Well, I just did some test framings (never actually pushed the shutter
button) in my dining room with the A* 300 f4. It's a jewel of a lens in
terms of build and cosmetics, that's for sure, but the 4 meter / 13 foot
minimum focusing distance is still a challenge. While i have hung onto
this lens for years, I almost never use it. For smaller birds and
wildlife you either have to be stealthy and get close, or use a longer
telephoto to put you out of the circle of fear. It is best o get close,
because then you do not have haze and other atmospheric distortions that
degrade long distnace / mega telephoto shot, but getting close can be a
lot of work. For a 300mm, for small birds (e.g. finches) or small
mammals (e.g. chipmunks) tha tmeans being 10 to 6 feet away. A blind,
bait, or invisibility cloak is probably needed, but it can be done with
a little effort. In its day, the 13 minimum focusing distance would
probably have been considered to be quite close, and one can always use
extension tubes or close up diopters, but a closed focus distance would
be more desirable IMO. The minimum focusing distance of the A* 300 f4
would be fine for larger subjects - deer, bears, athletes, etc... and on
an APCS-C body it would probably be fine.
I should probably use my sample more...
Mark
On 10/11/2013 10:39 PM, Darren Addy wrote:
The M* and A* 300mm f4 lenses were the smallest and lightest of their
class and three of the front 4 elements in the front group are ED
glass. It was, I believe, before Internal Focusing had come into use.
In optical design, something has to give, and the Pentax optical
designers decided (wisely I think) to sacrifice close focusing,
probably thinking that someone who uses a 300mm lens is probably not
buying it to focus on something 10 feet away. In any event, closer
focus CAN be achieved, if one truly wants it, through extension tubes
(though at the sacrifice of the infinity end of the scale). I believe
those lenses were also sold before the age of "APO" lenses, though the
M* and A* would probably be classed as near-APO.
On Fri, Oct 11, 2013 at 9:28 PM, Mark C <[email protected]> wrote:
I have the A* 300 f4 and have to say that while it can be very good, it
falls short of being a truly excellent lens. It also falls short in the
close focus department. (Or maybe that should be that it falls long in the
close focus department.) I use the 1.7x converter on an A*400 f2.8 and it
is a tremendous help, but the AF range is fairly limited, not like a true AF
lens, in my experience - it needs to be pre focused to a fairly narrow
tolerance. But, the AF adapter is still better than my eyesight for fast
focusing.
Mark
On 10/11/2013 5:24 PM, Rob Studdert wrote:
There's a big difference in optical capabilities between these three
lenses, the 300/4 variants are positively soft compared to the
A300/2.8, having owned and used both. I still have the A300/2.8 which
although unwieldy is a great lens when you need the speed and reach
and combined with the 1.7AF TC it becomes an excellent AF combo.
On 12 October 2013 02:21, P.J. Alling <[email protected]> wrote:
And for a little over 1/5th of that price have the A*300 4.0 or a little
over 1/6 the M* when they're available, and if you really want the feel
for
carrying around f2.8 long glass you can get the [K} 300mm f4.0,
(available
at KEH for less than 1/10 the price, which even though it's a big heavy
beast is still half the weight of the A* 2.8. Considering size weight
and
cost, which lens am I more likely to haul around with me...
Bottom line you don't take many pictures with a lens you don't have with
you.
On 10/11/2013 8:47 AM, Darren Addy wrote:
If I had the discretionary income I would discreetly purchase this bad
baby:
Pentax-A* 300mm f2.8
http://www.keh.com/camera/Pentax-Manual-Focus-Fixed-Focal-Length-Lenses/1/sku-PK060090145530?r=FE
http://www.flickriver.com/lenses/pentax/smcpa300mmf28edif/
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