| Author: | | New Member Registered: June, 2014 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 6, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | macro 1:2 at 300mm; macro 1:2.9 at 200mm | | Cons: | sharpness at 300mm | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: K-r (12 Mpx)
Autofocus: 6
New Or Used: Used
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My Pentax FA 100-300 f/4.7-5.8 is better at 300mm...
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2011 Location: ON, RH Posts: 2,181
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 17, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Good price, light, good IQ, nice bokeh, decent macro lens | | Cons: | Lens creep when AF is off, long when extended with hood | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 7
Value: 9
Autofocus: 7
New Or Used: New
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A great lens for a beginner that wants to upgrade from the kit lens.
It has a very good reach, it does decent macro (1:2) and IQ is very good considering the price.
The only annoying things that I find about it is the lens creep when using in MF and that is quite long once you zoom in all the way and add the hood on.
At 300mm you can still get very good results if you keep the lens hood on and put the camera on tripod (disable SR).
Personally, I really like this lens and still have my copy.
I don't use it as much nowadays, but I still think is a great lens and yes, I would recommend it.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: May, 2012 Location: Mission, B.C. Posts: 166
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 20, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $190.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Decent macro, good working distance, decently sharp from f/8, decent IQ at lower focal lengths, decent manual focus,price | | Cons: | Soft at the long end, soft when not stopped down, loud and very forceful auto focus | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Autofocus: 6
New Or Used: New
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This lens is overall decent. Decent sharpness (from about 70-250mm) Decent IQ (when stopped down), decent bokeh and autofocus (though the lens feels like it's knocking the camera around when it hunts, which it doesn't do as often as you would think). My favourite point about this camera is actually that it's quite nice to focus manually. That and the price. For what you pay, if you don't need pro quality IQ and are looking for longer focal lengths, this lens is a winner. The 1:2 macro is nice to have as well, it's enough for larger insects like dragonflies and butterflies, and the working distance is pretty good as well.
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,429
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 10, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $239.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp up to 250mm, Light, No CA, Cheap | | Cons: | Not as sharp at 300mm | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Autofocus: 7
New Or Used: New
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First real "New" lens as all my other tele lenses are legacy glass. I was pleasanly surprized with the images I've received from this lens, especially for the price.
There is NO ca in this lens and it has great sharpness up to around 250mm or so. The only real downside is that it isn't as sharp at 300mm. Also, it gets a little hard to zoom when the it is 0 degrees outside.
All in all this is a great value in todays usually high priced marketplace. I'd definitely recommend this to those who want the best bang for their buck.
Here are a few examples of shots taken with this lens
Elk 2 22 July 2011 by coloradocj, on Flickr
| | | | | | | Inactive Account Registered: June, 2011 Location: kentucky Posts: 21 | | Review Date: November 27, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $239.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | well built, good value, great in good light | | Cons: | noisey | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Autofocus: 7
New Or Used: New
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if you are on a budget and cant afford the Pentax da lens of this focal length, Then this is the lens for you! it is well worth the cost even if ya buy it new! I have tried many lenses in the 300mm range from pentax, quantaray, tamron,sigma,tokina etc etc and this one is second only to the DA/DAL pentax! This lens can produce some outstanding photos in good lighting conditions. Go to my flickr page to see some nice examples.http://flicikr/p/aKn5z6 | | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2011 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | excellent in price class | | Cons: | switching off the macro slightly difficult for a new user | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Autofocus: 9
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I bought this lens yrs ago and I steel like it
It's excellent lens in price class. If you want to buy a better one, you must pay more,
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: Chester Posts: 719 | | Review Date: August 22, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Range Price Optics at long range Bokeh | | Cons: | Poor macro Stiff zoom ring Feels cheap | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 3
Value: 7
Autofocus: 5
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A decent lens for a reasonable price. It feels horrible to use though. I've had old manual focus lenses and brand new DA* lenses. Compared to these, this lens feels like you got it at McDonald's. But if you can get over the way it feels, it's actually a decent performer. Don't be fooled my the macro though. It can focus close, but the quality drops rapidly.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2011 Location: Lost in translation ... Posts: 18,076 | | Review Date: July 16, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Overall bang for the buck (or Euro, in my case), Ap ring | | Cons: | No zoom lock + creep, clunky hood, difficult "macro" shift button | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Autofocus: 7
New Or Used: New
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Bonjour,
I am relatively happy with this lens, except that the top end (+ 200mm) is rather soft. The pseudo "macro" function is nice to play with, but the shift buttom on my copy is getting harder and harder to manipulate recently. Cons: AF can be slow, hunt, noisy ... and there's lots of other possible complaints, but what do you want from a lens at this price point? (DA* IQ, speed, etc.?) In comparison, I prefer the DA 55-300 that I purchased after this lens, somewhere around 50%+ more cost, but worth the additional investment, especially for the top end focal range. Hopefully, someday I will be able to compare these two lenses to a DA* zoom ... pocketbook willing, of course.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: January, 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Posts: 6,622 | | Review Date: May 18, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: N/A |
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For some reason, my photo of the non-APO DL version of this lens is pictured above (purple velvet background), so just a note of correction that the lens in the picture is actually this one:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/Sigma-70-300mm-F4-5.6-DL-Macro-Super...or-Pentax.html
my review has been deleted.
I'll say this another way, the photo of the lens in this thread (purple velvet background, lens has a red ring) is the non-APO version. I submitted that photo for the DG version and it got used here. buyers beware.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Ohio, USA/ India Posts: 478
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 15, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $220.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Great IQ, light, | | Cons: | slow | |
This lens was my first telephoto purchase. The IQ is stunning. My first PPG acceptance was an image from this lens. It is very sharp on my K20 D. It is true that I have not used the lens in almost a year every since I got the sigma 70-200 2.8, but I would not hesitate to take the lens if I need the reach and want to travel light. The only negative is a slow variable aperture.  | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: Maryland (Right Outside Washington DC) Posts: 2,902 | | Review Date: April 21, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $230.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Descent Build Quality, Good Range, Low Price, Decent Performance | | Cons: | LOUD Autofocus, Macro Button | |
For the money, this is a good lens, possible one of the best for its range/cost. You can pull sharp images from this lens, the sweet spot for this lens is 70-135 @ f5.6~11 (with good lighting).
Note: If you are shooting wildlife pictures in the woods at a close distance, you will need to turn auto-focus off, the auto-focus is extremely loud on this lens and will scare off any animal within a 30 yard radius of you.
The Good: Inexpensive, Sharp at the above mentioned sweet spot range, Fast Auto focus, Produces good image quality
The Bad: Loud Auto focus, Macro Button design is horrible
Bottom Line: If you are looking for a good piece of glass with the 70~300mm range and you are on a budget, this lens is a great choice.
| | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2008 Location: bremerton, wash. Posts: 6
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 24, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $230.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very sharp on a TRIPOD. VERY TOUGH BODY. LOVE THE COATINGS | | Cons: | I would of liked a 3.5 opening for indoors. | |
I have used it for about 2 years. I have had to take it in for cleaning when i worked some sage brush up around Steam Boat Rock in North washington State. Zooming in and out sucked in sage brush dust. Other wise i use it alot. When pointed down there is NO LENS CREEP. I do all out door photo work and it has been good for me. Up around salt water in storms I have no trouble with it. It is a tough lens. The Macro is really sharp. A mono pod is best with this lens to cut out some motion. It is very sensitive to shakey hands. Rather, if you climb up a hill and am out of breath and your 65 year old heart is hammering, rest a bit or use a pod of sorts. Boka is nice with a UV lens or better a neutral gray lens. I have the 120-400 Sigma and the 70-300 is 1/2 the weight and size. The 120-400 is super quiet and a bit sharper than the 70-300 but a beast to carry. The 70-300 is a bit noisey on focus but easier to carry around. I am so used to reaching for it i would buy it again in a heart beat. I swear i would prefer to support Pentax but none of their 70-300 have Macro. Oh, ok, if i see a good deal on a Pentax 55-300 F4 i would get it and my conscience would feel better. But then i would have to get my Pentax 100mm 2.8 back that i gave to my son as i would need a macro for travel. I don't get it. Why doesn't Pentax put more Macro on their lenses? I do think the DA 35 Macro 2.8 is a "have to have lens". But that is a "wana have" for me now................ KEEP LOOKIN FOR BEAUTY....................
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: August, 2008 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 141
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 9, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $189.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Really fine sharp lens for the price | | Cons: | Slow lens | |
For what it is, this lens is great. Does it do the job my $750 Tamron 70-200 2.8 does? No, but it does a good job and is sometimes closer than one might think. I am regularly amazed that a lens that I paid less than $200 for new, can produce truly exceptional pictures, but this one is capable of doing just that. With F-stops of only 4-5.6 wide open this isn't a fast lens. But you have to compare what the lens does for its' cost. When you do that, this lens is not just good it's truly exceptional.
Another really nice thing about this lens is that while the macro section isn't true macro, it focuses quite close and allows the shooter to create some very nice macro type shots.
Sigma did this same lens in a non APO version. I had that lens as well, but didn't keep it. It can create some decent shots, but the APO version is much better and doesn't cost all that much more.
This lens is capable of producing pictures that are truly exceptional. At present it has the longest reach I have. While it's not the best glass I have in my camera bag, it's one of the best bargains. As a light weight lens I don't see myself getting rid of it even as I continue to build my kit.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2010 Location: san francisco bay area Posts: 28 | | Review Date: December 9, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $209.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | sharp wide end, macro, sturdy, nice hood, value, full frame | | Cons: | long extension, soft beyond 200mm | | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 6
Value: 10
Autofocus: 6
New Or Used: New
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As some of the others have pointed out and as some professional reviews show (see slrgear, photozone.de) this is a pretty sharp lens from 70 to around 140 mm stopped down with good contrast and color. It also has no distortion or CA's in that range. As a result it is great for outdoor portrait shots of kids and pets. Surprisingly the out of focus background is smooth too.
The lens is even decent at 200mm @F10, but it gets progressively less sharp as you go from 200mm to 300mm and it is only sharp in the central part with soft corners. Honestly it is poor overall at 300mm.
Macro can be activated for the 200mm to 300mm range and it does very well with butterflies,bees and fl owers. A very useful feature, although it does not completely replace a true Macro lens (Tip, use HS flash setting on external flash if possible and get that F stop up with 250 shutter for better macro shots). Somehow it seems to be sharper with Macro on and close focusi ng.
The build quality is good and sturdy. However, the zoom ring is a little stiff and non linear which detracts some from the quality feeling. The focus ring works wells which is handy for Macro mode. The hood is large and it includes a nicely made and padded storage case. Relative to other z ooms it is fairly compact and light. It is not much larger than the DA 17-70 for example.
Overall I'd say it is a very good value. How is that, you say, when it is terrible at 300mm? Well it is so good at the other end that I strongly recommend this lens for outdoor portraits and larger macro work with the 200mm - 300mm range handy in a pinch. However, I do not recommend it if your primary goal is to take sharp nature photos above 200mm.
   
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: July, 2009 Location: High Desert, California Posts: 231 | | Review Date: September 27, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $219.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Solid Construction, bang for the buck | | Cons: | Depends - there are better lenses | |
This is definitely a bang-for-the-buck kind of lens. Which means for the price paid you get a good deal but there are better options available if you wait and save. For example, save for the Pentax 55-300. Whether this is important to you depends entirely on how important the long end of the range is too you. I shoot a lot at the long end so the difference matters to me, the 55-300 is definitely a better lens. But that said this Sigma lens is not terrible by any means. The image center stays reasonably sharp throughout the range. The colors are good; the lens is built like a tank; the price is great. Also, the close-focus ability is fun to play with. Even tho I've upgraded to the 55-300, I've kept my copy of this lens for the times when I'm in rough conditions. So depending on your budget and/or your requirements for this focal range, this lens can be an excellent choice.
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