This 18-55mm kit lens doesn't seem to focus properly at infinity. Either that, or it's really really soft. Close objects are fine but distant ones are not. My Canon S410 P&S is sharper than these first two shots. All shots were taken with a tripod, although the wind was blowing a little.
Thinking I have a focus problem, I switched to MF and set the focus ring on infinity.
Here's a shot taken earlier this afternoon stopped down a little bit.
Lens: 18-55mm kit lens
Camera: PENTAX K100D
Timestamp: Sat Feb 17 17:53:11 2007
Shutter: 1/250 s
Aperture: F5.6
ISO speed: 200
Focal length: 50.0 mm
Focal length in 35mm equivalent: 75.0 mm
EXIF data read by Exiv2 0.10
Lens: 18-55mm kit lens
Camera: PENTAX K100D
Timestamp: Sat Feb 17 17:53:31 2007
Shutter: 1/400 s
Aperture: F4.5
ISO speed: 200
Focal length: 45.0 mm
Focal length in 35mm equivalent: 67.0 mm
EXIF data read by Exiv2 0
I also took a bunch of shots with a 55mm, f2 smc Takumar lens. It's an old m42 screw mount from the early 70s.
This lens has always been sharp but it's never produced vibrant colors. This shot looks as bland as everything I've ever shot with this lens since about 1973. This is one of the more colorful pictures with this lens this afternoon too. It was an overcast day and it's a subdued winter scene but it wasn't this depressing.
Lens: sms Takumar 55mm f2.0 m42 mount
Camera: PENTAX K100D
Timestamp: Sat Feb 17 17:58:50 2007
Shutter: 1/125 s
Aperture: F0
ISO speed: 200
Focal length: 0.0 mm
Focal length in 35mm equivalent: Unknown
EXIF data read by Exiv2 0.10
What's going on here? Is the kit lens that bad? Is this what people mean by "soft"?
This last shot looks razor sharp when viewed full screen on my 26" monitor. The first two look out of focus, a little. I couldn't be more pleased with how sharp every picture taken with the old 55mm lens is.
Should the kit lens be capable of better results than this? Am I doing something wrong? I'll try getting it closed down to F11 or even higher on my next bright day shots.