Pentax 55-300 or Tamron 70-300 advice on a k100Ds

Hello , I am a new member as from today and have just recieved my K100Ds and kit lens that seems rather limiting at the longer end only 55mm .

I need advice for a longer lens to partner my 18-55 kit lens on my new K100Ds, Looks like with my small budget its between the Tamron 70-300 or Pentax 55 -300 with cashback which is the better option please.

Ive read on a forum somwhere googled that the 55-300 or 70-300 might give my particular cameras antishake real problems. Said that the K100Ds not stable enough at the longer end 300mm = 450mm, the the antishake is not really up to it, its a worry dont want blur so is 300mm out of the picture !

And so can I have you advice using 300mm ie 450mm on the K100Ds, good or not up to it , am I limited to say the Pentax 50-200 lens or maybe even a cheap under £200 super zoom 18-200 if a decent one exists ??

Another point is the 55-300 is being sold on SRS site for about £165 after the cash back offer that ends this month, and is it correct SRS send postage free if I mention I am a Pentax user member?? Sorry lots of questions, but I really appriciate your expert/ user advice to set me off on the right path and save my pennies. thank you for your time.

Rhoda******************************************

Hi Rhoda, I am not sure where the information about antishake problems on the K100Ds comes from but I am rather surprised it would happen on the Pentax lens...

I know the the K100D has the first generation Pentax SR and thus might be less effective at the longest focal lengths than Pentax claims...To be rather frank, even with my K10D SR on I am still reluctant to hand hold the camera at slow shutter speeds, simply because I am not the steadiest camera holder and SR makes virtually no difference to me (the system is only as good as the user)...

I would check with the guys at SRS about this and, yes, if you tell them that you are a PentaxUser member you will get free postage.

regards

peter

Quick answer as I have a class to teach.

Pentax 55-300mm better but Tamron cheaper. Mixed views as to how good the Tamron is, Pentax seems very good.

Yes, SRS send post free to members.

Camera shake: at 300mm very difficult to hand hold, antishake or no. It can be done, and many people here have done so, but best advice is to use a tripod, or at least a monopod.

Cheers, Kris.

Pentax's Shake Reduction does help somewhat at 300mm on digital. In fact it's possible to get sharp handheld pictures at 300mm even without Shake Reduction when you're steady or lucky enough.

Take lots of shots and you will get some sharp ones. Be prepared to increase the ISO setting as well, to enable a faster shutter speed.

Or, best of all, switch off the anti-shake and use a tripod, a very firm tripod.

This assumes that the subject is stationary. For moving subjects a tripod with a ball and socket head can be used, leaving the head free to move. In this way you can pan with a subject but the camera is stabilised to quite a high degree.

Tough comparison. Jessops were (are?) selling the Tamron for £60 and for that money it is a real bargain. It is really quite sharp up to just over 200mm then gets softer as you approach 300. It even has a macro function which is a bonus. If you aren't shooting high contrast edges you will be very happy with this lens. However if you do shoot high contrast edges, birds against the sky, tree silhouettes, ridge or roof lines even railings then the dreaded purple fringing appears. And it can be pretty bad with this lens! Some say it is correctable in software but it drove me nuts and after a very short time I traded up to the Pentax and it is in a different league. It is however three times the price I paid for the Tamron at Jessops. Only you can decide.( but i'd recommend the Pentax!)
Handholding at 300mm in anything less than bright sunshine is tough! It can be done but it isn't easy and a tripod is highly recommended! So at this time of year be prepared to shoot at higher ISO settings and get more noise or get a high proportion of blurred pictures until your technique improves. I've got better at it but there's still a long way to go! I'm considering getting a monopod so I can get more out of this lens without lugging a ruddy great tripod everywhere! But zoom back a bit and it is a much easier prospect to deal with.

Some handheld 300mm shots on this thread, from when I first got my DA*300mm (only the damselfly and Pheasant where taken with a tripod).

Handholding a 300mm lens is fine if you've got the light to keep the shutter speed high enough (aim for faster than 1/300s), or if you're using antishake you might expect that to reduce that speed to 1/45s or something around that mark, but it does depend on how steady you are.

The Robin shot on that link was taken at 1/20s, and I think it's acceptably sharp, but the other shots are much better.

Dan