[lancer3397]

my thoughts also.

well I suppose it all depends on what level of picture quality they are aiming for doesn't it.

automatically a few people seem to be jumping to the conclusion that it will be equivalent to DA 60-250 or sigma 100-300 in picture quality, ergo more money.

but the HD WR 55-300 is not stunning money. if they are building it to be as good as the 55-300 then I can't see how a £850 - £1100 won't be impossible.

it's all a balance of sales against no sales surely? a mid quality, pentax made WR telephoto lens with the new HD coatings to fill the gap in their lens lineup will garner interest from a lot of users and maybe even tempt across users of other systems. producing a top drawer WR HD telephoto modelled on the likes of the DA 60-250 will garner a lot of drooling but the price will put a lot of people off.

bearing in mind, take a 60-250, add the new 1.5 TC and at 1.5 crop on the APS-C you have 575mm equivalent.

the 135-380 lens is equivalent to 570mm. now why make a 135-380 telephoto at huge money on that basis. who is it going to tempt?

it's not long enough for hardcore birders, and a lot of people with the 60-250 might be content with just adding the new TC to their collection and keeping their lens rather than spend more money and upgrade.

[Zygonyx]

I don't think those two zooms will compete.
I don't think the DA135-380 will be more expensive than DA*60-250 + TC, actually i see it in the same price range as DA*60-250.
Also, one stop difference is not negligible in the long ends.

[kosmoejtg]

Didn't Sigma offer a 1.4 and 2.0 teleconverter for Pentax? Is finding a used one a good (less expensive) alternative to the Pentax teleconverter?

[ElJamoquio]

They did/do.

They aren't that good IMO.

[woodywesty]

Didn't Sigma offer a 1.4 and 2.0 teleconverter for Pentax? Is finding a used one a good (less expensive) alternative to the Pentax teleconverter?

They stopped offering the 1.4 TC a year or so ago. I talked with (email exchange) the rep at Sigma who indicated that the TC for Pentax just wasn't a money maker for Sigma. Makes me wonder if they will continue with the 2.0TC and why some of their lenses must be profitable to be offered in K mount and others not profitable??

[kosmoejtg]

I have a Sigma 150- 500mm and the manual mentions the teleconverter but it is not available anymore. I am surprised that the lens comes with IS. You would think they would leave that our for Pentax and Sony but maybe it is too expensive to retool for that.

[ElJamoquio]

I have a Sigma 150- 500mm and the manual mentions the teleconverter but it is not available anymore. I am surprised that the lens comes with IS. You would think they would leave that our for Pentax and Sony but maybe it is too expensive to retool for that.

For long lenses, I find optical stabilization valuable sometimes... makes it easier to frame things handheld. I'm glad it's still on there.

FYI, when they take out the HSM or OS they never reduce the price.

[kosmoejtg]

You would think that OS adds cost and weight to a lens. How great would it be if we could get a lens for 10% less $ and weight than Nikon or Canon? It would just add to the reason why Pentax is a great option.

[VisualDarkness]

Didn't Sigma offer a 1.4 and 2.0 teleconverter for Pentax? Is finding a used one a good (less expensive) alternative to the Pentax teleconverter?

1. They only work (physically) with a select number of lenses.
2. Some lenses can't focus all their range with it.
3. They lack HSM/SDM contacts in Pentax mount

[asahi man]

Didn't Sigma offer a 1.4 and 2.0 teleconverter for Pentax? Is finding a used one a good (less expensive) alternative to the Pentax teleconverter?

Both are out of production and not in sight with a new production run.
Best regards

[manishved]

Both are out of production and not in sight with a new production run.
Best regards

There are several used ones out there..IMHO they are awesome...

[kosmoejtg]

There are several used ones out there..IMHO they are awesome...

Have you used one? I just checked and there is one for $140 on Ebay.

[manishved]

Just make sure you get either Tamron or Kenko with the SDM connectors so that you can use it with SDM lenses...

[rawr]

DA*60-250 + TC

I have a Sigma 150- 500mm

Call me prejudiced against TC, even though I have 3 of them, but I've personally never seen a good result using TC with zooms.

Unless all the components of the whole system (lens and TC) are of superb optical quality and designed to work together, using zooms with TC is bound to disappoint. Exceptions may be the built-in 1.4 TC of the new Canon 200-400 f4L, or the grey 'long-neck' Pentax A 1.4XL TC mated with some specific FA* telephoto zooms.

[gazonk]

I have only one teleconverter, a Vivitar 2x I bought around 30 years ago, and which I still haven't taken a single useful picture with. It's simply not sharp enough. So I guess I'm suspicious.

I wonder though, is there any chance that this teleconverter would make any sense on my DA55-300 (on K-5)? Or will I be better off cropping? The sharpness of the DA55-300 isn't exactly overwhelming at 300mm, but I think the center sharpness is OK when used at fairly close range (in contrast - it always seems pretty "muddy" to me when focused at infinity).

I guess I'll know soon, since the 55-300 is a quite common lens I guess someone will test the 1.4 converter with that lens as soon as it is released.