5 MUST-HAVE, Best Pentax Lens For Wildlife Photography

As a wildlife photographer, it will interest you to know the best Pentax lens to capture the wild, animals, events, and every scene that needed to be captured in the courses of your profession.

We have come up with the list of the best Pentax lenses for wildlife photography and all you need to know,

So, here is the top pick of the Best Pentax Lens For Wildlife Photography

Best Pentax Lens for Wildlife Photography

• HD Pentax 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED WR

For Pentax digital SLRs, this 55-300mm telephoto lens from SMC Pentax is an excellent value. for its money wildlife photographer need to have it on their list.

CHECK ON AMAZON

Compared to other plastic lenses, this one performs better than expected. It’s well-built and does its job well. With a close-focusing distance of 1.4 meters (4.6 feet), it’s capable of getting up close and personal like a few professional zooms.

This unstabilized lens is compatible with most Pentax digital cameras.

When the AF system isn’t actively trying to move the lens, you can grab the focus ring and switch to manual mode right away. This makes your shooting easier, especially with wild animals that are pretty swift.

ALSO SEE: Best Lens For Wedding Photography Canon 70d

• Pentax-D FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro WR Lens

In addition to being the world’s tiniest and lightest 100mm macro lens, the SMC Pentax 100mm f/2.8 D FA WR features excellent optics.

It’s a terrific all-around telephoto, and it can focus on something tiny than a postage stamp to fill the frame, this gives you an edge to capture any from any angle of any size.

You can switch to manual focus at any time by grabbing the ring. To avoid confusion, Pentax refers to this feature as “Quick Shift.”

Compatibility & Formats

All Pentax digital SLRs can make use of this 100/2.8 D FA WR lens, which has been tuned for full-frame photography.

As a result of the lack of an aperture ring in the lens, the K1000 always reads and shoots at f/22 when it is attached. Because of this, you must think that the f/22 aperture is always set.

• Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 ED [IF] SDM

Pentax DA* 50-135 is one of my most often used lenses, having been one of the first lenses I purchased with my new K-7 in late 2011.

Excellent optical properties can be found here. Sharpness across the frame is excellent in most settings, even in the corners. However, I’ve noticed a noticeable softness at f/2.8 in comparison to other regularly used apertures, especially at the longer end of the focal length range.

The colors, contrast, and overall rendering are great, and I’ve never had to worry about distortion, vignetting, or aberrations. At wide apertures, the bokeh is generally beautiful.

This lens weighs less than 700 grams, making it easy to carry and handle. The fact that it is smaller and lighter than my Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 HSM demonstrates how much the APS-C format has to offer. DA 20-40mm Limited is a great companion for this lens.

Using the lens in several settings, from hiking trails to photographing cityscapes to photographing a concert, it has proven its worth.

Autofocus

During the peak of ‘SDM failure’ reports from many users in 2012-2013, my copy of the software was plagued by autofocus troubles four times. It includes two new motors as well as a “gearing and clutch cam ring” repair as part of the warranty service.

The sixth time, the AF stopped working and the lens couldn’t be manually focused. By switching the lens mode to “screwdriver,” I have had no issues since.

To ensure that the camera’s AF Fine Adjustment (AFFA) calibration is accurate, I have tested the settings at 50, 90, and 135mm, as well as at focus distances of at least 30 times the focal length, and various focus points.

Focus direction and focal length had an effect on which AFFA settings were best, and AFFA = +3, when focussed from the near position, was the best for all focal lengths. So, before each shot, I just set the focus to the subject’s a near side, which is an additional step but isn’t a huge concern.

Because the AFFA is not solely a lens issue, it’s important to keep in mind that the problem may not be solely due to the lens. Because of this and the SDM problem, I gave AF a lower rating of ‘7.’

The new K-3 Mark III’s AF accuracy is only a little affected by focus direction. From the “far” side, the AFFA setting of +2 is the best; from the “near” side, -2, with no difference in focus sharpness. Both ways are good with an AFFA of zero. My AF score has been raised to 8.

In most cases, the AF accuracy is excellent and the focus stability is excellent. On my K-3 II, the autofocus is fast and accurate enough for me to snap photos of mostly stationary subjects.

Screwdriver movement isn’t unbearably noisy, but it’s more noticeable than the practically silent SDM mode. Aside from SDM, the focus action of the screwdriver is a bit faster.

ALSO SEE: Top Lens For Canon 5d Mark III

• Pentax SMC FA 645 33-55mm f/4.5 AL Lens

I bought this “like-new” 645 zoom on eBay from Japan for a reasonable price. Exceptional aesthetic and mechanical quality; no haze or mold present. Although the filter diameter is enormous, the lens is bulky and cumbersome to carry along. A tripod is recommended for optimal image sharpness.

While photographing the Sainte-Anne River, I put the lens to the test. With the camera and lens mounted on a sturdy 028 Manfrotto tripod, I shot at a variety of focal lengths with various apertures (f/8-f/11-f/16-f/22-f/32) to see what the results would be.

There were noticeable differences in sharpness between apertures of f/8 and f/32, and f/16 proved to be the best, with the other two apertures somewhat behind but still very useable.

33 mm is also where the lens’s sharpest point is. There is no softness in the corners at f/16 and 33 mm FL with no field curvature.

It was photographed with a 45 mm lens at f/11, which resulted in an amazing level of crispness throughout the image.

The interior of the Cap-de-la-Madeleine Basilica was photographed at 33 mm FL and f/11 with an exposure time of 10 seconds, as were two images of the Jacques-Cartier River taken handheld at 55 mm and 33 mm FL and f/13, as well as two images of my neighbor’s Norway Maple in full spring glory, all of which were crisply focused.

The Batiscan River was photographed at f/11, f/16, f/22, and f/32 with a 33 mm wide-angle lens.

One can’t tell one from the other, with apertures of 11, 16, and 22 delivering flawless results. This was followed by two shots taken at f/16 and f/32, which were taken by hand at 33 and 50 mm focal lengths, respectively.

To be honest, I was apprehensive about purchasing this 645 FA zoom because of the lack of technical reviews and the lukewarm feedback from those who have used it.

• Pentax HD DA 645 28-45mm f/4.5 ED AW SR Zoom Lens

A large lens was expected, but nothing could have prepared me for its sheer size of it. A 35mm 70-200 f2.8 would be a good comparison, however, it’s a lot bigger than my 70-200 F4 lens.

Even though it’s easy to use, the bulk can be a bit of a pain at first. Although the lack of a collar will complicate tripod use, I acquired this lens for its range and the fact that it can be used hand-held, thus I’m grateful for the SR. The tripod side is OK.

Compared to other lenses in this price range, the quality of the images produced by this lens is nothing short of astounding.

At close quarters, it’s razor-sharp from wide open to the center of the lane. It needs to be stopped down for long distances, but it’s super-tight at all focal lengths after f8. At f9.0, it’s nearly impossible to tell the edges from the center.

Contrast is excellent, and the image seems bright, colorful, and contrasty when viewed via the 645Z. My A7R with non-stabilized lenses can shoot at substantially lower shutter speeds than my SR, which hasn’t been tested yet.

• PENTAX 45-85mm 645N Lens with Case

I bought this lens for my 645z as my first purchase after switching to the medium format system, and after reading several reviews and user opinions, I chose to buy one. I purchased mine from one of the many Japanese eBay merchants at a reasonable price.

Adding the 645z body and the lens together results in a total weight of just over 2 kilograms. It’s OK for me, but it might not be for everyone. A tripod is essential, but I enjoy using it in bright light outdoors as well. However, a tripod is still the best way to use it.

In my opinion, sharpness is at its optimum around f/8 or f/11. (especially given the cost) In terms of sharpness, I find that f’4.5 is adequate, but the corners are noticeably mushy.

As a Nikon FF user, the lens’s focal length falls between 35mm and slightly more than 60mm for me. Without a question, this will be one of my travel lenses when I depart.

• Pentax SMC FA 645 300mm F4 ED (IF) Lens

With a metal and glass construction, this lens exudes a sense of solidity and reliability. Although it’s hefty, it’s perfectly useable on both the 645N and a smaller DSLR (through an adaptor) thanks to its excellent sharpness (I have no experience with the 645D). It’s well-deserving of its 4.5-star rating, too.

To utilize the lens in portrait orientation, the Manfrotto Telesupport 293 is the best option because of the way it supports the lens as if it were intended for it. It adds weight to the box, but this isn’t a lens for casual shooting. The lack of autofocus makes it unsuitable for either sports or wildlife photography.

I’m not a fan of this lens, but I like its skill and intelligence. Having a built-in range hood is convenient. The soft case can be worn as a crossbody bag or carried on the shoulder.