[pepperberry farm]

I cannot add to what's been listed above other than my experience with a DA L 55-300: I went through four other consumer-grade zooms before landing on the DA L 55-300.

it is built to a price point - my copy when purchased was like-new (probably from a kit that had been broken up for sale) and for the money, there isn't another consumer-grade long zoom that can touch it...

for the record, I was not concerned about the plastic mount, the lack of WR or quick-shift, and the lack of hood was quickly remedied with a knock-off from eBay...

[aslyfox]

the skill, knowledge and execution of the photographer is often the difference


not the cost of his/her equipment

one of the many joys of these forums is to see those photographers who use " out of date " equipment to produce the great images posted here

a joy of choosing Pentax is being able to use such equipment developed years ago and thus be able to enjoy photography without extreme damage to the bank account

[savoche]

The DA is f/4-5.6 and the DA-L is f/4-5.8

Umm, no, they're both f/4-5.8. No difference in the optics at all.

[aslyfox]

Umm, no, they're both f/4-5.8. No difference in the optics at all.

the only change is if you go to the newest:

HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE

Read more at: Pentax DA Zoom Lenses - Reviews and Specifications - SLR and Interchangeable Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

[twilhelm]

Umm, no, they're both f/4-5.8. No difference in the optics at all.

You’ll have to take that one up with Pentax. Because the print on the barrel of my DA55-300 clearly states f/4-5.6...

[savoche]

You’ll have to take that one up with Pentax. Because the print on the barrel of my DA55-300 clearly states f/4-5.6...

Mine clearly states 4-5.8

And really, so does the spec sheet.

[jddwoods]

I have had every version of the 55-300 over the years. I have found that having quick shift is important with the non-PLM versions for wildlife photography since you can do a quick shift coarse focus and let autofocus finish the fine focus. This significantly reduces the screwdrive noise with this lens. This makes the DA version a better choice than the DAL version if you will be photographing birds and wildlife. An even much more significant improvement is going for the PLM version if you have a compatible camera body. It is by far the fastest and quietest focusing lens I have ever tried.

[pepperberry farm]

You’ll have to take that one up with Pentax. Because the print on the barrel of my DA55-300 clearly states f/4-5.6...

you should post some photos/create a review on your lens, since the database shows all the DA 55-300 lenses except the PLM as f4-5.8...

[boriscleto]

You’ll have to take that one up with Pentax. Because the print on the barrel of my DA55-300 clearly states f/4-5.6...

Maybe if some of the paint gets rubbed off the 8...

[twilhelm]

I’m off work tomorrow, so I’ll take a pic of it. Maybe I am badly mistaken, but I looked at it before I made my original post.

[twilhelm]

I’m going to be quiet and eat crow right about now. Yes, it says 5.8, not sure what happened to my eyes...

[pepperberry farm]

I’m going to be quiet and eat crow right about now. Yes, it says 5.8, not sure what happened to my eyes...

don't sweat it - it's not like I've ever been wrong in a public forum before....

I'm pretty sure that the rest of us could admit the same...


but bravo for baking and eating the crow....

[Des]

I cannot add to what's been listed above other than my experience with a DA L 55-300: I went through four other consumer-grade zooms before landing on the DA L 55-300.

it is built to a price point - my copy when purchased was like-new (probably from a kit that had been broken up for sale) and for the money, there isn't another consumer-grade long zoom that can touch it...

for the record, I was not concerned about the plastic mount, the lack of WR or quick-shift, and the lack of hood was quickly remedied with a knock-off from eBay...

I'd say the same about the DA-L. I also got a knock-off hood which is fine. No problems with the plastic mount, and I have learned to live without QS or WR. It's the best bang-for-buck I've had in a lens. I've also got the PLM and it's taken over as the "daily driver", but as good as it is I'm not yet convinced that it's better at 300mm than the DA-L. The point being that the quality of the particular copy you get might matter more than the model.

Sample images taken with the DA-L: Pentax DA-L 55-300mm f4-6.8 images - Flickr - Des (Australia)

[gm4life]

To the OP, I went the “cheap” route with the DA 55-300 HD non-PLM. I did this to save 100 plus dollars at the time when I was thinking I was going to stay on a budget. I still don’t regret it, it is a very nice, easily packable, relatively sharp consumer grade zoom. When B and H did the 150 dollar fire sale my dad even bought one.

I don’t love retractable lens designs in general nor did I see in paying more for something a tad slower in the case of the PLM... I don’t regret it noisy screw drive and all.

[mikesbike]

You’ll have to take that one up with Pentax. Because the print on the barrel of my DA55-300 clearly states f/4-5.6...

Perhaps there's a mis-type in the lettering on your lens. I've had both the original DA 55-300mm for years, recently finally gave it away. Now the HD WR version for these last 4 years, and though I find imaging is improved with the newer HD coatings, otherwise all are the same basically. All are f/4-5.8 where the new PLM is f/4-6.3.