Originally posted by eddie1960 photozones conclusion on the first version of the kit lens was
This was true back then, but it is not true any more, because both Canon and Nikon improved their kit lenses.
Even back then on Photozone.de:
Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED DX optical quality was rated as 3.5 stars, mechanical - just 1.5 stars;
Later version (version II) of Nikkor was rated the same. Now Nikon sells version III of this lens - the one with the VR.
while
Pentax SMC-DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL optical quality was rated as 2.5 stars (i.e. worse than Nikkor), but mechanical quality was rated as 3 stars (i.e. a better than Nikkor). With very good overall price/performance rating being slightly better than the second version of the equivalent Nikkor.
But this Pentax lens was the one with a metal mount (i.e. better built than the current DAL version).
The cheap DAL version of the Pentax lens is really nothing exciting. Nothing disappointing either. It is what it is - an inexpensive plastic kit lens. If it was something exiting, its users will not be in a hurry to upgrade.
I have read Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Pentax forums during different time periods.
On Canon forum I read: "18-55mm is actually one of the better kit lenses around".
On Nikon: "18-55mm is probably the sharpest kit lens"
On Pentax - well, you know.
Olympus users are probably the same.
Since I owned eos 350D with the kit lens I can say that from the build quality perspective back then it was worse than the current Pentax DAL kit lens. The front element was rotating during focusing. The manual focusing ring was thin and flimsy. The build quality was quite cheap overall. Pentax DAL 18-55mm is definitely better built, but this is unfair comparison, because I'm comparing old Canon kit, with the new Pentax kit.
In the background of the more recent Oly, Pany, Canon and Nikon kit lenses the Pentax DAL 18-55 kit lens looks quite average.
Last edited by elg; 01-06-2011 at 03:53 PM.
Reason: spelling correction