Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 Review

Handling/Build Quality

The construction of the 55-300mm is very good: exactly what one would expect from Pentax. The mount is made of metal, and the main body of plastic. Despite its plastic construction, the lens feels solid and has a nice "mass". It definitely does not feel cheap, or cheaply-made. The lens employs a tube-in-tube design and extends easily. One thing we noticed immediately and are exceedingly pleased to report is that our copy showed no lens creep. This means that when the lens is pointed down toward the ground, it does not extend by itself. Although our copy was brand-new, this is still worth noting and is just another example of the fine build quality Pentax has provided.

There is no lens lock, nor is there a tripod mount. If you're concerned about not having a tripod mount on the lens body, don't be. Even when the lens is fully extended to 300mm, it is stable on the tripod using only the mount on the camera body. Naturally, a good quality tripod is required.

The plastic lens hood is not a petal type, but rather a complete round tube that encloses the front element. It reverses on the lens for easy storage. The hood also has a 'removable window' that allows for easy manipulation of a polarizing filter.

The lens extends and retracts easily for one handed zooming, which is smooth through the entire range.