| Author: | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2021 Posts: 52 | | Review Date: June 7, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $1,087.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | very very sharp at 2.8 | | Cons: | weight | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: k3,k1
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I have most of the M prime lenses. I also like Tokina lenses. The a 300 f2.8 is the sharpest lens that i have seen. It works well with the 1.7 af adapter. I use this lens to judge my other lenses - so sorry you all come up short. - just joking - if you find it buy it!
| | | | | | | Loyal Site Supportaxian Registered: September, 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 503
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 4, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $1,700.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | exemplary optical performance | | Cons: | handling - akward mount point | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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I've had the pleasure of using a very wide selection of Pentax lenses made from the 70's to present (2019). Optically, this model ranks among the very best.
Pros:
- Outstanding contrast and color rendition.
- Astrophotos are one the harshest tests of a lens: Sharp, almost color-error free astrophotos at f2.8, excellent sharp from f3.5, Equal to many purpose made astronomical instruments by f4.5. In all other shooting situations other than astro, the only reason not to use f2.8 is when you need more depth of focus. The center performance is equal to the HD Pentax-D FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW. The FF edge performance is in the same league by the aforementioned at F5.6. Those of you with a DFA 50 1.4 will know this is no small feat.
- Beautiful bokeh
- Works wonderfully with the 1.7x AFA - Although the 1.7x AFA is a very good performer overall, it can't come close to keeping up the the A300/2.8, and you'll sacrifice quite a bit of contrast and resolution. Even so, it's still a very usable combo. - If you don't need the AFA, you're better off shooting with the 1.4-L or 2.0-L TC's ... if you need optical magnification at all.
- Focus ring action is light and perfect for flicking to focus with a thumb or single finger while you grasp the lens with your other digits. It's a pleasure to manual focus.
- Focus Preset ring is quite useful.
Cons:
- A significant negative to this otherwise stellar model is the extreme nose-heavy balance on the mount point - so don't even try on a tripod unless you have a suitable arca plate or similar. Even worse, an extra-long plate will not clear the housing for the front element group without a spacer, so you'll either have to seek out one of just the right size or custom make your own if you want one that doesn't protrude excessively but still balances properly. You need one exactly 3.5" from the thread centerpoint, and 4" total. This will still only barely balance if you have a 112mm filter attached and the hood out. In a nutshell, the mounting is terrible.
- Extremely hard to find the factory rear drop-in CPL. - However, there is enough room for a CPL to fit the standard filter folder - you just won't be able to adjust it while installed.
- The heavy foot is not detachable to save weight if you only want to do hand-held.
Commentary / Observations:
Despite the A300/2.8 's optical superlatives, the SMC Pentax-M* 67 400mm F4 ED [IF] does everything right physically that this model didn't. That is, it has an excellent well-balanced detachable foot, the foot to lens mounting uses 1/4-20 threads so you can even use a monopod without the foot installed. It has convenient strap mounting points, and finally - the extendable hood is threaded so that it soundly locks in place and you can securely set the lens down on end without damaging or collapsing the hood. The A300/2.8's single hood screw is no match for the weight of a lens on end. If only the designers had incorporated the great mechanical design of the 67 400/4 into the A300/2.8...
Overall / Summary:
This model has handling shortcomings. Despite this I still rate 10 overall because of the world-class optical performance.
| | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2008 Location: Paris Posts: 1 | | Review Date: July 11, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | very sharp, no CA, internal and soft focus, compact and very well built | | Cons: | Hard to find | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K10, K20
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This lens is excellent 
- Very sharp even at 2.8
- ED glasses are very performant without CA even in high contrast situations
- Bokeh is as expected for a 300 2.8 : very good
- Rear Converter-A 2x-L that I bought few years ago (see review in this forum) is perfect with automatic diaphragm selection kept and gives a 600mm 5.6 without real quality loss
- internal focusing is very smooth and I really doesn't need AF
- Very well built so weight is significant but as the lens is very compact it is not really an issue
- integrated hood is an advantage (compare with FA 300 2.8) to react promptly and for storage
- internal filter is a thin 49mm rather easy to find at least for UV
- minimal distance of 3m is useful inside a room or for macro
Mine has paint scratches but glasses and mechanics are perfect so the price was only 1500 $ and less than a lens in perfect cosmetic state. So price is not given as a reference price.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: San Jose Posts: 150 | | Review Date: May 12, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $2,500.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, good handling (on tripod), nice bokeh, handsome | | Cons: | Heavy, rare, expensive | |
This is my big boy lens. Fast and sharp at all the apertures I've been able to shoot it at, the only downside is its size and cost.
Build quality is top notch. From the built in hood, to the focus limiter, to the quality paint and positive aperture ring movement. The lens accepts filters through a rear hatch, and has a 112mm front filter thread that usually doesn't receive much usage. (You don't want to have too many extraneous optical elements getting in the way of your photos). Hopefully you'll never get the rear element dirty, it's recessed too far in the lens for a lay person to clean it comfortably/competently.
That said, the lens is very fun to use. The manual focus is smooth, and the in-body image stabilization is just about right for this lens if you're using a monopod and muscling out a hand-held shot. Otherwise, get a tripod and turn off SR for the best images.
It renders high contrast images really well, just don't expect the (FA31mm/FA77mm/DA40mm) style pixie dust contrast to materialize from a medium contrast scene. Bokeh is simply awesome though. For what it is, you probably can't do much better.
| | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: December, 2007 Location: Norway Posts: 4,371 | | Review Date: March 20, 2008 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Optics and built quality | | Cons: | Weight | |
Great optical quality at all apertures. Very good built quality but very heavy for a 300/2.8 lens.
I've owned the lens twice in the film days. I've sold it twice and regretted it twice. I see use for it now with digital.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2008 Location: MT Posts: 1,350 | | Review Date: March 2, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $2,700.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, build quality | | Cons: | color rendition is "old school" | |
This lens is stunningly sharp. Very contrasty for it's era. The high contrast increases the perception of sharpness even further. Color rendition is quite different from newer FA*telephotos. It's not bad color, just different, particularly in the shade.
Custom fitted to work ideally with 1.4XL and 2XL teleconverters. Very little loss of image quality when using these matched converters.
In my opinion, this lens is intended ONLY for tripod use--shake reduction or not.
I "gave" mine away...wholesaled it for $1700 back before the Pentax lens appreciation party started around the turn of the century.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2007 Location: Apiary, Oregon Posts: 1,181
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 30, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $1,200.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | A classic, sharp and fast | | Cons: | Heavy and spendy | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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I picked up this beauty on Ebay for around $1200 quite a few years ago. They seem to sell for much more now.
IT comes in a metal trunk which thoughtfully is long enough for the doubler to be left on the lens or to hold a body if you don't have a converter installed. This lens has a deeply recessed rear element as does most of the Pentax classic extreme telephotos physically allowing the use of the Pentax Rear converter 1.4x-L or the 2X-L. It also works well with the Pentax 1.7x Adapter, and the Pentax Rear Converters for short lenses such as the 2x-S. While all of these devices work grandly, there is no free lunch. They accomplish optical cropping which for the most part simply mean that much less digital cropping can be accomplished in Photoshop if you are using the latest and greatest digital body.
This lens is particularly appropriate for wildlife work where poor lighting is the norm. It's weight however, is around 3 times (2970g) that of the more common f/4 or f/4.5 300mm lenses. That is not a trivial difference. With the shake reduction of modern Pentax digital bodies, it can be hand held if you are strong, but even for dynamic situations, at least a monopod is to be reccommended. If converters are to be added, a study tripod should be added as well. The lens balances well on the tripod mount, and a remote/delayed release is to be recommended as well.
The lens has a sliding built-in hood and takes 112mm screw in filters on the front
or much smaller drop-in filters in the back. Given that it's an Pentax-A model, it is of course manual only focus and you will need to input the focal length when you mount the lens to help the shake reduction function properly.
One thing you learn right away with this lens is that fast lenses while nice in low light are also very short on depth of field, and the focus doesn't just get soft---when it goes it goes. One should not hesitate to use the lens wide open, but you need to remain conscious that the depth of field is fairly skinny.
I have no doubt that this is a 'lens to have', but it is so big, heavy, beautiful, and EXPENSIVE, that the thought of letting it rattle around in the truck while you are waiting for the wildlife photographic moment of the year is abhorrent.
A real downside to this lens is that it is too valuable to use. Photographic equipment that you use goes where you go, and if that is in a knapsack, or tied on the side of your tractor, or in the cab of a truck those places are pretty ugly. Inexpensive lenses in this focal range are readily available, andn I suggest that you have one for use in conjunction with this lens. If you are hiking extensively, or are going to on an adventure where the photo equipment is at risk, the weight and value of this lens suggest that it should stay home as they simply don't make them any more---and haven't since 1998.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783
1 user found this helpful
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