[ffking]

The days of the FA*600 and FA*250-600 are long gone. The lenses are simply too expensive to develop and manufacture for the amount that will be sold.

Precisely - they used to make them (incidentally, in days when Pentax had a larger market share) and not enough people bought them to justify the production cost, so they stopped making them. There is obviously a chicken and egg situation by which Pentax loses market share because they don't have the lenses people want, but at least they don't produce a full-on action camera (A9) without them.

[Miguel]

Though I have and enjoy my K-1, I've been shooting wildlife and sports with Canon bodies for the past ten years. I would suggest you add the Nikon 200-500 f5.6 to your list as the optical quality may surpass the Sigma Sport. I'm not convinced that the Sigma Sport is any better than the Sigma Contemporary; I've rented the latter on my Canon 5D Mark III. I compared it with the Tamron G1 150-600mm and thought they were essentially the same; I've owned the Tamron G2 for the past year and think it is better than the Sigma Contemporary optically and IS-wise. The D750 is a nice camera, but the build quality is a step below both the K-1 and the Canon 5D franchise. I've borrowed the D500 and think that is the best wildlife camera available, amazingly accurate AF and excellent resolution. That plus the 200-500mm should get you far.
Lens Rentals | Blog

M

[Adam]

I have a K-1, K-3, K-5 and a cupboard full of K-mount lenses (mostly Pentax). Broadly, I am a very happy Pentaxian, and love the K-1.

However, there is one area where I feel let down by the Pentax system, and its 3rd party lens support: super-telephoto on FF for wildlife. I have come very close to buying the DFA 150-450 a couple of times, and it is 15% off on the Pentax Australia web store this weekend. I am tempted, but ... 450 mm is pretty marginal for wildlife on FF. It has the same field of view as 300 mm on APS-C, and I have a lot of experience of that with the DA 55-300.

Yes, I know that there's the DA 560, but it's too expensive and is not really a FF lens, though its image circle covers the sensor. And yes, there is the 1.4x TC, but it's not FF either. What I would really like is the Sigma 150-600 Sport, but it's not available in K-mount and almost certainly never will be.

One option I am toying with is to just accept that Pentax will never cover this requirement, and jump ship to Nikon ... for super-telephoto only! (There is no way I am going to leave Pentax for all my other shooting.) If I just bought a Nikon D750 (Aus$2k at present) and the Sigma 150-600 Sport ($1600 this weekend), I am not paying much more than for the DFA 150-450 alone. I know the D750 is no K-1, but it's decent enough.

(By the way, I have used my son's Sigma 50-500 on the K-1. It's very sharp at centre, but disappointing near the edges on FF. I am looking for better.)

Does this make sense? For this sort of shooting I would normally only carry one lens anyway, so I don't need to double up and carry Pentax and Nikon together. Or is the K-1 + DFA 150-450 + cropping a better option?

The Nikon route is not a bad idea IMHO, but all it would take is for Pentax to update the TC for full-frame and we'd be back in business...

There's also the F/FA* 250-600mm, though it's a beast

[Paul the Sunman]

The Nikon route is not a bad idea IMHO, but all it would take is for Pentax to update the TC for full-frame and we'd be back in business...

Yes! I was surprised that wasn't one of the first releases after the K-1 came out, as it would really add value to the 150-450.

[surfar]

AS youve mentioned the 1.4x TC,it on your 55/300 gives more than a Nikon system with Sigma.The tradeoff is using crop mode...and thats what i do at times.

[btnapa]

Does this make sense? For this sort of shooting I would normally only carry one lens anyway, so I don't need to double up and carry Pentax and Nikon together.

Like you, I am totally committed to the Pentax system. I do not shoot with very long lenses but your idea is not a bad one.

Most of my pro friends shoot with Canon or Nikon. I am a former Canon shooter myself. One of my buddies has both the Nikon D7200 and the D750. I have tried both on many occasions and I drool over the speed of focusing on both bodies. I have shot with K5IIs. K3 and now a K1. I love my Pentax system and I think dollar-for-dollar they are the best value in DSLR world. However, as we know, long lenses are not plentiful for the Pentax system and the focusing speed leaves a lot to be desired. If I were to shoot weddings (I used to do it) or anything sporting related, including long lens applications, I would consider Nikon as my first choice.

If you do not mind the crop body and do not have to have a full-frame, I would go for the D7200 and the Sigma 150-600. You will get a lot of reach out of the combo.

Just me two cents.

[Ian Stuart Forsyth]

Keep an eye out for a used D800 or D810, the D800 on the used market runs about $1500 for a lightly used and $1200 for a more used body . I just picked up a used D800 for $1200 and a Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 for $1400, there seem to be an influx of used D800 on the market as of late.

The D800 and the sigma sport is a very handy setup for a lot of wildlife work

[zapp]

Tested the 150-450 on K1 and found myself using 450mm most of the time - no need to carry a huge zoom to get a 5.6/450 mm. Fine for APS-C, but not for FF.
Sigma 4.5/500 should be at the limit of handholdability, but screw drive AF and no weather sealing made me stay away for the price.
5.6/560 is too long to walk, carry, fly around... sorry.
A single new lens and decent FF TCs would do the trick for Pentax, but other glass is needed more desperately. I also expect that in lens image stabilization would help really long glass - look at Olympus and Sony that use sensor and lens stabilization in combination.
The longer I keep my A*600, the more I like it. The Sigma 4/500 would be nice to have, even better a Pentax made lens.

[normhead]

What about not doing FF and using Q7/ or QS1?....the DA 300mm produces pretty good images from what ive seen in the Q section.

My XG-1 is the same size sensor with a 233mm lens built in. That gives you auto-focus. It's not good in low light, but nether is any 6.3 lens I've ever seen on a Pentax or Nikon.

[MadMathMind]

I know the D750 is no K-1, but it's decent enough.

Wait just a bit and there will be a TON of used D800/D810 on the market because the D850 is out soon. You can probably snag a second-hand D810 for the price of a new D750.

[surfar]

My XG-1 is the same size sensor with a 233mm lens built in

Yes,very capable....

My bridge cameras serve specific purposes and i test a few newbys time to time.One always comes along,as does a dslr.

The Nikon p900 does pretty good for its sensor size(a friend owns it).

That gives you auto-focus

Yes,however manually with adapted lenses is fun too!

It's not good in low light, but nether is any 6.3 lens I've ever seen on a Pentax or Nikon.

Yes, and i'll use equipment that suits the conditions.

The XG-1 is interesting but its rare, never pops up used here.

---------- Post added 09-18-17 at 06:32 AM ----------

My XG-1 is the same size sensor with a 233mm lens built in

Yes,very capable....

My bridge cameras serve specific purposes and i test a few newbys time to time.One always comes along,as does a dslr.

The Nikon p900 does pretty good for its sensor size(a friend owns it).

That gives you auto-focus

Yes,however manually with adapted lenses is fun too!

It's not good in low light, but nether is any 6.3 lens I've ever seen on a Pentax or Nikon.

Yes, and i'll use equipment that suits the conditions.

The XG-1 is interesting but its rare, never pops up used here.

[Pål Jensen]

Much more cost-, weight-, and hassle-effective to buy a K-3 and a lens for APS with the same angle of view as you want for the FF-telephoto lens combo.

[Sandy Hancock]

The more I think about this, the DA*300 will remain my longest lens. It is wonderful on the K-1. I'm not going to make a living out of wildlife or sports, so crop mode (or the KP) with the teleconverter will be fine if I want extra reach. It also shines on the Q7 if I want to go to extremes.

Advantages - smaller, lighter, manageable filter size and won't cost me a cent as I already have them

[clickclick]

The more I think about this, the DA*300 will remain my longest lens. It is wonderful on the K-1. I'm not going to make a living out of wildlife or sports, so crop mode (or the KP) with the teleconverter will be fine if I want extra reach. It also shines on the Q7 if I want to go to extremes.

Advantages - smaller, lighter, manageable filter size and won't cost me a cent as I already have them

I consider my K3II my teleconverter for my 150-450 and K1. Body with caps slides into the bag taking up less space than another telephoto lens, even if it is a tad bigger than just a TC

[monochrome]

The more I think about this, the DA*300 will remain my longest lens. It is wonderful on the K-1. I'm not going to make a living out of wildlife or sports, so crop mode (or the KP) with the teleconverter will be fine if I want extra reach. It also shines on the Q7 if I want to go to extremes.

Advantages - smaller, lighter, manageable filter size and won't cost me a cent as I already have them

Same idea but FA*300/4.5 on the KP is quite long enough, KP fps is quite fast enough, FA*300 is very fast focusing and light enough to use with a monopod for birds. KP high ISO quality compensates for the f/4.5 max aperture in shaded locations.

Some day I'll try it with the 1.4x TC, but for now 300 on K-1 and 450 FoV equivalent on KP is enough.