HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED WR Review

Conclusion

The HD 55-300 WR is one of the most long-awaited lenses in the K-mount arsenal, answering the cries for a weather sealed version of the highly popular zoom. In just the short time it took for the lens to reach the hands of our shooters until the publication of this review, we've already amassed a total of five user reviews, averaging 9.0/10 with 100% recommending it to others. Should you want to see to see what they said for yourself, visit our database entry for this lens here.

The HD 55-300 WR isn't a perfect lens, but for what it offers— reliable weather sealing in a telephoto zoom with affordable pricing and a compact size— we are willing to overlook some of them. The one elephant in the room is the autofocus. Again, we really wish that Pentax had released this most recent incarnation with a DC motor. If the 55-300 WR is your only screw-driven lens, the noise can be jarring. To quote ourselves from earlier in this review, "we can't help but feel hopeful the HD DA 55-300 brings about the end of a whirring era."

There's no question that the DA* 60-250mm is superior optically, and this difference can most easily be observed on the Pentax K-3, which out-resolves the HD 55-300mm with its 24-megapixel filter-less sensor.  But you have to pay three times as much for the 60-250mm's better performance, which shows just how great of a value the 55-300mm is.

At the end of the day, our conclusion is simply this - if you have absolutely no need/desire for weather sealing, then you will save some money by buying (or keeping if you already have it) the smc DA or DA L original versions of this lens. For no other reason than the weather sealing itself does this lens offer a marked advantage over its predecessors— already excellent lenses. But as we've come to value Pentax's proven weather sealing, we couldn't be happier Pentax has provided us an affordable choice for shooting in inclement weather from afar.

Pros

• Weather Sealed
• Excellent second lens for beginners, particularly with either 18-55 WR or 18-135 WR
• Good overall image quality, with excellent image quality and sharpness at F8
• Maintains relatively fast F4-4.5 aperture until 210mm
• Convenient and practical zoom range
• Great value
• Quick-Shift manual focus override
• Relatively compact and very light makes it very easy to hold and walk around with
• Attractive round highlight bokeh in the center at wide apertures
• Excellent magnification throughout zoom and focus range, particularly at longer focal lengths
• Very large focus throw makes for excellent manual focus accuracy
• Included hood is very compact, and features circular polarizer access window
• Allows psuedo-macro reproduction of 1:3.5 at max zoom and minimum focus distance
• Able to take full advantage of the K-5 IIs' resolution (16mpx AA-filterless sensor)
• Excellent build quality with tighter tolerances and perceived elimination of any lens wobble
• Low distortion and minimal vignetting
• New HD coating enhances micro-contrast

Cons

• Screw-driven autofocus not updated to DC motor
• Very large focus throw makes it prone to hunting and 'near misses' in AF mode
• Corners are extremely soft and lacking in contrast
• Highlight bokeh becomes straight-edged very quickly
• Point bursts (starbursts) are very unattractive until closed down beyond F22
• Very soft at wider apertures compared to the DA* 60-250, especially on Pentax K-3
• Out-resolved by the resolution of the K-3's 24-megapixel AA-filter-less sensor
• New HD coating provides very minor/negligible reduction in flare or chromatic aberrations

Rating

Ready to add the HD 55-300 WR to your kit? Get it from B&H Photo here.