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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-20-2019, 02:26 PM
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To Des,
Thank you for your kind comments.
I dont plan to replace my K3 unless it fails, then the KP might be worth a look.
My Pentax gear includes a K30 which came bundled with the 18-135. It is much lighter than the K3, and handles nicely.
However, it started 2 years ago to suffer from the aperture motor failure: everytime I use it now, I need to exercise it before it starts working properly. The easiest way seems to be to fire a fast burst, usually the 4th or 5th image is OK.
But I dont trust it anymore and use it only at home.
My son, another K3 owner (after previously owning a K5) had recommended the K30 to several of his friends, but they all have met the aperture motor issue, which seems to plague also the K-S2.
Thus I dont want to invest in entry level models like K70.
And I dont like the handling of a DSLR in live view.
I am afraid I wont buy Pentax gear again, unless Ricoh sells a mirrorless K-mount compatible body in 2021 or 2022, or if the future APS-C Pentax flagship is really outstanding and not too heavy or bulky (I dont want to go big, if I wanted to, I would either buy a K1 or a Sony A7; my son has gone the A7 way, and he likes it better than his Pentax gear, though he owns the 31 and 77).
I might be tempted to buy a mirrorless K-mount to use with my nice DA limited primes 15, 21, 35 and 70, and my DA40 XS.
But it would be pure luxury, as I doubt I would bring it when traveling abroad: my Panasonic GX8 focuses as fast and more accurately than my K3; my Panasonic lenses are very sharp, even the entry level zooms, and the primes render as nicely as the DA limited. The K3 is only better on moving targets in poor light and higher ISO.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-18-2019, 08:46 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-18-2019, 04:26 AM
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I did not use much my Pentax gear since this 2018 trip to Peru.
That was the last time K3+DA 18+135 has been my main camera when traveling abroad:
 IMGP6679.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP6681.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP6676.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP6698.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP6518.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
I now rather use my M43 gear when traveling: 3 bodies (GX8, G7 and GM5), 3 f3.5-5.6 zooms (12-32, 12-60 and 14-140), the tiny 35-100 f4-5.6 and 3 f1.7 primes (20, 25 and 42.5).
My K3 gets still some use when photography is the main purpose, but when traveling with my new girlfriend, my Pentax gear is just too big and heavy. I have also enjoyed the odd angles framing that mirrorless allows, be it from low or ground level or above my head when in a crowd, or in museums.
Yet, after now 2 years using mainly M43, I admit that the Pentax overall rendering, contrast and dynamic range is better, and the DA 18-135 checks these points: I can use my Pentax out of camera JPEGs with minimum post processing, whereas my M43 photography needs more post-processing, more often discarding the OOC JPEG and developing the RAW file to get the kind of 3D pop I get directly from OOC Pentax JPEG.
I hope Pentax will add a mirrorless light camera body to its offering, next year or in 2021.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-04-2019, 06:34 AM
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18-135 wont sell for much and there are many occasions in which it will be the most valuable lens: very compact, built like a tank, weather resistant, fast focusing, very sharp in the center, unmatched focal range from wide angle to true tele.
There are better lenses but none as versatile.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-31-2018, 08:41 AM
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Those who bash this lens didnt understand what it was designed for: the most convenient focal range with a good IQ and excellent colour rendering in a compact and rugged package, with very efficient AF and a better than average resistance to flare (you cannot fix flare in post).
It is not a lens for pixel peepers.
Let them be happy with different lenses, like the Pentax 16-85 or the older Pentax 17-70 f4, or Sigma lenses.
I have the 17-70 and that is why I didnt buy the 16-85: of course they are both optically better than the DA 18-135.
But they are both much bigger and heavier than the 18-135, which, for my kind of photography, means they are too big and heavy.
They start wider, but I use the 70-135 range more often than the 16(17)-18.
I take the 17-70 when I look for improved IQ for sessions in which photography is my priority and I need the convenience of a transtandard zoom.
But my 18-135 stays on my K3 80% of the time, it is the lens I have taken for once in a lifetime trips (Tahiti, Tanzania, Vietnam, Cambodgia, and soon Peru (Macchu Pichu), when I want to go light and not to bother about changing lenses.
I agree that the 18-135 IQ is average by today's standards in the 70-135 range. But is there another compact travel zoom going from 18 to 135 with very good IQ and sharpness stopped down from 18 to 70?
My travel kit is K3 with 18-135, plus DA15 limited for UWA and one or two fast and very small primes: DA70 f2.4 or FA50 f1.7 for subject isolation, and/or either DA35 f2.8 macro limited, or DA 35 f2.4, or DA40 f2.8 XS for low light. I may also use the tiny Panasonic GM5 with the miniature 12-32 kit lens at 12 as an eveready alternative to the DA15 for UWA.
If Pentax had not released the 18-135, I would probably have already switched to M43 (the Panasonic 14-140 is quite good and very convenient)
Some samples of my november 2017 trip to Angkor (more on my flickr gallery; the Vietnamese part will be posted later, and so will be the pictures from Corsica and Bavaria):
 Le regard du Roi by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 Dans l'enceinte du Bayon by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 Arrivée au Bayon by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 En quittant le Banteay Srei by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 Paysage lacustre by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-25-2018, 03:32 AM
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Thank you Des, I did it!
---------- Post added 01-25-18 at 11:46 AM ----------
You posted some quite nice pictures in this thread, Normhead.
As for the DA18-135, though I have several other lenses, among with the very nice DA limited 15-21-35-70, and also the 40XS, it is my most used Pentax lens for its convenient focal range, fast focusing, nice rendering, WR and good to very good center sharpness.
When traveling to places I will go only once in a lifetime, it will always be stuck on my K3, yielding only at DA15 for large landscapes, at DA40 XS for low light, or at DA 55-300 for wildlife safaris.
But of course it is not a lens which will please pixel peepers, especially wide open in the corners. As for me, I never shoot brickwalls nor test charts, thus I dont care.
Though it may not be the best in everything it can do, DA 18-135 outperforms my skills.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-24-2018, 02:29 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-20-2017, 01:33 AM
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I also have all three which I use on k3 and K30.
But, since I bought the 18-135, the 18-55 and 50-200 spend most of their time in a drawer.
Why:
- The 18-135 is built like a rock, you feel very confident it can whistand bad weather and shocks. Mine has been drenched by the rain in 2014 in Tahiti rainforest, tossed across the dirtyTanzanian savannah, brought hiking in the French Alps, and also shooting from a fast running Zodiac dinghy.
- It is all in one: no need to change lenses in the field. And most if the time you dont need to carry another lens.
- At 55mm, maximum aperture is f4.5, which is 0.7 stop faster than the 18-55 and only 0.3 stop slower than the 50-200.
- Though I have the better (but bigger) DA 17-70 f4 and a nice bunch of limited primes, the 18-135 is my most used lens, almost glued on my K3. For long range telephoto, like african wildlife, I use the 55-300, which is much better than the 50-200 across their common range, and more rugged.
- The 18-135 is better than the 18-55 across their common range, and not that much bigger.
- It is sharper in the center and has more contrast than the 50-200 and has better resistance to flare than both 18-55 and 50-200.
- It has a silent and very efficient AF DC engine, instead of the legacy screwdriven AF in 18-55 and 50-200.
A link to the reviews I wrote
-here in PentaxForums:
SMC Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
The date shown is october 2016, but I updated the review in spring 2017, adding some samples
-on DPreview, with some full size samples (more in my flickr gallery):
A misunderstood gem: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review |
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-06-2017, 03:21 PM
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New post as my previous seems not to display the links to flickr:
You cannot compare a fast 17-50 transtandard zoom and a 18-135 superzoom lens.
They are different tools designed for different uses.
I dont have the Tamron 17-50, but I have both the DA 17-70 f4 and the DA 18-135. The 17-70 has better IQ, is sharper across the frame, especially wide open, and starts a tad wider. But if I need longer than 70, the DA18-135 does the job, whereas with the 17-70 I need to crop a lot or carry another lens and change on the fly. The 17-70 is also noticeably bigger and heavier.
Hence, the 18-135 is the lens I will take with me when traveling, hiking, or when I dont know what kind of scene I will shoot. I will mount the 17-70 when I feel I wont need the 70-135 range, and wont mind the extra bulk to get a little better IQ.
If I had a fast f2.8 17-50 zoom, I would use it for low light shots, or to blur the backgrounds: as I dont have it, I use my limited primes for that. But in any case it wouldnt replace my DA 18-135.
Lots of DA 18-135 full size samples in my flickr gallery.
A few of them just below to show the versatility:
Dancing queen by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
The queen of hearts by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
Watching Olduvaï sunset by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
Hiking to sunset belvedere by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
Savannah at dusk by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
Savannah sunset by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
Polynesian sunrise by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP0834 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP2681_modifié-2 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
15 IMGP1118_modifié-1-LR-20150503 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
And a sample of the kind of colour rendering for which I do prefer the DA 17-70:
Saint Tropez sunset by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-06-2017, 01:13 AM
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You cannot compare a fast 17-50 transtandard zoom and a 18-135 superzoom lens.
They are different tools designed for different uses.
I dont have the Tamron 17-50, but I have both the DA 17-70 f4 and the DA 18-135. The 17-70 has better IQ, is sharper across the frame, especially wide open, and starts a tad wider. But if I need longer than 70, the DA18-135 does the job, whereas with the 17-70 I need to crop a lot or carry another lens and change on the fly. The 17-70 is also noticeably bigger and heavier.
Hence, the 18-135 is the lens I will take with me when traveling, hiking, or when I dont know what kind of scene I will shoot. I will mount the 17-70 when I feel I wont need the 70-135 range, and wont mind the extra bulk to get a little better IQ.
If I had a fast f2.8 17-50 zoom, I would use it for low light shots, or to blur the backgrounds: as I dont have it, I use my limited primes for that. But in any case it wouldnt replace my DA 18-135.
Lots of DA 18-135 full size samples in my flickr gallery.
A few of them just below to show the versatility:
Dancing queen by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
The queen of hearts by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
Watching Olduvaï sunset by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
Hiking to sunset belvedere by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
Savannah at dusk by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
Savannah sunset by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
Polynesian sunrise by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP0834 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP2681_modifié-2 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
15 IMGP1118_modifié-1-LR-20150503 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
And a sample of the kind of colour rendering for which I do prefer the DA 17-70:
Saint Tropez sunset by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-06-2017, 12:30 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-08-2017, 05:34 PM
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If you post the BB-code link provided by the "share" button onflickr, that accepts full size pictures on line, the pictures shows on Pentax Forums, and a click on it sends you to the original flickr page, for instance:
 Africa by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-07-2017, 02:47 PM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-24-2017, 04:02 PM
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It has been my most used lens since I got it 2 years ago.
IMO the sweet spot is f6.3/f8 between 20 and 70. This lens is very sharp in the center from 18 to 80. But you need to stop it down to get sharp edges. There is field curvature at 18.
At the long end, the lens remains sharp in the center (useful for portraits, where it has a nice bokeh, and for wildlife, as you can crop) but the edges are soft until f10-f11.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-20-2017, 05:11 PM
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I too like shooting against the sun with DA 18-135:
15 IMGP1118_modifié-1-LR-20150503 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP2717_modifié-1 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP6024-LR.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
And DA 18-135 is very polyvalent, it delivers quite nicely in very different situations:
IMGP4355-LR by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP3574_modifié-2 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP5979-LR.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP6042-LR.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP7964-LR.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
---------- Post added 01-21-17 at 01:23 AM ----------
Well, I must be tired because i cannot display the sharing links to my flickr gallery.
Thus I dont know if you can see them.
Will go to bed and check again tomorrow
---------- Post added 01-21-17 at 01:49 AM ----------
new test
---------- Post added 01-21-17 at 01:55 AM ----------
A new DA 18-135 picture to test how it shows:
 IMGP8393-LR-2.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
I think I now got it:
First DA 18-135 afainst the sun:
 15 IMGP1118_modifié-1-LR-20150503 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP2717_modifié-1 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP6024-LR.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
Then some different scenes showing the polyvalence of the lens:
 IMGP4355-LR by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP3574_modifié-2 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP5979-LR.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP7964-LR.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP6042-LR.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-06-2016, 01:06 PM
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To Crust:
Thank you for your kind compliments, I am glad you liked them.
All the daylight pictures in these samples are jpegs, the camera jpeg profile set to bright, with most often -1 on saturation. PP in lightroom or PSE9 for the oldest ones, to adjust the framing, highlights and shadows when necessary; in good light, OOC JPEGs are often quite pleasant and dont need adjustment.
I posted very different samples to show what the lens delivered in various scenes. Many more in my gallery.
The night pictures at the Carnaval de Nice have been shot in raw and PP in lightroom. JPEGs in high ISO and such harsh and changing lightings are unusables: I saved the jpeg+raw, but most of the time the wite balance and exposure were a mess, and the dynamic range necessited a lot of PP.
To Iheiramo: nice shot, good idea.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-05-2016, 02:49 AM
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DA 18-135 has been my most used lens since I got it in february 2014, first on K30 and now on K3.
Several samples like these one on my flickr gallery (link below) in different kind of scenes (see the exif)
IMGP7964-LR.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP2717_modifié-1 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
IMGP0834 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
15 IMGP1118_modifié-1-LR-20150503 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
---------- Post added 12-05-16 at 10:58 AM ----------
Looks like my sharing links in message dont show.
I have still to understand how to share flickr images in PentaxForums.
Meanwhiule you can browse my gallery with the tag da18135
---------- Post added 12-05-16 at 11:08 AM ----------
New trial of showing a link to a picture from my flickr gallery:
IMGP7964-LR.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
---------- Post added 12-05-16 at 11:20 AM ----------
It works.:)
Here are some other links to samples in different kind of scenes:
 IMGP5979-LR.jpg by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP4355-LR by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP4335-LR by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 15 IMGP1118_modifié-1-LR-20150503 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP2717_modifié-1 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
 IMGP0834 by Denis Bousquet, sur Flickr
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-06-2015, 01:47 AM
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The DA 135 is my favorite travel lens.
Many pictures on my flickr account have been shot with it (link in my signature; EXIF data are present on all pictures).
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-02-2015, 01:02 AM
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I agree.
this lens is my favorite for travel or when I want to take only one lens and need either WR or a long reach.
Everytime I think I wont need the 70-135 range nor WR, I use my Pentax DA 70 f4, which is bettter at all FL and apertures, or I shoot with primes.
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