Originally posted by gmoney0725 Thanks for the info - perhaps I'll stick to the Pentax lenses. Hopefully it won't take too long to track a few down.
The Pentax name is by no means a guarantee of quality. My 55-300DA (bought new) was a clunker, clearly underperforming my 50-200 and 100-300F (yes, the dreaded 4.5-5.6 version.) You have to test any lens you get, and make sure you can return it without hassles if it's not what you want. That applies to other brands also, of course.
I would suggest sticking to lenses that function fully automatically on your camera, but others feel differently. At least beware of what's involved if you go with something like a screw mount or M lens.
Remember you need to allocate money for a "clone" hood if purchasing the DAL version of the 55-300 Pentax (the DA version comes with the hood included.)
Paul