zoom 300mm lens choice

having talked big lenses for airshows I'm just going to have to face that I can't afford a sigma for a while, cry into my cuppa and leave it at that.

so casting round I still also have to face the fact that the Pentax DA 55-300 lens while delivering a nice picture in good light, hunts like a dog when pointed at the sky.

so, my view with my limited pounds is this.

get a new tele 300 lens which is faster focus. here I am at a total loss. I like the fact that the Pentax starts at 55 so at a show I can still get stuff passing by relatively close.

sigma do a 100-300 but seems to get slagged for plastic construction, but then the Da55-300 is as well so that doesn't bother me. but is the sigma fast?

alternatively, can anyone suggest a suitable 300 for airshows.

You could keep an eye open for the Tokina 80-400mm. It's fairly rare in Pentax fit, but they can be found.

It's compact, quite heavy but not at all bad. Try to get the Mk II version if possible as it performs better.

thanks john,

I was aware of the tokina. it sounds like a really good lens but 'hens teeth' comes to mind. I've only found one being sold on ebay in the last six months of listings and while there is one listed at the moment, it is a broken one.

so as much as I'd like a tokina, I think I have to consider something else. if I see a tokina, I'll buy it but in the meantime.....

Can't comment on their performance & suitability for use at air shows but there are some reasonably priced offerings here:- link here:- link and here:- link and this also link looks to be quite a good deal albeit a little more expensive but it's new with warranty, offers extra reach and appears to have good reviews link.

Good luck with your search...

I used to have the mark 2 version of the Tokina and aside from tank like build I'd not recommend over the 55-300. At its longest length, the image quality from my Pentax lens even wide open was better than the Tokina - and the latter softened up considerably from around 350mm. It also suffered noticeably from aberrations/fringing which I'm sure would hit your airshow shots. Crops from the Pentax at 300mm were better than shots from the Tokina at 400mm. I suspect holding out for the Sigmas or a secondhand Bigma is the way to go.

Have you considered the Sigma 70-300mm DG OS? I've used the DA 55-300mm at the shows I've been to so far and have to say I've had mixed results, it's been very good with good light but with an overcast day the focusing has struggled. If only Tamron made the 70-300mm VC in Pentax mount...

I'll consider anything RobE17. It turns out the 55-300 I have is the DA L version so it lacks the quickshift, that and probably poor technique accounts for why mine hunts more than it probably should.

I'll consider 70-330. I'll consider 100-300. I've also flirted with the thought of the cosina 100-400 purely on the basis of price but I've not seen much in the way of sample photos for that so I reserve judgement.

My main aim is fast focus, good sharp results and can cope with some poor lighting.

Manual focusing is always an option.
It seems a skill we are forgetting about.

All the usual suspects are covered but i found the Sigma DG 70-300 was faster to focus and hunted less than the 55-300. But like the Tamron Di LD 70-300, it was soft beyond 250mm. There's no cheap option 300mm zoom that ticks all the boxes. Well except the Tamron 70-300 VC but they don't do a Pentax fit version.....typical.