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04-29-2020, 05:51 AM   #1
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Is one different than the other?

Is the SMC Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR the same as the kit lens? If not what is the difference?
Thank you

04-29-2020, 05:53 AM   #2
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The kit lens is typically a 18-55
04-29-2020, 05:55 AM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by sergysergy Quote
The kit lens is typically a 18-55
And not motorized.
04-29-2020, 06:09 AM   #4
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Kit lens is either 18-55 or 18-50. Both are of lesser image quality than the 18-135. Besides the latter can zoom in much farther than either kit lens.

04-29-2020, 06:12 AM - 1 Like   #5
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but - some kits do (or have done so in the past) include the 18-135mm lens, which is the same lens...
04-29-2020, 06:51 AM - 1 Like   #6
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The kit lens is whatever the camera comes bundled with. The Pentax 18-55mm is known by the "kit lens" reference, but it's very common for the 18-135mm to be sold as the kit lens as well, you can still find that when looking for the K-70 and the KP in stores.
In fact, if you look at B&H Photo, they make kits with some 10 different lenses... from the 18-55 and 18-135 to the 16-85, 20-40, 50 1.8, even the 40 2.8 XS...
04-29-2020, 06:52 AM - 1 Like   #7
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In that case, there is no DA-L version of the 18-135, so the retail and kit version of should be identical.

04-29-2020, 06:53 AM - 1 Like   #8
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Short answer,
There is (currently) only one Pentax 18-135 lens
Mostly sold stand alone, but
They are sometimes bundled with bodies as a kit lens.
04-29-2020, 08:19 AM - 1 Like   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Shakey Quote
Is the SMC Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR the same as the kit lens?
If you are asking if the 18-135 that is sold alone is the same as the one sold in 'kits', then yes. There is only one version of the 18-135.

Last edited by jatrax; 04-29-2020 at 05:20 PM.
04-29-2020, 05:01 PM - 1 Like   #10
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And a fine lens it is too.
04-30-2020, 03:40 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Paul the Sunman Quote
And a fine lens it is too.
My lens is the 18-135 and came with my K-3 when I bought it new about 4 years ago. I was asking because the zoom is not as tight, meaning when the camera is hanging with the lens down the zoom will drift. I bought one of those rubber bands for it to create some friction and it works fine. I was considering upgrading if there were two different lenses.
Thanks for the responses.
04-30-2020, 04:54 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Shakey Quote
My lens is the 18-135 and came with my K-3 when I bought it new about 4 years ago. I was asking because the zoom is not as tight, meaning when the camera is hanging with the lens down the zoom will drift. I bought one of those rubber bands for it to create some friction and it works fine. I was considering upgrading if there were two different lenses.
Thanks for the responses.
Yeh, it's notorious for that. Not a huge problem in my experience, but maybe some are looser than mine.
04-30-2020, 04:56 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Shakey Quote
I was asking because the zoom is not as tight, meaning when the camera is hanging with the lens down the zoom will drift. I bought one of those rubber bands for it to create some friction and it works fine.
My 18-135 did the same. The lens does not have a zoom lock, that's why that happens.
04-30-2020, 06:57 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Shakey Quote
I was considering upgrading if there were two different lenses.
If you are considering upgrading from the 18-135, there are several possibilities, each with its own merits and drawbacks:
- HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR: You gain 2mm at the wide and and it is said to have better image quality, but it is also more expensive, a bit heavier, a bit bigger, and it only goes to 85mm. So if you value the long end of your 18-135, this is not the one lens for you. You could of course combine this lens or any of the following with a tele lens like the HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE, but you'd still have to change lenses to go from wide/normal to longer tele. If that would be possible for the type of shooting you do, you could consider this. If not, I guess you're "stuck" with the 18-135 (not that that'd be a bad thing). There is a SMC Pentax-DA 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 ED SDM (and an older, discontinued 18-250) but I never see that one recommended, I guess because it combines all the disadvantages that come with it just to enable that big of a zoom factor in a single lens.
- Another option would be a SMC Pentax-DA* 16-50mm F2.8 ED AL [IF] SDM, which gives you a maximum aperture of 2.8 throughout the zoom range, but there are some other limitations with it that make me not really recommend it: the SDM focussing motor could fail if not used regularly (?), and at the price performance ratio it gets good contest from the third party lenses 17-50/2.8 from Sigma and Tamron. Those don't offer WR like the Pentax lens does, but they are much more affordable, while not being worse all around than the Pentax 16-50.
- Another, even more limited lens (in more than one meaning of the word limited) would be the HD Pentax-DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR. Not that big of a zoom range, but it offers you the Limited lens series haptics, optics (and/or rather looks?) and performance. You'd have to pair it with a wider lens as well though, if you value focal lengths wider than 20mm. An option for that would be the HD Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited (though many folks here like the older SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited for the nicer starbursts it can produce), which would be an excellent match for the 20-40.
- One more possibility would be the older SMC Pentax-DA 16-45mm F4. It would offer a little more room on the wider end than the 18-135, but I don't know how the image quality in overlapping focal lengths compares. It may be available on the used market for around $100 or less, though, so that might be a cheap way to go wider than 18mm.

All that said, I like my 18-135 as a great single-lens walkaround solution, for when I don't know what I might see on the way, when the weather may turn bad and when I can't or don't want to take more than one lens with me. I still lust after the 16-85 sometimes, but I'm not willing to buy it new for the price it sells and I've not yet found a used offer for a fair price in my vicinity yet.
05-09-2020, 05:14 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by ehrwien Quote
If you are considering upgrading from the 18-135, there are several possibilities, each with its own merits and drawbacks:
- HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR: You gain 2mm at the wide and and it is said to have better image quality, but it is also more expensive, a bit heavier, a bit bigger, and it only goes to 85mm. So if you value the long end of your 18-135, this is not the one lens for you. You could of course combine this lens or any of the following with a tele lens like the HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE, but you'd still have to change lenses to go from wide/normal to longer tele. If that would be possible for the type of shooting you do, you could consider this. If not, I guess you're "stuck" with the 18-135 (not that that'd be a bad thing). There is a SMC Pentax-DA 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 ED SDM (and an older, discontinued 18-250) but I never see that one recommended, I guess because it combines all the disadvantages that come with it just to enable that big of a zoom factor in a single lens.
- Another option would be a SMC Pentax-DA* 16-50mm F2.8 ED AL [IF] SDM, which gives you a maximum aperture of 2.8 throughout the zoom range, but there are some other limitations with it that make me not really recommend it: the SDM focussing motor could fail if not used regularly (?), and at the price performance ratio it gets good contest from the third party lenses 17-50/2.8 from Sigma and Tamron. Those don't offer WR like the Pentax lens does, but they are much more affordable, while not being worse all around than the Pentax 16-50.
- Another, even more limited lens (in more than one meaning of the word limited) would be the HD Pentax-DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR. Not that big of a zoom range, but it offers you the Limited lens series haptics, optics (and/or rather looks?) and performance. You'd have to pair it with a wider lens as well though, if you value focal lengths wider than 20mm. An option for that would be the HD Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited (though many folks here like the older SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited for the nicer starbursts it can produce), which would be an excellent match for the 20-40.
- One more possibility would be the older SMC Pentax-DA 16-45mm F4. It would offer a little more room on the wider end than the 18-135, but I don't know how the image quality in overlapping focal lengths compares. It may be available on the used market for around $100 or less, though, so that might be a cheap way to go wider than 18mm.

All that said, I like my 18-135 as a great single-lens walkaround solution, for when I don't know what I might see on the way, when the weather may turn bad and when I can't or don't want to take more than one lens with me. I still lust after the 16-85 sometimes, but I'm not willing to buy it new for the price it sells and I've not yet found a used offer for a fair price in my vicinity yet.
I saw a Tamron 18-250 Macro Aspherical on the forum from Mighty Mike. I just bought a used K3 for my daughter and am looking for an inexpensive way to get her started.
What do you think of the Tamron?

---------- Post added 05-09-20 at 05:18 AM ----------

Also, what is the difference between "PK" mount lenses and K mount? Ebay has several PK mount lenses for what seem to be very low prices. Will they work on a K3?
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