[Docrwm]

Nope, same lens.

Sad. I own 3 Tamron lenses and like them but Pentax charging more for a simple rebrand, that I don't like. Fortunately, I have an 18-250 already that does just fine.

[JPT]

I had a look at this lens today in a store after work. It was on K-5 II and they also had several of the Tamron version attached to Canons and Nikons, so I could compare. It is very obvious that it is the same lens without the vibration reduction. The only other differences are the waffle-style rubber on the zoom ring and the ridged grip to help with mounting the lens.

I was surprised how much I liked it. This is a well-made lens, like the Pentax 18-135. It felt very nice on the K-5 body - good weight distribution and the finish is almost the same as the body. I'm not tempted by it personally but I can imagine it would be very convenient on a sightseeing trip with people who won't wait for you to change lenses.

I didn't attempt to test the image quality. It has to be similar to the Tamron version. I would say that the autofocus seemed quick and quiet. Over here in Japan, it costs more than the Tamron, but not by too much.

By the way, I don't have any third party lenses. Can Pentax bodies correct distortion on Tamrons? If not, that would be another benefit of it being an officially supported Pentax lens.

[Unsinkable II]

The way I look at it, is that in HK the Tamron 18-270 can be bought new with a Nikon 5100, ALL IN, for a similar price to the "Pentax" 18-270.

I'd rather buy the former, give it to my 8-year-old, and have an additional photographer enjoying himself.

Pentax management continue to appear to be schmucks.

[cali92rs]

The Tamron is selling for 650 in all mounts where it is available. I don't see anyway that Tamron would let Pentax undercut their price by 50 dollars.

All that means is that it the Tamron is too expensive also and that the Pentax goes into ridiculous territory.

[Rondec]

All that means is that it the Tamron is too expensive also and that the Pentax goes into ridiculous territory.

I'm not a big fan of super zooms. Too much compromise in each design for my taste. But, I don't think they are particularly cheap to make and wide zoom ranges like this one and the Nikon 18-300 come at a cost. The Nikon 18-300 is priced at 1000 dollars now.

[Ash]

But this one will be considerably cheaper than the Nikon 18-300. Tamron have their lens available in multiple other formats for $500-$550.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=tamron+18-270&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&...A&ved=0CBkQpwU

[Quicksand]

Speaking of coatings, a Pentax engineer at Photokina mumbled that SMC nowadays is basically the same coating that competitors offer- so I wouldn't expect the Tamron to do any worse.

Maybe it's "basically" the same, but some people who have compared the flare resistance of a Pentax lens to that of a Sigma lens believe there must be differences somewhere.

[Adam]

Maybe it's "basically" the same, but some people who have compared the flare resistance of a Pentax lens to that of a Sigma lens believe there must be differences somewhere.

Pentax's coatings have generally been a bit better, but now that others are deploying nano coatings on their premium glass, Pentax is once again a bit behind (only 645D lenses have it, and not the new 560mm). IMO every Pentax lens should use have the HD coating from now on, because that would really push them ahead of the competition in the consumer market.

[Jatcat]

But Adorama is shipping it for free.....

Pentax SMCP-DA 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 ED SDM Telephoto Zoom Lens 21497

UPDATE: Emailed B&H (as I had pre-ordered the 18-270) and asked them to match Adorama's free shipping -

They did !

Great customer service !!

[Kunzite]

Pentax's coatings have generally been a bit better, but now that others are deploying nano coatings on their premium glass, Pentax is once again a bit behind (only 645D lenses have it, and not the new 560mm). IMO every Pentax lens should use have the HD coating from now on, because that would really push them ahead of the competition in the consumer market.

The DA* 55mm f/1.4 also have the Aero Bright coating.
I agree, they should use HD in as many lenses as possible (maybe it's too expensive for the cheapest ones, though). But IMO only the informed customers, i.e. us will know the difference; for the average Joe some Ashton Kutcher will do much more to sell cameras, than the coatings used.

[glanglois]

This lens should be half this price AND include WR...Maaaaybe 600 bucks max, and even with WR that's stretching it.

Let's not confuse value with price. It's not worth the money to you, with your own style of photography and your budget. It's a poor value to you. Fair enough. But that doesn't mean that others won't find it a reasonable investment.

I'll leave the profitability analysis to others. I have no idea if Pentax would make money at $500-$600 including WR.

[gjosten]

UPDATE: Emailed B&H (as I had pre-ordered the 18-270) and asked them to match Adorama's free shipping -

They did !

Great customer service !!

Awesome!