I've read the reviews... would like some more opinions on the DA 18-250

laissezfaire · 01-08-2009, 08:44 PM

and if possible... sample pics at the 18 and 250 extremes?

Thanks.

**jamesk8752** · 01-08-2009, 11:03 PM

I've put us a small gallery of test shots here: Pentax SMC-DA 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 Superzoom Lens Photo Gallery by Jim King at pbase.com

Class A · 01-08-2009, 11:24 PM

Originally posted by laissezfaire

and if possible... sample pics at the 18 and 250 extremes?

You'll fine heaps of samples at the Flickr group "The Tamron-based 18-250 zoom".

At 18mm you'll notice pretty heavy barrel distortion when the image contains straight lines. At 250mm the lens is softer than between 20-100mm but still very useful AFAIC.

Class A · 01-09-2009, 12:06 AM

I shot this image of a bee at 250mm. It is a crop. Sharpened with Picasa. One may argue that "sharpening" is cheating, but remember that all sharpening does is to increase the contrast. If the resolution isn't there, sharpening won't help.

This 1600 ISO shot at 250mm by someone else looks mighty good.

cwood · 01-09-2009, 01:22 AM

It was a good lens while I had it. I never tested it but I was never convinced it was actually 250 at the long end... it always seemed a little short to me.

Class A · 01-09-2009, 02:08 AM

Very nice pictures!

Originally posted by kunik

I never tested it but I was never convinced it was actually 250 at the long end... it always seemed a little short to me.

Like other internal focus lenses, the 18-250 changes the focal length with the focussing distance. The closer the object, the less the real focal length.

Too bad that it also changes focus while zooming. Prevents one from zooming in, focussing and zooming out again. Lenses behaving like this should be called "varifocal" rather than "zoom".

RaduA · 01-09-2009, 03:40 AM

Originally posted by laissezfaire

and if possible... sample pics at the 18 and 250 extremes?

Thanks.

Hi, Laissezfaire

Take this with a grain of salt but the rumour here is that this lens is/will be soon discontinued and a new Pentax design will take its place (DA18-200 say the same rumour).

Regards,
Radu

Class A · 01-09-2009, 04:14 AM

Originally posted by RaduA

Take this with a grain of salt but the rumour here is that this lens is/will be soon discontinued and a new Pentax design will take its place (DA18-200 say the same rumour).

Are you suggesting he should wait to see what the 18-200 is like?
Hopefully it is not based on the Tamron 18-200 which isn't as good as the 18-250 but that seems unlikely.

Anyhow, one needs a lot of patience to wait for a lens that has only been rumoured about just yet. Doesn't that mean it will take ages until you actually can buy a copy?

I'd be surprised to see Tamron drop their 18-250, even if Pentax actually dropped their rebadged version of it. But perhaps I'm wrong.

MrApollinax · 01-09-2009, 04:24 AM

I agree with Class A on that one. Especially since Tamron has recently released the updated design for this lens which is a 18-270 (currently Nikon and Canon Mount only).

RaduA · 01-09-2009, 04:46 AM

Originally posted by Class A

Are you suggesting he should wait to see what the 18-200 is like?
Hopefully it is not based on the Tamron 18-200 which isn't as good as the 18-250 but that seems unlikely.

Anyhow, one needs a lot of patience to wait for a lens that has only been rumoured about just yet. Doesn't that mean it will take ages until you actually can buy a copy?

I'd be surprised to see Tamron drop their 18-250, even if Pentax actually dropped their rebadged version of it. But perhaps I'm wrong.

Even more so if Tamron won't drop their version (and I am sure they won't since the new 18-270 seems to be done with optical stabilisation in mind) it wouldn't hurt to wait 6-7 more weeks to see what is coming. I guess weather seals and SDM could make an interesting proposition and if the price is too big or range too limited or whatever at least the Tamron will be still there. And I think a lot of Pentax labeled copies will still be available for some time.
And no, there is absolutely no way Pentax will use a past Tamron (or Sigma or whatever) design for this (alleged) lens. This type of zoom is a very lucrative part of the range and I expect a very decent performer.
Like I said it's up to laissezfaire to decide but if I was him I would wait until PMA.

Radu

Alfisti · 01-09-2009, 06:37 AM

Here you go .....

Pentax DA 18-250mm f/3.5 - 6.3 Photo Gallery by alfisti at pbase.com

konraDarnok · 01-09-2009, 10:41 AM

Originally posted by Class A

Prevents one from zooming in, focussing and zooming out again. Lenses behaving like this should be called "variofocal" rather than "zoom".

Eh? You own this lens? This is exactly what I do to get tack sharp pictures at wide angle focal lengths. Otherwise the focus can be pretty random at wide apertures. :ugh:

As to the poster, it's a nice lens and pretty universally liked amongst its owners -- and the best of the super zooms I've ever used.

BrianK · 01-09-2009, 11:41 AM

For a general walk around/travel lens you can not beat it. I have used this lens more than any of my other lenses. Like most lenses of this type, the more light the better but it does a good job even in lower light conditions. (Alaska sunset shots) Hand held on ships rail and freehand.

Here are some random shots with this lens in all focal lengths and even indoors with flash. My site software removes the exif so if you need more info on a particular image just let me know and I can retrieve it from my Iphoto library.

Pentax DA 18-250

jsherman999 · 01-09-2009, 12:14 PM

Used to own the Tamron version, and it's a great outdoor lens. The only real problem I had with it is that it was just too slow on the long end - but for outdoor shooting in good light, it's unmatched in it's price range. The Tammy 70-300 is great also, but this thing goes to 18mm, for pete's sake.

PentaxPoke · 01-09-2009, 12:18 PM

The Pentax 18-250 is my most used outdoor lens. I keep coming back to it, because it is so versatile. I did a comparison of my 18-250 and the DA* 50-135 on both the k20d and k10d and the only way you can see a difference is at 100% crop. Here are the pics:

k10d and k20d DA 18-250 and DA* 50-135 - a set on Flickr

MZ stands for the 18-250 and DAstar is the DA*

for those of you that don't want to go through the whole set, here is a 100% crop at 100mm for both the DA* 50-135 and the 18-250. Guess which is which:

(I always chuckle when I read some posters that claim that the Pentax 18-250 must be "soft" because it is a "megazoom." I guarantee that you cant tell the difference without going to extreme measures such as this.)

Here is one of the full images that the above was cropped from, so you can see how extreme the crop is:

01-08-2009, 08:44 PM	#1
laissezfaire Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 188	I've read the reviews... would like some more opinions on the DA 18-250 and if possible... sample pics at the 18 and 250 extremes? Thanks.

01-09-2009, 02:08 AM	#6
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Very nice pictures! Originally posted by kunik I never tested it but I was never convinced it was actually 250 at the long end... it always seemed a little short to me. Like other internal focus lenses, the 18-250 changes the focal length with the focussing distance. The closer the object, the less the real focal length. Too bad that it also changes focus while zooming. Prevents one from zooming in, focussing and zooming out again. Lenses behaving like this should be called "varifocal" rather than "zoom". Last edited by Class A; 01-11-2009 at 06:40 PM. Reason: typo

01-09-2009, 12:18 PM	#15
PentaxPoke Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 1,411	The Pentax 18-250 is my most used outdoor lens. I keep coming back to it, because it is so versatile. I did a comparison of my 18-250 and the DA* 50-135 on both the k20d and k10d and the only way you can see a difference is at 100% crop. Here are the pics: k10d and k20d DA 18-250 and DA* 50-135 - a set on Flickr MZ stands for the 18-250 and DAstar is the DA* for those of you that don't want to go through the whole set, here is a *100% crop* at 100mm for both the DA* 50-135 and the 18-250. Guess which is which: (I always chuckle when I read some posters that claim that the Pentax 18-250 must be "soft" because it is a "megazoom." I guarantee that you cant tell the difference without going to extreme measures such as this.) Here is one of the full images that the above was cropped from, so you can see how extreme the crop is: Last edited by PentaxPoke; 01-09-2009 at 12:34 PM.

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01-08-2009, 11:03 PM	#2
jamesk8752 Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Suburban Detroit, MI, USA Posts: 238	I've put us a small gallery of test shots here: Pentax SMC-DA 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 Superzoom Lens Photo Gallery by Jim King at pbase.com

01-08-2009, 11:24 PM	#3
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by laissezfaire and if possible... sample pics at the 18 and 250 extremes? You'll fine heaps of samples at the Flickr group "The Tamron-based 18-250 zoom". At 18mm you'll notice pretty heavy barrel distortion when the image contains straight lines. At 250mm the lens is softer than between 20-100mm but still very useful AFAIC.

01-09-2009, 12:06 AM	#4
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	I shot this image of a bee at 250mm. It is a crop. Sharpened with Picasa. One may argue that "sharpening" is cheating, but remember that all sharpening does is to increase the contrast. If the resolution isn't there, sharpening won't help. This 1600 ISO shot at 250mm by someone else looks mighty good.

01-09-2009, 01:22 AM	#5
cwood Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: California Posts: 851	It was a good lens while I had it. I never tested it but I was never convinced it was actually 250 at the long end... it always seemed a little short to me.

01-09-2009, 03:40 AM	#7
RaduA Guest	Originally posted by laissezfaire and if possible... sample pics at the 18 and 250 extremes? Thanks. Hi, Laissezfaire Take this with a grain of salt but the rumour here is that this lens is/will be soon discontinued and a new Pentax design will take its place (DA18-200 say the same rumour). Regards, Radu

01-09-2009, 04:14 AM	#8
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by RaduA Take this with a grain of salt but the rumour here is that this lens is/will be soon discontinued and a new Pentax design will take its place (DA18-200 say the same rumour). Are you suggesting he should wait to see what the 18-200 is like? Hopefully it is not based on the Tamron 18-200 which isn't as good as the 18-250 but that seems unlikely. Anyhow, one needs a lot of patience to wait for a lens that has only been rumoured about just yet. Doesn't that mean it will take ages until you actually can buy a copy? I'd be surprised to see Tamron drop their 18-250, even if Pentax actually dropped their rebadged version of it. But perhaps I'm wrong.

01-09-2009, 04:24 AM	#9
MrApollinax Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Minnesota Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,529	I agree with Class A on that one. Especially since Tamron has recently released the updated design for this lens which is a 18-270 (currently Nikon and Canon Mount only).

01-09-2009, 04:46 AM	#10
RaduA Guest	Originally posted by Class A Are you suggesting he should wait to see what the 18-200 is like? Hopefully it is not based on the Tamron 18-200 which isn't as good as the 18-250 but that seems unlikely. Anyhow, one needs a lot of patience to wait for a lens that has only been rumoured about just yet. Doesn't that mean it will take ages until you actually can buy a copy? I'd be surprised to see Tamron drop their 18-250, even if Pentax actually dropped their rebadged version of it. But perhaps I'm wrong. Even more so if Tamron won't drop their version (and I am sure they won't since the new 18-270 seems to be done with optical stabilisation in mind) it wouldn't hurt to wait 6-7 more weeks to see what is coming. I guess weather seals and SDM could make an interesting proposition and if the price is too big or range too limited or whatever at least the Tamron will be still there. And I think a lot of Pentax labeled copies will still be available for some time. And no, there is absolutely no way Pentax will use a past Tamron (or Sigma or whatever) design for this (alleged) lens. This type of zoom is a very lucrative part of the range and I expect a very decent performer. Like I said it's up to laissezfaire to decide but if I was him I would wait until PMA. Radu

01-09-2009, 06:37 AM	#11
Alfisti Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toronto (for now) Posts: 1,748	Here you go ..... Pentax DA 18-250mm f/3.5 - 6.3 Photo Gallery by alfisti at pbase.com

01-09-2009, 10:41 AM	#12
konraDarnok Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Photos: Albums Posts: 969	Originally posted by Class A Prevents one from zooming in, focussing and zooming out again. Lenses behaving like this should be called "variofocal" rather than "zoom". Eh? You own this lens? This is exactly what I do to get tack sharp pictures at wide angle focal lengths. Otherwise the focus can be pretty random at wide apertures. :ugh: As to the poster, it's a nice lens and pretty universally liked amongst its owners -- and the best of the super zooms I've ever used.

01-09-2009, 11:41 AM	#13
BrianK Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Surrey, BC, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 128	For a general walk around/travel lens you can not beat it. I have used this lens more than any of my other lenses. Like most lenses of this type, the more light the better but it does a good job even in lower light conditions. (Alaska sunset shots) Hand held on ships rail and freehand. Here are some random shots with this lens in all focal lengths and even indoors with flash. My site software removes the exif so if you need more info on a particular image just let me know and I can retrieve it from my Iphoto library. Pentax DA 18-250

01-09-2009, 12:14 PM	#14
jsherman999 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,237	Used to own the Tamron version, and it's a great outdoor lens. The only real problem I had with it is that it was just too slow on the long end - but for outdoor shooting in good light, it's unmatched in it's price range. The Tammy 70-300 is great also, but this thing goes to 18mm, for pete's sake.