Originally posted by Metsuari Hi, any news on this one? I'm in a bit of a rush to buy... any news or links... would be grateful. :-)
Sorry, I totally missed to answer your question.
Although it's not FF compatible I bought this lens to use it with my K-1. Before I tested the K-1 with the DA15. Even this small image circle lens with it's flare resistence and without lens hood offers some advantages compared to using it with an APS-C camera. A very welcome new use case.
With the DA55-300PLM I did some simple tests concerning FF compatibility and different focal lengths based on dng raw captures. At the end I have to say that this lens is by no means FF compatible. Stopping down aperture shows even more vignetting / restricting image circle.
Really critical FL are 70 up to 120mm. I'd say from ~130 up to 260mm you can handle vignetting in PP to get the full FF sensor area or near the mark. At 300 you have to crop a little bit. If you give up using the lens hood it's getting better.
When I bought the lens, I new I couldn't expect more and I'm really really happy with it. Very good sharpness and IQ in general, silent AF, short distance capability, versatility and lightweight - love it!
I use it a lot in K-1 square or FF mode. Despite of it's restrictions it's no problem for me since I always shoot raw and can crop in PP as I like. You get a lot more as if you'd only use it in APS-C mode or with an APS-C camera! A really big advantage of K-1 (FF) ... IMO, of course other opinions may exist.
Some of my images taken with this lens you can find in the following threads accompanied by some notes.
- Opinions on the 55-300 RE...
- Post your K-1 pictures!
- Just Black and White-ur B/W Monochrome photos here
- The Bokeh Club
- The 300mm plus lens Club discuss your long lenses.
You can also have a look at my
lens dedicated album. Some of the first images show vingnetting at different focal lengths.