Long-time Pentax user interested in wildlife photography
Oct 10, 2017 07:26:35 #
Dec 26, 2022 14:05:06 #
Well, hello again, after being "away" for quite a while! Thought I'd bring you all up to date on what I decided and did regarding my concerns back in 2017 (!).
On the basis of cost, I in fact tried to buy the Sigma 50-500 mentioned earlier. But it turned out that Sigma was stopping production of that model in the Pentax mount at that very moment, and I was unable to get one. So I had to turn to the Pentax 150-450. I waited a while and managed to get it at a reasonable sale price, so that was good. I've been VERY happy with this lens, but although I had read all the specs and knew what I was getting, it is VERY heavy. I've gotten used to it, though, and to lighten my load in the field I've switched from a pretty heavy tripod to a nice sturdy monopod. This combo works pretty well.
So now I have a NEW question: I sometimes wish I had a little more "reach" than the 150-450 lens gives me, so have been wondering if Pentax's 1.4 teleconverter would work well with the 150-450 zoom (making it roughly a 210-630 zoom) or would be just a silly waste of money. I've read user reviews that say the converter works well with Pentax 300 mm and 55-300 mm lenses, but am wondering how it would perform on the upper end of the 150-450 zoom. Anybody have thoughts on this?
Thanks,
Jim
On the basis of cost, I in fact tried to buy the Sigma 50-500 mentioned earlier. But it turned out that Sigma was stopping production of that model in the Pentax mount at that very moment, and I was unable to get one. So I had to turn to the Pentax 150-450. I waited a while and managed to get it at a reasonable sale price, so that was good. I've been VERY happy with this lens, but although I had read all the specs and knew what I was getting, it is VERY heavy. I've gotten used to it, though, and to lighten my load in the field I've switched from a pretty heavy tripod to a nice sturdy monopod. This combo works pretty well.
So now I have a NEW question: I sometimes wish I had a little more "reach" than the 150-450 lens gives me, so have been wondering if Pentax's 1.4 teleconverter would work well with the 150-450 zoom (making it roughly a 210-630 zoom) or would be just a silly waste of money. I've read user reviews that say the converter works well with Pentax 300 mm and 55-300 mm lenses, but am wondering how it would perform on the upper end of the 150-450 zoom. Anybody have thoughts on this?
Thanks,
Jim
Jan 7, 2023 21:03:59 #
Welcome Jim. I had a Sigma 150-500mm lens but a few years ago I sold it and bought the 150-600mm version. Great quick, sharp focus at all lengths and a bit sharper than the 150-500. Most of my pics are taken at the long end and come out sharp.I also have the Sigma 1.4 converter and have a lot of luck with that as well. Gives me a 35mm equivalent of 1275mm.
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Jan 10, 2023 08:20:40 #
I repaired Pentax 6x7 cameras for years; their lenses were top notch; surprised to hear Pentax lenses are not up to speed.
Jan 22, 2023 10:01:53 #
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