These are the best Pentax lenses for sports photography when you want fast focus acquisition, reliable AF-C tracking, and weather-ready builds for indoor courts, outdoor fields, pools, and arenas—across APS-C and full-frame K-mount bodies—and here’s what to look for as you buy: prioritize fast, modern drive motors (PLM > DC > older SDM for tracking), a focus limiter and customizable buttons on tele zooms, constant f/2.8 (or as fast as you can carry) for indoor light, sufficient reach for your venue (FF: 70–200mm for courts, 300–450mm+ for fields; APS-C gives you a 1.5× boost), internal zoom/focus for balance on a monopod, robust WR/AW sealing, tripod collar compatibility, minimal focus breathing if you also shoot video, and manageable weight so you can handhold long bursts; pair lenses with bodies that offer deep buffers, anti-flicker control, and strong viewfinders, and plan to use back-button AF with Expanded Area for moving subjects. Flagship sideline coverage starts with the HD PENTAX-D FA* 70–200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW—pro-speed AF, creamy bokeh, sealed, and sharp across the range for basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and indoor ice—while the lighter HD PENTAX-D FA 70–210mm f/4 ED SDM WR trades a stop for stamina at day games and track; for distance, the HD PENTAX-D FA 150–450mm f/4.5–5.6 ED DC AW is the field/wildlife workhorse with limiter and preset buttons, internal zoom/focus, stout sealing, and crisp files that take the HD DA 1.4× AW teleconverter well when you need more reach. Prime shooters get surgical results from the smc/HD PENTAX-DA★ 300mm f/4 ED [IF] SDM (sharp, sealed, converter-friendly) and smc PENTAX-DA★ 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF] SDM for low-light arenas; legacy FA★ 300/4.5 and 400/5.6 remain travel-light options if you find them in good condition. On APS-C, the HD PENTAX-DA 55–300mm f/4.5–6.3 PLM WR RE is a sleeper star: featherweight, retractable, and famously quick/quiet PLM AF for daylight field sports and youth leagues; for indoor courts where speed matters, the smc/HD PENTAX-DA★ 50–135mm f/2.8 ED [IF] SDM delivers constant f/2.8 with flattering compression, and the HD PENTAX-DA★ 16–50mm f/2.8 ED PLM AW covers under-the-basket action, bench moments, and celebration scrums with modern optics and lightning-fast PLM. Mid-tele versatility with sealed confidence comes from the smc PENTAX-DA★ 60–250mm f/4 ED [IF] SDM, which stays sharp and balanced for day games, air shows, and swim meets. Practical buyer tips: if you mostly shoot indoor sports, prioritize f/2.8 zooms (70–200/2.8; 50–135/2.8) and fast primes (200/2.8, 300/4) to keep ISO down; for outdoor fields, reach and AF speed rule—150–450 is the safest bet, with 55–300 PLM as the lightweight travel choice; insist on a limiter switch for tele glass to cut hunting through nets and fencing; choose internal zoom for better balance on a monopod; and if you use a converter, start with a prime or the 150–450 for the best AF retention. Shooting tips: use AF-C with back-button focus and Expanded Area, set TAv or M with Auto-ISO to hold shutter (≈1/1000s for field sports, 1/1600–1/2000s for BIF/fast plays, 1/500–1/800s for indoor with good timing), enable anti-flicker under sodium/LED lights, pre-focus on lanes or the rim to increase keeper rate, pan smoothly for runners and cyclists, brace SR for hand-helds but disable on a locked monopod if you see drift, and mind background distance for cleaner subject isolation. Whether you’re freezing a breakaway layup, tracking sprinters off the blocks, or isolating keepers through rain, the best Pentax sports lenses combine quick drive systems, stabilized handling, and rugged sealing—so you bring home sharp, decisive frames from warm-ups to final whistle.