Originally posted by pentaxus I am thinking of getting the 18-135 to replace my 18-270. Not as sharp as the nice faster lower zoom range lenses, but sharper than the 18-270 and a good carry around lens.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised. For centre sharpness, the 18-135 is very good right through the range. The limitations (compared to more expensive lenses like the DA 16-85) are more reflected in corner-edge sharpness, in CA, bokeh and general rendering. Even then, for many kinds of shots, you won't see these differences.