Long Lenses - again! Sigma 300mm v DA*300mm

I got a DA*300mm a few months ago and bought a pentax 1.7x convertor a few weeks later. Recently Ive been leaving behind my sigma 150-500mm and just using the above, adding the teleconvertor when the subject is too far away and the light is good enough. That said ona recent trip to Norfolk the light was poor but I managed these with the tele on, both are cropped



goldfinch by Neil Phillips, on Flickr



Female gadwall 2 by Neil Phillips, on Flickr

The images are sometimes noticably softer when you crop heavily with the tele on but sometimes not. I find the autofocus can lock slightly off when the tele is on.

That's just what I was wanting to hear from someone Neil!

I've got the 120-400 at the moment but am very impressed with the DA*300 and I think - as was pointed out to me - that quite often a cropped image from the DA*300 will be much better than one from the 120-400mm at 400 !

Think my mind is just about made up... I think the sigma 300mm 2.8 might be a bit better, but appears to be a heavy beast and an older-non HSM version.

That's a gorgeous Goldfinch shot Neil.

Get the DA*300mm you won't be disappointed !

Must admit to being bemused by some of the comments to your original question Martyn but would have to agree that from a cost / performance basis the DA* 300mm options are hard to beat.

Personally I prefer the versatility of a zoom so chose to sell the 300 instead of the 60-250 when decisions had to be made to fund the 250-600. The biggest disadvantage there though is that the 60-250 is a very slow focussing lens.

Checked your Flickr and noticed you found the shorties! Was around Hanging Houghton / Maidwell area looking for them boxing day with no luck at all! Maybe we can come to a deal where you show me the owls and I let you play with the lenses!?

For once I was lucky - I actually found the location AND the owls. I was a bit unsure at first as I drove about 2mls down a single track road - and there were no other cars there! The owls were tho'! But sadly the light wasn't good. There were blue skies the next day, so I took another look (as did a large no. of 'twitchers'!) but it had sadly clouded over again by the time I got there....So I still want to make another visit when there's better light and the 120-400 can do a better job (unless I've changed to the 300mm by then!) so we can maybe have a Pentax 'meet'.

I'm generally happy with the 120-400 but started looking elsewhere because I wanted a bit more reach - but I've been so taken by the sharpness of the 300mm that I've been rather side-tracked!

Know what you mean about being sidetracked with the quality of 300mm, still look back at some of my shots and wish I didn't have to sell it!

Do you have any idea how long the shorties will be hanging around for as I'm up for any Sunday or Monday (all day) after this weekend? Really want to try and get some good shots before they go!

PS, was I close!!??

Yes, you were very close!! It took me a couple of drive-bys to find it !

That 260-600 you have is some lens! It's about time Pentax did something about the long end (at an affordable price!).

Very nice website and pics btw.

I have Mondays off as well due to working long hours later in the week - it's nice to have to chance to go about when it's a bit quieter! - so a Monday would be good. I don't know how long the owls will be there for - I believe they do migrate sometimes, but they've been there quite a while now and there's quite a few of them! Forecast for this Monday is dull and overcast again but I can pm you to sort something out.

ps... High Wycombe is my home town - ages since I've been there tho'!

Sounds good to me!

If everything goes well this Sunday then I will be looking for something to shoot on Monday so may find myself up there after all next week, will let you know. You're right about the Monday off being quieter, no bloody kids to scare anything off for a start!

Have heard they mainly hunt in the afternoon? Have you been around enough times to find out? Don't mind an early start if it's likely to help!

Not sure how well you know Aylesbury but the wife saw a Kingfisher in Fairford Leys / Fowler Road of all places this afternoon! For everyone else that's in a small stream in a housing estate not far from the centre of town, they are closer than you think!

PS, glad you like the site!

The two times I've been there were from 1-4pm and they were hunting pretty much the whole time then. I don't know about the mornings but apparently they need a lot of voles per day, so they may be at it almost non-stop. And when they do stop they're often perched on a nice post! (as you can see on the flickr page - your 600mm would have made a lovely job of that shot!).

If its SEO's we got some up here in September. They were coming out late evening in poor light. Must be harder going for them now and the generally start hunting at lunchtime. We've got a Great Grey Shrike at the same place. Could do with borrowing your monster lens Danny. I haven't managed to get near it with my macro lens

Monday might be a plan then Martyn, I will let you know!

Would love to come up Alan but you are £130 worth of petrol away that I just can't afford, unless of course I can charge £100 a day lens rental!

Love that Goldfinch shot. Pretty sure your Gadwall is a Pintail though.

Phil