Originally posted by psoo I own a Tamron 28-300mm lens and a Pentax 18-250mm lens. A comparison showed that they are just as sharp as the 18-135.
Originally posted by psoo I found them all to be equally sharp and the Forum lens reviews seem to confirm this.
I had the Tamron version of the 18-250 for many years but I found the 18-135 quite a bit sharper across their common focal range. The 18-250 was reasonably good at normal-ish focal lengths (say 24mm-42mm), especially stopped down, but that happens to be the 18-135's strong point too and I would take the 18-135 for these lengths any day. At wider and longer lengths, I found the 18-135 much better (especially in the centre). Of course there is probably a fair bit of copy variation, but I don't think the ratings in the user reviews warrant a contrary conclusion - few of them actually make a comparison. Many people who are reviewing the 18-250 don't really have much to compare with, which is why I think the ratings are rather inflated. (Anyone who says "Great lens" hasn't used a Limited or star lens or a macro or any of the more recent zooms.) The prevailing view amongst those who have had both the 18-135 and 18-250 is similar to mine, that the 18-135 is much better:
Pentax 18-250 vs. 18-135 - PentaxForums.com
I think you made a good decision to get another 18-135.
Originally posted by SSGGeezer I was going to say that I have seen several for sale here and on the FB Pentaxians group for under 200 dollars.
I've noticed quite a few on offer - a great buy at these prices IMO.