| Author: | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2010 Location: Ocean Grove, Victoria Posts: 4,442
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 29, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $1,740.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, quick to focus | | Cons: | A bit on the heavy side | |
I bought this to replace my Sigma 17-500mm. The Sigma was OK but frightfully slow to acheive focus. Once bolted to the K3 II I was blown away by the sharpness and focus speed. It is a bit heavy but I can hand hold it. In fact I have yet to to it on a tripod. I may be mistaken but I have a distinct feeling that at 450mm it has longer reach than the Sigma at 500mm. Something to test out. Without doubt this is a great lens.
| | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 17,429
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 5, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $1,900.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, focus accuracy | | Cons: | Handling and balance | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 6
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1MKII
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I came to this lens via a rather circuitous route, having had to return my DA560 for full credit because Ricoh could not return it and have it work following repair for more than a few Days. At the third breakdown I called it quits.
Although the lens was always on my purchase horizon as a replacement for my aging Sigma APO 70-200/2.8 EX (non DG version) and 2x TC, it is now , along with the DA 1.4x Rear converter a replacement for the DA560.
Having said that I am impressed. The image quality even with the TC wide open is excellent. My first outing with the lens alone was in the early evening, and I had no issues achieving focus in conditions that had the ISO at 25600 wide open (1/800th hand held)
It performed equally well with the TC on cloudy and rainy conditions the following day. IQ is so good wide open, and focusing accurate enough I rarely shoot stopped down at all.
The only issue is handling, or more accurately carrying. There is no strap attachment on the lens, there should be. It should be like my old tamron 200-500/5.6 with the strap loops on the sides of the tripod foot ring. The same could be said for the DA560. To counter this I have a 100mm Lens plate attached to the foot, the plate I bought has holes at one end that I use to attach optec strap ends, this works well. To counter any concern about broken tripod foot I have the ends of the optec straps for the camera strap looped through the connection to the tripod foot. This way if the foot were ever to break, the lens will be caught by the camera.
I hold the lens with the tripod foot upside down, and my hand between the lens and the foot with my thumb on the other side of the foot to lens post. I did the same with the da 560
I have a photo album with sample shots of the lens plus tc on the K1.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/members/1116-lowell-goudge/albums/14495-...ear-converter/
One thing to point out, the 1.4x rear converter is NOT full frame. There is some light fall off even at the center line of the frame at 36 mm wide, perhaps 1/4-1/2 a stop. The corners clearly are worse, but actually not much worse than the DA560. When birding, this is not an issue because you crop in on most shots any way
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: July, 2021 Location: Zuiderkempen - Grote Netewoud - Belgium Posts: 715
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 7, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $1,700.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness and reach | | Cons: | sizable | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K3II
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Long hesitated to upgrade my (red) 55-300 ed wr to a ’better’ zoom for wildlife. I wanted to improve reach and low light/focus performance.... price was a question mark, how much do you spend on a hobby? A 70-200/210mm, a 60-250mm or the 150-450mm? improve on aperture or reach, with tele convertor or not?
When a local shop offered a 300€ extra reduction on the normal street price for the 150-450mm, I decided to go for this lens yielding 450mm at f5.6.
Performance is excellent, sharp images, good autofocus. At f5.6 450mm, the lens outperforms my f5.8 300mm in focus accuracy and sharpness. Hence not cheap, but good value.
Handling is good , including handheld, but it is a heavy lens, not really a walkaround or long hike lens, more one that you consider in the right circumstances to take with you. So the 55-300 remains when I need a more compact lightweight solution.
Another point , it works well with TC 1,4x on my aps-c camera, no real degradation of image quality (if both were made for each other) and still reliable autofocus (which is amazing, because the aperture is on the limit of acceptable light for focusing in this combination). The TC has also no problem to support the lens on the body (unless below ext. tubes)
The zoom lock is indeed only on 150mm, so for transport and storage. There is no creep of zoom unless you point down or up vertical (which is not so common use).
The focus range limiter proves usefull in challenging focus situations.
I sometimes use tele lenses for macro, the minimum focus distance at 450mm is then important, it yields a decent magnification, but is not the strong point of this lens. Also the use of extension tube or rings is difficult due to the size of lens, most have trouble to support the lens (one could blame the ext tube for not being solid enough, but the extra length and weight of lens play also a role).
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: October, 2017 Location: Sale, Cheshire Posts: 201
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 1, 2022 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Everything | | Cons: | Heavy, but expected for a lens of this build quality | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-3iii
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I deliberated a long time before investing in this lens (at the time owning the K-3). I have an excellent HD DA 55-300mm ED WR lens, which is ideal for carrying around as a convenient long reach companion for my 'everyday' superb HD DA 16-85mm ED DC WR lens.
I was interested in getting longer reach for wildlife, and very fast focussing response for action shots.
After investing in the K-3iii a few months ago, I decided to take the plunge in the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW (at black Friday price), to compliment the greatly enhanced AF, dynamic range and high ISO performance of the K-3iii. I certainly have not been disappointed. The HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW is a superb lens. Even with the lens set on the full zoom range setting, focus lock on moving subjects is virtually instantaneous, with no hunting. It tracks flying birds with a very high hit rate and focus locks on oncoming cars at motorway speeds with consummate ease and 100% hit rate (at all aperture settings).
At f 5.6 sharpness at very good. Step down half a stop and sharpness is as good as a very good prime lens, at all focal lengths and corner to corner performance across the frame. Colour rendition and contrast is at the best Pentax standards and CA is virtually zero in high contrast conditions, at all focal lengths.
Some commercial reviews note the focus lock is for the short end only, however so far the zoom adjustment has the right level of resistance to prevent zoom creep.
Switches on the lens allow for automatic and manual focussing combinations. Button switches around the barrel can be configured to operate AF/return to a focus position/cancel AF. As I use camera back button focus and as the lens focussing is very fast, I have not utilised these buttons as yet.
To summarise, an absolutely top notch performer, with superb build quality.
When you consider the performance of this lens, the outstanding build quality, weather resistance and the excellent ergonomics of the lens/camera combination, the lens price compares very favourably with other manufacturers.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2020 Location: shanghai Posts: 8
4 users found this helpful
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: October, 2018 Posts: 386
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 8, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $1,600.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp! Built like a tank. | | Cons: | A 30 minute hike with this thing is like a quick stop at the gym. Expensive. | |
This lens is built like a tank but it weighs about as much as one too! VERY sharp, at all focal lengths, although did you expect it wouldn't be at that price?!?! Yes, you can "hand hold" it and get some decent shots. I actually found the extra weight seems to stabilize the "micro" movements that I tend to do with much lighter lenses, hand held. It takes some getting used to; and finding your own technique (REMEMBER! Support the lens+body by the lens, NOT the camera body!!!), but pays off nice dividends once you grow accustomed to it. Eat your spinach... this lens isn't intended for those that don't want to work for their shots.
All of these are hand held.
I shot this sparrow through about 3m of heavy brush on AV mode, AF-C, "spot" focus. I was actually quite pleased at how quickly it found the focus point I wanted and stayed there.
 OKTY2519 by oktyabr, on Flickr
Good enough for macro work, in a pinch?
 OKTY2549 by oktyabr, on Flickr
Bokeh?
 OKTY2486 by oktyabr, on Flickr
 OKTY2464 by oktyabr, on Flickr
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2019 Posts: 11
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 29, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $1,800.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Good for short distance images | | Cons: | Heavy | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 7
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1
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  | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2010 Location: India Posts: 82 | | Review Date: April 17, 2019 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp with Beautiful color | | Cons: | Weight | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K3
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This lens needs some getting used to. With proper support - either a bean bag or monopod, it can bring out great stuff.
This 'Grey Headed Fishing Eagle' was shot from a moving boat with a monopod. Nice piece of glass.
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2012 Location: Savannah, GA Posts: 154
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 30, 2019 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Build quality, image quality | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K200D
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After selling most of my gear to fund other endeavors, I was getting frustrated with all the wildlife picture opportunities in my own backyard. So I got the itch to try a long, modern zoom (rented for a week). But please realize that my primary camera at this point is long in the tooth: the K200D circa 2008.
This lens is quite a handful, but that is to be expected. For me personally, I felt like I could not hold the lens steady via handheld. However, I was able to shoot a passing motor boat at full zoom and read the registration numbers. Not perfect for pixel peepers but legible. I left the Manfrotto mounting plate on the lens to provide a broader surface for support when hand-holding which I think helped.
I did have issues with the zoom shift when trying to take a pic vertically and eventually compressed it to 150mm and used the lock. Unfortunately, I did not get to use it much as I had planned due to work demands so I'll post a few pics for reference.
The gator pic was taken using a tripod, with no corrections made out of the camera (jpeg). The bird pic was also and further taken thru my house window (these critters are skittish so I had to make due).
But for me, I found the closeups to 'pop' better than the distant pics:
 | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2019 Posts: 6
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 29, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $1,800.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | It´s gigantic | | Cons: | It´s gigantic | | New or Used: New
Camera Used: K30
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I own this lens two months now and just want to let you know my first impressions. Maybe later I´ll ad some ratings of the technical details but for now just impressions...
First thought after unpacking it: Wow, what a beast! My tele lens until then has been a 50-200mm kit lens that looked tiny and my K30 seemed flimsy on it (from now on it´s the kamera on the lens, not the lens on the kamera). It took me a while to build up trust to handle such an expensive piece of equipment with the tripod mount (after two months I must say it´s really sturdy nothing in it loosened a bit). I don´t like to treat my gear like raw eggs so the second day out shooting the lens got wet and muddy in hours of rain which I washed away at home. What a pleasure to be able to do that comfortably...
Shooting small birds... well, even with 450mm small birds are still small. One has to still take some extra measures to get close to them, I guess that´s even true with a 1000mm lens. Another thing especially in this season is light, I often had to extend my usual limit of ISO1600 on my K30 to avoid motion blur. The lens is handheldable, though I somehow have to figure out how to hold it and zoom at the same time. I really like the autofocus system (fast, silent, quick shift) It makes me understand the talk about Pentax´ AF since it shows all the flaws of my kamera (hunting, number of fokus points, keeping track with moving subjects) note: I know the K30 is a fairly old and "cheap" model and talk is Pentax has improved massively since then. Also the thin depth of field wide open shows the flaws of the photographer too.
What I like this lens for:
Different perspectives for landscapes
360mm 1/800s F7.1 ISO125:
450mm 1/640s F5.6 ISO1000:
 opportunities for wildlife
450mm 1/640s F6.3 ISO160
And the the ability to get close to some extraterrestrial objects:
Being a zoom lens helps for locating such objects on the night sky also the long focus throw helps to precisly manually focus on stars (it would be nice to simply focus at infinity and nail it but that didn´t work with any lens I tried so far)
410mm F5.6 50s (limit of K30s Astrotracer at that focal lenght) ISO3200
This lens is fairly heavy and does not guarantee easy wild life success (part of what I bought it for) but I can highly recommend it and it gives me joy everytime I go out with it (though my results so far need a bit more of practise...)
Eibe
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: September, 2011 Location: Nelson B.C. Posts: 3,781
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 22, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $2,000.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, excellent autofocus, weatherproof | | Cons: | A bit heavy | |
The focus adjustment is +8 on my copy. It focuses very quickly and accurately, and is a joy on the K1 II.
The minimum focus distance of 2m makes for a reasonable long macro.
The only negatives are it's weight, the lens focus buttons have to be avoided, it is prone to vibration and shutter shock (better on the K1 II). In very low light something faster would be nice.
My Sigma 500 f4.5 sits forlorn in the corner.
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2009 Location: Las Vegas NV Posts: 782
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 6, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $1,000.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | build quality, quick focus, image quality | | Cons: | weight(but what do you expect for this size of a lens) plastic hood | | New or Used: New
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Folks, this is my initial review since I just got it and only took it out this weekend and used it as a walk around shooter.
First off I got a killer deal on it, it is in brand new pristine condition. found it at a pawn shop, and with a lot of patience I managed to wait for six months for the price to come down from $1800 to the $1000 offer I made on it last week. I am still pinching myself over this unbelievable deal.
I immediately headed to my deck and took this shot of the moon and with a little PP in LR here is my result, I just love the detail of the moon in this shot(which is handheld FYI)-
 _K3J0910.jpg by MacawDude 007, on Flickr
Then the night before I headed to Zion National Park, I made a DIY attachment for the foot of the lens so that I could carry it with the camera attached, I made it out of a stainless steel eyebolt and it actually is very secure.
here are a few pics from Zions Nat. Park-
 _K3J1055.jpg by MacawDude 007, on Flickr
 _K3J1140.jpg by MacawDude 007, on Flickr
Excuse the Cell phone shot that my wife took of me and my Daughter- but in this pic you can see I have my K5\DA*16-50 on my belt and my K3/DFA 150-450 in hand.-
 IMG_20180902_120156 by MacawDude 007, on Flickr
After a while of owning this lens I will update this review, but as for now I am very happy with it. the most concerning issue to me was when I first got it, it sure seemed very heavy, I weighed it with the camera and grip attacked and it topped out at 8.25 pounds, and I thought Dang! Im gonna have a heck of a time lugging this beast around. However, after a day at Zion I was very relieved to know that it did not affect me in anyway, especially with the way I had the strap on it.
It is a very responsive lens that I could just have at the ready with little fuss whatsoever, the focus didnt really do much hunting, especially with the focus limiter switch set to infinity.
I am still getting used to the focus buttons on the lens because this is the first lens I ever had that has them, but once I learned to use them, it makes life a whole lot easier.
I got a whole mess of keepers with this lens compared to my other zooms. but honestly I used my DA* 50-135, and 16-50 lenses in conjunction with this lens, they actually compliment each other, and the Image quality is comparable to the DA* lenses.
All in all this lens is worth every penny no matter what price you pay for it, dont let the weight scare you from purchasing this lens, because once you get this lens, you will be amazed.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2011 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,428
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 30, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $2,031.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Fabulous IQ, hand-holdable (just), bokeh, AW | | Cons: | No Pentax FF TC, big and heavy, expensive | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 5
Value: 6
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1
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What an amazing lens! I have been really impressed in particular with sharpness across the frame and bokeh. It is better than I expected, and rivals the DFA* 70-200, which is high praise. Of course it isn't as fast, but that's to be expected for a 150-450.
I compare this lens with my son's 50-500 Bigma. That is a fine lens, but the Pentax clearly beats it in edge resolution (on FF) and AF speed. The 50mm deficit at the long end is the only feature I miss from the Bigma.
That leads me to my prime gripe with this lens. Well, it's not really a criticism of the lens per se. On a FF camera 450mm is really not that long for wildlife work. Ricoh really needed to have a FF TC ready to go when the K1 was released. A FF 1.4x TC would add great value to this lens.
Other issues: It is heavy and tricky to hand-hold at the long end; It is expensive (in comparison to Sigma or Tamron lenses we can't mount anyway, so Ricoh don't care).
A final QC issue. I received this lens brand new in original packing direct from the Australian importer. It clearly hadn't been opened since leaving the factory. I put it straight on my K1 and tried it out, only to find tens of dust spots suddenly on my sensor. They we not there immediately before. The rear end of the lens was clearly VERY dusty. I got the sensor cleaned, and aggressively cleaned the lens with a vacuum cleaner, brush, blower, etc, and it's been fine since. However, this should not have happened. BEWARE! Clean the rear end before mounting on your camera.
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: July, 2011 Posts: 2,213
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 16, 2017 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Only long FF zoom for Pentax | | Cons: | no alternatives | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 7
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K1
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Updated review
In the meantime I bought my own copy and use it along with K3iii. The lens performs well on APSC, image quality is fine. Wide open it is not spectacular. AF fine tuning requires quite different values for shortest and longest focal length. Stopping down also changes the fine tuning value, but less significantly.
On APSC the reach is great, but the viewfinder image is pretty bumpy handheld. In lens stabilization would help here. AF speed is fine.
I would really like to see a high spec long range lens from Pentax in this class. Zoom or fixed focal length. With in lens stabilization. On K1 maximum performance is reached @ f/8 to f/11. On APSC f/5.6 is a little soft. Diffraction becomes noticeable beyond f/8. In my opinion K3iii pixel pitch demands for open aperture of f/4.5 or better. One stop leverage to stop down, add a 1.4x TC that performs decent if needed.
Former review part ——————————-
I used this lens extensively during a loan period - try before you buy.
Size and weight feel similar to the D-FA 2.8/70-200. While the 150-450 is longer and heavier, it feels more balanced in size and weight. That said, the lens is still a big zoom. Performance is quite OK, handholding is OK and performance handheld is similar to DA*300 - with the DA*300 being much smaller and easier to handle and offering f/4.
For my work 450mm is too short on K1 and I find myself using the long end most of the time. For a 5.6/450mm the whole setup is too large. As a walk around lens, it also feels too large for me. On APS-C the lens will probably see more zooming between 300-450mm. ON FF this lens cannot fill the gap in Pentax tele land. I would rather prefer a 4xx mm prime to add to my A*600 prime. Performance is fine handheld, but not spectacular.
Almost 5 years later: DA150-450 is really the only new option in tele land. Maybe I should get one with K3iii
| | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2015 Location: Stockholm Posts: 15
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 25, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $3,000.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, contrast, reach | | Cons: | A little heavy | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-1
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Pricey lens but once you stopped sobbing over the hole it made in your wallet and start using it, you will quickly forget that. Very very good IQ on all focal lengths straight from wide open. Closing down 2-3 steps makes it a little better but mosty just expands the DOF.
It's big and a bit heavy but very usable handheld in daylight. About 80% of the pictures I've taken so far are handheld and it rarely misses. The weight actually helps to make it stable. It comes with a 10cm long lens hood but I've found it works well even without it without loss of contrast. Have not noticed any hunting but I don't use it much in low light.
The extra features on the lens are very useful and it focuses very fast, even when focus range is set to full. Detailed manual focusing is great due to quite long throw
I do have the FA* 200 2.8 but this one beats it easily in all aspects except portabillity.
The only negative: It is not a discrete lens. No matter where you are, pulling this one out of you backpack, people will notice it ! 
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