[aslyfox]

I do a lot of macro but when it comes to butterflies I almost always put on the 55-300 plm. They are flighty. It's hard to get close and if you do you have to be fast. Try to get within an arms reach of a butterfly let alone close enough to stick a camera up close to one.
Better to add a raynox or a flash for butterflies.

yes you do have to be quick

and patient

but it is possible with the DFA 100mm macro

without flash

of course, YMMV

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Last edited by aslyfox; 09-26-2018 at 08:23 AM.

[Wasp]

I would get the 100mm macro. For something longer on a low budget, shop for a manual focus 300mm prime. It will tide you over until you can get the autofocus zoom.

[UncleVanya]

I would get the 100mm macro. For something longer on a low budget, shop for a manual focus 300mm prime. It will tide you over until you can get the autofocus zoom.

my suggestion is to consider one of the other 100mm Macro models instead of the WR one

_____________________

this is from the " In Depth Review " of the current WR model:

The optical design is the tried-and-proven formula of the previous generation D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro lens, which in turn had inherited the optical design from the well-respected FA 100mm F2.8 and F 100mm F2.8 macro lenses introduced in 1991 and 1987, respectively. None of these earlier lenses had rounded aperture blades.

Read more at: Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 WR Macro Review - Specifications | PentaxForums.com Reviews

____________________________________________________________________

In other words, the earlier models, which may be available at a lower cost, might be enough for you

and with any luck, you might be able to afford the cost of another lens


be sure to look at the forum's market place if you are looking for " experienced " equipment

______________________

the D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro is a very good lens, for macro or as a short telephoto

SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro Reviews - D FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

I do a lot of macro but when it comes to butterflies I almost always put on the 55-300 plm. They are flighty. It's hard to get close and if you do you have to be fast. Try to get within an arms reach of a butterfly let alone close enough to stick a camera up close to one.
Better to add a raynox or a flash for butterflies.

I've owned the F 100 Macro and the DFA 100 WR. I would not oppose this suggestion but the older lenses are not that much less expensive and they are a lot heavier and bulkier due to the lens casing design. The F and FA 100 are hoodless with a deep recessed element and a thick fosters can sized barrel and 58mm filters as I recall. The F at least has a focus limiter which made it more fun for telephoto work since it keeps it from overshooting into the macro focus zone during general photography. The other issue is that a lot of these lenses suffer element separation and are prone to hazing around the periphery of those elements involved. My copy (sold) had no issues from about f4 and up but a tiny bit of lost light and contrast at f/2.8 perhaps - nothing awful. Some of these however have really bad fogging due to the separation.

As for the DA 55-300, the PLM version seems marvelous. I have the older one and even without a close up lens (don't call it a filter if you want to be accurate) it provides good close focus results with flowers. Nothing like a universe in a dew drop shot but still respectable. Using a close up lens of high quality you may be able to get the shot you want for a reasonable fee and still have the zoom. The Raynox lenses are pretty reasonable but I like the Canon and Nikon high grade add-on lenses even better, however I have those from the past and that makes them a lot cheaper than today's prices. Raynox would be sufficient based on cost - if you get really serious then look at the DFA or the older F/FA lenses.

[victormeldrew]

I would highly recommend the MF Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro. It is a fantastic lens and you can pick them up really cheap. It's as happy as a 50mm standard lens, as it is doing 1:1 macro, and everything in between.

[Navmaxlp]

Why buy one lens when you can buy two? As it turns out, a seller here at Pentaxforums reached out to me with the sale of the HD 55-300 WR and the D FA 100 WR Macro for a great price then came down to the price I needed to be at. I'm very grateful to him for that. He's got a 100% rating here and It's very nearly a buy one get one free kind of deal. I appreciate all the help and opinions you all offered very much. It's been extremely informative and somewhat unexpected. The only down side is I now have to look forward to upgrading from the HD 55-300 to the PLM version. I'll have to win some more fantasy football for that one.

[swanlefitte]

Congrats. Let us know your thoughts on which one you would keep if you could only keep one after you have some time with them. I am sure you will appreciate them both and might have a tough time deciding.

[twilhelm]

Congrats on a couple of great lenses! I used the original 55-300 for several years, finally selling it when it started collecting dust because it had been replaced by DA* primes.

For your future purchase of a fast 50, it sounds like you want auto focus, I would highly recommend the DA 50 1.8 to go along with your 35.

Happy shooting!

[UncleVanya]

Why buy one lens when you can buy two? As it turns out, a seller here at Pentaxforums reached out to me with the sale of the HD 55-300 WR and the D FA 100 WR Macro for a great price then came down to the price I needed to be at. I'm very grateful to him for that. He's got a 100% rating here and It's very nearly a buy one get one free kind of deal. I appreciate all the help and opinions you all offered very much. It's been extremely informative and somewhat unexpected. The only down side is I now have to look forward to upgrading from the HD 55-300 to the PLM version. I'll have to win some more fantasy football for that one.

The DA and HD DA versions have quick shift. If you use Back button autofocus you can more easily dial in the focus without too much hunting on the 55-300's.

[aslyfox]

congrats on your choice of lenses

remember you can ask for advice, and that is a great idea, but only you can decide what is best for you

[Navmaxlp]

Congrats on a couple of great lenses! I used the original 55-300 for several years, finally selling it when it started collecting dust because it had been replaced by DA* primes.

For your future purchase of a fast 50, it sounds like you want auto focus, I would highly recommend the DA 50 1.8 to go along with your 35.

Happy shooting!

The nice thing is, getting the more expensive lenses out of the way affords me the ability to cherry pick and grab the DA 50 when it drops below $100 again. So glad Pentax decided to put out quality affordable lenses.

---------- Post added 09-27-18 at 03:18 PM ----------

The DA and HD DA versions have quick shift. If you use Back button autofocus you can more easily dial in the focus without too much hunting on the 55-300's.

That's good to know. Since learning the DA is potentially difficult to focus, having the quick shift is great.

congrats on your choice of lenses

remember you can ask for advice, and that is a great idea, but only you can decide what is best for you

Really nice having a place to bounce ideas off of. I learned a LOT from this endeavor and will be able to apply it all once I get these lenses in. Going to be a lot of fun learning to use them properly.

[UncleVanya]

I haven't had a lot of trouble focusing the DA 55-300, but I have had problems with missed focus on moving subjects where once you miss the time to recover is long.

[Des]

I'm late to the party, but I'll add a couple of comments.

I've got the DA 18-135, DFA 100 WR and both screw-driven and PLM versions of the 55-300, as well as a K-3, so I'm in a similar boat to you.

I think you've got a great deal getting both the DA 55-300 f4-5.8 WR and the DFA 100 WR. Having an all-WR walkaround kit with such wide coverage is perfect for travel, nature walks and general outdoor use.

For an occasional rather than regular telephoto user, the screw-driven 55-300 is more than adequate. There are even a couple of areas where it has small advantages over the PLM version: it's not prone to focus breathing and it's about 1/3 to 1/2 stop faster across the range. The image quality is very good - in fact I'd say it might even have slightly better resolution at 300mm than the PLM version. Here are sample images: Pentax DA-L 55-300 f4-5.8 samples - Des(Australia) - Flickr Your version should be better because although optically identical it adds HD coatings - since I've now got two lenses with these coatings (DA 20-40 Ltd and DA 55-300 PLM) I'd say they make a significant difference.

My tip for using the 55-300: stop down one or two stops whenever possible. The resolution is significantly better, and more even across the frame.

With the Macro, I doubt I'll really use it as as a short telephoto prime. It would mainly get used for it's macro purposes.

That's what I thought too when I got the DFA 100. But it's much more than that. As much as I like the 18-135 and the 55-300, I still often find it's worth swapping to the DFA 100 for its faster aperture and sensational resolution (sharp from f2.8 right through to f16). It's great for pets, flowers, landscapes, people, still life, birds and insects if you are close enough - all sorts of things. The 100 can provide "wow" shots more often than the zooms can. See samples here: Pentax D FA 100mm f2.8 macro WR samples - Des(Australia) - Flickr

[Sandy Hancock]

Some great advice so far. I have owned all three versions of the 55-300, and currently have the PLM as well as the DFA100WR macro.

I'd get the 55-300, and spring a few extra bucks for the PLM. It packs really small, the focus is blazingly fast on the KP, and the IQ is fine. The HD version is also excellent if funds won't quite stretch. Either will compliment your 10-17 and 18-135 for a killer three lens kit.

Get some cheap Kenko extension tubes for your manual 50mm prime if you want to play around with macro. Or a Raynox 150 for your 55-300. If you get bitten by the bug then start saving for the DFA100WR. It's fabulous. I just think you will open up more horizons with the 55-300.

[Navmaxlp]

Thanks to all for the advice!

Received shipment of both the D FA 100 Macro WR and the HD DA 55-300 WR lenses. Took a few initial pics with them to make sure they were working ok and hadn't been damaged in the mail. Everything is good. Can't wait to really put them through their paces. I'm very excited about having both the reach and the close focusing ability. As you can see from my signature, I now have 10mm all the way through 300mm covered with a solid 100 Macro and the 35 F2.4. I also have the A 50mm 2.0 but, the next lens I'll be looking at getting is the DA 50mm 1.8 AL. Such a great lens for the price.

[Des]

I'm very excited about having both the reach and the close focusing ability. As you can see from my signature, I now have 10mm all the way through 300mm covered with a solid 100 Macro and the 35 F2.4.

Good to hear from a happy camper. :-)