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SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED

Sharpness 
 8.6
Aberrations 
 8.2
Bokeh 
 8.3
Autofocus 
 7.5
Handling 
 8.3
Value 
 9.7
Reviews Views Date of last review
44 217,053 Mon February 28, 2022
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $189.68 8.75
SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED

SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED
supersize
SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED
supersize

Description:
The DA L version of the SMC Pentax-DA 55-300mm lens is a budget variant that only comes bundled in camera kits. It lacks quick shift functionality and the bayonet is made of plastic rather than metal.

SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
APS-C
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
No
Diaphragm
Automatic, 6 blades
Optics
12 elements, 8 groups
Mount Variant
KAF
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F4-5.8
Min. Aperture
F22-32
Focusing
AF (screwdrive)
Quick-shift
No
Min. Focus
140 cm
Max. Magnification
0.28x
Filter Size
58 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 29-5.4 ° / 25-4.6 °
Hood
PH-RBG 58 mm
Case
S80-160
Lens Cap
O-LC58
Coating
SMC,SP
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
71 x 111.5 mm (2.8 x 4.4 in.)
Weight
425 g (15 oz.)
Production Years
2010 to present (in production)
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-DA L 1:4-5.8 55-300mm ED
Reviews
User reviews
Notes
Plastic lens mount.
Two ED elements.
Features:
Screwdrive AutofocusAutomatic ApertureAPS-C Digital Only
Sample Photos: View Sample Photos
Price History:



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New Member

Registered: November, 2013
Posts: 14

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: February 28, 2022 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: really sharp lens / objectif avec haut piqué
Cons: some few CAs, must be stopped down / fermer le diaphragme
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: k-5, k-s1, k-x, k 200 D, Fuji x-T100, x-e1   



The PENTAX system is convincing with one important advantage: into the body integrated anti-shake / le systhème PENTAX sait convaincre par son boitier anti-vibration



this 55-300 mm zoom lens has integrated 2 ED and 4 achromatic elements /cet objectiv zoom 55-300 mm possède 2 éléments fluorites et 4 achromatiques

As teacher of digital and analog photography I've used the PENTAX AF 4.7-5.8/100-300 combined with a macro tube with really nice butterfly results at f11 for many years/ comme professeur de la photographie numérique et argentique j'avais utilisé le PENTAX 4,7-5,8/100-300 au diaphragme fermé a f11 avec une bague d'extension pour mes photos des papillons pendant quelques années.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

VERY IMPORTANT: Unfortunately, this lens doesn't allow any bellow or macro rings for macro photos because of missing A-contacts in gadgets malheureusement cet objectif ne permet pas de bague d'extension pour les photos macro (TRÈS IMPORTANT), comme il n'y a pas de bagues macro avec des contactes A pour PENTAX.



+ good center sharpness wide open at the long end 300 mm / bonne netteté dans le centre de l'image au diaphragme ouvert à 300 mm - un peu de flou aux bordures et dans les coins

++ excellent sharpness f8-11 in the range between 55-200mm / netteté excellente entre 55 et 200 mm avec f 8-11

+/++ very good sharpness stopped down to f 11-13 at 300 mm/ diaphragme fermé à f 11-13 très net à 300 mm.

++ nice color rendition and high contrast / bonnes couleurs et contrast

(still a few better quality than earlier PENTAX zooms / qualité encore ameliorée si l'on compare avec des objectifs PENTAX argentiques de l'époque)

++ effective correction of CAs / correction effective des ACs

8.5 points
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: January, 2014
Location: Victoria Australia
Posts: 6,410

6 users found this helpful
Review Date: November 14, 2020 Recommended | Price: $170.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Value, resolution, colour and contrast, versatility, weight
Cons: Noisy AF, lacks WR, lacks QS, plasticky, occasional nisen bokeh
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 7    Handling: 7    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-30, K-3, K-S2, KP   

I owned this lens for 5 years (2014-2019) and used it extensively on a series of bodies. I have also owned the HD-DA 55-300mm f4.5-6.3 PLM for a number of years, so I can make a direct comparison between them. I can also compare it with a number of other telephoto lenses, including the Sigma 170-500mm, Sigma 400mm f5.6, Pentax FA*300mm f4.5, Pentax DFA 100mm f2.8 macro and Pentax DA 18-135mm f3.5-5.6.

Maximum apertures are as follows:
55-125mm - f4
125-200mm - f4.5
200-275mm - f5.6
275-300mm - f5.8
This makes it about 1/3 stop faster than the PLM across most of the range. The lens has no aperture ring to allow manual setting of the aperture; aperture is controlled exclusively by the camera.

Construction and handling: The plastic mount doesn't inspire confidence, but I never had a problem with it. The lens is not supplied with a hood, but I got a cheap copy on ebay which worked fine (and reverse-mounts on the lens). The focus ring and zoom ring can be a little "grindy", but are functional. Zooming in and out was rather stiff and a bit jerky (even after 5 years of use), but at least there was no chance of any zoom creep.

The lens is fairly lightweight. Although not particularly bulky, the difference in bulk to the (retractable) PLM is very noticeable. The focal range is versatile and useful - 55mm at the wide end is quite handy.

Like many plastic-barrel lenses, my copy started to develop a wobble after years of use. Given that the lens has been out of production for some years, that will be common now. To preserve the lens, always retract the barrels after use.

The lens is not weather-resistant (get the HD WR version if it is within budget), so will need to be handled with care in wet conditions.

Focusing: Like other DA zooms, this is a lens designed primarily for AF use. The small focus ring and short throw reflect this, although the placement of the focus ring at the front is more convenient for manual focusing than the rear-positioned focus ring on more recent zooms (such as the PLM).

Autofocus is fairly quick for a screwdriven telephoto lens. AF performance was much better on the K-3 than on the K-30, because of the improvement in the camera's focus mechanism. But the AF is far slower than in the DA 18-135 (which has a DC AF motor), let alone the lightning-fast DA 55-300 PLM.

The lack of QuickShift (manual focus override) is a disadvantage - for example, QS is handy when trying to focus on a bird in a tree, when the AF is distracted by branches. But in general use, given the accuracy of the AF, I did not find the absence of QS to be a major problem. Flick the AF mode switch on the camera to MF or press the lens release button (without twisting the lens in the bayonet!) if you want to focus manually.

AF on my copy did not need adjustment. The worst aspect of the AF is its "coffee-grinder" noise, which was loud enough to disturb wildlife.

The minimum focus distance of 1.4m is typical for telephoto zooms from this period - not great but not terrible. (The MFD of the PLM is a more convenient 0.95m.) Because it is not an internal focus lens, there is little focus-breathing (in contrast with the DA 18-135, for example). There is no specific pseudo-macro mode, but with a maximum magnification of 0.28x it is serviceable in this role.

Many users add a close-up filter (preferably an achromatic one like the Raynox 150) for greater magnification. I did not try this, but there are several threads about it.

Image quality: Resolution is surprisingly good throughout the range - indeed it is remarkable for such a cheap lens. Although it falls away a little at the long end, resolution (particularly in the centre) is still quite good at 300mm, especially when stopped down. It pays to use f8 at the long end whenever possible for better resolution (as well as more depth of field). The corners and edges are not bad at wider apertures but improve upon stopping down. Of course resolution in challenging conditions is no match for a premium lens like the FA*300 f4.5, let alone the razor-sharp DFA 100mm macro - hence my sharpness rating of 8 - but still very good for a consumer zoom. Resolution is comparable to that of the PLM (the PLM might be slightly better wide open).

Colour and contrast are also very good across the range - typical of a Pentax lens with smc.




Images sometimes lack the extra punch of microcontrast that, say, the Limited lenses (or even some DA zooms like the 18-135 or the 55-300 PLM) can provide. I got very few images with a 3D effect.

Aberrations are generally well-controlled, although some bokeh-fringing is evident. Flare control is good (for a non-HD lens). There is occasional purple fringing in high-contrast scenes, but it is not nearly as prevalent as on the DA 18-135, for example. Distortion is negligible. There is some vignetting but it is easily correctable in processing.

Bokeh: Bokeh can be creamy if there is a sufficient distance between the subject and background.


Where there isn't, bokeh is generally inoffensive, but nothing special:


Hexagons may appear in the bokeh, as here (bottom left and bottom right):


Like many cheap zooms it can occasionally produce unpleasant nisen bokeh (characterised by parallel lines), accentuated here by bokeh fringing:


Conclusion: A good copy of this lens provides excellent value as a low-cost and versatile telephoto lens. It is also a worthwhile option for use on older K-mount DSLRs that do not have the KAF4 mount (required to use the PLM lens with full functionality), such as the K-5 series and earlier.

The best images from this lens are typically when stopped down and at distances that do not unduly challenge the resolution of detail. The limitations of the lens, like any consumer-grade lens, are exposed in more challenging conditions. Expectations of the lens need to be realistic - you cannot expect a $100 lens to do everything that a $1000 lens, like the DA*300mm f4, can do. But it still provides amazing value for money.

This lens is more than the sum of its parts - which is why I have rated it 8 overall but 10 for value. You can't really ask more from such a cheap lens.

Samples: Click through to Flickr for details and closer viewing.














More samples here: Pentax DA-L 55-300mm f4-5.8 sample images - Des(Australia) - Flickr
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: August, 2018
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 2,098

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: December 19, 2018 Recommended | Price: $75.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Quality Build, Good AF for telephoto, Great Value
Cons: Not macro oriented

Was perusing eBay for Pentax lenses and saw this beauty for sale. Bid $75.00 and won the auction. Lens was sold by District Camera in VIrginia and wow, this mint, former kit lens is excellent....I strapped it on my K-S2 and was extremely happy with the results. For smiles and giggles, I'm going to mount it in crop mode on the K-1ii and see how it renders and report back...Overrall: Pentax makes some great value glass: probably the best in the industry for price to performance ratios. This 55-300mm, is one of these examples.
   
amateur dirt farmer

Registered: December, 2014
Location: probably out in a field somewhere...
Posts: 41,257

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 17, 2018 Recommended | Price: $120.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: color rendition, clarity, sharpness, ease of handling
Cons: not terribly sharp at 300mm, build quality could be better, aperture
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-3 and K-50   

Cannot be beaten for the money - for a 300mm consumer zoom lens, this lens punches well above its budget specs.

Mine was purchased for $120US from eBay, without a hood - I purchased a knock-off PH-RBG58, also from eBay. Mine seemed to be unused and may have been from a kit (broken up and sold separately).

Negatives: plastic-build quality; you can feel the plastic and the cheapness here - the zoom ring glides smoothly, but the focus ring is truly awful in its complete lack of tactile feedback. Because of the 55 to 300mm range, the focus can be slow and somewhat loud due to its screw drive. Sharpness at 300mm - this is the downfall of probably all consumer zooms; it is not quite as sharp as I would like, depending upon subject, light, wind, etc; if I know that I need the 300mm for the shot, I'll take a prime along with me.

Positives: color - typical Pentax saturation and rendition. Clarity - as my technique has improved, clarity of focus has come along and if I use a monopod (or even a tripod), my keeper-rate at the long end has gone up. Up to about 250mm or so, this is very sharp for a consumer zoom.

I recommend this lens all the time when the question comes up in the forums: what xx-300mm zoom should I get for less than $200 or $150? The lack of WR or quickshift should definitely be noted - if you need weather-resistance, this is not for you. Some shooters like the quickshift option - I don't miss it in this application.

The plastic mount or the lack of hood are non-issues for me; the lens does not weigh enough to be an issue for the mount and the lack of hood is quickly & easily remedied by a visit to either eBay or Amazon.

and the pics:

Laney by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr

armadillo by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr

lilies by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr

Northern Harrier at work by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr

sunset, on the pond... by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr

and the rest of my album on flickr for this lens:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperberryfarm/albums/72157665364097036/page1
   
Pentaxian

Registered: January, 2012
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 2,817

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: December 12, 2017 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharpness, bokeh, utility
Cons: Focusing speed/noise
Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 6    Handling: 7    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-5 IIs   

I bought a used DAL 55-300 about six months ago as a replacement for my FA 100-300, essentially replacing one cheap tele zoom with another. I had actually liked the results from the FA 100-300, but it felt very limiting at the wide end, the construction was loose and the focusing was very slow in most conditions. I was lucky to find a very good copy of the DAL 55-300 for the equivalent of around $100, which came with the hood (not normally included).

The DAL 55-300 is an improvement in all regards from what I had before. The build quality is pretty good for the price - an altogether better class of plastic. The zoom ring and barrel do not feel loose at all on my copy. Since it goes out to 55mm, it is a lot more versatile and reduces the number of lens changes compared to the FA 100-300. Focus is better, but it can still hunt and is noisy.

The lens is the sharpest zoom I have used. Admittedly most of my better lenses are primes. Even when zoomed to 300mm, detail is very clear when viewed 1:1 on screen. I don't see how it could be better. Contrast is also great. I often carry this lens along with the DA 18-135, so there is a fair amount of overlap. I haven’t done a controlled test of how they compare in the 55-135 range, but I’m pretty sure the DAL 55-300 is the sharper lens through the whole range, so it makes sense for me switch to the DAL 55-300 if I have the choice.

This is a crop of a shot at 300mm. It’s not a 100% crop, but trust me the smallest tiles on the mosaic and the grouting between are completely clear.



The bokeh is smooth and pleasant. This picture of flowers shows the bokeh a little way behind the plane of focus, which is generally pleasing, even on a busy subject like this. There is some CA that affects the bokeh quality, but it's not too bad at all. Further in the background the bokeh is completely smooth and not distracting at all.



Overall I’m very satisfied. The main areas of weakness are focusing and the lack of weather sealing. These are both fixed on the new PLM version. I would have paid the extra for that lens, but it won’t work on either of my cameras. There are four versions of this lens available. In my opinion the PLM one to get if your camera is compatible and you have the funds. If not the DAL is great as an interim solution.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: May, 2015
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 892

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: July 6, 2017 Recommended | Price: $75.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: I.Q. at 300mm
Cons: Plastic mount, wobble, basic features
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-5   

Bought 2nd hand, this lens did not look very impressive. There was a slight wobble on the barrel fully extended, the lens had a couple of tiny black shards in it and the plastic mount looked worn. A 2 hour round trip to look at it meant I was not going to leave without buying it anyway. A hood is on it's way from the far east.

Comparing it to budget zooms by Tamron and Sigma (70-300mm with pseudo macro), this lens is better at 300mm for sharpness. The Pentax shows virtually no CA aberrations. A better buy but it should be considering how much more it would have cost new (rather than bundled) as a long zoom.
Comparing it to the Tamron SP23A 60-300mm, sharpness at 300mm seems about the same, the Pentax however has AF and little or no purple fringing.

Build quality, pseudo macro, and price favour the Tamron (buying 2nd hand) and the extra weight has the effect of reminding me to try and keep it steady rather than rely on SR to compensate for my trembles.
If the lens had quick shift focussing, a metal mount, HD coating and little or no wobble it would be better..... and Pentax made a lens that has that.
Recommended as a budget zoom to 300mm.
   
New Member

Registered: August, 2015
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 4

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: October 5, 2016 Recommended | Price: $150.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Nice colours and can be very sharp
Cons: No hood supplied
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 7    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-7   

Bought new as one split from a kit. Came without a hood, but I found a perfectly good replacement on eBay for next to nothing. It has a plastic mount, but I can't see any advantage or disadvantage in that. With a bit of experimentation and practice, it can deliver great results.

K-7 1/000 sec f5.6 ISO280
   
New Member

Registered: August, 2015
Posts: 1

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 8, 2015 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros:
Cons:
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: New    Camera Used: Pentax K5   

According to price very successful lens










   
Inactive Account

Registered: August, 2014
Posts: 3

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: May 31, 2015 Recommended | Price: $130.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: very sharp, nice colors, light weight
Cons: no for that price
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: k-5   

all photos are made in manual focus mode...



   
New Member

Registered: May, 2014
Location: Fraser Coast
Posts: 9
Review Date: October 26, 2014 Recommended | Price: $115.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharpness, Great focal range, Value for money
Cons: Considering the price, nothing.

Beautiful colour rendition and sharpness. Value for money for a kit lens, this is about as good as it gets. Focal range is great and build quality is above average. The only thing I could give it a negative for is the plastic mount. But for the price and considering it has the same optics as the DA one can live with this flaw.
   
Pentaxian

Registered: April, 2013
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 578

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: May 12, 2014 Recommended | Price: $150.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Great bokeh possible, low price, great sharpness
Cons: Loud autofocus, plastic mount
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 6    Handling: 7    Value: 9    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-5II   

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... I'll let the images speak for themselves. Besides that, the manual focus isn't the smoothest, the AF is kinda loud - esp if its hunting for an object that is hard to focus on. Sure, the DA version comes with a hood, has a metal mount, and has quick shift focus, but I definitely got my money worth on this one and have no desire to upgrade it.

f/6.3 135mm


Golden Fall Foliage at North Park by JBaron Studios, on Flickr

f/11 55mm

f/5.8 300mm


f/8 300mm


f/8 300mm
   
Veteran Member

Registered: October, 2008
Location: Greensboro,NC
Posts: 503
Review Date: March 27, 2014 Recommended | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Great color/contrast, fairly sharp, good range
Cons: rather slow, cheap build
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 9    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K200D, K100D   

This is a pretty good lens, It can actually produce some pleasing bokeh if you know where to find it. I bought it so I could have the complete range from 18mm all the way to 300mm just in case I needed it. It's cheap and sort of feels cheap but the glass is very good for the price, it has great color and contrast. I highly recommend this lens if you are on a budget.

a few examples:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7296/12488364444_15f314243c_z_d.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/12487996733_cafed8ae9c_z_d.jpg
   
Pentaxian

Registered: November, 2013
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 659

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: November 24, 2013 Recommended | Price: $350.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Everything
Cons: F4.5-5.8
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 9    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-r   

I am the happy owner of a copy of this lens. I bought it in the US when visiting NYC in 2011 when I got my K110D.

At the time I wasn't sure this lens would give me so many satisfactions, but it did and does.
I am a petrolhead, so I do love to go watch cars races and so I knew I needed a lens like that one.

I am very happy with it, it's sharp, it's fast focusing, it has some bokeh if you try to find it, so usually I won't complain.

The only problems? It's weight, and it's f4.5-5.8, if that lens would be brighter that would be amazing (and of course probably it's price would be the double).

Some samples here:






   
New Member

Registered: February, 2013
Posts: 9
Review Date: October 19, 2013 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: IQ, range, weight, price
Cons: loud AF
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 10    Autofocus: 7    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-01   

I got this baby with my k-01 as double zoom kit lens, paid 42000 JPY for the kit with the DA L 18-55. As much as i got used to it, i did not need the 18-55 unless i need wide angle, e.g. indoors, and when i am out for shooting, most of the time it is on.
Nice color rendering, very good bokeh, decent sharpness even wide open at the short end, gets even sharper when stooped down around 2 -3 steps. I found it a little bit soft at the long and, but it gets sharper if stopped down a little more, especially on a tripod.
AF is loud and may hunt sometimes, and i had false focusing a couple of times, -due to contrast dedection AF system on the body i guess-.
For the price there is no other better 300mm zoom lens, so this baby deserves 10/10 overall.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/members/57628-ozankocoglu/albums/7405-k-01/picture65374.jpg
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/members/57628-ozankocoglu/albums/7405-k-01/picture65372.jpg
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/members/57628-ozankocoglu/albums/7405-k-01/picture65371.jpg
   
Pentaxian

Registered: September, 2013
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 1,070
Review Date: September 18, 2013 Recommended | Price: $178.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Relatively Sharp, good performer for the price
Cons: Plastic mount, lack of features
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 8    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K30   

This Pentax 55-300 DA-L lens can deliver reasonably sharp photos at 300mm and with the aperture wide open. It also has good contrast and minimal chromatic aberrations or purple fringing. Stopping down the aperture a little bit will improve sharpness more, which is already pretty good to begin with. I think the bokeh this lens produces can be rather good, and the SP coating used on the front lens element really makes it easy to clean if it gets dusty. My copy has no zoom creep and is all solid when mounted on my K30. In comparison to other long zoom screw drive autofocus lenses I've used, the autofocus is rather slow and noisy but still performs adequately in most situations. The Pentax 18-55 kit lens focuses noticeably quicker in comparison though. One worry I have is that this lens is a little bit big and heavy to be using a plastic mount, but you can supposedly order a replacement mount for a low price. It may be better for the plastic mount to break off than a metal mount to damage the camera mount in the event of a catastrophic camera fall. After a few lens changes I did start to notice a bit of wear on my plastic lens mount, however.

It's a little annoying that there is no distance scale printing on the lens, but the manual focus ring is definitely usable. Something that is more annoying is the fact that "Quick Shift" is not included on this lens, which would basically allow you to turn the focus ring at any given time to manual focus without having to flip the switch on the camera body to manual focus. Since this lens can have trouble getting in focus, such a feature should be standard. The DA 55-300 (non L) version of this lens has a metal mount, Quick Shift, a distance scale, comes with a lens hood, and only costs around $30 more on the used market. For these reasons, I would recommend buying it instead. The optical formula of the DA-L 55-300 is said to be the same as the DA 55-300 version, so if you can't afford the DA version, the DA-L is still not a bad choice if you are willing to live with it's shortcomings because both are pretty good performers. If you want weather resistance, you will have to pay quite a bit more and get the HD 55-300 WR version of this lens, which is the most modern of the bunch.

Ok, now I will let the DA-L 55-300 speak for itself. Here's some samples:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/9902833244/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/13490912965/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/11262333766/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/10769078414/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/13748576654/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/13490928845/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/9740990177/
Add Review of SMC Pentax-DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED



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