HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mmF4.5-6.3ED PLM WR RE

A compact telephoto zoom lens, providing enhanced AF performance and a minimum focusing distance of 0.95 meters

This zoom lens provides focal lengths between 84.5mm and 460mm (in the 35mm format, when mounted on a PENTAX APS-C-format digital SLR camera.) to cover medium- to super-telephoto ranges. 
With the adoption of a retractable structure, it measures a mere 89 millimeters in length, making it easy to carry around. Coupled with its weather-resistant construction, this zoom lens assures outstanding reliability even in demanding shooting conditions.

Features / Specifications

High-speed AF operation

With the adoption of a rear-focus system, the focusing lens is 93.6 percent lighter* than the previous version. By driving this focusing lens using a pulse motor (PLM), which is directly linked to a lead screw, this zoom lens operates faster — approximately 8.3 times** at its wide-angle end and approximately 1.7 times** at its telephoto end —and quieter than the existing model.* When mounted on the actual digital PENTAX SLR camera modells, it assures smoother, faster AF operation with dimly lit subjects, thanks to an improved AF algorithm that exchanges AF data between the camera body and the lens with greater precision. Operability of its power-assisted focus system during manual-focus operation has also been improved. Since its distance ring is designed to accurately detect the angle of rotation and swiftly react to a change of angle, this zoom lens can shift its focusing lens smoothly in response to distance ring operation.

* When compared with the HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8ED WR.
** When taking a still image in K-70's viewfinder shooting, with the camera’s AF mode set to AF-S and for subjects positioned at a distance between 1.5 meters to infinity.

Focusing Mechanism

  Lead Screw       PLM (Pulse Motor)       Focus Lens

Phase-matching AF AF drive time comparison

Fig. 1: WIDE (55mm)            Fig.2:  TELE (300mm)

  HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8ED WR 

  HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3ED PLM WR RE 

Quiet AF operation and electromagnetic diaphragm control, perfect for movie recording
This is the first K-mount lens to feature an electromagnetic diaphragm control system. When mounted on the actual PENTAX digital SLR camera modells, it assures smooth, high-precision aperture control during movie recording.
Thanks to this state-of-the-art system, it shifts the aperture setting automatically and smoothly, even when the brightness level of the subject changes drastically in movie shooting. Coupled with the PLM mechanism. It also assures smooth AF tracking operation and exposure control, while minimizing the intrusion of focus- and aperture-shift noises during movie-recording operation.
As the result, it produces more natural, true-to-life movies in locations such as a theater stage or a sunlight-streaked forest where the brightness level fluctuates considerably, and for such active subjects as athletes and animals.

USAGE NOTE:

This lens features a KAF4 lens mount compatible with an electromagnetic diaphragm control system. Cameras compatible with this system are KF, K-3 Mark III,  K-1 Mark II, KP, K-70, K-1, K-3 II, K-3, K-S2, K-S1 and K-50.

For K-1, K-3 II, K-3, K-S2, K-S1 and K-50, the camera’s firmware must be upgraded to the latest version. If this lens is mounted on a camera without proper firmware upgrade, its diaphragm control mechanism becomes inactive, making it impossible to obtain correct exposure.

High-quality images with a minimum focusing distance of 0.95 meters

With focal lengths from 84.5mm to 460mm (in the 35mm format), this telephoto zoom lens provides approximately 5.5-times zoom coverage from medium- to super-telephoto ranges. Its 14-element, 11-group optics include an ED (Extra-low Dispersion) optical element to effectively minimize spherical and chromatic aberrations, while delivering high-resolution, fine-detailed images with rich contrast from the image’s center to its edges and minimal color bleeding at any focal length setting.

In addition to the short minimal focusing distance of 0.95 meters, made possible by the rear-focus system, the lens barrel has also been designed to be free of extension during AF operation, making it ideal for a wide variety of applications, such as outdoor, sports and landscape shooting.

Since it is impossible to avoid light diffraction phenomenon on the actual lens, wave optical MTF is more realistic. However, geometric MTF is appropriate if you want to compare only the effects of geometric aberration correction on MTF.

MTF chart information

MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) is a kind of index used to evaluate lens performance, which represents the extent of subject contrast reproduction as spatial frequency.
The MTF chart here shows the contrast on the vertical axis, and distance from the center of the image on the horizontal axis. For the spatial frequency, 10 lines/mm shows a low frequency, and 30 lines/mm shows a high frequency, resulting in the MTF graph. On the graph, the solid line represents the S direction (sagittal direction and radiation direction) MTF, and the broken line represents the M direction (meridional direction and concentric circular direction) MTF.
In general, a low-frequency MTF is proof of a clear, high-contrast lens, and a high-frequency MTF is proof of a sharp lens with high resolving power.

Compact telephoto zoom lens

Thanks to its retractable structure, the lens is only 89 millimeters long. Since it weighs just 442 grams, it is extremely compact and handy to carry even in a limited space, such as a bag, making it ideal for casual, day-to-day shooting.

Weather-resistant construction

The lens features a dependable weather-resistant construction with 11 sealing parts to effectively prevent the intrusion of water into the lens interior. When paired with a weather-resistant PENTAX digital SLR camera body, it creates a durable, dependable digital imaging system that performs superbly in demanding shooting settings — even in rain or mist, or in locations prone to water splashing or spray.

HD Coating to improve image description

This lens is treated with the high-grade, multi-layer HD Coating*. HD Coating is a new-generation, multi-layer lens-coating technology, developed to provide better-quality optical characteristics in a greater number of lens products. It was designed to satisfy the demand for higher lens performance that is required by advances in digital cameras.
* HD stands for High Definition.

Compared with conventional multi-layer coatings, this PENTAX-original coating assures higher light transmittance and less reflection (less than 50% of conventional coating) to deliver bright, high-contrast images free of flare and ghost images, even under demanding lighting conditions such as backlight.

Other features

• Quick-Shift Focus System - allows the user to instantly switch to manual-focus operation, even when the camera’s AF system is in operation.
• SP (Super Protect) Coating 
  

  SP coating is a PENTAX-original special coating that provides superior performance in repelling water and oils. It is used on the front surface of the first high-performance lens for effective protection of the lens surface. This coating not only prevents adhesion of dust, water drops, oils, and other substances, but it also makes it easy to wipe off objects that adhere to the lens.

Comparison of wipe-off (oil-based ink) 

A lens surface treated with SP Coating can be wiped clean more easily and completely, even after the ink has dried.

Please find more information about the Lens specification in our lens glossary ... (link)

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