Pentax HD FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 ED DC AW Review

Pentax HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 ED DC AW Handling and Features

The build quality of this lens is very good indeed, with a combination of metal and high-quality plastics used for the construction and the bayonet being made of metal. It sports a dust and moisture-resistant construction and weighs 2kg. As a result, it balances fairly well with the Pentax K-3 body used for testing.

The lens barrel extends by around three inches at maximum zoom and as focusing is performed internally, the 86mm filter thread does not rotate, which makes it perfect for use with polarising and graduated filters, if you can find them in that size. A deep circular hood is supplied with the lens that attaches to the front via a bayonet fitting and a removable tripod mount can also be clipped to a rotating section on the lens. A switch to lock the lens at 150mm during transport is provided, but it would've been nice to see this implemented in a way that could lock the lens at any focal length, as the zoom creeps forward or back as the lens is tilted, which could make shooting from a tripod difficult.

The manual focusing ring doesn't rotate during auto-focus and manual adjustments can be applied at any time. A focus preset mode is also available, accessed via controls on the side of the lens. Manual focusing action is smooth and well damped, which makes applying fine adjustments a pleasure. Autofocus is quick and proved to be accurate during testing. The minimum focus distance of 2metres is typical for a lens of this type.


 

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