Originally posted by jct us101 That thing looks giant compared to the *ist DS!
Wish I could see what you saw but here's another perspective, with an iPhone in the background and DA16-45 in the foreground for references in size.
I just think the lens balances very nicely on the *ist DS, and also on K-x which is not too dissimilar in size and weight to the *ist DS.
Don't know about the weight according to specs, but it just sits quite right. My only gripe, may be it applies only to my copy, is that the zoom is a bit tight but I don't mind it much. The lens Auto Focuses fast and accurate. And the images are quite sharp although I didn't test the lens at all focal lengths and at all corners.
For me the focal length range is the most useful I'v ever seen for a Pentax mount, from a very decent wide angle to medium telephoto. And the colors reproduced are just right for my taste.