HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED WR Review
What's the Same - Size, AF, & IQ
Before we get to the details of all the minor and major differences between the two versions of this highly popular zoom, some things were bound to stay the same. Let's discuss the four things that did not change. First, because we wanted to give ample attention comparing the bokeh at different focal lengths and apertures between the lenses, we've reserved an entire page for it. You will reach it immediately after progressing to the next segment of this review. For now, let's take a look at the size, autofocus, and the image quality of the two lenses and how they won't differ.
Lens Size
Might seem obvious, but in the spirit of maximum disclosure and thoroughness, we felt it worthy to point out how both variants of the popular telezoom maintain the same size. There's a slight caveat to that, which you can probably pick up in the below image, but we'll save that for the following page where we dive into the meat of all the changes. For now, here's a comparison between the two DA 55-300 lenses (smc variant on the left and HD variant on the right) and European and American standard size cans of Coca-Cola (330 mL and 12 oz, from left to right), something we can all conceptually relate to:
We left the hood on the smc 55-300 to give an idea of how large the hood makes the lens when attached.
For those that have no experience with this lens of either variant, we should point out that it is relatively compact, especially for what it can do and its zoom and aperture range, making it an excellent travel/hiking lens that won't break your back (or compete for space with food/water).
Autofocus
As soon as this lens was announced, it was met with proverbial arms wide open as cries of "Finally!" echoed through the forums at the announcement of weather sealing in the much loved telephoto zoom. Something that has been requested and echoed for years by Pentaxians: "The 55-300 would be perfect if it was weather sealed."
And then it came - the few "oh...nevermind" 's at the realization this new lens was not AF motor equipped.
The smc 55-300 is not known for its autofocus. Accuracy is not the issue, but rather a combination of a very long focus throw and its jarring screwdriven automation makes it less than appealing. This is especially so considering the industry standard is to provide silent autofocus in all lenses, something that Canon and Nikon routinely do even in their most basic kit lenses. While we were unable to pinpoint the last screw-driven lens created by each, it has indeed been a very long time.
In 2008, when the lens was initially released, the lack of the in-camera lens motor was not an issue. Silent wave motors were still being phased in across other brands, thus making the new smc 55-300 not cutting edge but certainly not a thing of antiquity.
Fast forward over half a decade as 2014 rounds the corner, and the release of a brand new lens that is still screw driven is nothing short of disheartening. We hope that the HD DA 55-300 WR is the very last lens ever to be announced without the inclusion of either DC or SDM autofocus motors. If Pentax can fit weather sealing and a DC motor in the new diminutive HD DA 20-40 F2.8-4 DC WR lens, surely it could have done so here. Granted, it would have required a slightly larger body to house the motor, but even so far as an extra cm (a hair over 3/8") in total diameter would not have been any reason to dismiss a 'DC Mark II.'
Lastly, it should be mentioned that any fears the added weather sealing has put a hindrance on the already taxed autofocus are unfounded - there is literally no difference in autofocus -- speed, accuracy, hunting, etc. -- between the smc and HD variants of this lens. The biggest difference between any 55-300 usage will then be as a direct result of the camera body's autofocus capabilities.
We will explore the autofocus in a bit more depth as it compares to the DA* 60-250 in real-world use, but suffice it to say, we can't help but feel hopeful the HD DA 55-300 brings about the end of a whirring era.
General Image Quality
The smc and HD variants of the 55-300 telezoom are indeed the same exact optical formula with no change in lens elements or groups. The only difference to the optical quality of the lens will be as a result of the coating change from the venerable smc to the new HD nano-crystal coating. While the optical design is constant, we were curious if the coating had an effect on the contrast. To do a quick check, we will examine only the center crops below of the two lenses at 150mm:
smc 55-300 | HD 55-300 | |
| F4.5 |  |  |
| F5.6 |  |  |
| F8.0 |  |  |
As you can see, there is a negligible difference in sharpness, however the micro-contrast has been improved in the HD coating's output.
Later in this review we will present a series of comparisons between the HD 55-300 and the lauded DA* 60-250mm F4, as the inclusion of weather sealing in the former now makes it a viable and cost-effective alternative to Pentax's largest and most expensive zoom lens (as of this review's publication).
55mm to 300mm Zoom Range
The 55-300's all have the same focal lengths, so this should be no surprise to anyone. However, should the HD 55-300 WR be the first version you're considering of this superzoom's multiple incarnations, we wanted to give a quick demonstration of what you can expect regarding the field of view differences throughout the zoom range.
The below are from the same images (all shot on a tripod at F10 using the K-3/HD 55-300), however depending on what you prefer - the one photo or the animated .gif slideshow - we decided to include both. First, here's the consolidated photo:
For the above and below images, clicking on either will open an enlargement for you to get a better look, with the animated version of all five separate images below:
Distortion
Using the same images from the above focal length comparison, we superimposed a grid in Adobe Lightroom and took a screen capture of it to see how the images fared when evaluated for distortion. Clicking on either image below will open an enlargement, and first up, here's the 55mm image:
Next, 300mm. Note that it was slightly rotated about seven degrees to the left (counter-clockwise) as compared to the animated .gif's 300mm shot above. No other corrections were made.
Using the above images, note that the several hundred year old medieval German artitecture isn't the straightest itself! But on a more serious note, regardless of the focal length, distortion with any of the 55-300's should not be a concern of yours. There is slight barrel distortion at the wide and and slight pincushion distortion at the long end.
smc Variant Sample Photos
Here is a collection of sample photos from across a variety of Pentax Forums members (even more can be found in the Sample Photo Archive) demonstrating what the previous version could do on various Pentax cameras. The following were taken with either the DA or DA L version of the 55-300, and thus it should be entirely expected that the new HD 55-300 would be perfectly capable of the below shots as well. Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.
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 Photo by: Heie, K-7, 55mm, 1/2500s, F9, ISO 100 | |
 Photo by: Alfred, K-01, 300mm, 1/1000s, F8, ISO 400 |
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Should you be curious as to how the smc DA 55-300 variant was assessed in its original review, please see here: smc DA 55-300 F4-5.8 ED In-Depth Lens Review, published August 2011.
Otherwise, continue on to the next page to see some bokeh!
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