DA 55-300mm F4-F5.8 - New acquisition!

legacyb4 · 09-18-2009, 11:56 AM

Thought it was appropriate to mark my 1,000th post with a note that my new 55-300mm is out for delivery just in time for the weekend. Can't wait to get home to fill in the rest of this post with some test shots!

Ash · 09-18-2009, 01:20 PM

Well congrats Jeff.
It is a surprisingly fine lens, I'm sure you'll agree.

legacyb4 · 09-18-2009, 10:43 PM

Okay, managed to squeeze in a quick walk around the block after dinner. Sun was already going under so I had to boost ISO to a minimum of 400 to get usable handheld shutter speeds. At 300mm, you really start to notice even the slightest hand tremor compared to 135mm or even 200mm!

Things I've noticed about this lens in a short time:

a) the lens is of reasonable build quality; tight, no looseness in focus or zoom, and as solid as a polycarbonate lens body can feel; I've been spoiled by my DA* 50-135mm without question.

b) as other people have mentioned, no indication of zoom creep; in fact, if you are pointing down and zoom out, it's pretty stiff. I did notice that when you zoom out, the aperture stays at F5.8; again, I've gotten so used to having a fixed aperture setting across a zoom range...

c) focus acquisition is a bit hit and miss as it will sometimes go from one extreme to another trying to lock in; I have a feeling for casual sports use, I'm going to have to prefocus as much as possible before hitting shutter/AF button focus.

d) it's surprisingly slim and light for the range it covers; while it may seem like a minus when compared to heftier lenses in the DA* class, it will actually be nice to be able to pack it away for traveling without a second thought.

Let's see how it does tomorrow (weather permitting)!

legacyb4 · 09-18-2009, 10:44 PM

Now for some test shots... actually impressed with the lens as these are all handheld, one off shots as I was walking around my neighbourhood!

300mm

55mm

Last edited by legacyb4; 09-18-2009 at 10:53 PM.

xjjohnno · 09-19-2009, 12:26 AM

DCR 250 Diopter and the fun really begins, then you'll start hankering for a longer lens and go for a Bigma. Nice buy all the same and I have to say I've quite enjoyded putting my DA55-300 to a lot of use.

patrickt · 09-19-2009, 01:37 PM

Why is a fish stencilled on the pavement?

audiobomber · 09-19-2009, 06:35 PM

Originally posted by xjjohnno

DCR 250 Diopter and the fun really begins, then you'll start hankering for a longer lens and go for a Bigma. Nice buy all the same and I have to say I've quite enjoyded putting my DA55-300 to a lot of use.

The Raynox 250 vignettes pretty badly on the 55-300 all through the middle zoom range. Also the 250 is pretty powerful at 300mm and hard to handle for casual macros. The Raynox 150 is a much nicer match IME and still allows about 1.4:1 and shows no vignetting.

My 55-300 is in for repair after a nasty fall. I should have it back next week. I really miss it, the 18-250 and Tamron 70-300 aren't filling the gap.

Nice photos Jeff.

xjjohnno · 09-19-2009, 06:40 PM

Well the DCR 250 gets quite a lot of use on my DA55-300, especially at the 300mm length, yep it is awkward but lunatic fun all the same.

**germar** · 09-19-2009, 06:57 PM

Okay, I've got to get in line with PatrickT, what DOES the stenciled fish in front of the storm drain mean? Don't toss your cleaned fish leftovers down the storm drain?

lol

germar

Steinback · 09-19-2009, 07:08 PM

@patrickt: The fish is a reminder that storm drains lead to waterways and pouring chemicals down them poisons local fish populations. There have been campaigns about the problem for years in Canada and occasionally you'll see kids with stencils spraying the signs as a school project. If you're old enough some of you probably remember guys pouring old motor oil and such down drains because they're too lazy to dispose of it properly. The towns I've lived in recently have hazardous waste disposal sites that will accept household chemical waste for free as another way to help prevent dumping.

I've also seen frog and salamander stencils as well as metal storm drain covers with fish shapes cast right into them in different communities. That particular fish profile looks like a chinook salmon.

legacyb4 · 09-19-2009, 08:37 PM

Correct, it's a stencil of a salmon which B.C. is famous for; it's a reminder that the drain leads into waters where fish live.

Shot a soccer game today as well as an outing with the kids; it's definitely an interesting lens to use as it is deceivingly light despite appearances. I like the range you get off this zoom although the minimum focusing distance makes it tough to use in tight quarters.

Wish they had made the hood a little more substantial; feels like a disposable plastic cup!

audiobomber · 09-19-2009, 09:29 PM

Originally posted by legacyb4

Wish they had made the hood a little more substantial; feels like a disposable plastic cup!

Mine didn't survive the fall. From the replacement cost I'd say it's made of gold under that flimsy black plastic.

I bought a three-stage collapsible rubber hood for 10 bucks, delivered.

Pentaxor · 09-20-2009, 09:20 AM

Originally posted by legacyb4

Correct, it's a stencil of a salmon which B.C. is famous for; it's a reminder that the drain leads into waters where fish live.

Shot a soccer game today as well as an outing with the kids; it's definitely an interesting lens to use as it is deceivingly light despite appearances. I like the range you get off this zoom although the minimum focusing distance makes it tough to use in tight quarters.

Wish they had made the hood a little more substantial; feels like a disposable plastic cup!

looks like finally made the decision to buy one Jeff. so how did it performed shooting action? got any pics from that sweet lens? I forgot to tell you that the lens is really light and could fool you from it's looks. the lightness is advantageous, but the close focusing could really be a challenge. but a nice piece of glass anyway.

btw, did you shot Steve's soccer game yesterday? I heard he's in town. too bad I wasn't able to go out yesterday. wifey got sick. it could had been a nice opportunity to meet as well. anyway, I'm going next month to get a shot of an NBA pre-season game at GM place. that would be nice. atleast some variation from time to time. too much hockey.

legacyb4 · 09-20-2009, 10:19 AM

Some additional test shots from around and about meadowsmaze.com yesterday. Really not much to complain about this lens and resulting IQ. The lightness of the lens make it a little more prone to handshake but does well in a variety of situations.

150mm, minimum focus distance

300mm

creampuff · 09-20-2009, 05:39 PM

legacyb4, looks like you got a nice copy. Congrats.
This lens is a winner... good image quality for the price.
Though I would advise everyone to test before buying as mine had a little more colour fringing when shooting strongly backlit subjects.

09-18-2009, 11:56 AM	#1
legacyb4 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tri-Cities, British Columbia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,784	DA 55-300mm F4-F5.8 - New acquisition! Thought it was appropriate to mark my 1,000th post with a note that my new 55-300mm is out for delivery just in time for the weekend. Can't wait to get home to fill in the rest of this post with some test shots!

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09-18-2009, 01:20 PM	#2
Ash Moderator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,914	Well congrats Jeff. It is a surprisingly fine lens, I'm sure you'll agree.

09-18-2009, 10:43 PM	#3
legacyb4 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tri-Cities, British Columbia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,784 Original Poster	Okay, managed to squeeze in a quick walk around the block after dinner. Sun was already going under so I had to boost ISO to a minimum of 400 to get usable handheld shutter speeds. At 300mm, you really start to notice even the slightest hand tremor compared to 135mm or even 200mm! Things I've noticed about this lens in a short time: a) the lens is of reasonable build quality; tight, no looseness in focus or zoom, and as solid as a polycarbonate lens body can feel; I've been spoiled by my DA* 50-135mm without question. b) as other people have mentioned, no indication of zoom creep; in fact, if you are pointing down and zoom out, it's pretty stiff. I did notice that when you zoom out, the aperture stays at F5.8; again, I've gotten so used to having a fixed aperture setting across a zoom range... c) focus acquisition is a bit hit and miss as it will sometimes go from one extreme to another trying to lock in; I have a feeling for casual sports use, I'm going to have to prefocus as much as possible before hitting shutter/AF button focus. d) it's surprisingly slim and light for the range it covers; while it may seem like a minus when compared to heftier lenses in the DA* class, it will actually be nice to be able to pack it away for traveling without a second thought. Let's see how it does tomorrow (weather permitting)!

09-18-2009, 10:44 PM	#4
legacyb4 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tri-Cities, British Columbia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,784 Original Poster	Now for some test shots... actually impressed with the lens as these are all handheld, one off shots as I was walking around my neighbourhood! 300mm 55mm Last edited by legacyb4; 09-18-2009 at 10:53 PM.

09-19-2009, 12:26 AM	#5
xjjohnno Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Melbourne Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,115	DCR 250 Diopter and the fun really begins, then you'll start hankering for a longer lens and go for a Bigma. Nice buy all the same and I have to say I've quite enjoyded putting my DA55-300 to a lot of use.

09-19-2009, 01:37 PM	#6
patrickt Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Oaxaca, Mexico Posts: 247	Why is a fish stencilled on the pavement?

09-19-2009, 06:35 PM	#7
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by xjjohnno DCR 250 Diopter and the fun really begins, then you'll start hankering for a longer lens and go for a Bigma. Nice buy all the same and I have to say I've quite enjoyded putting my DA55-300 to a lot of use. The Raynox 250 vignettes pretty badly on the 55-300 all through the middle zoom range. Also the 250 is pretty powerful at 300mm and hard to handle for casual macros. The Raynox 150 is a much nicer match IME and still allows about 1.4:1 and shows no vignetting. My 55-300 is in for repair after a nasty fall. I should have it back next week. I really miss it, the 18-250 and Tamron 70-300 aren't filling the gap. Nice photos Jeff.

09-19-2009, 06:40 PM	#8
xjjohnno Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Melbourne Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,115	Well the DCR 250 gets quite a lot of use on my DA55-300, especially at the 300mm length, yep it is awkward but lunatic fun all the same.

09-19-2009, 06:57 PM	#9
germar Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: North Palm Beach, Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 728	Okay, I've got to get in line with PatrickT, what DOES the stenciled fish in front of the storm drain mean? Don't toss your cleaned fish leftovers down the storm drain? lol germar

09-19-2009, 07:08 PM	#10
Steinback Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: GTA, ON, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,673	@patrickt: The fish is a reminder that storm drains lead to waterways and pouring chemicals down them poisons local fish populations. There have been campaigns about the problem for years in Canada and occasionally you'll see kids with stencils spraying the signs as a school project. If you're old enough some of you probably remember guys pouring old motor oil and such down drains because they're too lazy to dispose of it properly. The towns I've lived in recently have hazardous waste disposal sites that will accept household chemical waste for free as another way to help prevent dumping. I've also seen frog and salamander stencils as well as metal storm drain covers with fish shapes cast right into them in different communities. That particular fish profile looks like a chinook salmon.

09-19-2009, 08:37 PM	#11
legacyb4 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tri-Cities, British Columbia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,784 Original Poster	Correct, it's a stencil of a salmon which B.C. is famous for; it's a reminder that the drain leads into waters where fish live. Shot a soccer game today as well as an outing with the kids; it's definitely an interesting lens to use as it is deceivingly light despite appearances. I like the range you get off this zoom although the minimum focusing distance makes it tough to use in tight quarters. Wish they had made the hood a little more substantial; feels like a disposable plastic cup!

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09-19-2009, 09:29 PM	#12
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by legacyb4 Wish they had made the hood a little more substantial; feels like a disposable plastic cup! Mine didn't survive the fall. From the replacement cost I'd say it's made of gold under that flimsy black plastic. I bought a three-stage collapsible rubber hood for 10 bucks, delivered.

09-20-2009, 09:20 AM	#13
Pentaxor Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,513	Originally posted by legacyb4 Correct, it's a stencil of a salmon which B.C. is famous for; it's a reminder that the drain leads into waters where fish live. Shot a soccer game today as well as an outing with the kids; it's definitely an interesting lens to use as it is deceivingly light despite appearances. I like the range you get off this zoom although the minimum focusing distance makes it tough to use in tight quarters. Wish they had made the hood a little more substantial; feels like a disposable plastic cup! looks like finally made the decision to buy one Jeff. so how did it performed shooting action? got any pics from that sweet lens? I forgot to tell you that the lens is really light and could fool you from it's looks. the lightness is advantageous, but the close focusing could really be a challenge. but a nice piece of glass anyway. btw, did you shot Steve's soccer game yesterday? I heard he's in town. too bad I wasn't able to go out yesterday. wifey got sick. it could had been a nice opportunity to meet as well. anyway, I'm going next month to get a shot of an NBA pre-season game at GM place. that would be nice. atleast some variation from time to time. too much hockey.

09-20-2009, 10:19 AM	#14
legacyb4 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tri-Cities, British Columbia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,784 Original Poster	Some additional test shots from around and about meadowsmaze.com yesterday. Really not much to complain about this lens and resulting IQ. The lightness of the lens make it a little more prone to handshake but does well in a variety of situations. 150mm, minimum focus distance 300mm

09-20-2009, 05:39 PM	#15
creampuff Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,953	legacyb4, looks like you got a nice copy. Congrats. This lens is a winner... good image quality for the price. Though I would advise everyone to test before buying as mine had a little more colour fringing when shooting strongly backlit subjects.