| Author: | | New Member Registered: November, 2014 Posts: 3
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 12, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | WR | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-30
| |
Its simple: I select this lens for outdoors when I'm expecting the conditions it is designed to handle: If it's raining, snowing, or just when the weather may deteriorate. If I plan to go down a cave, or take a trip in a canoe, etc. etc. In other words, I select this one and I don't worry about my gear, and can just enjoy the event. The results are perhaps sometimes not quite as good as with better lenses, but I'm usually not paying so much attention to the photography, and just shooting "blind" on full auto. In practice the photos have value because of the location, not as fine art, but I'm usually quite happy with the IQ as well.
Down a cave :
On a rainy hillside:
 | | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2015 Location: Washington Posts: 267
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 4, 2016 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Nicely built, WR, light, nice colors, inexpensive | | Cons: | none for the price | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-50
| |
Got this lens with my K-50. It is fairly soft at the ends of the focus range, but anything between 24-45mm with aperture around f/8.0 it is pretty sharp. Not as sharp
as a prime lens.
K-50, ISO 160, 23mm, f/8, 1/320
K-50, ISO 3200, 35mm, f/9, 1/50
The lens is worth every penny. Great for outdoors since is WR.
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2013 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: February 29, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $125.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Price, seal, ect | | Cons: | Non yet | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-30
| |
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: October, 2013 Posts: 94
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 18, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | WR, colours, close focus at 55mm, build quality, price | | Cons: | None at the price | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K30
| |
I've updated this review for a second time as I'm on my third copy and I've been using it for some time now on my K30. I'm surprised at the low score this lens has averaged, because it's miles better than any similar budget 18-55 offering from Canon, Nikon or Sony.
My first copy was dismal but turned out to have been damaged in the post. The second copy was much, much better. Then I got a third copy which proved to be even (slightly) better than the second.
The only thing that information is good for, is demonstrating how poor our postal service is, and how variable Pentax build quality is on their mass-produced, budget lenses. Not happy with your new lens? Send it back and ask for another.
At the price this lens is going for now, it's a steal. Buy it. There is nothing better at this price, and in many ways this lens out-performs pretty much anything you can get for under £400. The build quality is not up to the standards of the 1950s but better than any other "kit" lens I've come across (of any make).
Compared to my 35mm f/2.4, this lens blows it away. That 35mm really is a cheap and nasty piece of kit. For portraits and family groups, unless you're a pro, this lens is all you need. It needs a fair bit of light but (to make another comparison) the 35mm f/2.4 is utterly useless unless stopped down at least to f/5.6 anyway. AF on this lens is 100 times better than on the 35mm f/2.4.
I've used it for some product photography - nothing special - but it gave me a chance to see how good the AF is. Even when using the off-centre AF points, it's very quick and very accurate. Anybody who says different doesn't know how to hold a camera, or should buy a tripod.
It's not the best for landscapes, with some CA and distortion. Nor does it resolve mid-range-distance detail well. But the colours and contrast are very nice IMO. I'd always prefer a prime for landscapes and cityscapes, but this is more versatile of course. Most problems can be corrected in-camera or with PS.
Given the price (it can be got new on ebay for about £70 now) I have no hesitation in recommending this lens for casual togs and as a general walk-around. It's by far the best budget 18-55 Pentax have made, and they make the best budget lenses around.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2014 Posts: 520 | | Review Date: July 30, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | WR, 3.4x zoom, | | Cons: | except for 35mm the rest of the range has to be stopped down to be usable | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: k-30
| |
Good kit lens for what I paid.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2007 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 1,016
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 12, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $129.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Inexpensive, light, weatherproof, fabulous | | Cons: | for the price, you can't complain | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5
| |
I still maintain this tiny gem of a lens is the best deal in the history of photography.
The church at Higham Ferrers, East Northamptonshire, England. Handheld, K5, F9, 18mm, 1/1000th, iso 400.
Cheers,
Cameron
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2007 Location: North West UK Posts: 390
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 25, 2015 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small, light convenient, control of CA, "sealed" | | Cons: | A little soft out of camera images, mists up in extreme weather | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-5 K-5IIs K-01 K20D K10D *ISTDs
| |
I am giving it a 9 overall, but more like an 8.5. Why? well it came with my K-5.
Now the lens. When you hear the words "kit lens" you always think of cheap, poor quality and only comes with the camera to get you going. Is this true? Yes and no. It IS cheap but is it poor? not a bit of it.
I will assume that most of us will put this lens at the back of the cabinet gathering dust when we get more expensive and/or faster zooms or primes as we think the lens is not up to the task.
Well that is what I thought. Until I recently bought a brand new K-5IIs which is a legend in demanding good quality glass on the front.
So, I thought and have been doing, is to try out all my lenses on a camera with no AA filter to see how the perform, and I have got round the the "mk3" version of the kit lens.
Result? pleasantly surprised.
The pros.
It is small and light the AF is snappy, quicker with each generation of body, but that is to do with the AF performance of the camera not the lens. Detail on the K-5IIs is excellent as is the control of CA. Colours are typical Pentax, so great.
The downsides
The lens is WR, but in extreme poor weather an internal element has a tendancy to mist up, This I feel is due to the lens extending when focusing, rather than the seals failing at the back. My 50-135 does not, but this does everything inside. Perhaps the new 16-85 will be mighty in view of this. The other thing is the RAW files on the K-5IIs are a little soft. even at F8-F11, but that is not a problem as post processing will bring the images back to life. I will emphasise that it is minor.
Overall though, it is a great little lens and better than the kit lens I have on my Nikon kit and then some, and seriously get it out of the cabinet, dust it down and give it a run, you will be very surprised on how it performs. 
[IMG] St Annes Church by IHD Photography, on Flickr[/IMG]
 Stained Glass by IHD Photography, on Flickr
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: September, 2013 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,070
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 31, 2015 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Versatile, reasonably sharp, weather resistant, quick shift | | Cons: | None really for what it is | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K30
| |
I also don't understand why this lens is being torn apart in other reviews? I previously used a white Pentax 18-55mm DAL and decided to pick this lens up to have weather resistance. It was a good performer, especially for the price, and so far my WR version seems to be equal or better optically. Although the focus and zoom rings on both of these lenses have a very small bit of play in them, the build quality is still very good. I love how this one has quick shift manual focus because I no longer have to flip a switch to manual focus. The distance scale is nice to have since a lot of lenses these days do not have this. I like the metal mount, and the petal hood that came with it is a nice bonus. Although I haven't introduced it to heavy rain, it has done fine in light rain and is nice to know that rain or moisture will no longer stop me from getting a shot. It is small enough to come along in the bottom of my camera bag when weather gets sour or I need wide angle. The SP coating Pentax puts on some of their lenses should not be overlooked because it makes cleaning front lens glass a breeze. Any fingerprints or dust comes off easily without any smearing, and is useful for me because I don't use UV filters (It's my preference because I feel that they degrade image quality unless you buy premium filters). The front element never rotates when zooming or focusing which is good for polarizing filters. It also has a super close focus distance which can be used for pseudo macro shots with its decent magnification capabilities and some cropping. This lens performs well at all focal lengths (even wide open), and gets even better stopped down. It is very resistant to flare and chromatic aberrations, has good contrast, and purple fringing will show up in only the worst of scenarios. The only cons I can think of is it the auto-focus does make noise, but not as loud or annoying as other screw driven auto-focus lenses I've used. It shows some distortion at wide angle, but that can be corrected with software. It's bokeh isn't jaw dropping, but you have to realize this is primarily a wide angle lens! This lens is very convenient for travel. I do not regret having this lens on my trip to Europe, and when I travel overseas again you can bet it will be one of the lenses in my camera bag.
Here's some samples at varying focal lengths, with exif data found below the photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/16606756113/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/17205590202/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/17031126578/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/17021082189/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/17201026326/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/17005024037/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/17005033827/
These photos both have 2 shots stitched together to form a panorama:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/17218885435/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/17030404090/
Here's a close up shot at 28mm:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adudenamedjosh/16412160175/in/photostream/
I hope these photos help you decide if this is the right lens for you. I definitely recommend it if you can get it for a good price or bundled with a camera body.
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2014 Posts: 6
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 23, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Light + small + compact, WR, overall good lense for this price | | Cons: | not for low light conditions | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 8
New or Used: Used
Camera Used: K-200, K-5
| |
I dont know why this lense is so underrated in the reviews. For example DA 18-55 II has much higher review score here but 18-55 WR is even better! I think 18-55 WR has better ring control (both focus and zoom), fits into hand more comfortably and practically, looks better built, and most of all is WR!!! Optically both lenses are the same, which means you have to stop to F8 to get sharp pics and you cant really take pics indoors or low light. I would recommend this lense, for this price it is very good for general everyday use. It will get you nice and decent pictures if you know HOW and WHEN to use it.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2012 Location: Houston Posts: 129 | | Review Date: November 27, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | light, weather sealed, cheap, | | Cons: | plastic, struggles in low light | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K5
| |
My first lens with my K5. I loved this lens as it was light and inexpensive. I used it in the rain and the weather sealing works great. It takes relatively sharp images when stopped down to f8 and up. You get what you pay for. Nice images at a cheap price and WEATHER SEALED.
 Always Follow The Path by michaelkchenry, on Flickr
 Tolerance's Revealing Light by michaelkchenry, on Flickr
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2013 Posts: 2
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 5, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp at f/8-11,lightweight,solid built,good colours,WR | | Cons: | None for the price | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 5
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K-30
| |
Very high contrast,color saturation,very good and sharp with DxO 9
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2014 Posts: 518
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 16, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | WR, weight | | Cons: | color aberrations | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
New or Used: New
Camera Used: K-50
| |
Just recently starting to appreciate this lens. The sweet spot on my sample is 5.6 - 7.1.
As far as focal length is concerned, I think the lens is best between 35 and 50 mm.
The few times I've used auto-focus, it seems to work well. Manual focus works nicely.
Good for nature close-ups and portraits. Can focus pretty closely in a pinch.
Not too expensive to replace, so you don't mind taking it with you into the elements.
 | | | | | Marketplace Reseller Registered: March, 2010 Location: Queensland Posts: 104 | | Review Date: June 8, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Solid | | Cons: | Has its limits | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 8
New or Used: New
Camera Used: Pentax K5
| |
For a kit lens, this lens lifts above its weight. I got this lens secondhand, but had no problems with it.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: December, 2012 Posts: 135 | | Review Date: May 26, 2014 | Not Recommended
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | metal mount, WR, light | | Cons: | poor IQ, built quality, noisy AF, focus ring turns on AF | | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Autofocus: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 8
New or Used: New
| |
Built quality is low as is image quality (sharpness, soft corners) but it's after all it's only a cheap kit lens which is WR and has a metal mount.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2013 Posts: 14 | | Review Date: May 14, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | for a kit lens very sharp at f 6.3-11 | | Cons: | corners of 18mm somewhat weak and CAs - not to prefer | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 7
New or Used: New
Camera Used: k-5, k-x, k-200, fuji x-T100, x-e1
| |
excellent water protection
-/O I don't use 18 mm because of visible CAs in the corners and border double contures
+ good - sharpness (24-42mm) - best resolution between f 6.3 (24-28mm) and f 8 (42mm). f 11 at 55 mm
++ excellent sharpness between 28 and 35 mm with f 6.3-8
+/++ good to very good sharpness at 55mm with f 11
+ good correction of corner CAs at 24-55mm
++ high contrast,
++ high saturation of colors
-/O unfortunately, visible CAs and lack of sharpness in the edges of 18mm
a fair - good performer - but photos must be sharpened by PhSh after shooting for bigger posters !!! 
worse than the non WR version with optical design 12/9, which is much more sharper from 24 to 55mm
8.5 points
Most of users give to it between 7 and 9 points - a rating of 1,3 or 5 points is absolutely incomprehensable and not realistic !!! Such a zoom lens never can be as sharp as a single lens like Pentax 1.8/50 f.e..  It is not a lens for open aperture, but for stopping down a few, naturally, in oder to get better results !!!
This lens has been designed for 10-12 MP sensors, not for 24 MP
********************************************************************************************************************
PAY ATTENTION !!! 45 LP/mm - The earlier non WR version I is much more charper with 70-75 LP/mm
********************************************************************************************************************
test results on different sensors with f 9 at 42mm [and at 28 mm with f 6.3]
10MP 45 LP/mm = 90 black and white lines [55 LP/mm
16MP 60 LP/mm =120 " " " [70 "
24MP 75 LP/mm =150 " " " [90 "
with 24 MP (Fuji) nearly professional values!
********************************************************************
IMPORTANT REMARK:
24 - 55 mm are usuable for full size sensors as the K-1 without vignetting - this is not mentioned here or in the sales description.
| | |
;)
;)
;)
;)
