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New DA55-300PLM on K70

PeterKR
Posted 23/03/2017 - 16:13 Link
I have been most impressed by the performance of my new 55-300PLM on my K70 so when I gave it an outing this week I tried shots at various zoom settings.
In particular, when I took the shot of Mapledurham Mill (posted on the Gallery) I also took a shot at the 300mm full zoom. When I reviewed the image at 'Actual Pixels' I was amazed at how much fine detail had been recorded.

Below is this shot and below that a 100% crop of the centre/left area :-

Comment Image


Comment Image


In the original image viewed on my monitor the grain in the timber cladding is now shown and the small items over the door are revealed as a security light (where the pattern in the glass is almost discernable) and above that is a sign clearly indicating CCTV.

I haven't checked the distance but the mill must have been around 200m from where I was standing ?

Peter
McGregNi
Posted 23/03/2017 - 16:25 Link
It's impressive performance Peter, and I've mostly been reading very good things about this new 'telezoom'. As I understand it the K70 takes advantage of the new lens technology giving very quiet operation, and I understand it offers variable and silent aperture control for video as well (although this may be limited to the latest cameras...?).

I'm pleased that you are finding the lens a good new addition to your arsenal !
My Guides to the Pentax Digital Camera Flash Lighting System : Download here from the PentaxForums Homepage Article .... link
Pentax K7 with BG-4 Grip / Samyang 14mm f2.8 ED AS IF UMC / DA18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AL WR / SMC A28mm f2.8 / D FA 28-105mm / SMC F35-70 f3.5-4.5 / SMC A50mm f1.7 / Tamron AF70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD macro / SMC M75-150mm f4.0 / Tamron Adaptall (CT-135) 135mm f2.8 / Asahi Takumar-A 2X tele-converter / Pentax AF-540FGZ (I & II) Flashes / Cactus RF60/X Flashes & V6/V6II Transceiver
Mag07
Posted 23/03/2017 - 16:42 Link
Some lovely shots you posted. Have to say I am considering swapping my old version for this one. It's seems to be consistently better at the long end; not to mention the smaller form factor and improved focusing.
'Photography...it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten....' (Aaron Siskind)
wvbarnes
Posted 23/03/2017 - 16:55 Link
My experience too on my K3. It, on its own, dissuaded me last November from changing system to mirrorless, for my trips abroad. I think its overpriced at present though.

Ricoh should do a 17 to 50 PLM or similar to complement it. I read on the US site interview that the PLM motor is only suitable for powering light lenses.
wvbarnes
Posted 23/03/2017 - 17:13 Link
and the Ricoh quote reads...

'14. What makes the PLM motor so quick and how does it differ from DC?
The PLM design can quickly activate and allow for faster focusing, but the lens element must be low weight due to limited power (torque).
The DC motor can generate high power (torque) with deceleration mechanisms, which is better for lenses with larger focusing elements. A DC motor can be driven at high speed, but there is an issue that a little sound is generated.
Generally, we use the what we feel is the best focusing mechanism for each specific lens design.'


Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/articles/cpplus-2017/cp-2017-pentax-interview-part-...

wvbarnes wrote:
My experience too on my K3. It, on its own, dissuaded me last November from changing system to mirrorless, for my trips abroad. I think its overpriced at present though.

Ricoh should do a 17 to 50 PLM or similar to complement it. I read on the US site interview that the PLM motor is only suitable for powering light lenses.

smudge
Posted 23/03/2017 - 18:15 Link
Mag07 wrote:
Some lovely shots you posted. Have to say I am considering swapping my old version for this one. It's seems to be consistently better at the long end; not to mention the smaller form factor and improved focusing.

Same here. The old version is a great travel lens but the new one looks to be even better.
Regards, Philip
PeterKR
Posted 23/03/2017 - 19:34 Link
Many thanks for all your comments and contributions.

Interesting to see what you found about the PLM, Bill.
I can certainly vouch for it being very fast and silent - so much so that you just don't notice what's happening - things just appear in focus as soon as you touch the back button or the shutter release.
The shots above and those posted recently were all shot with AF 5 points, and it's interesting to see how, in the shot above, it looked through the trees to focus on the Mill building (note the OoF branches in front of the Mill).

I also tried some 300mm BiF shots when a kite appeared way overhead and whilst it needed me to point exactly in the right direction to lock on the bird instead of the clouds, once I was near it locked on straight away with no 'hunting' like the old screw driven lens used to do. Unfortunately since the kite was very high in the sky, there was a cold wind blowing the combined effect on the camera and my hands meant they results were not worthy of public viewing ! However, I'm hopeful for the future.

I've updated the firmware on my K50 so that can also take the PLM lens and will do some comparison shots sometime to compare the K50 with the K70 ?

Peter
wvbarnes
Posted 23/03/2017 - 19:44 Link
£309 at Bristol Cameras with an instant £30 off is the cheapest I can find from UK dealers if any one is interested. I paid £249.99 from Amazon last November but I doubt that will happen again with the weakened pound versus a much stronger Yen.

Will there be a big pre Easter sale do you think?
1stEverPentax
Posted 23/03/2017 - 19:48 Link
Thanks for taking the time to offer your observations Peter.I'd be particularly interested in how the new lens performs on the K-50 as i'm looking to 'upgrade' my Tamron 70-300 and also how that pairing compares with the K70/55-300PLM. My only possible reservation would be on how robust the new lens might be...have to say for a £100 lens the Tamron is built very well.

Karlo
1stEverPentax
Posted 23/03/2017 - 19:58 Link
Yeah Bill...I think so. Prices always drop for Easter even if its just for a long weekend. I'd be surprised if you
had to pay more than £300 for it over Easter which as it happens is about my valuation of it .

What i'd really like is an 80-400 f5.6 for about £650-£700!
HarisF1
Posted 23/03/2017 - 22:03 Link
Near the time of release it was being sold for £250 on Amazon. I thought it was the RRP so didn't take the plunge. Bit of a silly decision now that I think of it.
All the gear with no idea
Mag07
Posted 24/03/2017 - 10:40 Link
Don't think it was ever 250 GBP? Not the PLM version. Think it was 399USD at launch, and that would put it around GBP 350-380?
'Photography...it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten....' (Aaron Siskind)
McGregNi
Posted 24/03/2017 - 11:09 Link
Based on the quoted conditions from Ricoh for the different AF technologies, I doubt that a 17-50 zoom (at least not a wide aperture one) is a candidate for PLM.
My Guides to the Pentax Digital Camera Flash Lighting System : Download here from the PentaxForums Homepage Article .... link
Pentax K7 with BG-4 Grip / Samyang 14mm f2.8 ED AS IF UMC / DA18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AL WR / SMC A28mm f2.8 / D FA 28-105mm / SMC F35-70 f3.5-4.5 / SMC A50mm f1.7 / Tamron AF70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD macro / SMC M75-150mm f4.0 / Tamron Adaptall (CT-135) 135mm f2.8 / Asahi Takumar-A 2X tele-converter / Pentax AF-540FGZ (I & II) Flashes / Cactus RF60/X Flashes & V6/V6II Transceiver
wvbarnes
Posted 24/03/2017 - 13:25 Link
The offer had been flagged on here in October as a 'leads to deals' (Malfis Posted 28/10/2016 - 22:30 I have just noticed this - Amazon have it at £249.99 !! Surely can't last long at this price ?)

BUT the (unexpected) firmware update for my K3 didn't arrive until close to our trip to the Caribbean (See pics on this sites gallery) so I couldn't use any sooner.

Just checked my account. Post free but only one year warranty. Currently £399 with Amazon but as I said earlier there are deals around, Just not this good given the very weak pound over this Brexit thing.

Paste from my online account for 24th November 2016...
HD Pentax-DA 55-300MM F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE
Sold by: Amazon EU S.a.r.L.
£249.99

Mag07 wrote:
Don't think it was ever 250 GBP? Not the PLM version. Think it was 399USD at launch, and that would put it around GBP 350-380?

Edited by wvbarnes: 24/03/2017 - 13:42

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