Compare lenses

Pentax HD DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE vs Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Contemporary

The Pentax HD DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE and the Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Contemporary side by side, computed from this guide's catalogue.

Which to pick

Pick the Pentax HD DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE if you want the flexibility of a zoom. Pick the Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Contemporary if you want a brighter f/3.5 (0.7 stops more light), for dim light and softer backgrounds; optical stabilisation, which helps most on bodies without it; a wider view (from 27mm equivalent); and a fit on more cameras (59 against 20 in this guide).

Still torn? Ask the guide about the Pentax HD DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE and the Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Contemporary

Specs side by side

Rows that differ are in full colour; the better value is marked where one is better by any measure.
Spec	Pentax HD DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE	Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Contemporary
Maker	Pentax	Sigma
Focal length	55-300mm (zoom)	18-300mm (macro)
Full-frame equivalent	82-450mm on APS-C	27-450mm on APS-C
Maximum aperture	f/4.5-6.3	f/3.5-6.3brighter
Made for	APS-C	APS-C
Mounts	Pentax K	Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K
Stabilised	no	yesstabilised
Autofocus	yes	yes
Zoom range	5.5×	16.7×more range
Weight	442 g	not listed
Cameras it fits	20 in this guide	59 in this guidefits more cameras

Focal range, in full-frame terms

Pentax HD DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE: 55-300mm on APS-C, like 82-450mm.

Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Contemporary: 18-300mm on APS-C, like 27-450mm.

Aperture

Pentax HD DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE: f/4.5 wide open.

Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Contemporary: f/3.5 wide open.

Each opening drawn to scale against f/1.4: a smaller f-number lets in more light and blurs the background more.

Field of view

How wide each sees, at each end, on the sensor it was made for.

Cameras they fit

20 cameras in this guide take both, so either works on the same body. In all, the Pentax HD DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE fits 20 and the Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Contemporary 59.