PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR is a Variable aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Super Telephoto Zoom lens with APS-C / DX max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with
KAF3 Mount cameras.
What type of photography is the PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR lens good for?
The choice of photography type for which you intend to use the PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR is a crucial decision factor. Below, we have assessed its suitability for various photography scenarios:
Reasons to Buy the HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE Lens
Here we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE lens in a list form to assist you in determining whether it offers the features you need.
Weather-sealed |
Autofocus |
Hood supplied |
Full-time Manual Focusing |
Versatile Lens with a Zoom Ratio of 5x |
9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh |
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Lens Extends while zooming |
Slow Aperture at Wide end |
Slow Aperture at Tele end |
Variable Aperture |
Lens Mount
PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR is compatible with cameras that have a Pentax KAF3 lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Pentax KAF3 lenses are Pentax K-3 III Monochrome, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III.
Size, Weight and Filter Thread
The size and weight are crucial factors to consider when searching for your next lens. PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR has a maximum diameter of 77mm and total length of 89mm when not extended. It weighs 471g / 16.6 oz.
PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR has a filter thread of 58mm. Below are links to the filters that we recommend you to consider for your PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR:
Focal Range
PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR has a focal range of 55-300mm and 5.5X zoom ratio which has a 35mm equivalent focal range of 82.5-450mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
Weather Sealings
The PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR is a weather-sealed lens, which provides extra protection to prevent water and dust get inside the lens and camera body under light rain, snow and wind. In order to have effective protection, you have to pair the PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR with a weather-sealed camera body such as the Pentax K-3 III Monochrome, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III.
Optical Image Stabilization
PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR doesn't have an optical image stabilization system so the only option to stabilize the image taken with this lens is to mount on a camera body with IBIS (sensor based In-body image stabilization).
Alternatively, you can check the Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG OS in Pentax KAF3 mount that have similar focal range but features Optical Image Stabilization.
Lenses Similar to PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR With Optical Image Stabilization
Zoom Method
PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR features Rotary (extending) zoom method where the length of the lens changes as you zoom in or out. This makes it possible to design the lens with a smaller minimum length ( generally when it is zoomed out) compared to internal zoom lenses. The disadvantages of this design are being harder to seal against dust and moisture, weight balance shifting while zooming and zoom creep in certain lenses.
Maximum Magnification Ratio
PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.3x and has a minimum focusing distance of 0.95m. For a non-macro lens, the 0.3x is considered a high magnification and will come handy for close-up shots.
Below are the 3 Super Telephoto Zoom type Pentax KAF mount lens alternatives with highest max magnification ratios:
Aperture
PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR is a variable aperture lens with a max aperture of f4.5 and a minimum aperture of f22 at 55mm, and a max aperture of f6.3 and minimum aperture of f32 at 300mm .
Focal Length |
Max Aperture |
Min Aperture |
55mm
|
F4.5 |
F22 |
300mm
|
F6.3 |
F32 |
Optical Formula
PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR's optical formula consists of 14 elements in 11 groups . Following special elements are used in this design:
- ED elements + HD
- SP coatings
Lens Hood
PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR comes with a removable lens hood which is handy to reduce lens flare and glare in your photos. The model number of the hood is PH-RBK58.
Body Colour
PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR is available in Black color.
Popular Comparisons of PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR
Here are the eight most popular comparisons of the PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR amongst Camera Decision readers.
Top Alternatives of PENTAX 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED WR Lens
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