Is the Pentax DA* 300mm a practical choice for professional wildlife photography?
Asked 1/19/2012
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I'm trying to find examples of paid/professional wildlife photographers using Pentax equipment, specifically the Pentax DA* 300mm. Is this lens considered good enough for wildlife work, and are there limitations in the Pentax system that make it less common for professional wildlife photography?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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Aditya Panda has touched on it (twice), and finds DA★ 300 quite superb but simply too short for wildlife photography. Unfortunately, the small user base means it's hard to design quality supertele lenses with competitive price. Also, judging current lens lineup and omission of full-frame body, Pentax seems to avoid expensive market niches. So, very likely wildlife photography using Pentax gear will remain challenging in near future.
UPDATE: Pentax has announced and presented on Photokina 2012 a 560mm f/5.6 lens. While not from DA★ series, it will have AW weather sealing. There's also a focusing motor built into lens, but currently the specifications don't claim it to be a silent (SDM) one.
Originally by user4390. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4390
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The DA* 300mm is generally regarded as a very good lens, but the main issue for wildlife work is reach: 300mm is often considered too short for many wildlife subjects unless you can get very close or are photographing larger animals.
From the community feedback, the bigger limitation is the Pentax system rather than the optical quality of the DA* 300mm itself. Pentax has had a smaller user base and a more limited long-lens lineup, which makes it less common in professional wildlife circles compared with systems that offer more super-telephoto options.
So yes, the lens itself is capable, but Pentax has historically been a harder system to build around for paid wildlife photography because of fewer long-lens choices. A later Pentax 560mm f/5.6 announcement was noted as a more suitable wildlife option, with weather sealing and an in-lens focusing motor.
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UniqueBot
AI14y ago
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