| Author: | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2012 Posts: 696
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 27, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $229.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, light, inexpensive | | Cons: | no weather-sealing | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-30
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Love this lens. Massive telephoto photography (82mm - 450mm equiv) at a budget price. Great for sports, birds, planes -- action. Perfect, handheld, in daylight. Baseball pix below at f/9, 1/640, ISO 400... taken at field level near 3rd base. Basically, I run around with it on TAv at f/10, 1/500, ISO whatever... works for fast snapshots anywhere in the zoom range. Interestingly, at 300mm, it stops down to f/32 without diffraction... but you'll need a tripod.
This lens delivers tremendous value for its low cost. From here, it's a HUGE jump up the price ladder, for equivalent telephotos with larger apertures -- want f/2.8? Grab your wallet. And I'm not a professional. But for us amateurs, this 55-300mm really hits the sweet spot!
 | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2013 Posts: 306 | | Review Date: September 22, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Colors,zoom range,weight,size | | Cons: | Price high,not sharp enough, someapertues not good | | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5
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I am not totallyhappy sharpness of this lens
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: September, 2011 Location: Richland, Washington, USA Posts: 935 | | Review Date: July 16, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, compact, wide range | | Cons: | Loud autofocus | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5 & K5IIs
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Bought this to use mainly at longer focal lengths, but also as an upgrade travel lens from my DA18-250. I read this lens was better at the long end and that's true. I haven't been disappointed. Sharpness is very good, colors are terrific, and i was surprised how nice the bokeh is. For what it is I couldn't ask for much else other than a quieter autofocus. I was able to shoot flamingos with it but if I'd gotten much closer than 100 yards I probably would've spooked them. If you want to get close, probably better to switch to manual.
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2010 Posts: 16 | | Review Date: June 2, 2013 | Not Recommended | Price: $384.00
| Rating: 3 |
| Pros: | cheap | | Cons: | chromatic aberration is awful, sharpness is not that sweet sharp that I know with my other lenses | | Sharpness: 4
Aberrations: 1
Bokeh: 4
Autofocus: 4
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-5 IIs Digital SLR
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This lens was a christmas present to myself, I already have 3 other 50-300 lenses,
and use them on the other 3 Pentax I own, and I ordered
a new K5 and hate spending time changing lenses so also ordered this lens.
Our winter and spring was horrid. All my shooting was done indoors in natural
light and the camera and lens didn't get much of a workout. But come May
when it finally stopped snowing I took both cam and lens outside and that is
where I found the problems.
The chromatic aberration is awful. Every photo I take outside of flowers, trees,
landscapes, birds and portraits has nasty green and purple and blue outlines around
everything in every photo. I have my own web site and have spent more time
trying to get rid of the fringing then just enjoying photography and my photos.
I originally thought that the K5 might have been a bad camera to order
and I changed alot of settings which helped in the saturation field but did
nothing for the fringing. Friday I took off the new lens and put on the lens that
I use on my K20D, shot 500 photos in the garden and then processed them
and was astounded that the beauty that I know is associated with Pentax
was not at fault in the camera.
The lens is going back and I will not reorder another one.
M
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2013 Location: Tokyo Posts: 503 | | Review Date: June 1, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $380.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharp, light weight, inexpensive | | Cons: | loud AF | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-30
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I just got the lens mainly to extend my range a bit. Up to now I was using...
DA 18-135 WR (allround on my K-30)
SMC M 50mm F1.4 (portrait on my K-30)
SMC M 50mm F1.7 (portrait on my K1000SE)
SMC M 28mm F2.8 (street on my K1000SE)
... so the DA 55-300 was purchased mainly as a range extender. But also I wanted to compare the relatively cheap 55-300 to the weather resistant 18-135 in the ranges that they share. And I have to say that I am very impressed by the performance of the DA 55-300. The AF is a little bit noisy but really quick, and the sharpness seems a tad better than on the 18-135.
The lens seems solidly built and feels good in the hand, not at all cheap. Still it is a very light lens, so putting it into my already packed Vanguard UP-RISE 46 did not alter the overall weight that much.
I would have preferred the lens to have a wider aperture, but the bokeh on some portraits I shot in 55mm range is very satisfying. I will have to test the lens in low light circumstances, e.g. live music, but up to now I am very satisfied!
Recommend!
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2012 Posts: 14 | | Review Date: May 31, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $361.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ is great end to end! | | Cons: | Not weatherized | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-30
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OK .. some time has passed .. looking back at my original review (below), I was not as kind as I could/should have been .. This lens has been a work horse and has given me many top quality (ie prize winning) photos .. I wanted a lens that was 'decent' at the far end and I've used it 80% of the time stopped out to 300mm with very very little to complain about .. most of what 'others' might call problems can be addressed by a little bit of finesse, (tripod), camera settings etc. I liked it when I got it and I love it now ... but YES I 'would' love to get the WR version of this lens. Ah someday.
I am primarily a nature photographer . . this lens has seriously advanced the quality of my photos (over kit lenses) I have not found anything to complain about regarding what the lens does . . I do wish it had 'macro' capability or at least a bit closer focus . . I find that it needs six feet or so of distance to get locked onto a subject . . but that is true across the entire range of the lens so it's pretty easy to fill a frame with the small stuff even without getting close . . I would recommend this lens to any budget minded nature shooter . . it's awesome for the price.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2012 Posts: 38
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 27, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $280.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp wide open at 300m, light weight, small size. | | Cons: | Screw drive is a little loud | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K20D
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Just picked up this lens from a forum user and I love it! The size and weight are very good for a lens with this kind of reach. I don't think this lens hunts for focus any worse than other screw drive lenses do, so I have no issue with focus. The pictures so far are very sharp from what I can tell. The weather here has not been very good for any kind of photography!
An interested thing I found was the difference in sharpness between having a haze filter on the lens and not having one. I am the type that puts a filter on just to help protect the lens thinking it didn't make a difference in sharpness. Well here are two pics showing the difference.
With Haze filter...
Without Haze filter...
 | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2012 Posts: 14
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 25, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Price-performance ratio is very good | | Cons: | Border performance, sharpness at 200 - 300mm | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 6
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-7 & K-5
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I am using this lens for two years now, so I know how it performs in various situations.
To be short - this is a good lens.
If you are looking for 50(70)~250(300) auto-focus lens in 200-350 USD price range you shouldn't look elsewhere. This is an optimal choice.
When open, the sharpness is good. Not as a prime lens though.
Pixel peering. At 300mm, f=8 on K-7 the overall sharpness was above good, on K-5 it is only good. It is unknown to me how it would behave on upcoming 24 Mp matrix, but one thing I am sure of - performance wouldn't improve.
Typically for Pentax lens, the flare resistance is very good.
Close-up. Due to good central sharpness this lens can be used as a "macro" lens.
Shot with extender. 
AF is fast enough, color render is superb.
I recommend DA 55-300 as a second lens to 18-55. For veterans and pixel peers I recommend to wait for 100-400, mentioned in pentax lens roadmap.
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2012 Posts: 13 | | Review Date: March 23, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Compact, Lightweight, Sharp | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K5
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This lens is very compact and lightweight for it's focal range. The build quality is decent with a metal mount and has manual override on the focus. I find the focal range very useful because it starts at 55mm and goes all the way to 300mm. This is more useful to me than lenses that start at 70mm or ones that end with 200mm. It is very sharp with good color contrast. It focuses fine for my use and I like it that it has no built-in focus motor to possibly malfunction. It takes better imagines than the 18-55mm kit lens. It doesn't focus very close but I solved that problem by buying a Canon 500 D achromatic closeup lens in the 58mm size. With the 500 D I can take nice closeups of flowers, insects, etc and in good light still use AF. I use this lens with the K5. It is not a real fast lens but the newer sensors such as on the K5 make up for it being a slower lens. I think it is the best buy in a DA zoom for your Pentax.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: March, 2013 Posts: 14 | | Review Date: March 22, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $362.78
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Light, well built and "tight", sharp, versatile, not a bad price. | | Cons: | Noisy... very noisy. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5 IIs
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Having just bought the K-5 IIs to see if it improves image quality over my "other" D-SLR, which is 18 Mp, BTW, I went for th 55-300 as a more practical "starter lens" for wildlife and general shots. My very first day was not at all disapointing for this lens, giving me some much sharper images than my more expensive D-SLR and "big" 150-400 lens. Apart from initial test shots, my first 3 shots outddors bagged me 3 very useable Nuthatch pic's. Then, switching to AF-S, 4 lovely shots of a finch that was "flapping" near a feeder. Later some more distant shots of a Chinese Water Deer and some nice scenic shoots too.
This lens is not at all a disapointment. What other reviewers are saying about AF being slow, on the K-5 IIs I found that not to be the case at all. On AF-S it snapped into focus in a second; more impressive than my "Bigma" on the "more common" and pricier camera I normally use! On AF-C it can "hunt" a bit, especillay against a dark background, but be fair, so wil any AF-C lens as there's not much to reference in the darkness. If the camera does not pick up enough detail, or laternately if the focus is already just past the point or object (resudual from last shot!) then obviously the screw has to go all the way back before going forward to find the new object; which this lens does admirably quick!
The only real problem with this lens is the "screw drive" noise.. a really horrible noise which can not only scare closer wildlife off but also drive you nuts at "busy" times! Why doesn't Pentax use something quiet like Tamron's "piazzo" drive.. or "pizza drive", as I call it? Change this and pentax will have a champion bargain lens on hand!  | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Geelong Posts: 15 | | Review Date: March 3, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Good Range and Sharpness | | Cons: | A bit noisy with screw drive focus - not weather sealed | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5
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I have now used this lens in a wide range of photographic situations.
Where it really shone was at the Port Fairy folk music festival where I was able to capture some really amazing images of on stage performers using only available stage lighting.
Even wide open at maximum zoom the images are very sharp, and the colour rendition is rich and natural. Just need to watch the shallow depth of field at the longer end of the zoom when wide open.
In combination with the K5 I have taken photos that I could only dream about in the days of film cameras.
Lens arrived on Friday - purchased online as retail stores in Melbourne too expensive with prices over $650.
Good colour, excellent IQ and bokeh.
Gives the bit extra reach that my 18 - 135 misses.
Focus is quick on K5 but can hunt a bit in low light.
Try setting camera to spot focus to improve autofocus - gets rid of most of the hunting  | | | | | Moderator
Site Supporter Registered: February, 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Posts: 11,272 | | Review Date: January 19, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Zoom range, size | | Cons: | Slow focus and aperture | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 6
Handling: 7
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5, K-01
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For a consumer zoom, this really does very well. It is impressively compact and light.
The focus throw is very long, and in less than ideal light it hunts forever. This was the deal-breaker for me.
Still excellent value for money though.
| | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2012 Location: Beijing, China Posts: 7
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 14, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Zoom range, sharpness, cost, contrast | | Cons: | autofocus, aberration in contrast situation | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5
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If you consider the cost of this lens it is absolutely a must have lens.
The color are great, it is sharp, really sharp (from this point of view there is not much difference between this lens and the DA40 limited or the M50 f1.7) just at the corner it can be a bit softer
The autofocus can get annoying at the beginning if you have high expectation.
I used this lens also with the Raynox DCR-250, with great satisfaction..
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2012 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 464
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 19, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $240.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size, farthest reach, IQ | | Cons: | kind ugly, but way more better than other ones | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K5/K7/K10D/Q/SIGMA DP1X
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Got this lens @ $240 from a PF user as used but in mint condition.
At this Focus length, it reach a good IQ/PRICE ratio.
I have used F 70-210, F 100-300. compare with these two lenses, this 55-300 has a better better IQ when full-open, and pretty well purple fringe control.
It has a better weight (around 350G), a batter size (not @ 300mm), and it completely make a good kit with my $49 used 18-55 AL II.
One this is the kinda ugly appearance when reach to 300mm. However, this does nothing to the IQ. And talking about ugly......the F100-300 is the ugliest one I have ever used, or seen =)
So currently it seems that I have a good set. So what should be my next step, to throw my money to....  | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2010 Location: Douglas Posts: 168
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 15, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $420.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Zoom range, handling | | Cons: | Auto focus, PF | |
I picked up this lens used as a companion to the 18-55WR kit lens. The ideas was that I could travel with two lenses and be able to cover almost anything. I got to test this lens extensively last month at the Chobe National Park in Botswana. Our flying club went there with four aircraft and 16 people so luggage was extremely limited. The 55-300mm range is very usable. Some other people with zooms from 70 or 80mm just couldn't go wide enough on some shots. The Bigma (50-500mm) is definitely the ultimate wildlife zoom range.
I spent about half the time on manual focus as it was often ever so slightly out of focus. Of course, trying to autofocus on something over 50m away at full zoom is often a tough call anyway. When the focus was spot-on, the sharpness was very good! Most of the shots were taken at F8 and 500/s wih the ISO varying between 100 and 1600. I would have expected F8 to give a slightly better depth of field. The autofocus was quick, but not always accurate.
I do not recommend shooting against the light, even with a hood. I got fringing on most of those shots. I will see what I can remove in post-processing. Shooting with the light gave very good results with no noticeable fringing. Lens flare was reasonably well controlled except when shooting directly into the sunset. The bokeh is weird, especially against stripy backgrounds (zebra against trees). In some cases it detracts from the photo.
For a "budget" lens it performs well, but be mindful of how you use it. Will I keep it, definitely! If I can only take one long light zoom with me, this will be it. I would give it a 7.5, but I dont feel it deserves an 8.
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