Originally posted by Big G These sorts of lenses are always a compromise, the Canon equivalent is just as woeful. What I can't get over is the price of the Pentax 18-135mm - £560 here in the UK, is that a joke? I'm sure the build quality is lovely and it's weather sealed, but this is a lens; not an object for internet forum bragging rights.
No, it's not a joke...it was a mistake...
Originally posted by dgaies As much as like the 18-135, if I had to shell out £560 for it, I would certainly think twice before getting one (and in all likelihood not buy it); I got a great deal and paid closer to the equivalent of £175 for my 18-135, which is really the reason I gave it a try in the first place
Originally posted by audiobomber It's $500 CAD at Prodigital = 361 Euros = 320 UKP.
That's more like it.
Originally posted by the swede And now the final verdict has been removed.
Does Klaus regret his verdict, just because some people think he is wrong?
Not very proffesional
Of course,
The lens Klaus had sent could still be a dud. So i dont blame him for anything, nor should anybody else!
IMHO, Pentax has sent back duds to people before, including me. I had a DA*50-135 sent to Hamburg to get back an even worse (another lens) example, without any explanation of why the first didnt get serviced. Swedish service shop confirmed this and saved my day though, and i had a perfect replacement back.
I somewhere read that this is behavior varies from office to office. Kinda sad for us in Europe when Hamburg makes the final calls regarding our warranties.
Klaus' comments on his forum are even dumber than in the article...
Originally posted by JanG Actually, Klaus is giving Pentax a third chance, as he (meanwhile) has posted on the verdict page. That's a lot of good will for a minor brand, but it is definitely no reason for criticizing Klaus bowing to furor.
Have a look at the forum. He goes by measurements ONLY, it seems, which is why he completely misunderstands magnificent lenses like the 77 limited, for example, and why he misses the point on THIS lens. It is TEENY for it's zoom ration - very small, does NOT zoom out as far as the zoom ratio would suggest, focuses very fast and virtually silently, and is exquisitely built. Pentax was trying to make the ultimate travel zoom, and I believe they have - far better than most of those cheap, crappy, rattley, plasticy ultra-zooms on the market that extend a foot and a half when you use them and have the build quality of a cheap toy. It's teeny, fairly light, and beautifully built, to a pro level, weatherproof, which is why;
A) there are distortions, ALL of which can be corrected in Photoshop/Aperture/Lightroom with one little automatic algorhythm (and actually there are provisions in the K5 itself which will let you correct distortions and the like), and
B) it's a bit pricey.
The rest is whiney measurbation. He's a Nikon freak...end of story.
Cameron