Good or bad lens?

Alan, if you are on a tight budget the PENTAX DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED is quite a good lens, it really depends on what you intend to use the lens for. If you were wanting to shoot with high shutter speeds, you would be better off with a f/2.8 lens, but optically you can still get some good images with this zoom.

This was the first telephoto zoom I started out with paired on a K10 about 7 years ago, it did the job for my requirements at the time, but I have since purchased faster glass due to needs and requirements.

Regards

Fletcher8

A 55-300 lens is certainly a good lens to start with - especially if you can pick up a good used copy. It shouldn't be too difficult to sell on again in a couple of years if you decide to upgrade.

If you're not aware there are 2 versions - the DA and the DA L

Optically they are the same

The DA has a metal mount, quick shift and a lens hood

The DA L has a plastic mount, no quick shift and no lens hood - but is the cheaper of the two

I've never heard of anybody having problems with the plastic mounts, and lens hoods on ebay can be had very cheaply, so it comes down to whether or not you need/want the quick shift.

You can see user reviews of the lenses here:
http://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/

Between the two lenses you are looking at, there's not much of a noticeable difference between 300 and 320 at the long end. Personally I would find the extra between 55 & 80 at the short end much more useful.

Anything around 35mm and faster than f2 is going to cost a pretty penny. If you are on a strict budget and want a 3 lens solution then personally I would go Pentax DA 16-45mm, 55-300mm and then something like the DA 50mm f1.8 or 35mm f2.4

Totally agree with Mike-P. The 16-45 is a cracking lens, But not that much better than a kit lens in my opinion. If you want to save a little. Just slightly wider and faster. 50mm 1.8 is a must for any low light work. The 55-300 DA or DAL is a great all round performer delivering decent results. The auto focus hunting will drive you crackers. But for the money there's nothing to touch it...