The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Pentax D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW and the Sigma 18-300 F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Pentax D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW is the longer of the two lenses at 242mm. The Sigma 18-300 F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM with a length of 102mm, is 140mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Pentax D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW also has a larger diameter of 95mm compared to the Sigma 18-300 F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM's 79mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Sigma 18-300 F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM weighs 585g, 70% (1415g) lighter than the Pentax D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW's weight of 2000g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Pentax KAF3 Mount for size comparison purposes.
Super Telephoto Lenses in Pentax KAF3 Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Pentax D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW has a filter size of 86mm whereas the Sigma 18-300 F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM has a 72mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 86mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Pentax D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW:
And these are the 72mm filters that we recommend for the Sigma 18-300 F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM:
Lens Mounts
Both the Pentax D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW and the Sigma 18-300 F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM has the same Pentax KAF3 lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Pentax KAF3 lenses are Pentax K-3 III Mono, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III.
Sigma 18-300 F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM is also available in Canon EF , Nikon F (DX), Sigma SA and Sony Alpha mounts.
Focal Range
Pentax D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW has a focal range of 150-450mm and
3.0X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
225 - 675mm.
On the other hand, the Sigma 18-300 F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM has a focal range of 18-300mm and 16.7X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 27-450mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
