[kamicota]

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Hi again
Just explored where we need to expand to with this camera and it seems to be to an AF 500mm Lens to compliment my 18-55mm DA L Lens - nothing in between that I have been exploring for these last couple of days or so.

So now the decision is which K mount Pentax or third party 500mm at a great price is needed to find a new home. --->>> Here is one I found on Ebay --->>>

500mm Telephoto Lens for Pentax Mount f/8.0 Accessory Size 67mm TOU/Five Star | eBay

HOPE there may another on this forum

IF there is PLEASE point me in the right direction.

Cheers for Years
Colin

[Giklab]

I'm extremely confused by this thread.

You want to jump from a kit lens straight to a multi-thousand-dollar, multi-kg lens? (what you linked is not AF and not very good either).
How about a 70-300, or the Pentax 55-300?

[kamicota]

Thank you Giklab
DEFINITELY not - after looking on Ebay found several 500mm Lenses with a K mount for my K-30 - and that where/IS I AM heading. Possibly YES my link was a little out of balance as I found it was for a Canon more than a Pentax K mount.

That being said there are other much less costly than you suggest - SO we will have to explore & see where all this take me to. AS I NOW truly after a 500mm Lens OK!!!

Yet please suggest other options as you posted where I may go in this direction

Cheers for Years
Colin

[Cardinal15]

Colin, that is not an AF 500mm lens, it is an old generic 500mm Pre-set (Quantaray, Kimunor, Five Star, etc.) 500mm F8 Lens Reviews - Miscellaneous Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database
like these.I own a couple of these and they are useful under certain conditions but they are not stellar by any stretch also the price is a bit high for something like this. If you move from the kit lens to this you'll undoubtedly will be disappointed with the results. I also don't understand why you want to make such a big jump. I'd suggest the next lens should be a DA 55-300. You should be able to find one pretty easily for a good price and you'll be more pleased with the results.

[kamicota]

Thank you Cardinal 15
Have tried a while back the Pentax 100 - 300mm (I think) and for some reason thought that a JUMP to the 500mm would be the answer for where I am heading. With the idea that a singleMM like the the 500 or even a 300mm may be what I need.
Yet this seems to lead me to a better Price Pentax or??? 55-300mm solution eh???

Cheers for Years
Colin

[Des]

Cheapest viable AF zoom lens for K-mount that runs to 500mm would be a Sigma. The 150-500 or 50-500 (Bigma) are fairly widely available.

Best zoom option would be the DFA 150-450, but it's a lot more expensive.

Each of these weighs about 2kg. If you haven't used such a heavy lens before it will come as a shock.

I used to have a Sigma 170-500 which was lighter in weight (about 1.4kg) and cheaper than the 150-500 or 50-500. But its performance was compromised on the long end. It needed to be stopped down to f8 or so, and it wasn't great for distant subjects.

In primes, options include the Sigma 500mm f4.5 or the Pentax DA 560. Both rare and very expensive.

Are you REALLY sure you need 500mm?

To be frank, you would be better off trying the most decent lens that runs to 300mm that you can afford and looking for something longer only when you have run up against the limits of that lens.

A good 300mm prime, like the DA*300 f4 or the F/FA*300 f4.5 will be much easier to carry and use, and when you learn to use it effectively will give you croppable images, and can be paired with a 1.4x teleconverter for the equivalent of 420mm f5.6 or 6.3.

If that is out of range, go with Giklab's and Cardinal15's suggestion of one of the better xx-300 zooms. The screw-driven Pentax 55-300 models are a bargain IMHO. Even the humble DA-L version (plastic mount, lacking quick shift and not WR) is optically identical to the other two; it can be found for as little as $120-$150.

The new 55-300 PLM won't work with the K-30, unless Pentax releases a firmware update. (They have for the K-50 but not the K-30.)

[kamicota]

Thank you Des
What a "Come Back down to Earth" suggestions YOU have given me and TRULY appreciate them OK.
NOW just have to explore what you have said and see where we need to go after I explore all the OPTIONS you have laid out.

Cheers for Years
Colin

---------- Post added 05-07-17 at 04:52 PM ----------

OOOOPPPSSS!!! Des and went back and read your post more closelr y to see does NOT work with K-30 with repects to firmware update. And my Firmware is newest at 1.60

Cheers for Years
Colin

[KiloHotelphoto]

Not sure what your budget is or what you plan to shoot but if you want a 500mm lens and can afford it get one. You can get a great 300 mm lens like the DA*300 but you will always want more reach.

If you do get a 500mm lens don't waste your time with the $99 Opteka type lens, spend the money on good quality. You will also need to have a good tripod and head with a lens that long, make sure you budget for that.

[Des]

OOOOPPPSSS!!! Des and went back and read your post more closelr y to see does NOT work with K-30 with repects to firmware update. And my Firmware is newest at 1.60

Just to be clear about this. There are four versions of a Pentax 55-300.

Three are basically the same: they have screw-driven auto-focus, and the same optical formula. They are:
SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED Reviews - DA L Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database - this has a plastic mount, doesn't come with a hood (but aftermarket ones are cheap), lacks QuickShift and WR
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database - same as the DA-L, except it has a metal mount, QS, and comes with a hood.
HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED WR Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database - same optical formula and features as the earlier DA, but adds new coatings, nicer construction and WR. This is the one to get if your budget allows. It is still available new.

Any of these three will work with the K-30.

Now there is also a new DA 55-300 PLM which has a completely new optical formula.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/hd-pentax-da-55-300mm-f45-63-ed-plm-wr-re.html
Note that it is a little slower (e.g. f6.3 at 300mm, compared with f5.8 for the screw-drive models). It uses electronically controlled focus and aperture mechanisms. It only works with new Pentax bodies or those for which Ricoh has release a firmware update to enable use with the PLM - i.e., the K-50 onwards. Not the K-30. (Whether there will be a firmware update for the K-30 like that for the K-50 is anybody's guess.)

This is currently the only Pentax lens that won't work with the K-30.

[clackers]

A lot of those 500mm cheapies are miserable 'mirror' lenses, Kamicota.

Pentax make a great 560mm f5.6 lens. Sell that kidney!

[kamicota]

Thank you ALL --->>>
And being an "Impatient Novembers Child" After ALL the Advice HERE is what we just bought --->>>
"Excellent" SMC PENTAX DA L 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED Lens From Japan | eBay

Price etc is STILL creating a few palpitations hehehe

And YES as has been stated - often those ???500mm Lenses may leave a Big question mark about buying or Using.

Cheer For Years
Colin

---------- Post added 05-07-17 at 08:50 PM ----------

Thank you all for helping me making up my mind on a new lens for the Pentax Journey.
NOW we have to find a CHEAP earlier Pentax K camera to Join the K-30 in partnership with the 55-300mm & or the 18-55mm Lens.
Suggestions are truly welcomed OK!!!
As I want to use one lens solely with one camera and the other also

Cheers for Years
Colin

[Des]

HERE is what we just bought

Congratulations Colin. This is the model I have too. It's great value.

If it doesn't come with a hood (and the ad suggests it doesn't) lash out and spend $2.50 on one, like this: 1pc Replacement Lens Hood For Pentax PH-RBG RBG 58MM DA 55-300 f/4-5.8 NEW | eBay

NOW we have to find a CHEAP earlier Pentax K camera to Join the K-30 in partnership with the 55-300mm & or the 18-55mm Lens. Suggestions are truly welcomed OK!!! As I want to use one lens solely with one camera and the other also

Regarding the camera body, there are two schools of thought. (1) Get the same model you have, because you can operate it without thinking about it. (2) Get a model that gives you something that your K-30 doesn't.
I've tried both strategies. I had two K-30 bodies, and now I've got a K-3 and a K-S2. The latter strategy suits me now. The K-3 is an all-round better camera, but the K-S2 is great when I want to travel lighter, or I want wifi or the flippy screen. When I carry both, I usually put a telephoto lens on the K-3 (better AF, better metering, faster frame rate, the extra heft balances the lens better, a little more scope for cropping) and a wide angle or macro on the K-S2. Either camera is better than the K-30 (except the K-S2's ergonomics, and lack of wireless flash control), but the improved AF on the K-3 makes a big difference with a lens like the 55-300.

If you can run to a K-3 you won't look back. If not, consider one of the K-5 series - ideally the K-5iis because it doesn't have an AA filter. The flagship models offer many small advantages that add up to a lot - e.g. better battery, top LCD, more buttons, better dust control. more robust construction.

But if they are out of range, aim for the most recent model within your budget. The K-50 and K-30 are cheap now - albeit with the risk of aperture block failure. I'd look through the PF marketplace first.

[kamicota]

Thank you Des,

Now I need another Pentax K Camera body so I can use the 55-300mm with one and the 18-55mm with the other without a need to change lenses and bodies.

SO the question is which affordable camera for which lens LOL

Cheers For Yeas
Colin

---------- Post added 05-07-17 at 10:53 PM ----------

And thank you "Clackers" from Australia --->>>
NOW we STILL have BOTH kidneys' in tact LOL

Cheers for Years
Colin

[Des]

Now I need another Pentax K Camera body so I can use the 55-300mm with one and the 18-55mm with the other without a need to change lenses and bodies. SO the question is which affordable camera for which lens LOL

See my comments in post #13

[kamicota]

Thank you Des & Hilariously I could not find your #13 Post/Reply hehehe--->>>
And at this point in time a second K-30 seems a little out of my reach (Financially that is OK!!!)
Was and AM even considering a K10D or a K20D - YET all seems so much out of reach it truly hurts

SO where to from here IS still up in the air

Cheers for Years
Colin