[Saarepoiss]

Hi again pentaxians!

Im sorry for my close posting lately but i have new question. Question is what wildlife lenses do you recommend me for under 250$(lenses can be used that doesn'nt matter). My wish is to get something 300mm and over it. I did some research yesterday but i didn't found the lens that i should take.
Choosing wildlife lens is so hard for me as a beginner. Like should i take zoom or prime, telephoto or tele zoom(actually i don't even know the difference between those but you get the idea).

Is it allowed to question so many questions continuously in this forum?

Best wishes!

[jlstrawman]

Is it allowed to question so many questions continuously in this forum?

Yes, however, you might consider asking lens questions in the lens forum:

Pentax SLR Lens Discussion - PentaxForums.com

[Saarepoiss]

Yes, however, you might consider asking lens questions in the lens forum:

Pentax SLR Lens Discussion - PentaxForums.com

Can it be moved there? Then i don't have to create new thread.

[SpecialK]

With that budget and focal length requirement, the Pentax 55-300 will provide decent image quality. I would look in the used marketplace as they show up frequently.

Longer (500mm) and cheaper ($150 or less) options include various mirror lenses, but they typically have only fair image quality, a fixed aperture, manual focus and a "donut" bokeh.

Sports & wildlife generally require the expensive stuff.

[boriscleto]

The best available at that kind of budget is the DA 55-300. The DA L version can be found for less than $150. The DA version for less than $250. The HD WR version is still out of your price range.

[KiloHotelphoto]

The FA80-320 can be picked up for about $100. It's no DA*300 F4 but it's not horrible either and about a tenth of the price.

[jddwoods]

If its in your budget, I would recommend going for the PLM version of the DA 55-300, assuming you have a compatible body. I have had the HD DA version and the PLM version. For wildlife the super fast autofocus really makes a difference.

[clackers]

+1 for the DA55-300 at this price point.

Wildlife lenses like the D FA 150-450 and DA560 tend to be the most expensive in the K-mount lineup.

[Saarepoiss]

but what do you think about Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 or 100-400mm Promaster (

You Tube

You Tube

) and what do think how FA80-320 compares with these lenses?

[aslyfox]

I like my Tamron for the most part but I like my new to me DA L 55 - 300 mm more

my long lenses options:

Tamron 4-5.6 70 -300 macro zoom ld [1:2] af 62 f
_________________________
Vivitar Series 1 3.5 200 mm prime af in lens 67 f (Cosina)

Vivitar Series 1 2.8-4.0 70 - 210 mm macro zoom [1:25] mf 62 f ( ver. 3 ), Kosine)
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smc Pentax DA L 4-5.6 50-200mm wr ed zoom 49 f

SMC Pentax-DA L F4-5.8 55-300mm ED 58 f

HD Pentax-D FA F4.5 - 5.6 150-450mm ED DC AW 86 f
___________________________
HD Pentax -DA af rear converter 1.4 AW

I have legacy lens, lenses I have bought "experienced" and new

I very rarely use the Vivitars and very rarely use the rear converter with any lens but it is there if needed.

IMHO, YMMV, you don't need new lenses if there is no " real " difference between the experienced ones and the new one

what is a " real " difference - ah that is a very individual decision based on $ and the different features you want or need, sometimes it is a trade off between $ and features

I have had very good experiences dealing in the forum's market place and I am lucky enough to live in the US where I can rent equipment for a "try out". Very important since I don't have a "brick and mortar" store to physically examine pentax equipment

I recently discovered that KEH.com offers a 14 day return on equipment:

What is the return policy for KEH?

Effective Feb 18, 2016
At KEH it’s our goal to ensure your 100% satisfaction. If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you can return or exchange it to KEH within 14 days of delivery for a full refund. Drones are excluded from 14-day return policy.

________________________

take a look at these threads to see examples:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/294721-post-your-hd-penta...-pictures.html

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/55946-300mm-plus-lens-clu...ng-lenses.html

ask questions there as well

[savoche]

i think most agree that the DA (L) 55-300 is better than the Tamron 70-300. My 55-300 has done me wonderful service on several trips around Africa, very hard to get better quality for the price - and very compact size (which is important for me when travelling).

Anyway, the best way of keeping price down is to buy second-hand. Take your time to look around for a good deal and something will show up, I'm sure.

[Lowell Goudge]

snip..........

Wildlife lenses like the D FA 150-450 and DA560 tend to be the most expensive in the K-mount lineup.

Just to be clear for the OP this "problem" is not unique to Pentax k, but is an issue for anyone wanting to shoot wildlife regardless of platform

The best way to get close is to go for something like a Pentax q and a good prime in the 100-200mm range, but this takes practice

[aslyfox]

i think most agree that the DA (L) 55-300 is better than the Tamron 70-300. My 55-300 has done me wonderful service on several trips around Africa, very hard to get better quality for the price - and very compact size (which is important for me when travelling).

Anyway, the best way of keeping price down is to buy second-hand. Take your time to look around for a good deal and something will show up, I'm sure.

I agree but the Tamron does offer a 1:2 macro option at 300 mm but overall I prefer my just purchased new to me DA L 55 - 300 mm

the tammy is the long lens I used on my only trip to Africa, it will not be returning

_____________________________________________________

buying an "experienced " lens can be risky ( however, most of my lenses were "experienced" ) that is why I like KEH's return policy

I bought my DA L 55 - 300 mm from them

I also have had good luck when I have dealt with forum members at the Market Place

[clackers]

Just to be clear for the OP this "problem" is not unique to Pentax k, but is an issue for anyone wanting to shoot wildlife regardless of platform

Oh, sure. The 150-450 is positioned against, say, the Canon 100-400, while the DA 560 is a price compromised alternative to something like a Canikon 600mm f4.

A very good price/performance combo in Pentaxland is 300mm f4 plus 1.4TC.

[stemked]

I think I've gone through just about every K-mount lens at this time and can echo most everything suggested here.

I used the Tamron lens for many years. IMGP2429 EG Motmot | Photo.net I liked the 1:2 but it comes now where near as good as a true macro. I wasn't happy with the long end of this lens. Better to get a version of the 55-300.

Below is the same bird with the 55-300
CR IMGP4632 Turqoise-browed Motmot | Photo.net
The first version is optically the match of the second, but the second is water resistant, hence I prefer version 2. I am in the process of selling my version 1, if you are interested though. I have only read about version 3 and I would think it depends on what body you use if you want that lens.

If you have a bit more cash and a large tripod the Takumar 500mm f4.5 is an interesting lens to consider. There are both K mount and M-mount lenses and for many years I used the M-mount with a K to M adapter. It is a really nice lens, especially for the price ($300-500) but has a couple of weak spots; it doesn't close focus and there are some chromatic issues that *may* have been corrected in the newer Pentax versions. No doubt though, the lens is sharp and despite it's length isn't all that heavy. I even used to use the lens with the 1.4X-L with okay results. In this case though your ballhead/tripod are likely to cost 2-3 times as much as the lens.

Another used lens to look for is the Sigma 400mm f5.6. There are three versions, Non-APO f5.6 (72mm thread) poor optically, fragile, light weight lens, an APO version that is pretty good, also light but also suffers in that it is rather fragile, and a newer version APO-macro 77mm filter which is much better, but rather rare now and sadly rather expensive. I used these lenses for many years though (not the non-APO version) with very nice images provided I used a decent tripod.TUI IMGP5832 small | Photo.net