F* 300 f4.5 or DA * 300 f4?

Anybody able to offer a direct comparison of above?
Am aware of the differeces in weight and weathersealing, but how do the different focus mechanisms compare?


Davex.

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K5 + 8mm-500mm zooms and primes
Please feel free to play with any images I post.
My flickr: link

No weather sealing on F* and screw focus compared to SDM (actually faster imo) IQ wise there is very little, if anything in it.

F* 880g LINK gets 100%

DA* 1160g with hood LINK (F* has built in hood) and gets 9.75%

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. My Flickr

The DA is slightly sharper wide open. Not much in it stopped down.
It's also faster and quieter focusing. Works well with the 1.7AF

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Half Man... Half Pentax ... Half Cucumber

Pentax K-1 + K-5 and some other stuff

Algi

The DA* 300mm I tried wasn't faster focusing, if anything the SDM (as usual) was slower. Certainly quieter though.

Both work well with the 1.7x af.

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. My Flickr

TBH do not like the 1.7x af
Tried one for a few months, never realy got on with it,I am aware of it`s perceived desirability in Pentax world, but as i say not for me.

I have a 1.5x (cannot remember all the letters) that works well with SDM and screwdrive, it even works with my 18-135 WR.
Will pair that with the 300mm when I decide what to go for, atm I do not need weatherproofing so the F* is favourite, however will know next week if I am going to spend some time in a tropical rainforrest, if so then the DA* will probably be required.

Davex.

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K5 + 8mm-500mm zooms and primes
Please feel free to play with any images I post.
My flickr: link

Personally I'd go for the F* but only because I could use it on my film cameras as well. The DA* doesn't, AFAIK, have an aperture ring.

K.

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Kris Lockyear
It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head. Henri Cartier-Bresson
Lots of film bodies, a couple of digital ones, too many lenses (mainly older glass) and a Horseman LE 5x4.
My website

DA* 300/4 - 1.4m - 77mm - D=83mm - L=184 mm - 1070g - weather sealing - no aperture ring - SDM - separate hood - tripod mount - 1:4

FA* 300/4.5 - 2m - 67mm - D=73mm - L=160mm - 935g - no weather sealing - aperture ring - screw AF - separate hood - no tripod mount - 1:6

F* 300/4.5 - 2m - 67mm - D=84mm - L=160mm - 880g - no weather sealing - aperture ring - screw AF - integrated hood - (removable) tripod mount - 1:6

http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/lenses/primes/extreme-tele/DA300f4.html
http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/lenses/primes/extreme-tele/FA300f4.5.html
http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/lenses/primes/extreme-tele/F300f4.5.html

FA* on K10D: http://www.photozone.de/pentax/131-pentax-smc-fa-300mm-f45-ed-if-review--lab-tes...
DA* on K-5: http://www.photozone.de/pentax/643-pentax300f4

I own the FA*.

I tried the FA* and the DA* side by side. The FA* was fractionally faster focusing (no doubt here) however the DA* is fractionally sharper. What swung it for me though was not the WR but the near silent focusing, the FA* is rather noisy and probably not the best for birds within close proximity that could be disturbed by the sound.

I know that's not the F* but near enough.

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http://frogfish.smugmug.com/ Pentax. Pentax DA*300/4, Cosina 55/1.2, Lens Baby Composer Pro & Edge 80, AFA x1.7, Metz 50 af1.
Nikon. D800. D600. Sigma 500/4.5, Nikon 300/2.8 VRII, Sigma 120-300/2.8, Zeiss Distagon ZF2 21/2.8, Zeiss Distagon ZF2 35/2.0, Sigma 50/1.4, Nikkor 85/1.8, Nikon TC20EIII, Nikon TC14EII, Kenko x1.4, Sigma 2.0