[Mregalado]

I purchased a Pentax k-1 Mark II camera and am having a ball learning and taking pictures! The camera came with a 28-105 lens, but I am looking for a good zoom lens to shoot some of the birds in the parks around me...

I have been shooting in autofocus, but am starting to venture into manual.. I am an amateur but learning slowly but surely.

Can someone recommend one please? Should I stay with Pentax, or another brand?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

[Racer X 69]

If you ask me, the only good lenses are primes, and the best are older manual lenses with aperture rings.

But then I am a bit of a throwback.

[Kevin B123]

What sort of budget are you considering, and what is the weather like where you are when bird hunting?

Only the modern lenses are all weather or weather resistant. Your 28-105 is WR, the DA* primes and the 150-450 zoom are all weather, see here for details:
Pentax D FA Zoom Lenses - Reviews and Specifications - SLR and Interchangeable Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
Pentax DA Prime Lenses - Reviews and Specifications - SLR and Interchangeable Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

If weather resistance is not an issue, and budget is then the series primes are where to look or maybe the Tamron adaptall lenses or other third party lenses. They are not stellar though.
Pentax Lenses by Sigma, Tamron, Zeiss, and more - Reviews and Specification Database - Pentax Lens Review Database

[jlstrawman]

HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

[Ole]

Do you (really) need a zoom? Otherwise the Pentax DA* 300mm F4 would be a candidate. With the K-1's 36 MP you can crop the image quite a lot to compensate for not having a longer focal length.

The Pentax D FA* 150-450mm zoom is excellent of course, but it weighs twice that of the DA* 300mm and can be somewhat of a pain to lug around.

[onlineflyer]

There are a number of good lenses. It really depends on how much you have to spend and what you want to photograph.

The DA 300/4 is excellent
The DA 200/2.8 is also excellent but you likely need to crop
The DA 50-300/4.5-6.3 is a great lens but a little slow on the long end
The D FA 150-400 is a great lens but heavier and much more expensive

I'd suggest you check the various lenses in the review section.
SMC Pentax-DA* 300mm F4 ED [IF] SDM Reviews - DA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
SMC Pentax-DA* 60-250mm F4 ED [IF] SDM Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW Reviews - D FA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

[Kevin B123]

The DA 50-300/4.5-6.3 is a great lens but a little slow on the long end

Please note, the HD DA 55-300 F4.5-6.3 is not a full frame lens, although it is reported as useable in part of it's range.

[SSGGeezer]

Older FA 300 F4.5 and any of the above recommendations.
If you are ebaying for a used llens, just make sure you get a good one since they are a bit older. I am sorry I sold mine, and I don't have a K-1, (yet, crosses fingers for tonight's raffle!)

[Garry Conway]

Hello and wecome to the forum.

I have a K1, about a year and am very pleased with it. Still feels like a new toy.

I noticed that in some of the posts people have recommended DA lens, to take full advantage of the FullFrame camera the pentax lenses should have D FA, FA or F in the name otherwise they are for a crop sensor or manual focus and while they will work you loose the advantage of a FF camera.

I have an old 400F*, lens I use for birds and love it, its much lighter than the newer lens. Now in the used market it has become very expensive. In regard to Prime versus Zoom - With telephoto lenses I've seldom had a desire to Zoom wider, only narrower than the maximum of the lens.

Price wise if you need a less expensive lens than Pentax offers have a look at Sigma lens, athough I do think Pentax lenses are slightly better on Pentax camera.

Hope this helps and happy shooting.

[UncleVanya]

Budget matters, what's yours?
At the low end with autofocus you can grab an FA 80-320 (or similar).
The top end includes new and used options that are really pricey. FA 250-600 for example. Using crop mode the cheap but good DA 55-300 PLM is an option.

[jatrax]

Before we spend money let us clarify some things:

1) What precisely do you mean by "Zoom"? I have heard this term used to mean a telephoto lens as well as the more appropriate variable focal length
2) What focal length are you looking for? How far away are the birds? You have the excellent 28-105 so tell us how much longer the lens should be.
3) What is your budget? If money and weight are not an issue then just get the DFA 150-450 but if you have a budget or a weight limit then let us know.

[Scorpio71GR]

This depots on several factors including, price, amount of reach you want, and if want weather sealing. There are plenty of older F, and FA lenses out there. Even more third party ones. The one thing to remember is premium long lenses come with a premium price. You can spend anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.

[clickclick]

The DFA 150-450 works very nicely on the K1 series. You may want to use a monopod or tripod, depending on what you're shooting. For things like a feeder where they are 10 feet away, I have a large tripod on my porch and shoot through a blind (hole in a sheet hung over the propped open door - real fancy stuff....). For the osprey that likes to hang out in a tree at the bottom of the drive, the monopod works well. For birds in flight, probably going to be hand holding to keep up.

[Mregalado]

Budget matters, what's yours?
At the low end with autofocus you can grab an FA 80-320 (or similar).
The top end includes new and used options that are really pricey. FA 250-600 for example. Using crop mode the cheap but good DA 55-300 PLM is an option.

I was hoping to get something good for $500 or less?

[Adam]

I was hoping to get something good for $500 or less?

For full frame it will be hard to satisfy that budget until Pentax releases their consumer-friendly FF tele zoom.

I would recommend going for the 55-300mm PLM and using it in crop mode. The AF will greatly increase your keeper rate.

Pentax HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE Lens 21277
amazon : Pentax HD DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE Lens : Camera & Photo