have seen here have been about $A450 or so. So the total difference for me would have been about $A500 - say about $US350. Enough to get a PLM as well.

[Eyewanders]

@UncleVanya has done a number of conversions with the DA*300: SDM to Screwdrive Conversions - PentaxForums.com It's also been discussed a few times in the 300mm+ thread. I remember it happened to Roger Knief ( @rgknief60 ) a year or so ago - we had a PM exchange about it. No-one suggests it's common, but it does happen. And the good news is that Roger reported that the lens worked really well after the conversion.


That's killed my argument. ;-)

When I got my FA*300 in 2016 there was at least a $A200 gap between a second hand FA*300 and a second hand DA*300 (in Australia anyway). If the gap has narrowed that much, the DA* is an especially good buy.

Oh they're both great. A good deal is a good deal. I don't frequent the lens subforums all that often - it doesn't surprise me one failed (SDM), but in general Pentax really cleaned up the SDM reliability I'd say. I do know the screw-drive functionality is more than acceptable on my MZ-S, so that doesn't surprise me (Roger's satisfaction) either. And I know the US and AUS markets are certainly different. (You guys also seem to have a lot more film varieties floating around down there yet compared to here. There are various things that pop up now and again on my radar that I think are a steal, until I see where's at and consider the shipping!)

Anyhow, not to derail this (or diminish @Des remarks) - the short is I've yet to speak to anyone dissatisfied with the DA*300.