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02-17-2021, 11:03 PM   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by 11GTCS Quote
Good Afternoon,

I apologize if this has been discussed before, I couldn’t find anything searching that addressed this directly.

I’m looking to get a lens for longer landscape shots and as a bridge between my main lenses (20-40, 15, 35, 70) and my hopeful eventual purchase of a 300mm prime for wildlife. It’d also be used for the odd bird feeder type shot where a 300 isn’t strictly needed. The 60-250 seems perfect for that, and the used prices are reasonable.

That said, I know the AF motor is known to have higher than average failure rates on this model (especially early versions?) and it can’t be converted to SD only.

Bearing all that in mind, if you wanted to buy one, would you be comfortable getting it used from a reputable place with a warranty (a la KEH etc) or would you only buy new?

Also open to suggestions for something in a similar focal length. Pretty sure I don’t want a 55-300, since I’ve got an MFT setup for absolute compactness and I’d rather go for max durability/rendering for the landscape stuff.

Thanks!
If you can find one, a Sigma 100-300 F4 works well.

02-18-2021, 02:06 AM   #17
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There's one on eBay now in the states. There was one in the UK but it was only up for a couple of days, so don't hang around if you want it.
02-18-2021, 05:48 AM - 1 Like   #18
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QuoteOriginally posted by Benedict Michael Quote
If you can find one, a Sigma 100-300 F4 works well.
It has a great reputation if you can find one.

Last edited by normhead; 02-18-2021 at 06:31 AM.
02-18-2021, 06:54 AM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by Benedict Michael Quote
If you can find one, a Sigma 100-300 F4 works well.
I’d definitely prefer a lens with WR, since part of the draw of Pentax to me is the all-weather shooting capability. That’s why I was so drawn to Olympus in this past as well. Nothing against the sigma stuff; ignoring size and weight their lenses are usually spectacular.

---------- Post added 02-18-21 at 08:05 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by RICHARD L. Quote
For landscape usage, the DA* 60-250 mm f/4 is hard to beat on APSc (namely a K3). I've used mine (bought new) for over 5 years without any glitches.
I’m definitely all over the place on this. Part of me just wants to get the 200 and 300 primes (since the 100 macro is on my list anyway as is the 300), but the shots from the 60-250 do look nice! It’s really a toss up, for how few lenses there are in this focal range they’re really all winners

02-18-2021, 07:44 AM - 2 Likes   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by 11GTCS Quote
I’d definitely prefer a lens with WR, since part of the draw of Pentax to me is the all-weather shooting capability. That’s why I was so drawn to Olympus in this past as well. Nothing against the sigma stuff; ignoring size and weight their lenses are usually spectacular.

---------- Post added 02-18-21 at 08:05 AM ----------



I’m definitely all over the place on this. Part of me just wants to get the 200 and 300 primes (since the 100 macro is on my list anyway as is the 300), but the shots from the 60-250 do look nice! It’s really a toss up, for how few lenses there are in this focal range they’re really all winners
When I go to a shooting location where I know what I'm getting I take primes. When it's just a walk I take the 60-250 or 55-300 PLM.

The focal length on this is 150mm. Closer is always better, and zooms let you take advantage of closer when you can get it.


I met this bird on a hiking path in a spot where I don't usually find these birds. Thanks to having a zoom on, I was up to the occasion.

My philosophy has always been "Cover the range with zooms, buy the primes based on zoom usage." For me that stops at 300mm of course. But I have 8-350mm covered with zooms (and TCs), and then appropriate primes where usage dictates.

Last edited by normhead; 02-18-2021 at 07:51 AM.
02-18-2021, 02:17 PM - 1 Like   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by bdery Quote
I think it's good to be wary of defects, but also the global statistics of defective lenses vs total lenses sold is certainly not as high as the internet would have us believe. People with no problems do not post

You can request one with a box, and ask for confirmation that it's a "Ricoh" lens and not a "Hoya" lens. That should be a good supplementary security. And also, repairing the motor probably costs something like 200 USD, so you can factor in that risk.

The 60-250 is a fantastic lens, one that I've loved since I've owned it.
I was disappointed that the 60-250 I bought in early 2016 was not in a Ricoh box (I bought a 16-85 then too and it was.) In fact the box (from Adorama, I think) had dust on it. However the lens was miraculously not decentered and merely off (by 10 at most focal lengths) from an AF micro-adjusting standpoint, so I also hesitated to exchange it. By the time I had received the lens the price had dramatically increased so ordering another to see if another copy would be better wasn't an option. Precision adjusted the AF under warranty (I waited almost a year, just in case something else went wrong) and made it better, although it's still not good enough at some focal lengths wide open with some of my bodies (I can't micro-adjust it quite properly, since the AF varies with focal length.) But I've mostly learned where it's accurate with my bodies and not (it's better on newer bodies, also) so hopefully it will continue working for a while, despite not being from the Ricoh generation.
02-18-2021, 04:44 PM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
When I go to a shooting location where I know what I'm getting I take primes. When it's just a walk I take the 60-250 or 55-300 PLM.

The focal length on this is 150mm. Closer is always better, and zooms let you take advantage of closer when you can get it.


I met this bird on a hiking path in a spot where I don't usually find these birds. Thanks to having a zoom on, I was up to the occasion.

My philosophy has always been "Cover the range with zooms, buy the primes based on zoom usage." For me that stops at 300mm of course. But I have 8-350mm covered with zooms (and TCs), and then appropriate primes where usage dictates.
Yeah it's one of those two schools of thought situations. But the 55-300 PLM is so cheap and (seemingly) so good that it might be a good way to test the gamut of tele focal lengths in this system and see what I like (and bide my time and see if anything drops in that rumored tele zoom roadmap). As long as it can do landscapes (and the odd windowsill bird shot), it's probably good to go, and with the KP's high iso, the slower aperture isn't a dealbreaker.

02-18-2021, 07:45 PM - 2 Likes   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by 11GTCS Quote
"the odd windowsill bird shot"
Sigma 100-300 F4 + Kenko 1.5 TC
02-18-2021, 08:06 PM - 1 Like   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by Benedict Michael Quote
Sigma 100-300 F4 + Kenko 1.5 TC
Again, no doubts the 100-300 is a good lens, but I'm really only looking for a zoom/tele prime if it is WR. While I don't need it in the windowsill, I'll need it for everywhere else with my shooting style, honestly otherwise I'd have just stuck with a D500 for this sort of thing, it'd be way easier on the AF tracking end
02-18-2021, 08:34 PM - 1 Like   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by 11GTCS Quote
Again, no doubts the 100-300 is a good lens, but I'm really only looking for a zoom/tele prime if it is WR. While I don't need it in the windowsill, I'll need it for everywhere else with my shooting style, honestly otherwise I'd have just stuck with a D500 for this sort of thing, it'd be way easier on the AF tracking end
I had no idea that AF Tracking was an issue. Imagine trying to photograph a butterfly flitting about.


02-18-2021, 08:35 PM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by Benedict Michael Quote
I had no idea that AF Tracking was an issue. Imagine trying to photograph a butterfly flitting about.

I mean I love Pentax, that’s not meant as a disparaging remark, but it’s not known for class leading C-AF performance, I didn’t even think that Pentaxians tried to convince themselves otherwise 😂

Last edited by 11GTCS; 02-18-2021 at 08:44 PM.
02-19-2021, 07:03 AM - 1 Like   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by 11GTCS Quote
I mean I love Pentax, that’s not meant as a disparaging remark, but it’s not known for class leading C-AF performance, I didn’t even think that Pentaxians tried to convince themselves otherwise
Agreed. It's not nearly as bad as some would have us think, but it's certainly behind the competition in tracking.

AF-S, on the other hand, can be just as fast or faster than some others. I've been testing the Tamron 20mm F2.8 on Sony, and that lens cannot keep up. It can track perfectly well, but going from infinity to about 1.5 meters is much slower than recent Pentax lenses, and coming from close to that same distance can take several seconds.
02-19-2021, 07:13 AM   #28
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QuoteOriginally posted by bdery Quote
Agreed. It's not nearly as bad as some would have us think, but it's certainly behind the competition in tracking.

AF-S, on the other hand, can be just as fast or faster than some others. I've been testing the Tamron 20mm F2.8 on Sony, and that lens cannot keep up. It can track perfectly well, but going from infinity to about 1.5 meters is much slower than recent Pentax lenses, and coming from close to that same distance can take several seconds.
Oh definitely. DSLR AF-S has had a much longer time to bake, and AF-C tracking seems to be one of those things that only a few brands truly excel at, so I’m guessing it’s incredibly hard to implement.

That said, it seems like the 55-300 PLM is probably the way to go for the short term until I really nail down which focal lengths and applications on the tele end I use the most. Especially since it seems like people think that lens and the KP are a winning combo.
02-19-2021, 07:37 AM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by bdery Quote
Agreed. It's not nearly as bad as some would have us think, but it's certainly behind the competition in tracking.
The big issue being the fact that Pentax AF-c cuts the AF-s frame rate in half. And while the camera is processing photos, the controls are off line.

If they fix those two things, they might sell me a K-3iII.
Kenspo's comment when he left the brand about waiting for the camera to process, while others with more action oriented cameras were just shooting away is still real, for that type of shooter.

Here's to hoping the new hardware in the K-3iii addresses this issue and that it carries forward into the K-1 and K-P lines.
02-19-2021, 11:38 AM - 1 Like   #30
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QuoteOriginally posted by 11GTCS Quote
I mean I love Pentax, that’s not meant as a disparaging remark, but it’s not known for class leading C-AF performance, I didn’t even think that Pentaxians tried to convince themselves otherwise 😂
Really never thought about it. Just used the cameras. Zero experience with other brands except for picking up a few demo bodies in stores.
Lots of experience with my lack of good technique though.
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