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04-20-2018, 07:00 AM   #1
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Need a 150-500mm lens for my K5

Good morning

A pleasure to be on this forum. Me and my trusty Pentax K5 have become active birders and I want to expand beyond the reach provided by my DAL 55-300 lens (and that has been fantastic). Accordingly, I am seeking a telephoto that might get me out to 450 to 600MM. Budget is limited so the new price on many Pentax and third party lenses is a bit daunting at present. If anyone might know of a resale I would like to explore. Thank you.

04-20-2018, 07:09 AM   #2
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Hi, I don't see a location on your profile....where are you hailing from? It might help to narrow down a resale.

Cheers, Charlie
04-20-2018, 07:17 AM   #3
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Welcome to the forums

the OP appears to be from Canada

is it possible to rent a lens there ?

consider renting to do your own try out


and you can go up to " Lenses " for reviews of Pentax and third party lenses

once you have narrowed your choices be sure to check the forum's market place if you are looking for an " experienced " lens
04-20-2018, 07:25 AM   #4
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There is a 50-500mm Sigma (Bigma) for sale in out MarketPlace, if you're interested, but no, I'm not the one selling it.

Sigma 50-500 Ex APO DG (Bigma). Full Frame compatible. - PentaxForums.com

04-20-2018, 07:27 AM   #5
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Vistek Pro Rentals of Digital SLRs Video Cameras and Equipment - Vistek Toronto Calgary Canada

Also, kijiji has a ton of older Pentax glass
04-20-2018, 10:52 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by gmhartley Quote
Good morning

A pleasure to be on this forum. Me and my trusty Pentax K5 have become active birders and I want to expand beyond the reach provided by my DAL 55-300 lens (and that has been fantastic). Accordingly, I am seeking a telephoto that might get me out to 450 to 600MM. Budget is limited so the new price on many Pentax and third party lenses is a bit daunting at present. If anyone might know of a resale I would like to explore. Thank you.
The Sigma 170-500mm or 50-500mm lenses would be good, affordable choices. Unfortunately there are no cheap super telephoto zooms; if those prove too costly, then a manual focus prime, potentially with a teleconverter, might be another option.

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04-20-2018, 04:13 PM - 1 Like   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by gmhartley Quote
A pleasure to be on this forum. Me and my trusty Pentax K5 have become active birders and I want to expand beyond the reach provided by my DAL 55-300 lens (and that has been fantastic). Accordingly, I am seeking a telephoto that might get me out to 450 to 600MM. Budget is limited so the new price on many Pentax and third party lenses is a bit daunting at present. If anyone might know of a resale I would like to explore. Thank you.
Welcome to PF.

Those Sigma xx-500 lenses are big hefty beasts. A much lighter weight alternative to consider would be a F*/FA*300 f4.5 and a decent 1.4x teleconverter, for an effective 420mm f6.3. These are outstanding lenses, and much more light weight and compact. They seem to go for around $US600.

I had a Sigma 170-500 for a while. For birding I don't really miss the versatility of the zoom (always seem to be cropping anyway), and the IQ of the prime + TC is way superior, and it is much easier to carry and use.


Last edited by Des; 04-20-2018 at 10:33 PM.
04-20-2018, 07:37 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by CharLac Quote
Hi, I don't see a location on your profile....where are you hailing from? It might help to narrow down a resale.

Cheers, Charlie
I live in eastern Ontario, Canada near Kingston.

---------- Post added 04-20-18 at 07:40 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Des Quote
Welcome to PF.

Those Sigma xx-500 are big hefty beasts. A much lighter weight alternative to consider would be a F*/FA*300 f4.5 and a decent 1.4x teleconverter, for an effective 420mm f6.3. These are outstanding lenses, and much more light weight and compact. They seem to go for around $US600.

I had a Sigma 170-500 for a while. For birding I don't really miss the versatility of the zoom (always seem to be cropping anyway), and the IQ of the prime + TC is way superior, and it is much easier to carry and use.
Thanks Des. Have you any experience using a Pentax DAL 55-300 with a teleconverter? Does Pentax offer the best TC for that setup?

---------- Post added 04-20-18 at 07:45 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Aslyfox Quote
Welcome to the forums

the OP appears to be from Canada

is it possible to rent a lens there ?

consider renting to do your own try out


and you can go up to " Lenses " for reviews of Pentax and third party lenses

once you have narrowed your choices be sure to check the forum's market place if you are looking for an " experienced " lens
Rental was my first choice for the reasons you indicated. There is only one rental shop near me and they don't have anything in house right now.
Other locations are about 250 kms from here.
04-20-2018, 07:49 PM   #9
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---------- Post added 04-20-18 at 21:51 ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by gmhartley Quote
I live in eastern Ontario, Canada near Kingston.

---------- Post added 04-20-18 at 07:40 PM ----------


Thanks Des. Have you any experience using a Pentax DAL 55-300 with a teleconverter? Does Pentax offer the best TC for that setup?

---------- Post added 04-20-18 at 07:45 PM ----------


Rental was my first choice for the reasons you indicated. There is only one rental shop near me and they don't have anything in house right now.
Other locations are about 250 kms from here.

I rent from a company in Tennessee and I live in Kansas

order through the web and Fed Ex delivers

anything similar in Canada ?

_____________



the converter you want to look at is the HD Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter

HD Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter Reviews - DA Teleconverters - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

you need to read the " In Depth Review "



Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter

Introduction

Pentax released the long-awaited 1.4x autofocus teleconverter in March, 2014. This handy accessory mounts between your existing DSLR lens and the camera mount to increase the effective focal length by 1.4x, giving you extra reach at the expense of one stop of light. For example, a 300mm F4 lens paired with the teleconverter would give you the same field of view and maximum aperture as a 420mm F5.6 lens. We feel that the teleconverter is an important addition to the Pentax lens lineup, which currently has a limited number of extreme telephoto lenses.


Read more at: Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

____________________________

SMC and HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8: phase detect autofocus may be unreliable when zoomed in, use contrast detect

Read more at: Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter Review - Specifications | PentaxForums.com Reviews

__________________________________________________

The rear converter is weather resistant and image quality only degrades marginally with this converter, while continuing to be better than what you'd get from an up-sampled image. The converter adds no visible distortion or vignetting to the image but faithfully retains the characteristics of the lens albeit magnified by 1.4x. This means that lens flaws get magnified: and as an example bokeh when using the converter will come out slightly harsher than without, and purple/green fringing may be more pronounced.
This teleconverter is compatible with nearly the entire current Pentax lens lineup, and also with most legacy lenses. There is a handful of modern lenses with which the converter is not compatible, but fortunately, most of these lenses are wide-angles that wouldn't normally be used with a teleconverter. However, we still recommend that you check the specifications for compatibility before investing in the converter or a new lens.


Read more at: Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter Review - Conclusion | PentaxForums.com Reviews
04-20-2018, 08:46 PM   #10
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Welcome aboard.
04-20-2018, 11:01 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by gmhartley Quote
Thanks Des. Have you any experience using a Pentax DAL 55-300 with a teleconverter? Does Pentax offer the best TC for that setup?
No I haven't used my DA-L 55-300 with a TC. Losing a stop of light with a 1.4x TC would mean it would be effectively 420mm f8. That would obviously need very good light, and AF would be hit-and-miss, but more fundamentally I personally doubt that the resolution of the lens would be good enough to produce really worthwhile results. To put it another way, would the results be better than cropping? I doubt it.

Still, plenty of others have tried this combination - do a search and you will find several discussions about it.

As for TCs, no doubt the Pentax DA 1.4x TC is the gold standard, but it's quite pricey. It's the only one that seems to work flawlessly with SDM lenses, but there are other good cheaper options for screw-driven autofocus lenses. See this thread: Teleconverter challenge Sigma vs Kenko vs Tamron X1.4 - PentaxForums.com I've been very happy with my Kenko Pz-AF 1.5x Teleplus SHQ TC.
04-21-2018, 04:56 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Des Quote
No I haven't used my DA-L 55-300 with a TC. Losing a stop of light with a 1.4x TC would mean it would be effectively 420mm f8. That would obviously need very good light, and AF would be hit-and-miss, but more fundamentally I personally doubt that the resolution of the lens would be good enough to produce really worthwhile results. To put it another way, would the results be better than cropping? I doubt it.

Still, plenty of others have tried this combination - do a search and you will find several discussions about it.

As for TCs, no doubt the Pentax DA 1.4x TC is the gold standard, but it's quite pricey. It's the only one that seems to work flawlessly with SDM lenses, but there are other good cheaper options for screw-driven autofocus lenses. See this thread: Teleconverter challenge Sigma vs Kenko vs Tamron X1.4 - PentaxForums.com I've been very happy with my Kenko Pz-AF 1.5x Teleplus SHQ TC.
Thank you. Appreciate your responses.
04-21-2018, 01:55 PM   #13
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Soon I will be selling my Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG has I dont use enough of it. I was doing birding, not anymore.
04-21-2018, 05:34 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by bobmaxja Quote
Soon I will be selling my Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG has I dont use enough of it. I was doing birding, not anymore.
If you would, please contact me when you make your decision. You are close enough that I can come and see the lens and check it out.

With thanks
Gerard Hartley
04-21-2018, 06:28 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by Des Quote
As for TCs, no doubt the Pentax DA 1.4x TC is the gold standard, but it's quite pricey. It's the only one that seems to work flawlessly with SDM lenses, but there are other good cheaper options for screw-driven autofocus lenses. See this thread: Teleconverter challenge Sigma vs Kenko vs Tamron X1.4 - PentaxForums.com I've been very happy with my Kenko Pz-AF 1.5x Teleplus SHQ TC.
My Tamron 1.4 is brilliant with my DA 18-250mm Screw drive but not as fun with my DA 55-300 PLM or with a Sigma 70-200 2.8 HSM. So I have to agree with Des on this one. I have not even tried with my Sigma 120-400 but may try it in bright daylight only as a manual focus lens.

Also if you want a specific lens, post in the wanted forum under buy and sell, so pay for access to that section and a whole new world of lenses to buy and sell opens up!
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