| Author: | | New Member Registered: April, 2012 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 17, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $922.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Gorgerous IQ, built like a tank but still light-weight, handles wonderfully | | Cons: | Loud and hunting screwdriver AF, no weather-sealing | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-3, K-1 II
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I purchased this lens in 2013 and it quickly became my absolute favourite lens.
All I can say is: it DELIVERS!
Oh boy, does it deliver.
Being from the 90s and having seen quite some use never hampered its capabilities, even when combined with the HD PENTAX-DA 1.4x AW AF rear converter.
I absolutely loved the heck out of this lens and many photos I account as my very best were taken using it.
So is there anything bad that can be said about the FA* 300mm f4.5? Well...the noisy and hunting screwdriver AF (which spoiled several opportunities when photographing wildlife) always frustrated me. In the end, I migrated to Panasonic M4/3 which provided a more modern, precise and silent AF experience.
Earlier this week I felt like picking up my venerable K-3 again after years of disuse, coupled with the FA* 300mm. The camera and the lens were still a real pleasure to use and the image quality a strong reminder why I loved them so much.
What a shame Pentax was never able to up their AF to competitors’ level.
* 2023 spring update
Having obtained a K-1 II, I jacked in this lens first thing and --- wow! It keeps on giving even on full-frame! The auto-focus is still makes a little too loud for my taste but considerably better than on the K-3.
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 32
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 13, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $575.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Optical Quality | | Cons: | No tripod collar | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax KP
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First the goods: this lens is well built, and there is a convenient MF/AF shift function.
Okay: bayonet hood, weight.
Unacceptable: No Collar! For a 300mm lens, absurd.
..... What about the optical quality? EXCEPTIONAL. And I mean it. Better than Contax Zeiss 300/4.0, better than Nikon 300/4.5 ED-IF, better than Minolta 300/4.5 MD-III, better than all kind of zooms, even slightly better than the excellent Canon 300/4.0 L New FD.
By 'better' I mean no chromatic aberration, with high resolution and high contrast from edge to edge at f/4.5!!!
Highly recommended.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Posts: 23,920
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 21, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Compact, lightweight, sharp, excellent image quality | | Cons: | Easily cracked lens hood | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-1 II
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This is a lens that is hard not to give 10/10 for what it is, but in all fairness there are only the slightest of shortcomings that make it at least a 9.5/10.
Firstly, the size and handling: What an engineering feat this lens is. Sure, it's f/4.5 maximum, but few lenses of this caliber can boast of a compact size that can fit into a standard camera bag and produce sharp images at f/4.5 - https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/77477-f-fa-club.html | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: October, 2018 Location: Quebec City, Quebec Posts: 6,565
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 4, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Excellent when used on the Pentax K1. | | Cons: | None. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: Pentax K3, K1
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Windmills along Interstate-40, Oklahoma taken with a Pentax K1 @ f/8.
Montreal's Olympic Stadium taken with a tripod-mounted Pentax K3 @ f/8.
Yucca in White Sands Nat'l Monument, N.M. taken with a Pentax K1.
Notice the separation between the main subject and the background possible @ f/8 with this impressively sharp lens.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2015 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 791
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 28, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $650.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | light, sharp, relatively cheap | | Cons: | needs some stopping down | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 4
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-50
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I've used this lens for over 10K nature shots. It is short for some birds but good for bigger ones and environmental portraits.
This lens is well-constructed and fairly light. The autofocus is not bad, and manual focus also works well. It is actually not difficult to manual focus with some practice.
This lens is decently sharp. The downside is that I usually have to use it at f/5.6 or greater to obtain acceptably sharp shots in the field. I have confirmed this with tests indoors with a sturdy tripod and the self-timer. The lens has some softness at f/4.5, even in the center. It gets better at f/5.6 and seems best at f/6.3 or higher. Whenever possible I use it at f/6.3. The softness at f/4.5 in the field is much worse, and I don't at all like the shots at f/4.5 in the field. In this way, the advantage of the f/4.5 aperture in the field is only for a bright viewfinder sadly.
This lack of wide-open sharpness makes this lens play poorly with the Tamron 1.4x teleconverter. With that teleconverter, even f/5.6 + teleconver = f/8 has some unacceptable softness. So, I would not recommend it with the teleconverter. With perfect conditions, the teleconverter enhances reach a little, but the advantage over cropping is negated mostly when you have to increase your ISO and you lose a little IQ.
Autofocus with this lens works but is not that fast on the K50. Perhaps it would be faster on the newer models. I can manually focus faster than the lens with my body. Continuous mode is really jittery, and I wouldn't even bother with it.
I don't want to sound too negative. This lens can produce outstanding results. At f/5.6 or higher with good technique, you can get many wonderful shots of birds. It is sharp enough that cropping to a 400-500mm FOV looks okay on 16MP, which you may inevitably have to do for smaller creatures.
The hood is a bayonet style that locks into place. the lock isn't perfect and it has fallen off once or twice, but is mostly solid.
With the price of the newer DA* 300 coming down on the used market here and there, it might make sense to get that one instead, or else try one of the Bigmas if you need more reach. If you like the 300mm focal length and don't plan on cropping too much, this could be just what you need.
Edit: I forgot to mention bokeh. It is not terrible, but I have noticed in some shots the stopped down bokeh looks busy, and the octagonal shape is fairly obvious when there some highlights like shooting a bird and there are leaves behind it. It is sufficiently bad that I have looked at some shots of birds and remarked to myself "whoa, those octagons".
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: March, 2010 Location: Svealand Posts: 172
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 10, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $642.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Well built, small, light (for a 300mm) | | Cons: | no tripod collar | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-5
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Great lens. Suits me better than the DA*300 which I sold a few months ago as the FA* is smaller and lighter. But I must say that it's a big deal that Pentax made no dedicated tripod mount for this lens. Really stupid of Pentax as it's unbalanced without a tripod collar. I have now bought a Tripod Mount Ring for Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS that I now use with this lens.
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2012 Location: Bangkok Posts: 16
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 19, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $820.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp result even at aprture 4.5, lightweight for joy, compact and great colors | | Cons: | Delicate silver color, easy to scratch | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K3, K5, K01
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This is the best pro FA* lens for walk around, light weight and no need to busy with tripod.
Thanks a lot Pentax.
***I am proud to be Pentaxians***
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: January, 2011 Location: Perth Western Australia Posts: 2,621
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 28, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $695.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ,sharp,small,well build, joy to use | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-3,K-30
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Well, after looking and looking for one finally I managed to find one in Australia.
At AU$695 I was very pleased, great value.
Excellent performer, small , compact , fast AF.
Took it for a walk with K-3 , photographed some birds, even some in flight, very happy with overall performance.
Highly recommended , with overall ratings : 9.6
Some of my photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/itrax/sets/72157634403747263/
 | | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2012 Location: Moscow Posts: 13
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 26, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $820.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Construction, weight, balance, IQ, speed | | Cons: | could not be found | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-30
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It forced me just to yell "WOW!" from the first shot. Impressive quality and colours.
AF with K-30 is very fast.
No SDM worries. Very portable for 300mm. Works with 1.4-1.5-1.7 Teleconverters.
Portrait results are overhelming as well as wildlife shots.
Invest in this lens, while you can.
My other shots by this lens.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2011 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 1,150
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 2, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $995.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Small, light, sharp even wide open | | Cons: | Hard to get a lens cap without detaching the hood, noisy a bit | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
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Outstanding lens for walking or hiking light. Very good when paired with good 1.4x AF TC. Despite the same optical construction some users claim that F*300/4.5 is better due to integrated tripod mount. The $10 Canon Ring A(W) tripod mount fits perfectly on FA*300. Be aware that older Sigma (non EX) 1.4x AF TC does not autofocus with this lens. I use the lens with K-5 for my walks and hikes for birds and wildlife photography. One more thing. Different than on F*300 MF switch allows the FA*300/4.5 to be used for Catch-in-Focus shooting.
The only problem I have is attaching/detaching the hood to get access to the lens cap. But it is nothing to do with remarkable optical quality of the lens. The lens is simply exceptional.
Update #1: Despite the common myth that Sigma APO 1.4x EX DG TC doesn't lock on other then Sigma lenses, it's pretty usable on FA*300/4.5. The AF is very fast and accurate even in low light situations.
Disclaimer: Some Pentax users still claiming that their EX DG (older ones?) won't AF on FA*300/4.5. The only thing what I know is that I purchased my Sigma APO 1.4x EX DG TC brand new in the middle of November of 2011 and it does AF.
Update #2: It appears that Tamron 1.4X Pz-AF MC4 TC works the best with my copy of FA*300/4.5. Please see the five TC shoot out here: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=39945163 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2010 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Posts: 813
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 6, 2011 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Size, construction, optical performance (sharpness, contrast, colour and sharpness++) | | Cons: | No tripod collar, but workaround is cheap | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
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Wonderful lens, set it at F4.5 and click away.
Sharpness and contrast peaks at F5.6.
AF with K-5 is fast, and not too loud.
Good quality used lenses are getting up in price, you won't lose out on your investment.
Still a lot cheaper than the DA* 300, and no SDM worries.
The best affordable 300mm image quality bar none.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: November, 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 4,001 | | Review Date: April 26, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $995.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Small, Light, Very sharp, IQ | | Cons: | Noisy | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
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First impression, the lens is deceptively small and relatively light-weight. This is very important for outdoor shooting when bushwalking. The lens is very sharp. The IQ is superb. The quality of the shots with my K-7 is very, very impressive (astonishing is possibly a better word).
The lens is quite easy to install on the camera. In MF, the focus ring is nice to use. The hood fits nicely. It is slightly cumbersone but light weight.
The only possible downside is the AF noise. Not a big deal and some user suggested to wrap the lens in clothes to make it silent when shooting wildlife.
I also tested my FA*300mm with a Tamron TC 2x. It works very well giving me a great 600mm reach, although the IQ suffers a little.
I can recommend highly this lens. I know that it was discontinued but some used copies are available on the marketplace. Lastly I agree with an earlier review that I would reword: "If you are looking for a [pocket-size] 300mm lens but can't afford the [price and weight of the] F2.8 one, this is the one!".
| | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2010 Location: Belgium Posts: 13
1 user found this helpful
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2010 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,910
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 15, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $850.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Light weight. Sharp as a tack. Pairs well with the AFA 1.7 TC | | Cons: | Not 2.8 | |
This lens is surprisingly light. It doesn't have a tripod collar and it doesn't need one.
It's also wicked sharp. I hear it's sharper than the DA* 300, but I don't own the lens to compare. In a brick wall test, you wont believe how sharp this is. It's almost certainly sharper than the sensor on the K-7 can record.
Which also means that it pairs well with the Pentax 1.7 AFA TC.
My only complaint about this lens is with the shooter, not the lens. That I find I'm not shooting at 300mm. I either want something longer, or something shorter. It's easier to pack around than the Bigma, but somewhat less versatile.
Still, if you can find one, it's results wont fail to impress.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: June, 2008 Location: Holy Land Posts: 1,165 | | Review Date: May 23, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $850.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Optical quality, compact, well built, beautiful color rendition and sweet bokeh | | Cons: | None | |
The FA* 300 is a superb lens. The colour and contrast is outstanding and the lens is very sharp wide open. It's so light and small that you don't need the tripod mount. The AF is very fast.
I also use the lens with 1.7x Pentax teleconverter almost without losing image quality.
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