Originally posted by Rondec I think the thing the DA 18-135 has going for it is that it is cheap. If you spend money updating it, it becomes more expensive -- maybe the same ball park as the 16-85, which by all accounts is a better lens. And kit lenses are kit lenses. There have been a lot of different versions of the 18-55 including a WR version and then more recently, the had the retractable 18-50. I think Pentax would rather have people look for better lenses, than to be satisfied with their kit lens.
It entirely depends on what you are looking for.
A 18-55mm was kitted with my K-30. I
purchased a 18-135mm almost immediately
because I wanted a
quieter lens.
I have absolutely no idea how the two lenses compare, because I am not a pixel-peeker …. I simply knew that the first lens did not meet my needs, and the second did.
The me, the first lens was a “kit lens” - because it was packaged with my camera - and the second was not - because I purchased it separately.
Incidentally - a ‘A’ 50mm f/1.7 was packaged with my “Super Program” - does that make it ‘inferior’??
I later sold the 18-55mm lens and purchased a 20-40 Ltd.
I don’t have a 16-50*mm lens {because I don’t trust it’s unreliable motor, which is as important to
me as it’s optics}, so that makes it “non-existent” in my case.
If later, I purchased a K-3iii packaged with the new 16-50*mm, I guess that would make it an “inferior” ‘kit lens’.
I have talked about getting one eventually if I purchased a K-70 successor,
because of its KAF4 interface, not because of its optical qualities.
Last edited by reh321; 07-17-2021 at 06:31 AM.