Originally posted by JimJohnson Admittedly companies do make strange decisions about popular products, however I doubt the design of the 18-135 is going to leave Pentax's line of lenses anytime in the next few years. If there is any change it will be as suggested by AldaCZ, a switch from SMC to HD coating. At some point it will be uneconomical to continue SMC when most other production lenses are using the newer HD.
If you take a scan of prices for the 18-135, it is readily apparent there is plenty of new stock of the SMC model and the price has not fluctuated significantly from just below US$400 for some time.
Meanwhile: on Mt Bonnell - Austin, Texas
For some reason there's a pile of DA 16-85 shooters who think it should be gone already.
They seem to hate it that there's a viable choice between the 18-135 and their "baby", and that some might actually buy the 18-135 despite their protests.
In some cases it's comical. If guy came into the forum asking about a 135mm lens, they wouldn't try and sell him an 85 would they? The difference is pretty clear.
And would anyone ever say, "Just shoot with the 85mm lens and crop to a 135 FoV, the image will be just as good.
You hang around the forum long enough you hear some weird stuff.