DA or DAL?

Joined on the 19th July but this is my visit to the Forum..Thought i would pop in and and say hello..only thing i have done since joining was to down load a picture of my grandaughter into the gallery.. which received some nice comments..Thank You for that..I used to do a lot of photography during the 60's 70's and 80's but with work and other hobbies etc i sort of lost interest..But since retiring 4 years ago i have got that interest back and have been using a Canon Compact Digital Camera..But recently i bought a Pentax KR twin lens kit ( years ago i had Pentax ME Super 35mm.. great camera) that's why i bought another Pentax...I got to say it's a brand new ball game now!!!! Never to old to learn?..I have only had this Lap Top a few months!!
But i do need to ask a Question Da or Dal..? i am thinking of getting a 55mm to 300mm zoom lens( i am certain this question must have been discussed in this forum before ..if so i am sorry to ask again..)The twin lenses that came with the Kit are both Dal.I know you do'nt get a lens hood..that's not a problem i have just bought 2 JJC Lens hoods for my other 2 lenses ..you do'nt get a case..plastic rather than metal mount..and Quick Shift..(do'nt fully understand what that's all about!!)but the main question are the optics... any difference?and is there anything else i should know and look out for? That's it for now..
Many Thanks..Regards Chris...

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your KR!

As far as your questions go, optics are the same - GOOD!

Quick Shift offers the facility to manually fine tune the focus of a lens that's in AF mode without having to switch to manual focus mode.

Welcome to the forum.

The DA has quick-shift focussing to facilitate MF in AF mode without changing any switches.
The DA includes a lens hood.
The DA has a metal lens mount.

The DA-L version . . . doesn't. It has no quick-shift, no hood, 'though one can be purchased, and a plastic mount.

I believe that they are optically identical.

I have 55-300 dal with rubber hood that i will be selling

Great 'Username'!

Thanks for the info.....much appreciated..
whatsthisbuttondo (great name!)How much? would'nt need the hood..Condition etc ..and why are you selling it? Many Thanks..
Chris..

The old joke is that the J in FAJ means Junk and the L in DAL means Lousy, but that's not quite true. Optics in the discount lines are just as good. The build is lighter, the mounts are 'plastic' -- polycarbonate actually, same as Lexan: bulletproof! And very wear-resistant. My ZX-M has a plastic mount and isn't scratched yet, after ~20 years' usage.

As mentioned, what DAL's most noticeably lack are the hood (which can be had cheaply enough online -- and yes, every lens needs hooding); and the Quick-Shift facility, which is a nice-to-have, but I manage without it on older zooms. Someone *needing* a rugged lens for fast-response action-shooting should probably get a DA; the rest of us, with smaller budgets, can look to the DAL's.

Thanks Ric ...Just got to try and find a DAL 55-300 lens...
Many thanks Chris..

I have the 55 - 300 Dal. Love it to bits. Though got to say, if your a purist. It's a little noisey. Motor not the images.. Lens mount isnt a problem at all. Great if your like me and need to keep your budget in check..

Thanks Stuart..It's not so much the budget.. but value for money..why pay more?
Regards Chris..

Keep an eye on ebay. I got mine (DAL) for £150 shipped from the UK, but definitely grey. As others say, optically it is just as outstanding and the savings mean you can put some money elsewhere (one of the primes from SRS would be a fine thing!). I used this lens at a carnival and it was simply superb, although my wife won't let me put any pictures of kids up on the forum or elsewhere to prove it .

Thanks Tony..Unfortunately i do'nt have a Ebay account..so may have to look elsewhere for it..
Regards Chris..

Chris

It's easy to set up an ebay account! It is a treasure-trove for lenses (if you are careful and know what you are buying). Got my DA L 55-300mm brand new from ebay for £150. Best lens purchase I have made to date. Fantastic value for money. If you buy on ebay and there's anything wrong you are covered by the law and can return the goods for a full refund. I have to say I've bought around 50 items from ebay (not all camera-related) and have yet to experience any problems.

Regards
David

Thanks David..From just over the Snake!!! May give it a go ..Do'nt have Paypal either..!I do check Ebay i know there are deals to be had..
Regards Chris..

Chris

Living where you do I bet there's plenty of opportunities for good landscape shots. It is surprising how often I have used the 55-300 for a landscape shot and also how much detail the lens retains in the shot considering it is an 'entry level' zoom. Good luck in your quest to buy this lens; by the way I have found the lens so far to be very easy to use, a bit slow on the AF (a lot slower than my Sigma 70-300mm DG APO), but this is more than outweighed by the results the lens produces. A good example is a shot of a peacock butterfly I took with it (I can't post a link here as the picture is not loaded on any website, but you can take a look at my portfolio). The DA L 55-300 blows the Sigma 70-300 away in terms of image quality (contrast, sharpness and colour are all leagues ahead).

Keep posting (forums and pictures); I look forward to seeing some more of your shots (I liked your first upload).

Best regards
David