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SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED Review RSS Feed

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

Sharpness 
 8.6
Aberrations 
 8.2
Bokeh 
 8.3
Autofocus 
 7.5
Handling 
 8.3
Value 
 9.7
Reviews Views Date of last review
44 217,052 Mon February 28, 2022
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $189.68 8.75
SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED

SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED
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SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED
supersize

Description:
The DA L version of the SMC Pentax-DA 55-300mm lens is a budget variant that only comes bundled in camera kits. It lacks quick shift functionality and the bayonet is made of plastic rather than metal.

SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
APS-C
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
No
Diaphragm
Automatic, 6 blades
Optics
12 elements, 8 groups
Mount Variant
KAF
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F4-5.8
Min. Aperture
F22-32
Focusing
AF (screwdrive)
Quick-shift
No
Min. Focus
140 cm
Max. Magnification
0.28x
Filter Size
58 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 29-5.4 ° / 25-4.6 °
Hood
PH-RBG 58 mm
Case
S80-160
Lens Cap
O-LC58
Coating
SMC,SP
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
71 x 111.5 mm (2.8 x 4.4 in.)
Weight
425 g (15 oz.)
Production Years
2010 to present (in production)
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-DA L 1:4-5.8 55-300mm ED
Reviews
User reviews
Notes
Plastic lens mount.
Two ED elements.
Features:
Screwdrive AutofocusAutomatic ApertureAPS-C Digital Only
Sample Photos: View Sample Photos
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED
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Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 31-44 of 44
New Member

Registered: May, 2011
Posts: 5
Review Date: August 8, 2011 Recommended | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Price, Performance at the long end, good CA control
Cons: Plastic mounting, picture quality at the edges
Sharpness: 6    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 5    Handling: 8    Value: 10   

Compared to the other cheap lenses it is surprisingly sharp in the centre of the frame at the long focal lengths. If you have Sigma or Tamron, usually x-300 mm lens means that x-250 is a useful range. Here the 300 mm is pretty good while it is rather performance at the short focal length what is lacking. The other kit lens 18-55 mm is doing much better job at 55 mm then this one. However I don't complain as I tend to take most pictures with this one at 100-300 mm range. Still one must remember that this is a cheap lens, so the edges of the picture are distorted both with CA and vignetting.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: May, 2010
Location: Hong Kong / Irvine, CA
Posts: 636
Review Date: July 24, 2011 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: cheap, good price and decent pic
Cons: doesn't come with a hood

Not the best IQ but it does its work.
It takes good portrait pic @55mm.
It takes good sport pic @ 300mm too.
   
Junior Member

Registered: March, 2011
Posts: 32
Review Date: April 23, 2011 Recommended | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: price, image quality is ok for price
Cons: speed, image quality could be better
New or Used: New   

At 300mm I get noticeable vignetting. I have to get used to stopping down to get sharper pictures. The vignetting isn't much of a negative to me and if it was, the KR has corrections built in (if you enable them) for this lens.

I use this lens mostly for wildlife at a distance and usually at the beach.
It does do 450mm 35mm equivalent which is great.

I have to bring up prosumer super zooms since they are what I was using prior to this setup (I apologize)...
I have a Panasonic FZ30 which is an 8mp prosumer camera with a tiny little CCD, but has a Leica lens on it that does 420mm 35mm equivalent. The FZ30 almost takes as good a picture as my Pentax Kr with this lens, but of course is limited by the sensor (noise, no dynamic range and slightly less detail).
On the other hand, I had a 14mp prosumer Canon SX 30 IS with a 840mm 35mm equivalent which delivers much less detail (and tons of distortion/CA/PF) at 840mm equiv than this Pentax lens at 450mm equiv.

However, this lens does take some great pictures..
Cropped and resized:

(Non working links deleted)

(elephant seals at point reyes)



edit: added another photo.

this is also my portrait lens (resize, not a crop)

(Non working link deleted)

taken at a zoo at 300mm.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: October, 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 470

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: April 7, 2011 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, cheap and small for the range you get
Cons: AF can sometimes hunt
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 10    New or Used: New   

This is a very good lens for the money and if you are wondering if you should get this lens with a K-x or K-r kit, then I recommend that you do. Even wide open, the pictures turn out pretty sharp. Sometimes the autofocus can hunt a little a bit, but that's the only con I can think of. If you want to buy a faster telephoto lens, or get more reach then you are going to have to spend $700+. So you might as well get this lens, since it is the best you can get without spending a ton of money.
   
Inactive Account

Registered: January, 2011
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 37

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: March 19, 2011 Recommended | Price: $199.99 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Image Quality, Price, Clarity, Size
Cons: Lack of Lens Hood, No Quick Focus

I bought a 'grey market' version from Adorama recently and I have been very pleased with the picture quality, which is the most important factor for me. I am not worried about a plastic mount; my kit lens DA L 18-55 is the same, and I haven't had any problems with that in over 3 months. I take care when removing and replacing my lenses.

I took a number of shots with the DA L 18-55 and the DA L 55-300 to compare color, sharpness, and quality, and it would probably take an extremely good eye to tell them apart at the same focal length. Zooming out to full length, I was amazed at the color and clarity as well as how far it actually zooms. One shot at the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, I zoomed out full and picked up a couple of huge container ships that weren't even visible to the naked eye. And they were extremely clear, focused and had nice color considering the haze of distance.

Lack of a lens hood isn't a big problem, I can always pick up a DA hood; Quick Focus is something I wouldn't mind having, but it is just as easy and sometimes preferable, to me, to switch to Manual Focus.

I highly recommend this lens to anyone with a Pentax that has a low budget and is looking for an exceptional quality lens. While some of the Sigma and Tamron lenses may offer more options like Macro, and even longer zoom lengths, what sold me on the DA L 55-300 was the picture quality.

Below are two photos, one shot with the kit DA L 18-55, and the other w/ the DA L 55-300 both at 55mm. Can you tell which is which?? :-)


   
Veteran Member

Registered: January, 2011
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 603

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: February 25, 2011 Recommended | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Good IQ, sharp even at 300mm, light weight
Cons: slow at focusing from one extreme to another, loud focusing
New or Used: New   

I bought the Pentax K-x and got the DA L 55-300 lens along with it as part of the kit. I must say I'm impressed with the lens.

The IQ throwout the focal length is very very good. It is very sharp even at 300mm. The lens is light weight. Doesn't feel very cheap. It doesn't come with a lens hood but I bought an aftermarket hood from ebay for 5 bucks.

On the negative side, the focusing is pretty loud. It sometimes keeps hunting for focus. The focusing is slightly slow when going from one extreme to another (from near to infinity).

I couldn't have asked for more from a kit zoom.

Here are few of my favorite photos taken using this lens -


The ferocious by RonakG, on Flickr


Look at my feathers, ain't it pretty? by RonakG, on Flickr

(Non working link deleted)
   
Inactive Account

Registered: October, 2010
Location: Acworth, GA
Posts: 7
Review Date: December 10, 2010 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Wonderful range, good color and sharpness, relatively speedy focus, cheap
Cons: No lens hood included, can hunt and be a little loud

This kit far exceeds the standard 55-200 that most brands put out there, and is optically identical to the non-L version of the lens that Pentax sells for hundred’s more than its added cost in the kit package.

It is sharp, focuses quickly, has good color, good bokeh, a sturdy feel and a very useful range... for the cost of the kit, what isn't to like?

Other more professional reviews have detailed this lens' technical abilities... which generally far surpass its cost class.

I find myself using this lens for candid portraits in group settings most often, but it obviously has many more uses than that. Zoos, wildlife, flowers, children... anything that you need some extra reach for, this is a great lens to start with. It accepts an easy-to-find 58mm filter size. While I mentioned that it has good bokeh, some of that is from the fact that when using it at longer distances, the bokeh is assisted by the natural separation between the subject and background. It has 6 blades, which usually does not lend itself to fantastic bokeh, but the lens actually does quite well all things considered.

As mentioned by other reviewers, the AF can hunt at times and is not silent, and the kit does not include a lens hood… something that can be solved for about $20, though it would be nice for Pentax to spend the pennies it would likely cost them to include a hood.

One thing to remember that can make a big difference in addressing some of the lens’ shortfalls is the fact that the K-x, K-r, K-7 and K-5 can all correct for this lens’ specific characteristics when shooting, though it does bring down the camera’s performance and speed.

Still, the excellent performance to cost ratio, this can't really be beat. I anticipate replacing the 18-55 kit long before this one. Highly recommended!
   
Veteran Member

Registered: March, 2010
Location: Alabama
Posts: 642

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: December 6, 2010 Recommended | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Price, lightweight, versatility, IQ
Cons: Noisy AF, some hunting, CA

Got this as part of a K-x kit. I really like the lens. I use it for portraits, wildlife, and even a some "almost macro" shots. I'm impressed with the image quality and colors, although I do see some significant CA fringing with many of my photos. The AF can hunt sometimes and is pretty loud. Don't expect to sneak up on anyone. But really, for the price I think this lens is a gem. It's always in the bag with me.

f/5.6, 260mm


f/4.5, 135mm


f/5.6, 230mm
   
Inactive Account

Registered: November, 2010
Posts: 4

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: December 4, 2010 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: sharp & light weight
Cons: focusing sound is pretty lound

I currently brought this lens with the Pentax K-r and the 18-55mm lens at good price in black Friday. I used this lens for few days, am pretty satisfied with the quality and performance. It provides sharp images even the aperture is all open. And it is really light weight and I can easily carry it around. For such price, and the quality it provided, I have no more to say about it. I would highly recommend this lens for anyone especially entry-level user. Most of the time I shot birds with this lens. It focus fast enough for my normal use.

This lens is absolutely phenomenal for the price, and is a first-rate lens regardless of price. I think Pentax users have to read a lot of users' reviews to figure out which lenses are the outstanding performers. On that basis, I bought the 16-45 and this 55-300mm. To make them affordable and reasonably lightweight, the manufacturer has made them relatively slow. Speed is where the prime lens wins. Thus, my complete stable comprises these two zooms, a 50mm f/1.4 (superb!) and my old 85mm f/1.8 -- all Pentax.

In conclusion: This lens is a winner. It appears to be better built than the 16-45, very solid with excellent movement of the zooming ring. At first, I thought 300mm was crazy. I never used a lens anywhere near 450mm in the days of 35mm, and I don't carry a tripod as a rule. But now that I have the lens, I find that in conjunction with the K20D's excellent anti-shake control, 300mm hand-held at 1/90th and faster is quite useful.

All in All, it is a very good lens for photographers especially for budget photographers.

Here are some sample pictures that I shot with this lens:








   
Forum Member

Registered: July, 2010
Location: Cardiff, UK
Posts: 65
Review Date: July 2, 2010 Recommended | Price: $190.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: excellent optical quality, solid build, easy to use, extremely good value
Cons: plastic lens mount (but this problem can be overcome)

I have owned the DA version of this lens. The difference between the two optically is nil, or it ought to be since they have exactly the same glass. In fact, the copy of the DA-L I have is noticeably better than the DA I had (especially at 55mm). It is very sharp even at f4; stopped down a little it is as good as almost anything. The fact that this DA- L is better than one copy of a DA is doubtless due only to the variation in quality between more or less identical units that always occurs in factory production. The DA-L lens body is very well built, light and easy to use. I have no problem with the DA-L’s lack of quick-shift focusing, anymore than I do with the absence of this on the 18-250mm. The only gripe one might have concerns the plastic lens mount. There is no way it can be reliable and durable (which amounts to the same thing practically) in the way a metal one is. If you change lenses a lot there could be a problem here.

Fortunately, the plastic mount drawback is fairly easily overcome by swapping it for a metal one. You can do this very simply if you happen to have a spare, cheap 18-55mm kit lens hanging around (or pick one up on ebay) and are feeling slightly adventurous. The metal mount requires only one minor and easy to do modification to the plastic fitting in the rim which holds the five gold electrical contacts in place. Once this is done and the mount fitted, you have a lens that really does not differ from its DA counterpart (unless quick-shift focusing is a must for you). Given that DA-L lenses are currently being sold off new by dealers from split kits for very cheap prices indeed (around half the price of a DA) there is no need to reflect long on what to do if you are in need of a 55-300mm. Get one.


[Swapping the mounts is not difficult so long as you have an appropriate screwdriver, some insulating tape or sellotape and a pair of scissors. Attach some tape to the outside of both mounts where the gold contacts are to stop them falling off. Then unscrew and remove. If you were to attach the mount to the DA-L at this stage it will work, but you will find that the lens will only be recognised as offering centre-weighted and spot metering and flash exposure will be overblown. Before attaching the metal mount, therefore, remove the five small gold spring contacts and take out the plastic holder they sit in. The contacts (small gold pins on springs) are in two groups: one of 3 and one of 2. The group of two is where the problem lies. You need to cut off the plastic strip that connects them, thereby allowing the small contact spring that remains in the lens body to touch the metal mount when it is fixed on. Once cut, you now have two pieces of plastic: one with four holes and one small piece with a single hole for a single contact. Reinsert these into the mount in their original locations, replace contact pins, pushing in to make sure they stick to the sellotape and then attach mount to lens.]
   
Veteran Member

Registered: April, 2009
Location: NJ, USA
Posts: 1,270

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 7, 2010 Recommended | Price: $180.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Cost when included in K-x kit; color, contrast, wide-open sharpness for price; compact
Cons: no lens hood/lack of availability of lens hood; no close-up mode

This came as part of the K-x 2 lens kit, which cost $180 more than the standard K-x/18-55 kit.

One of the major complaints of the "L" version of this lens is the fact that it does not include a hood. Given the price of the lens (when included in the kit) I understand the lack of a hood. My big complaint about this is the lack of availability of a hood at a reasonable price. If a Pentax lens hood were readily available for $29.95, that would be fair IMHO.

For me, this lens replaces a Tamron 70-300 LD Di, with which I had good success. I'll use the Tamron as a basis for comparison.

Where Pentax wins: wide open @ 300mm, the 55-300 is clearly sharper. The contrast and (especially) color are worlds better. The Pentax has less, though still evident, CA. The Pentax has better bokeh IMO. 55mm is sometimes useful.

Where the Tamron wins: price (currently ~ $160 w/lens hood). Build quality is a bit better. 6 year warranty, and good warranty service (at least in my experience). Stopped down at 70mm, the Tamron is a bit sharper. Biggie for me - the Tamron has a 1:2 "macro" mode that is very useful compared with the Pentax's 1:3.6 (or whatever). The Tamron has a min. focus distance of 39", so if there is something at my feet I can quickly and easily get a shot, whereas with the Pentax the min. focus distance is 55", which makes that sort of close-up shot much more difficult. Tamron has an aperture ring, useful with MF teleconverter.

Both lenses are slow-focusers.

In a weird kind of way, the comparison between the Pentax and Tamron lenses boils down to this: the Pentax is better optically, the Tamron has more features.

In large part due to the lack of a lens hood, and the fact that on the rare occasions the lens hood is available it's $50-60, I'm rating this lens an "8".
   
Senior Member

Registered: July, 2009
Location: High Desert, California
Posts: 231

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: March 30, 2010 Recommended | Price: $250.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Build Quality, IQ, Cost, Versatility
Cons: Will sometimes focus hunt at the worst moment

Bought this lens in new condition from a K-X owner. I also own the regular DA version. Basically I love both these lenses. The lack of a hood doesn't matter as I already have one from the DA version (and I don't often use it anyway). I never really used the quick shift focus feature, and since I've decided to keep this lens permanently on my K2000 the plastic mount is not an issue. The lack of close focus ability is more than compensated for by the very good image quality throughout the focal range. And I've seen a few pretty darn good "bug" shots made from crops taken with this lens. The "focus hunt: issue does not happen too often and also occurred with my DA version. It is no worse with this lens, and maybe slightly better. I shoot a lot of action shots against a clear sky so the situation itself is a bit tricky.

Bottom line, all the optical virtues of the regular DA version apply to the DA-L version. IMO the differences are minor and make the DA_L version a real quality bargain to any kit offering, or if you can pick it up fairly cheaply like I did. I bought my copy because I want to have this lens in my arsenal a long time and wanted to get a second copy while they are still reasonably priced.
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: December, 2009
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Posts: 2,437
Review Date: March 6, 2010 Recommended | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Cheap, plenty sharp, not heavy, surprisingly rugged
Cons: Could be faster, no lense hood
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 7    Value: 10    New or Used: New   

I might as well start out by saying - I love this lense.
I got this in a K-x kit and so far I have taken a lot more keepers with this lense than the 18-55 kit lense. Also have some older lenses like Super Tak 200 f4 (which I like) but keep coming back to this lense for its shear convenience with decent IQ.
I find mine to be decently sharp - particularly at f8.

A month after I got it, I had a dumb incident with my camera falling out of my camera pack (don't forget to close those side flaps!!!) 2 feet or so on to concrete and it landed on the 55-300 lense. I was very distressed as usually I'm so careful. Can't believe it but there was no ill effects (mechanically, optically or cosmetically) to the lense or camera - not even a mark!

On cons side a bit annoying that it does not come with lense hood (although I must admit it controls flare fairly well) and could be faster at 300 end.

Definitely worth at least a 8 given the value for money.

Sample Photos:
70mm f10: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwi_jono/4523155160/
230mm f5.6: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwi_jono/4977579341/
300mm f7.1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwi_jono/4502582390/
   
Veteran Member

Registered: March, 2009
Location: Perth Australia
Posts: 1,514

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: December 11, 2009 Recommended | Price: $300.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: cheap and cheerful
Cons: no lens hood comes with it, plastic mount

Surprisingly good lens for how cheap it is.

Kx and K7 support lens corrections for this lens which probably helps it along.

I havnt used it enough to give a detailed review, but the focus distance is pretty far away making it not very useful for macro or pretend macro work, probably the first thing i noticed with it after coming from a sigma 70-300mm that did support close focus.

however the image quality stopped down is rather amazing.
Add Review of SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED



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