[UncleVanya]

I recently sold off three m43 lenses and plan to divest from m43. In doing so size became more important in my apsc line up. I will rely on my Sony RX100 for the super portable uses that m43 covered, and my KP for the slightly more upscale needs that I covered with m43 and APSC in the past.

To facilitate this I pulled the trigger on purchasing a DA 55-300 RE PLM lens. My old DA 55-300 will be sold off in all likelihood.

EDIT: my niece may get the old lens as a gift. She still has the ks-2 and a DA 17-70 and a DA 50. I’m checking to see how much she’s using it or if the iPhone is her main weapon these days.

[ChristianRock]

Nice... it's a setup that makes a lot of sense.

I have to say that the one thing that M4/3 makes a lot of sense for, is on the telephoto side, because the lenses get to be quite smaller. But this should work very well with the PLM as well, looking forward to seeing your results from it!

[DW58]

My 55-300 PLM is on my K70 A LOT!

[normhead]

Tess and I often use the PLM as a walk around.

[ramseybuckeye]

To facilitate this I pulled the trigger on purchasing a DA 55-300 RE PLM lens. My old DA 55-300 will be sold off in all likelihood.

EDIT: my niece may get the old lens as a gift. She still has the ks-2 and a DA 17-70 and a DA 50. I’m checking to see how much she’s using it or if the iPhone is her main weapon these days.

Congrats, you will like it. Good to check on your niece's usage, hate to gift a lens to be a shelf ornament. Been there, done that.

[UncleVanya]

Congrats, you will like it. Good to check on your niece's usage, hate to gift a lens to be a shelf ornament. Been there, done that.

I’ve liked the results from the DA 55-300… but size and speedy focus seem to point me to this. I resisted since I own the 60-250 also but I rarely just take it on a whim due to the weight and size.

[Paul the Sunman]

The SMC DA 55-300 was part of my first Pentax kit, along with the K5 + 18-55. I thought wow, this does everything! I now have the HD version, but never jumped for the PLM. Judging by everyone else's reactions though, the AF speed is astounding. Enjoy your new purchase.

[Madaboutpix]

Pet photography has got a lot easier since I was able to add the 55-300 PLM to my kit last month. Thanks to Ricoh's generosity of including the K-3 in their compatibility firmware policy, I'm getting the benefit of the latest tech even on my 2014-vintage camera. Glad I didn't get distracted by some iffy reviews and my own fears that the retractable design might be clunky. My copy feels surprisingly solid and built to tight tolerances, the focus is spot on with virtually no hunting, and so much faster and quieter than the indecision and racket my old DA 55-300 used to make. The slight loss in fastest aperture is no issue at all, given that the optical performance is such that you can use the lens wide open without hesitation (F6.3 or F7.1, it seems, will give me great results through the whole range). Both shots utilizing ambient at ISO 5000, by the way. Mizuki, our lively new kitten, approves:

[UncleVanya]

I already have the 18-50 but the DAL version - I'm on the hunt for the HD DA version now - at least in my mind I am. That combo would be pretty nice to have as a travel kit with the KP and the small grip.

Alternatively the 20-40 ltd would work paired with this new (to me) PML 55-300 and other combinations like the 18-135 / 55-300 or even the DA 15 / DA 21 / 55-300... endless options.

[Madaboutpix]

I already have the 18-50 but the DAL version - I'm on the hunt for the HD DA version now - at least in my mind I am. That combo would be pretty nice to have as a travel kit with the KP and the small grip. Alternatively the 20-40 ltd would work paired with this new (to me) PML 55-300 and other combinations like the 18-135 / 55-300 or even the DA 15 / DA 21 / 55-300... endless options.

Yep, already noticed that the PLM fits nicely in my small travel-lightly bag. I can even pop in one of my DA 15, 21, or 35 Limiteds to go with it. Can't wait for the days to get longer, and for that frickin' pandemic to go away ...

[ramseybuckeye]

I’ve liked the results from the DA 55-300… but size and speedy focus seem to point me to this. I resisted since I own the 60-250 also but I rarely just take it on a whim due to the weight and size.

It' actually a little larger than the 18-135, but it doesn't seem like it.

[BigMackCam]

I already have the 18-50 but the DAL version - I'm on the hunt for the HD DA version now - at least in my mind I am. That combo would be pretty nice to have as a travel kit with the KP and the small grip.

Alternatively the 20-40 ltd would work paired with this new (to me) PML 55-300 and other combinations like the 18-135 / 55-300 or even the DA 15 / DA 21 / 55-300... endless options.

Congrats on the 55-300 PLM, Brad

I also have the DAL18-50, and was surprised by how decent it is. Like you, I'm (sort of) on the look-out for a sensibly-priced HD version as a result. If it's even slightly better than the DAL, it deserves a place in my bag...

[UncleVanya]

So I also bought the HD DA 18-50… not PLM, but retractable and hopefully an improvement over the SMC DAL version.

The two lenses plus a grip and the KP fit into this hard shell case:

SKB photography “go box” by -vanya_42nd-