Latest Review Posted | HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW I purchased this lens as a replacement for my F-300mm because I was looking for more reach, faster AF and WR. The image quality is very good, especially for a zoom. Not quite on par with the F-300mm but very close. And definitely sharper and faster than the Sigma 150-500 I'd been borrowing.
I have been using this lens mostly hand held, and it is a beast at 4 lbs. compare to the extremely compact F-300. So that's taken some adjustment to shooting style to get used too. The AF is quick, especially compared to the F-300mm's old screw drive. The removable tripod foot is a great feature that helps a lot with hand holding. Also the four focus buttons on the lens are a huge bonus, as is the zoom lock.
Overall the design, build quality and ergonomics of this lens are excellent. I'm looking forward to many years of using this lens, especially when I upgrade to the FF line of camera bodies. I can definitely recommend this lens.
UPDATE April 2018 - I've upgraded to the K-1 and primarily been using this lens on my K-1 for the last year. This lens was amazing on the K-3, it's even more amazing on the K-1. The more I use this lens, the more I love this lens. With the K-1, I've modified my shooting style with this lens from primarily hand held to now mostly using a tripod with a Wimberley Sidekick gimbal head adapter for most of my outdoor work. For birds in flight, the camera comes off the gimbal head adapter (and I revert back to my old ways). And for landscape work, the gim... |