Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED 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
KAF Mount cameras.
What type of photography is the Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED lens good for?
The choice of photography type for which you intend to use the Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED is a crucial decision factor. Below, we have assessed its suitability for various photography scenarios:
Lenses in Pentax KAF Mount with Same Focal and Aperture Range
Reasons to Buy the Pentax smc DA 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED Lens
Here we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Pentax smc DA 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED lens in a list form to assist you in determining whether it offers the features you need.
Autofocus |
Distance Scale |
DoF(Depth of Field) Scale |
Hood supplied |
Full-time Manual Focusing |
Versatile Lens with a Zoom Ratio of 5x |
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Lens Extends while zooming |
Slow Aperture at Tele end |
Variable Aperture |
Lens Mount
Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED is compatible with cameras that have a Pentax KAF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Pentax KAF 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 F4.0-5.8 ED has a maximum diameter of 71mm and total length of 112mm when not extended. It weighs 440g / 15.5 oz.
Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED has a filter thread of 58mm. Below are links to the filters that we recommend you to consider for your Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED:
Focal Range
Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED 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.
Optical Image Stabilization
Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED 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 KAF mount that have similar focal range but features Optical Image Stabilization.
Lenses Similar to Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED With Optical Image Stabilization
Zoom Method
Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED 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 F4.0-5.8 ED has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.28x and has a minimum focusing distance of 1.4m. For a non-macro lens, the 0.28x 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 F4.0-5.8 ED is a variable aperture lens with a max aperture of f4 and a minimum aperture of f22 at 55mm, and a max aperture of f5.8 and minimum aperture of f32 at 300mm .
Focal Length |
Max Aperture |
Min Aperture |
55mm
|
F4 |
F22 |
300mm
|
F5.8 |
F32 |
Optical Formula
Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED's optical formula consists of 12 elements in 8 groups .
Lens Hood
Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED comes with a removable lens hood which is handy to reduce lens flare and glare in your photos.
Body Colour
Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED is available in Black color.
Popular Comparisons of Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED
Here are the eight most popular comparisons of the Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED amongst Camera Decision readers.
Top Alternatives of Pentax 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED Lens
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