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07-20-2014, 04:12 AM   #1
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Pentax 20 - 40 Lim zoom vs 18 - 135 for travel

Do you guys think the new limited zoom will be a meaningful upgrade from my 18 - 135 WR for general scenery / city photos not requiring max zoom?

I am actually more or less satisfied with 18-135 sharpness, but I can't say I am fully happy with the lense - hence the urge to upgrade. Initially I considered the new Sigma, but it's too heavy for my tastes.

Thought somebody has / had both lenses and can comment. Any general comments are appreciated too!

07-20-2014, 04:40 AM   #2
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I don't have the 20-40, so I can't comment much on it, though from what I've read, I imagine it'll be better than the 18-135 all around.
How about getting the 20-40 and 50-135? Then you've got the same range covered in top quality glass.
07-20-2014, 05:07 AM   #3
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If you think 20-40 covers your needs, sure. It's lighter and (slightly) smaller.

For my use I will keep the 18-135 for its versatility. If I need faster or better (whatever that is) I'll use a prime.

I guess that's the curse of having interchangeable lenses - no "freedom from choice"!
07-20-2014, 06:39 AM   #4
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I'm very satisfied with my good copy of the DA 20-40.
However, the sample quality appears to have been quite variable,
so make sure you order from a place that lets you replace a bad copy.

07-20-2014, 06:50 AM   #5
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I'm beginning to think that none of the above is the answer for a one lens travel solution. The true superzooms do not seem to perform all that much worse than the 18-135 (not that either are bad), so the answer may be the 18-250/270.
07-20-2014, 07:35 AM   #6
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I've been very satisfied with my DA 18-135 and it's sharpness. It's wide enough and tele enough for travel - at least for me. I suppose if you never zoom beyond 40mm then go for it if you have that option. Swapping lenses for me while traveling is not always possible so I avoid two lens solutions. There's no time when I'm running after my kids at a theme park. However, when we went to an aquarium I had time and space around me to do it.
07-20-2014, 07:39 AM   #7
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Or a tamron 17-50mm f2.8. Better low light performance and not as expensive. It would be an improvement over the DA 18-135mm in terms of image quality, but not build (and the Pentax is WR).
You can also just keep the 18-135mm as a general WR zoom and add a DA 35mm f2.4 or DA 50mmf1.8 or DA 40mm XS for the higher quality photos and low light performance.

07-20-2014, 07:47 AM   #8
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With the K-3 and my 20-40, I can always crop for the telephoto look.
07-20-2014, 09:17 AM   #9
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It seems to me what you need to determine is how the 20-40 performs relative to the 18-135 in the 20-40 range. Is the DA 20-40 better in that range, and if so, is the difference worth $1,000?
07-20-2014, 09:30 AM   #10
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First of all the difference for me was only $325. Second the metal body is worth it and third 2.8 at 20mm vs 3.8 is worth it to me, and last (this is dumb) but the small metal hood is a better fit size wise that those big plastil petal hoods. I'm happy.
07-20-2014, 11:14 AM   #11
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Thanks for all of your opinions.

QuoteOriginally posted by MPrince Quote
s the DA 20-40 better in that range, and if so, is the difference worth $1,000?
It is exactly what I try to find out. As I will not be able to return the lens if it's not clearly defective, need to rely on others' opinion.

QuoteOriginally posted by kshapero Quote
and last (this is dumb) but the small metal hood is a better fit size wise that those big plastil petal hoods
It is actually a good point, not silly at all: I also judge lens compactness with the hood attached, as I rarely have it off (I shoot while traveling and mostly during the day).

QuoteOriginally posted by Na Horuk Quote
You can also just keep the 18-135mm as a general WR zoom and add a DA 35mm f2.4 or DA 50mmf1.8 or DA 40mm XS for the higher quality photos and low light performance
Yes, plan B is to add the Plastic Wonder in addition to my FA 50 1.4 if I'm not convinced on 20-40 Lim.
07-20-2014, 03:41 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Synchro Quote
Do you guys think the new limited zoom will be a meaningful upgrade from my 18 - 135 WR for general scenery / city photos not requiring max zoom?

I am actually more or less satisfied with 18-135 sharpness, but I can't say I am fully happy with the lense - hence the urge to upgrade. Initially I considered the new Sigma, but it's too heavy for my tastes.

Thought somebody has / had both lenses and can comment. Any general comments are appreciated too!
I guess it doesn't make much sense to me to compare a 20-40mm to an 18-135.

What I would do is to evaluate the 18-135 against the new Sigma 18-200.

Like the 18-135, the 20-40 seems to be polarizing - loved/hated, possibly depending on the copy you get. Perhaps every lens model is that way. So maybe go out and get a couple more 18-135s and a couple 18-200s, test exhaustively, and keep the best. If your 18-135 is close to good enough for you, the odds that you've got the very best one out there is ... astronomical. So, probably there's some at-least-equally-wide-ranging zoom that will get the job done; you just have to find it.
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