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SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II Review RSS Feed

SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II

Sharpness 
 7.9
Aberrations 
 8.0
Bokeh 
 7.2
Autofocus 
 8.0
Handling 
 9.0
Value 
 9.1
Reviews Views Date of last review
58 203,466 Thu May 18, 2023
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
98% of reviewers $91.55 8.21
SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II

SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II
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SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II
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Description:
This new version of the 18-55mm Pentax kit lens was released in 2008 and features improved resolution. It has since been replaced by a weather-resistant variant.

SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
APS-C
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
No
Diaphragm
Automatic, 6 blades
Optics
11 elements, 8 groups
Mount Variant
KAF
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F3.5-5.6
Min. Aperture
F22-38
Focusing
AF (screwdrive)
Quick-shift
Yes
Min. Focus
25 cm
Max. Magnification
0.34x
Filter Size
52 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 76-29 ° / 67-25 °
Hood
PH-RBA 52 mm
Case
S80-120
Lens Cap
O-LC52
Coating
SMC,SP
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
68 x 67.5 mm (2.7 x 2.7 in.)
Weight
220 g (7.8 oz.)
Production Years
2008 to 2009
Engraved Name
smc PENTAX-DA 1:3.5-5.6 18-55mm AL II
Product Code
21717
Reviews
User reviews
Unofficial Full-Frame Compatibility Tests by Pentax Forums
★★☆ Full coverage at some F-stop and focal length combinations
Show details
Notes
The second version of the 18-55mm kit lens.
One aspherical element, one ED element.
Features:
Screwdrive AutofocusQuick ShiftAutomatic ApertureAPS-C Digital OnlyDiscontinued
Sample Photos: View Sample Photos
Price History:



Add Review of SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II
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Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 58
New Member

Registered: February, 2020
Location: Copenhagen
Posts: 24

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: November 3, 2020 Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharp
Cons: Screw drive
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K-70   

I was thinking to try the AL II version because I heard many positive about it.
For a kit lens this is incredible sharp, very satisfied with the performance. My copy sharp at even f4. Reading a lot of forums and looking many photos seems this version is the sharpest among all the Pentax kit lenses. I took some indoor and outdoor photos. The pictures are simply amazing. It has good contrast and pleasing color rendering. I can highly recommend it.










   
New Member

Registered: February, 2013
Posts: 20

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: January 6, 2014 Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: great at 35mm, Quick Shift Focus, size/weight, build quality, price
Cons: corner aberrations at the wide end, "dullness" at the long end, six-bladed iris
Autofocus: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K10D, K-01   

Sharpness, aberrations and bokeh vary according to the focal length, so no numeric evaluations from me this time. At 35mm my copy rivals the 35Ltd for sharpness, has less distortion (none at all!) and chromatic aberrations (also none).* It gets worse at the wide and especially at the long end, but for the price it's a genuine bargain...

*of course, 35Ltd excels in different virtues, such as microcontrast, "snap", close focusing etc. so they're not really comparable...

Some samples (click for bigger versions):

   
Veteran Member

Registered: February, 2012
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 464

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: October 26, 2012 Recommended | Price: $49.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Price; Handling, and IQ
Cons: some CA and aberrations
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K5/K7/K10D   

Excellent lens.
Actually I sold out my K7 kit WR like two years ago. However after using the alternative 16-45 for a while I regretted....SO I got this as used (9/10) from KEH at a low price: $49.
What can I and what should I complain? NOTHING. EVEN with some soft wide-open and CA, this is still a superb lens with stupidly low price.
Handling: That's the main reason why I abandoned the 16-45. This one is smaller, however there is no $200 difference on IQ between the two lenses. Even the wide-open is kind soft, however it is still good and very usable.
And with 25cm min focus distance, this one does a good job.

Rembmer: There is no "bad lens" when step down to F8.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: December, 2007
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 1,016

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: July 9, 2011 Recommended | Price: $120.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Too many to list here...a gem of a lens, and an absolute STEAL at the price...
Cons: none from me...it's outstanding...and the new one's even waterproof...
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10   

The pics:

























Cheers,
Cameron
   
Forum Member

Registered: December, 2008
Posts: 92
Review Date: June 28, 2009 Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Cheap, sharp and light
Cons: none

I had this lens from a guy who updated to a DA* 16-50.

For the price it is the champion. Sharp and reliable. I took it to some of my friends weddings and I'd never missed a shot.

The build quality is not so great but with a cheap kit lens, who cares?
   
Pentaxian

Registered: December, 2016
Location: London
Posts: 1,079

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: July 25, 2018 Recommended | Price: $46.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Lightweight
Cons: Poor depth of focus for macro work
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 8    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K200D   

This came with a K200D body I bought second-hand, and seems VERY similar to 18-55 kit lenses I've used on Nikon and Canon. The price I've given for it is half the cost of the body and the lens together. There were no real surprises; it's an adequate performer, but focus seemed a little unreliable at close distances, and I had to discard several shots. Some of that is probably down to the camera's autofocus rather than the lens itself.

There's an album of test shots here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/150868539@N02/albums/72157699002825284







   
Veteran Member

Registered: October, 2008
Location: Greensboro,NC
Posts: 503
Review Date: March 27, 2014 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: light, cheap, fairly sharp
Cons: slow, have stomp down to get sharp pictures
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K200D, K100D   

This lens is surprisingly good for a kit lens, much better than the offerings from canon or nikon.

This lens is very sharp at f8 and beyond. This isn't a low light lens but most of you all probably knew that. At 18mm and 55mm it isn't the best but anywhere in the middle is good. I've done some landscape images at 18mm at f11 with pretty good results. I don't use this lens much any more since buying the DA 50mm f1.8, but it's nice to have for wider focal lengths.

Over all I would recommend this lens for the price.

This picture is at 28mm at f11:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/10316368195_6017235206_b_d.jpg
   
New Member

Registered: December, 2013
Posts: 9

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 14, 2014 Recommended | Price: $130.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: sharp from 24-55, light, compact, very useful focal range
Cons: wide end very bad (CA, blurry at corners), slow but expected at this price, build quality can be better
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 6    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: k5ii   

I would say cons first:
1, never depend on the wide end, especially 18mm, not really usable because of CA and you will see blur just not far away from the center. I suggest buy a sigma 10-20 to make up the wide end if you also want a super wide lens. If you don't want super wide focus, I suggest using 18-55ii for one year and then upgrade to another zoom lens or prime lens.
2, another con is that the lens is rather slow. Don't think about taking bokeh image except you are taking picture of a very near object. I suggest again using this lens for one year and take enough pictures then you know which focus you use most, then you can consider buying a much faster prime lens.

Pros:
1, 24,35,55 are all very usable, you can take sharp image with these three focus from F7.1-10. I suggest only using the three focus, so you can have an sense of three focus which helps improve your photography skills and let you know which prime you need in the future.
2, it's light and compact throughout the focus range. Some other normal range lens like 16-45 and 18-135 are also very good lens, but they can be double weight and much much longer.

Anything I don't talk about like AF and other things you may care, I would say they are OK to use, no problem.

Hope this review helps.
   
New Member

Registered: November, 2013
Posts: 14

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: February 19, 2014 Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: nearly no CA's and very sharp at 24-55mm / bonne correction des ACs et très net à 24-55mm
Cons: 18mm not so sharp in the corners und CAs unfortunately / 18mm manque de piqué dans les coins et ACs
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Autofocus: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: k-x k-5 ks1 k200D fuji x-T100 + x-e1   

what a nice kit lens from 24 to 55 mm. I 've changed program in k-x to "eliminate CA's" - none more at 24-55mm- J'avais changé le programme de mon boitier k-x et les aberrations chromatiques sont disparues à 24-55mm.

+/++ sharpness for a kit zoom lens: nearly excellent when stopping down to f 8-11 pour un objectif standard excellent, si l'on ferme à f8- f11

++ color and contrast transmission: excellent excellente transmission des couleurs et constraste

++ macro photos with macro achromatic lens element on the top = excellent / macrophotos avec lentille achromatique sont excellentes

very satisfying results, so that for me no other wide angle lens is needed as 24 mm or 35mm / résultats très suffisantes pour moi, afin que je n'aurais point besoin d'un objectif de 24 mm ou de 35 mm supplémentaire.


I've tested corners on 55mm: excellent sharp, still better than 1,4/50 single lens with f 8. / la netteté avec 55mm est ancore suprème à celle du 1,4/50 dans les coins

Use 18mm only with f11 (small CAs in the corners visible) !!! Best results with 35 mm, even wide open / Utilisez 18 mm seulement avec f 11 (peu d'aberrations chromatiques quant même visibles dans les coins extrèmes), résultats admirables à 35mm déjà au diaphragme ouvert

much more better than standard zoom lenses of other famous brands / beaucoup plus mieux que les objectifs standard zoom des autres producteurs fameux

PS. different results depending on resolution (averidge value, highest contrast and max.sharpness in menu) / résultats dfférents dépendent de la résolution (valeur moyenne, boîtier programmé à la plus haute netteté et au constrast max ) with / avec 40mm f 8-11 :


10 MPix: 45 LP = 90 lines /lignes (approx./ env.)
16 MPix 65 LP = 130 " "
24 MPix 80 LP = 160 " "

compared with / comparé avec:

1.8/50 DA 90 LP = 180 " " (24 MPix) f 5.6-8

2.4/35 DA 85 LP = 170 " " " "

(lines black and white per mm / lignes noires et blanches pro mm)

compared with analog SLR films 24x36 / comparé avec des films pour un boîtier argentique:

Kodachrome 25......180 LP/mm with macro lens / avec objectif macro (24x36 mm)
Fuji Velvia 50..........170 " "
Ektachrome 64.......160 " "
Fuji Velvia 100........160 " "
Ektachrome 100.....150 " "
   
New Member

Registered: April, 2013
Location: Lakeland, FL
Posts: 6

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: April 25, 2013 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Great color, sharp at all focal lengths, small and lightweight
Cons: Some chromatic aberation, particuarly at wide focal lengths
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 6    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K200D, K-30   

This lens has traveled everywhere and has never let me down. Great colors, sharp, perfect contrast, lightweight, small for a zoom.

There are some chromatic aberrations at 18mm, but it is corrected by k-30 or by software.

I want to get the WR version of this lens. I wouldn't purchase any other zoom other than this model. It's better than the kit zooms from Nikon and Canon. The only real upgrade would be to just shoot one or two primes.

The modern Pentax SLRs handle noise so well, that the slow speed of this lens is insignificant.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: November, 2010
Location: New Berlin, WI
Posts: 528

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 26, 2012 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Inexpensive, very sharp when stopped down.
Cons: Need PP for great contrast and color rendition
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: Kx, K5   

Much better lens than the original DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6. This is a very good outdoor lens, not the type of lens you can use indoor without a flash BUT on sunny weather stop it down to f9 or f11 and you'll get very sharp images. Sweet setting is f9 and 35mm.
   
New Member

Registered: December, 2011
Posts: 1
Review Date: December 26, 2011 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: nice zoom range, wide angle, nice colour, versatile, light weight, comes with hood
Cons: poor contrast, sometimes soft at 18mm and 55mm
Sharpness: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: New   

This is excellent for a kit lens. 18-55mm is a great range, especially since it offers a very wide angle. The color is also great, though the contrast is rather poor. Sometimes images at the 18mm and 55mm are a little fuzzy, but a pretty sharp image can easily be achieved in the middle. It's not very fast and the focusing range is short, meaning that after about ten feet the subject can no longer be isolated. However, this lens is well built for a kit lens and very versatile. It works well for portraits, landscapes, and snapshots. It's a great basic lens with and it has the potential to capture colorful, sharp images and nice bokeh for the aperture range it has. For those new to digital SLR photography, it is a must. It's best to start out with a lens like this to find one's niche and then buy a nice prime lens and/or telephoto zoom based on one's photographic interests.
   
Junior Member

Registered: October, 2011
Location: Belton, SC
Posts: 33

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: October 31, 2011 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: great kit lens
Cons: none for a kit lens
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 7    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: Used   

This has been a great little lens for me. I've had nothing but fun with it and hopefully that will continue. Its the best kit lens out there, period. My girlfriend is a Canon user and she is so jealous of this little gem. It handles quite well for a smaller lens. I love the hood that comes with it too, works like a charm, and is quite well-built too. All-in-all a great little lens to have.


IMGP7841-Edit by carlin.lusk, on Flickr


IMGP8150-Edit by carlin.lusk, on Flickr
   
Veteran Member

Registered: February, 2009
Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 3,757

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 29, 2011 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: cheap, sharp, flare resistant, small & light
Cons: slow
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10   

I'm in complete agreement with Zivelot's review.
I'm wholeheartedly recommending this little guy. Like many others, I dismissed it at the beginning, because it was a kit lens. (And because of that, it seemed less sharp than other lenses.) But its performance beyond 5.6 is excellent. I tried many primes and zooms, and I can say this lens does an excellent job in daylight (or on a tripod). But it's not bad even wide open. Most cheap primes one can get on ebay (except the fifties) are not much sharper than the kit lens. (Actually, I think most are less sharp at comparable apertures.) I use DxO with it, and below 50mm the DxO-ed images from the "kit lens" can compete with any prime.

As with any lenses, there can be variation among copies... I've had three copies of the DA AL II and one copy of the DA WR. I also tried two other DA WR's that came with a friend's K-5's--the first K-5 had stains on the sensor, so he got a second one) as well as a number of DA AL's. In my experience, the DA AL II version is the best: higher consistency from one copy to another and less difference in IQ from the wide end to the tele end. The DA AL aren't bad either, although they tend to suffer between 45 and 55mm. I was disappointed with the DA WR's: all of the three copies I had the chance to give a try had quite severe softness on one side or another between, say, 18 and 20mm, wide open--and not only wide open. I guess the WR construction may have put some constraints on the optical elements, or maybe I simply had bad luck with them.

In any case, the AL II's have been at least very good. The last copy I got--which I'm not going to give away just to get a more expensive zoom that either backfocuses, or is decentered, or...--is perfect. With DxO's help, it can produce wonders.

I used a 16-45mm for a year. While the 16-45mm is an excellent lens, I believe its virtues tend to be overstated. Wide open, it is sharper than the kit lens, but not by much. For me, its very useful 16mm is compensated by the compactness and the diminutive size of the 18-55mm. No protruding elements at 18mm with this one. Subjectively, I liked the DxO-ed images of the 18-55 more than the DxO-ed pics of the 16-45. After PP in DxO, the images from both lenses looked very sharp, with the 16-45mm having the edge in terms of sharpness (really, extremely sharp). But the DxO-ed images from the kit lens appeared to have finer contrast.

To sum up: cheap wide-to-normal zoom, capable of great performance, especially above f5.6, fast AF (in good light). If you have DxO and have a couple of primes for low light and special effects, I can see no reason for buying a much more expensive zoom for everyday purposes. (I'm talking about everyday purposes here: weddings and such may require something like a Tamron 28-75mm 2.8.)
   
Veteran Member

Registered: February, 2010
Location: California
Posts: 1,602

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 26, 2010 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Quick shift focus, sharp, good IQ, color, contrast
Cons: none for a kit lens

I wanted to review this lens because I got to use it for about 2 months while my friend was out of commission and compare it at length to my DAL version. I gave the DAL version a rating of 9 but now that I have used this lens I would lower that rating to 8-7 since they are both kit lenses.

First off this version comes with a hood, which is a big deal for sunlight shooting.

It has quick shift focusing. I really like this feature because I can quickly focus on something other than what the AF system chose to focus on.

The IQ to me seems to be a little but better. This maybe all in my head but I think it is visible.

The focus ring has the distance indicators, not a big deal but nice to see how far the lens thinks you are from your subject.

Has a metal mount, another no big deal. The mount is more durable but also scratches your body mount more.
Add Review of SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II



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