| Author: | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: November, 2015 Posts: 4,225 | | Review Date: April 7, 2023 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Excellent build and ergonomics, awesome on film, affordable long tele prime | | Cons: | Heavy, less awesome on modern digital, close focus performance, fringing | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 4
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: KP, K1, K1000, MX
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I bought this lens some years back at a charity auction site, and mine looked almost unused, apart from missing the front cap.
It is a big, heavy thing, but obviously well made, with a focus feel much like my Tele-Takumar 300 f6.3, though it is much larger and lacks the tripod collar.
This is clearly a "sports" lens, designed for handheld use near the car, not a "wildlife" lens meant for hiking around the backcountry with a tripod, but there is obviously a load of subjectivity in that once it comes to reality...
Ergonomics are very good, with a nice feel to focus and aperture control. I also like the built-in hood.
And it balances superbly with a "medium-sized" body, like the KP or a film KX/K1000. It also suits the K1, but that combo starts to get beefy.
On the MX, the lens overwhelms the body a bit, balance-wise, but it obviously works fine.
Focus is challenging, particularly on a modern, high-resolution sensor that doesn't cover up small mistakes like Tri-X would.
Green button metering works as expected, and it obviously meters fine on film cameras, even if it lacks the "A" setting for camera aperture control.
It also does red/green fringe like crazy if you point it at the wrong subject... even at f8...
Minimum focus distance is also challenging, meaning deep crops of small subjects and playing human zoom (or is that human focus rail) to get into focus range...
But image quality is very good if you avoid the fringe-causing conditions.
I think it is better than the DA 55-300 at 300, but that's a modern zoom that starts to get worse after ~250mm, not a prime, so not totally unexpected.
It is also f4.0 at 300mm, which is convenient at times, and it is fairly good even there (though better at f8).
The weight trade, minimum focus issues, and lack of a zoom mean I don't carry it as often as the DA 55-300, but it is fun when I want to play, and the results can be very good.
-Eric
| | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2007 Location: Toronto/Victoria Posts: 460 | | Review Date: August 28, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Relatively inexpensive, good build quality, built in hood | | Cons: | Hard to focus, CA, no tripod mount | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 7
Camera Used: K1 II
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Comparing this lens against modern 300mm lenses is probably unfair, but for those looking for an inexpensive 300mm lens, I think there are better solutions that remain affordable.
I bought this lens in 2007 looking for a reasonably fast telephoto. The Pentax lens catalogue from the 1970s even suggests this lens is sharp with the diaphragm fully open. It's not bad, but you have to be very careful because even a slight misfocus will really magnify the green/purple CA of out of focus areas. There is also quite a bit of blue/red CA towards the edges.
If you stop down the lens, it does help limit the green/purple CA but you'll need slower shutter speeds. Because there is no tripod mount (unlike its Takumar predecessors), long exposures are very difficult on a tripod.
It is much easier to nail an image with the DA*300mm f4 or DA 55-300 PLM. Naturally, both lenses are more expensive and the zoom is slower.
A more comparably priced alternative is the Pentax A* 645 300mm f4 (the FA version is quite expensive). It is a more modern design (ED and IF) and the IQ is excellent (but still missing a tripod mount). You need to invest in an adapter to K mount but that also opens up access to many other excellent and affordable 645 lenses.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2017 Location: Lake Worth, Florida USA Posts: 3
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 22, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $127.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very high quality for an excellent price. Terrific results if you work with it's limits. | | Cons: | Soft wide open | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K1
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I bought my lens for only $127 and didn't use it much initially. I use it on a Pentak K1 and lately started experimenting again with it.
It is fairly soft wide open, but stopping the lens down will result in some sharp photographs.
Purple fringing is obvious under certain circumstances, but that's easily remedied in post production.
The construction is built like a tank and will be working long after I leave this place. The focus is smooth. The overall feel is well balanced with my K1.
If you have a K1 or other similar camera with excellent high ISO capabilities and image stabilization then this lens is a no brainer and should be part of your collection.
  | | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2019 Posts: 41
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 31, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | handling, simplicity, build quality in-hand | | Cons: | no tripod ring | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: MX, 5dmkII
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Bought along with a M 50/1.4 for $110 combined; asking price was $80 each. Purchased copy was in decent condition optically and externally but had a relatively stiff (though smooth) focusing ring and a dented lens hood that takes some finesse to extend.
I think the people who don't like it either have unrealistic expectations for MF film-era lenses or paid too much for it.
Cons:
-Not ultra sharp at F4
-weighs more than a modern plastic/composite/computer-designed 300/F4
-focus throw is very long
-No tripod ring
-300mm prime is too long to be very useful on a crop-sensor
-Fringing, especially at F4
Pros:
-Sharpens up nicely by F8 (aberrations stay somewhat)
-incredibly sturdy
-focus throw is very long (useful for fine-tuning focus)
-surprisingly good in-hand, especially with a modest-sized film camera attached (paired kind of wonderfully with my MX)
-300mm is great on a full-frame sensor or film
300/F4 at F8, 1/250th on a Pentax MX. Portra 800 in EV11-ish (maybe more like 10.5-10) conditions.
It's not a good sports lens. Hunting for focus across its full focus range is not fun. It's a nice budget complement to more "normal" lenses, but it's definitely not a replacement for them. it's also just small enough that I can fit it into my camera bag as part of my typical carry; I like how it gives me a completely different perspective on subjects from what I get from, say, a 50mm, and at F4 it's bright enough for mixed light situations, though it really does shine only during the day (largely because of the lack of a tripod mount). I've also used it with a 50mm screwed on front for a 6:1 macro, which is a unique look.
All told I'd probably be disappointed if I'd paid $300 for it today but I wouldn't own it if it was a $300 lens.
| | | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: June, 2013 Location: Utrecht Posts: 255
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 26, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Superb build quality, manual focussing, sharp, bokeh | | Cons: | Abberations, only hand hold shots | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 7
Value: 9
Camera Used: K2 to K1ii
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This lens feels so solid, beautiful crafted lens. It is real sharp when you focus with live view, the DOF is very narrow. Water shots in bright light have to be corrected because of the green/magenta aberations in front and behind your object. In that sort of situations the aberations help you in pin point focussing, the narrow area without aberations is in focus...  . Aberations are easy to correct on post btw. Stopped down this lens is very sharp. Very nice focus throw also.
On K-01 :
On K1ii :
Edit Feb 2021: I compared K300 / A400 / Tokina RMC400 in ideal situation on 24 MP Pentax KP. Resolving power is quite good, only aberrations around blinking objects are an issue.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2016 Posts: 2
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 11, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $35.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Solid, good focus throw, very sharp when stopped down | | Cons: | CA to f8, | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 7
Value: 8
Camera Used: k-3
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I love these legacy lenses! I have the 200 f4, 300 f4 and the 500f4.5. I just need the 400 to complete the tele collection.
It's not super fast but the focus throw is really good.
I got it at a church sale for $50CA and it is in new condition. I'm loving this lens!
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: February, 2015 Posts: 93
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 7, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $140.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Build quality, IQ | | Cons: | A bit large, but still acceptable | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K2dmd
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Don't listen to the so so reviews of this lens if you're shooting film, which is what this beautiful thing was made for.
I just picked one up and ran a test roll of HP5, tortured it and I don't see any weaknesses at all.
This wasn't made for digital so you can't expect it to behave like it was. After seeing what it can do I'll never sell it.
It is large but the images it produces nullify that particular shortcoming. I found the focus throw to be about right also.
I'd give it a 9.5 but there's no provision for that
| | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2017 Posts: 3 | | Review Date: June 17, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $110.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Good value, included hood | | Cons: | bad aberrations, slow, somewhat heavy | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 7
Value: 9
Camera Used: Samsung NX1
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Very bad aberrations and purple fringing can occur with this lens. Don't shoot toward the light. Even if you shoot with light behind you, in some apertures, you still can get very bad purple fringing. Manual focus with no stabilization can be a challenge with any lens 300mm+. Lens has long focus throw on my copy.
I used Samsung NX1 with the official Samsung NX to PK Adapter. Photos edited to taste in Lightroom.
  | | | | | Senior Member Registered: May, 2011 Location: Marseille Provence Posts: 150
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 1, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Full-Frame, Full-Metal, Easy Focus, Sharp, Colors, Price, No AF issue, Eternally Sustainable ! | | Cons: | Green / Magenta fringes in OoF High-Contrast zones, far Close Focus, No Tripod Mount | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
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Hi All ! 
The 40 yrs old SMC Pentax 1:4/300 is a * bargain * as long as you avoid shooting against the light !
Sat. March 28 at circuit Paul-Ricard = first practice session of the 2015 WEC :
- LMP1 Audi R18 #8 - GTAm Ferrari #66 - LMP2 Morgan-Sard #43
( Right Click + View Image to pixel-peep it at full size ! )
.
.
Focus is on ~the front of the Audi, 1/800s, f/8, ISO-200, pp DCU4 as is, No CA Correction !
= you can see some fringing on the slightly OoF air intake of the blue Morgan...
this picture is ~1/4 of the area of the original PEF (logos=100%)
.
Here is a rare Review of this SMC Pentax 1:4/300 :
https://www.photoinfos.com/Fototechnik/Objektive/Pentax-SMC-K-300mm.htm
+ the way to read it all around the world :
https://www.translatetheweb.com/
.
- LMP2 Alpine Nissan #36 - LMP1 AER ByKolles #4 - LMGT Aston Martin Vantage V8 #99
Right Click + View Image to pixel-peep this one up to 2048 × 1408 pixels !
.
Focus is on ~the front of the Bykolles, 1/800s, f/7, ISO-200, pp DCU4 as is, No CA Correction
This Large picture is ~2/3 of the area of the whole Original PEF frame...
Both photos : K-5 - Manual Exposure setting + Manual Focus + Single Shot mode !
Good Luck to find your own SMC Pentax 1:4/300 ! | | | | | Loyal Site Supportaxian Registered: September, 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 503
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 20, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $172.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Cost, Not too heavy considering vintage 4/300 | | Cons: | Significant Magenta in high contrast OOF areas. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 6
Value: 8
Camera Used: Canon Crop and FF
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Great performance on a budget. Sharp, but does have significant magenta in high contrast OOF areas when shooting under f8.
Correction. I previously stated that this had the same optical formula as the M42 S-M-C-Takumar-300mm-F4. It does not.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2012 Posts: 1,972
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 3, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $190.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, focusing and overal handling | | Cons: | color fringing and no tripod mount !!! | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-01
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I bought it to accompany or to replace my massive Meyer Orestegor 300mm and I did a comparison of those two - which you can see from the following link here on Pentax Forums : https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/55946-300mm-plus-lens-club...ml#post2800845
Just to quickly sum up - the lens is having a really good sharpness - I was surprised that even wide open the details was there - even in very contrasty situations ( like in the comparison linked ) - so basically i rate this lens fery high on sharpness.
The aberrations on the other hand ARE the problem and on certain situations they will ruin your shot. Meyer is performing much better in this area. The worse news is that Pentax doesn't quite stop color fringing even when I stop the lens down - after f8 it is nearly gone - but not fully, so watching out for this flaw is important and this lens will not deliver in every situation.
Handling is superb - lens feels very solid, focusing is superb and aperture flawless . The only gripe is the lack of tripod collar or mount - and that is making using this lens on tripod a bit awkward. Shame Pentax !!
I went through several cheap 300-400mm lenses and the very first one that I was very happy about was Meyer. Now I can see how Pentax will take its place for hand-held use and Meyer will stay at home or be only used with tripod .
Very happy with this lens and I would recommend it to every Pentax user. If you can live with / or fix in PP this awful color fringing -you will be very happy with what this lens is capable of - a very competent performer indeed !
I would personally rate this lens 8 for digital and 9 for film use - as the color fringing is less of an issue there . Since we don't have 0.5 marks here I went with 9 for it - although for both digital/film use I would rate it 8.5.
if it had a tripod collar - that would be a solid 9 - and if fringing was not that prominent - that would be a solid 10 for the money- but then the lens would be selling for much more I guess :P
Below several shots from this lens - at f4 f8 and the bokeh wide open :
Pentax K 300mm f4.0
 SMC K 300mm - bokeh @ f4.0
PS: here is how SMC K 300mm looks against my Meyer Orestegor 300mm f4.0
 SMC K 300mm against Meyer Orestegor 300mm | | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2012 Location: Oamaru Posts: 49 | | Review Date: March 10, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $160.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Well Built and decently sharp | | Cons: | Bad CA and quite heavy | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 7
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K-30
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I bought this lens from a friend from the forums and it was in excellent condition!
The lens is sturdy, very well built. I prefer the metal body of the old pentax lenses than the plastic ones.
Using it with my camera I found it quite heavy and tricky to use but not too difficult (And its a good workout for your arms!).
Overall the Images were decent except for the CA which as previous users have said is somewhat of a problem. But then again it can be removed through post-processing.
I would recommend this lens as more of a backup rather than your primary telephoto lens.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: March, 2014 Posts: 3
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 6, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $340.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | built quality, colours, sharpness | | Cons: | Slow maximum aperture of f4, a little heavy | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K-01
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At 300mm on film and 450mm on digital the Pentax K 300/4 is my second longest lens as I recently added a SMC Pentax M 400/5.6 to the collection. While it is not a lightning fast 300/2.8 it is no slouch either. When you put a 2x converter on the back of this beast and you have a 600mm film/900mm f8 on digital! How is that for an extreme telephoto? For those of us to whom photography is just a hobby it is unlikely we will ever be able to afford or justify that 600mm f4 lens.
Overall a good well built super telephoto lens that is somewhat portable, but on the slow side.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2010 Posts: 5
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 15, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Build, IQ | | Cons: | Weight | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K5
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This is my longest lens. I primarily use it for birding. I routinely mount it to the Sigma APO 2X AF Teleconverter and get good results. It takes a lot of practice and some luck to get birds in flight due to the shallow DOF. It is built like a tank. I dropped it once onto a carpeted floor from a height of five feet. One of the lens mount's flanges was bent, but I replaced that myself using a spare mount I had. The only other damage was to the aperture mechanism, and that was fixed by a minor readjustment which was done by a repair shop. Nothing else was broken. The tech said one of the newer mostly plastic lenses would have had broken lens mounts from such a fall.
It is a sharp lens, and when I get the focus right, it produces excellent images. Below is a hummingbird photo I took at my backyard feeder. The bird was about 10 feet away and I used a 24mm extension tube to get the lens to focus at this closer then normal distance. 300mm, F8, fill flash, 500 ISO, K5 on X setting. Some noise reduction and exposure adjustment was done in Photoshop Elements. This is a cropped image that is as close to 100% in size as I can approximate.
I took one of the previous reviewers advice and purchased a Canon aftermarket Tripod Ring on eBay. On the ring it says A(W) Micro 100 F2.8. It fits the 300 4 perfectly and I have kept it on the lens ever since. It mounts securely to the lens between the aperture ring and the focus ring and it balances the lens and my K5 perfectly. I no longer have to worry about this heavy lens damaging my camera body when mounted on a tripod, especially when I have the 2X converter attached.
I would like to add that I use a Katzeye focusing screen in my K5 and would highly recommend it when using MF lenses. I once tried to get a photo of a Redtail Hawk in a tree, using this lens and the Sigma teleconverter, and only one out of a dozen photos was in focus. On that same outing I found a Heron hunting frogs in a tidal canal. Only a couple of my photos turned out, no matter how hard I tried to get the focus right. That was when I out and acquired a K5 with a Katzeye. I now wouldn't think of using this lens without it. I believe a Katzeye is a mandatory requirement when using long MF lenses.
Another thing I discovered that when taking a photo at 600mm, you need a quality filter. I tried one of those cheap UV Vivitar filters you find on eBay for less than ten dollars. At 600mm, you could see wavy lines in the viewfinder. The image was so distorted, it was impossible to take a useable photo. I immediately put a quality B&W UV filter on this lens and now get great results.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2012 Location: France Posts: 9
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 14, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $270.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, color,used without tripod | | Cons: | application knowledge in post processing, minimal focusing | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5
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Hello all,
I possess a K300mm f4 for a week.
I usually to wait longer before giving my opinion on a lens, but I think I can bring some information on this post.
First a 300m f4 manual is never very easy to use, again, it is true that this old lens is not optimized for digital camera.
For someone who want a JPG ready, and not doing a post-processing, ignore my comment as a DA 55-300mm may be more suitable.
1) the build quality is uncompromising.
2) the weight of this lens is similar to that of DA 300mmF4. I use it without tripod on my K-5.
3) focus takes a little practice, but the ring is very precise.
the minimal focusing distance of 4m is a little weak
4) the k-5 viewfinder remains luminous because F4 is a good compromise (300mm f2,8 is probably too big and heavy).
5) the sharpness is very good has F4, extraordinary by closing the diaphragm.
6) The contrast is very good, and asked to be adjusted as usual cases.
7) the colors are balanced and faithful to reality.
8) the bokeh is superb (silky and soft).
9) the chromatic aberrations beings are often corrected, good softwares of Treatment solve the problem very often (I developed my SILKYPIX RAW DSP DSP 4 or 5.)
In conclusion, for an affordable price, here's a lens that give exceptional results. You need a little practice to master the subject and some knowledge in post processing. | | |
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