Pentax DA 18-270mm: Now Shipping

Pentax's latest superzoom lens

By PF Staff in Product Updates on Dec 18, 2012

Pentax's latest superzoom lens, the DA 18-270mm F3.5-6.3, has just hit the shelves- right on schedule!  This lens, offering a 75 degree field-of-view at 18mm and 15x zoom, is the best choice for those who just want to stick to a single lens.  Sure, it's not going to deliver the image quality of premium zooms, but for many users, it'll get the job done just fine.

This lens is launching at an MSRP of $799, and it is based on the Tamron 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 lens, which has been available for Canon, Nikon, and Sony for quite a while.  If you want to find out how the Pentax lens will perform, search for a few reviews of the Tamron!  From what we gathered at Photokina, the Pentax 18-270mm is optically and mechanically identical to the Tamron, except that it lacks in-lens stabilization as it is not needed on Pentax DSLRs (due to the presence in-camera Shake Reduction).

To learn more about this lens, visit its entry in our lens database.  Does this price make sense for a lens that's targeted at consumers?  We are looking forward to your comments and practical experiences with this lens, and we will be posting an in-depth review after the holiday season.