[Dewman]

Dragonfly (x-posted from insects thread). I think it's a Unicorn Darner (Austroaeschna unicornis). K-S2 + DA 18-135.

Amazingly sharp! Bravo, Des.

[normhead]

K70 & DA 18-135 f3.5-5.6 WR

You don't often see a DA 18-135 described asa wildlife lens. But there is a lot of wildlife I use focal lengths as low as 135 for.

[Tatouzou]

The first photo was taken standing at the bottom of the tree while my friend, Dave retrieved his falcon. It was shot at full 135mm. The second was the same image, only severely cropped. I was amazed at the sharpness after cropping!


I've read some pretty dreadful reviews of this lens.... but, I'm not sure what else a person could want! Did I just happen to get an exceptional copy.... or are most all of them this good?


I think these images speak for themselves. I'm one of those "deplorables" who is perhaps concerned with sharpness more than I should be.... but I don't give a hoot what Henri Cartier-Bresson has to say on the subject. Every time I read that quote, I chuckle. Bourgeois, indeed!


I LOVE being able to count Dave's chin hairs.... all the way from the bottom of the tree! Sure, I know it's not an award-winner, and it's NOT a wall hanger, but.... it you want to know what the SMC Pentax-DA 18-135mm WR lens will do.... here's a good example!

Those who bash this lens didnt understand what it was designed for: the most convenient focal range with a good IQ and excellent colour rendering in a compact and rugged package, with very efficient AF and a better than average resistance to flare (you cannot fix flare in post).

It is not a lens for pixel peepers.

Let them be happy with different lenses, like the Pentax 16-85 or the older Pentax 17-70 f4, or Sigma lenses.

I have the 17-70 and that is why I didnt buy the 16-85: of course they are both optically better than the DA 18-135.
But they are both much bigger and heavier than the 18-135, which, for my kind of photography, means they are too big and heavy.
They start wider, but I use the 70-135 range more often than the 16(17)-18.

I take the 17-70 when I look for improved IQ for sessions in which photography is my priority and I need the convenience of a transtandard zoom.

But my 18-135 stays on my K3 80% of the time, it is the lens I have taken for once in a lifetime trips (Tahiti, Tanzania, Vietnam, Cambodgia, and soon Peru (Macchu Pichu), when I want to go light and not to bother about changing lenses.

I agree that the 18-135 IQ is average by today's standards in the 70-135 range. But is there another compact travel zoom going from 18 to 135 with very good IQ and sharpness stopped down from 18 to 70?

My travel kit is K3 with 18-135, plus DA15 limited for UWA and one or two fast and very small primes: DA70 f2.4 or FA50 f1.7 for subject isolation, and/or either DA35 f2.8 macro limited, or DA 35 f2.4, or DA40 f2.8 XS for low light. I may also use the tiny Panasonic GM5 with the miniature 12-32 kit lens at 12 as an eveready alternative to the DA15 for UWA.
If Pentax had not released the 18-135, I would probably have already switched to M43 (the Panasonic 14-140 is quite good and very convenient)

Some samples of my november 2017 trip to Angkor (more on my flickr gallery; the Vietnamese part will be posted later, and so will be the pictures from Corsica and Bavaria):

[th1952]

Very nice. I'll bet that was a great trip.

[Des]

Amazingly sharp! Bravo, Des.

Very nice shots of the Shrike-Thrush. I really like the sharpness and detail of the feathers. Another fine example of the 18-135mm lens' capability! Yes, Des.... I have a whole series of photos I shot during the afternoon I spent with Dave and his little falcon. He also has a one-winged Eagle Owl named Angus! He's quite a bird, to say the least! If you look at "My Photos," there are five more photos of Dave's birds. Dewman's Album: Dewman's Photos - PentaxForums.com Thanks for your interest.

Thanks Dewman. I am surprised myself how well the shots came out.

I had a look at the gallery - some fine shots there of the kestrel and the Eagle Owl. Both just magnificent birds.

[Des]

Station Pier, Port Melbourne, and Melbourne CBD, from the Spirit of Tasmania ferry. K-S2 + DA 18-135

[mattb123]

Spring skiing today. Lift served skiing is almost over for the season here.

K-3 & 18-135

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Last edited by mattb123; 04-07-2018 at 09:37 PM.

[rayallen]

Windows and red things. An abstract from Barangaroo in Sydney CBD. Lots of straightening in ACR and then cropped to square format. K-3 + DA 18-135.

[mattb123]

Closing day at Crested Butte today.
K-3 & 18-135

[Des]

Squeaky Beach, Wilson's Promontory National Park, Victoria. (Most x-posted). K-S2 + DA 18-135.

[mattb123]

Spring storm

[Weldon Berger]

I almost always shoot in TAv mode, and sometimes pay a price for it--in this case too busy fiddling with both the shutter speed and aperture to get the shots right. Nevertheless, the lens focuses so quickly that the scenes were mostly salvageable even though the composition suffered.


Duck!



Ducks

[Des]

[Valantar]

Got my K-70 + 18-135 kit just last week (my K-x can finally retire!), just in time for the gray-brown, polluted and gravel-covered snow that's been covering everything for the last month to finally give way to something nicer looking.

All in all I'm quite happy with the lens - the range is great, build quality seems good (and I love the ergonomics), it's plenty sharp and quick to focus, but CA is worse than expected. Lightroom can mostly take care of it, but not always - the crop from the magpie in the snow is before removing CA, but afterwards the twigs are more purple than brown/black. Not really visible without zooming, though. CA removal on the duck was more successful, but that doesn't help when I mess up the focus. All in all, this lens is more than good enough for my needs. Will no doubt get a lot of use out of it when I visit Cambodia and Vietnam in a couple of months (yep, saw the photos from Angkor above - I'll probably be posting my own in a while!).

[Des]

Got my K-70 + 18-135 kit just last week (my K-x can finally retire!), just in time for the gray-brown, polluted and gravel-covered snow that's been covering everything for the last month to finally give way to something nicer looking. All in all I'm quite happy with the lens - the range is great, build quality seems good (and I love the ergonomics), it's plenty sharp and quick to focus, but CA is worse than expected. Lightroom can mostly take care of it, but not always - the crop from the magpie in the snow is before removing CA, but afterwards the twigs are more purple than brown/black. Not really visible without zooming, though. CA removal on the duck was more successful, but that doesn't help when I mess up the focus. All in all, this lens is more than good enough for my needs. Will no doubt get a lot of use out of it when I visit Cambodia and Vietnam in a couple of months (yep, saw the photos from Angkor above - I'll probably be posting my own in a while!).

Congrats on joining this club!

The CA you are talking about seems to be longitudinal CA. This kind of purple fringing in high-contrast areas is pretty common unfortunately, as it is with many other consumer zooms. My DA 12-24 is probably worse, if that's any consolation. Stopping down usually helps. So does a CP-L. Maybe a UV filter would too, if it bothers you?