Latest Review Posted | SMC Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR Nice construction, reasonable weight not as light as a FA 28-105 (Tokina version)
Weather sealed for hiking and inclement weather if you shoot a lot in poor weather.
Nice all around focal range for walkabout, but not great at the long end, so if your serious about birds or distant subjects, the various 55-300 range from Pentax are a far better budget option. (I tested this against my old original 55-300 at 135mm and it was beaten by the longer kit lens) But it gives you a cross over if you want a 2 lens system.
Better than the 18-55 kit lens I had at the wide end and especially likes being stopped down to f8/f9 to eliminate edge fall off. Fine detail is quite impressive but that absolute quality of f2,8 lenses is not quite there.
I didn't really find a lot of CA or distortion as has been mentioned by others, but if any, was easily fixed in PP.
My K3 has a bad habit of producing soft images at iso 100 (shutter shock), so at 1/60th and below or 1/200th and above produced quite pleasing images. I am used to quality pro glass, so I know what is really nice and what is acceptable. When working in the sweet spot, it gives a lot of pleasure and could conceivably be one of the great all-rounders.
I may be one of the unusual ones who likes the manual focus ring at the base of the lens, quite intuitive for me.
Loved the typical entry / mid level close up focus with this lens and quite a bonus for the hiker wanting to shoot forest floor fungi etc.
Lovely colours... |