Well made and easy to use. Crossing the full focus range is very slow. Will not do near-field use.

Well made; light weight; smooth zoom; good images

Poor focus speed; must have distance to subject

The Pentax SMC DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED is a viable choice when it comes to an affordable long range tele lens. The resolution figures are pretty decent and in field conditions it shines with a snappy contrast characteristic.

il n y a pas mieux dans cette categorie de prix. un bon pique, une legere altération À 300 ( en fait 450 ) mais dans cette categorie on peut pas lui en demander plus

This is rather good glass, considering its price. It's sturdy, relatively light, and gives consistent picture quality throughout entire zoom range. Contrast is good. 4-5.8 of diaphragm number is perfectly adequate for outdoor use.

Easily Interchangeable; Lightweight; Strong Construction

Poor in Low Light; Slow Focus

You really can't beat the value for what this zoom can do. I normally have a strange prejudice against zooms, but have no issues using this is my only long lens when I go out on hikes. Others have said that the IQ and sharpness suffer when shooting wider than f/8...

Great bokeh possible; low price; great sharpness

Loud autofocus; plastic mount

Great Pentax colours as expected, nice and sharp. Can be a bit of pain hunting for focus but a twist towards infinity can shorten this as it is along throw from minimum focus to to infinity and back.

The Pentax smc DA 55-300mm f/4.0-5.8 ED is an impressive tele-photo zoom with much to admire about it

Longer lenses for Pentax do seem a bit thin on the ground so the introduction of this longer zoom is a welcome addition to the range. We shall explore whether or not the performance of this compact zoom delivers the quality needed and whether it is a significant contribution to the Pentax lens...

Well made; Good price; Excellent ergonomics; Good quality results

Some AF hunting with older bodies

I recently bought the Pentax K30 camera, which in the opinions of most, is the best camera ever made by Pentax. And it only cost $485. Without going into the details of this amazing camera, I can only say that it is totally user friendly and has an amazing ISO range, which makes it usable in almost...

I spent 3 months getting used to using my Pentax K-30, then finally decided to enhance its capabilities with this new lens. I might have benefited by getting this telephoto lens sooner, but I think waiting until I was more comfortable with the camera paid off.