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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
58 203,293 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 It has since been replaced by a weather-resistant variant.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
Forum Member

Registered: March, 2020
Posts: 70
Review Date: May 18, 2023 Recommended | Price: $35.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Cheap, lightweight, compact, acceptable IQ, good contrast, fairly flare-resistant, low CAs for a 18-55mm kit lens
Cons: Close-up IQ at wider apertures, only average sharpness in general, relies somewhat on in-camera corrections, characterless and dull bokeh
Sharpness: 6    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 4    Autofocus: 6    Handling: 7    Value: 8    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: APS-C   

Since I've read relatively good reviews about the AL II model in particular, I was willing to give it a try at only €35 in excellent condition. In general, I found it to be just like any other modern 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens in terms of appearance and performance. All-plastic housing, light, compact, decent build quality, slow optics --- nothing out of the ordinary.

While I find it hard to get excited about a kit lens, this 18-55mm left a positive impression in several aspects. My copy appeared to be one of the better ones as well, in that it demonstrated consistent and predictable IQ at all focal lengths. Modern coating meant that flaring or severe loss of contrast weren't really a problem when used in combination with the OEM lens hood, which neatly enough comes with a sliding door in case you've got a polarizer mounted. Nice attention to detail! With all in-camera corrections turned off, it also showed surprisingly little in the way of purple or green fringing. Certainly, the last Nikkor 18-55mm VR II I had was a lot worse in this regard. However, there was also plenty of barrel distortion on the wide end together with corner softness, and also noticeable vignetting at all focus distances and apertures, of course more-so when used at wider apertures to take pictures of flowers and the like. So like all other 18-55mm kit lenses, this one also relies heavily on in-camera software to adjust your JPEGs. Pretty much what I expected.

Sharpness was acceptable if nothing special in my opinion. F6.3 was a little soft at infinity but usable; for close-up I'd definitely recommend to stop down at least a little bit further if you care about fine detail. That said, it's certainly more than possible to capture nice pseudo-macro shots at F8-F13 with a MFD of only 25 cm. Bokeh was probably my least favourite trait of this lens: very dull, generic, plain and severely lacking in character. Not something I'd pick over a vintage lens with the same number of aperture blades (six).

I'd also suspect many first-time DSLR users would probably be happier with a little more reach, say an 18-135mm, but that's not really the fault of this lens. The color rendition could also be a little warmer for my tastes.

Conclusion time then. A modern 18-55mm kit lens: nothing more, nothing less. Perfectly serviceable if unremarkable, but I would rate it as one of the better ones out there. No reason not to get one if only for having it around as a cheap and compact walk-around snapshot lens on your APS-C body.





   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: October, 2018
Location: Quebec City, Quebec
Posts: 6,479

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: February 23, 2022 Not Recommended | Rating: 5 

 
Pros: Acceptable at 55 mm FL, only lens I ever got rid of.
Cons: Badly decentered, not very sharp, plasticky.
Sharpness: 3    Aberrations: 6    Bokeh: 5    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 3    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K10, K20   

I could never obtain a picture with edge-to-edge sharpness with this zoom lens. I tested it carefully, photographing flat stone walls in Old Quebec (seen in part on the right side of the picture below). The center and the left side of the pictures were nice but the right side was always completely fuzzy. At first, I thought it was the K10 body that was defective with a decentered or skewed sensor. I tried an old FA 28-105 mm f/4-5.6 zoom we had at my work and realized the K10 sensor was alright, producing excellent pictures sharp from edge-to-edge with this FA lens (see second picture with the K10 below taken at 65 mm FL and f/8). I purchased a K20 body and the decentering was still apparent on the resulting images. Corners of the DA 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II were very soft at 18 mm FL anyway and the image quality became barely acceptable at 55 mm FL. There was nothing I could do with this lens. There was no other Pentax lens I hated so much, ever. At the time (2008), I gave this piece of advice to one of my friends at work who was considering acquiring a copy of the DA 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II : "No serious photographer wants to be found dead with this lens in his hands ..."

I finally got rid of it and exchanged it for a DA 16-45 mm f/4 ED zoom in 2009. The new DA zoom was sharp all over but ridden with color fringing around the edges at 16 mm FL. The K10 and K20 bodies had no provisions to correct these color aberrations. Finally I got rid of my old K10, stored my K20 and bought a 16,3 Mpx K5 in 2011. The DA 16-45 mm ED started to produce excellent images with the built-in color correction possible with newer Pentax DSLRs bodies.

So, DA 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II : definitely NOT RECOMMENDED. Of course, there is variation among different copies and some users here seem to like it a lot when they get a better copy with adequately collimated centering. Bad decentering is a result of poor quality control at the manufacturing site and my DA 18-55 mm II copy proved totally unacceptable. I know I am sinking the overall rating but I give it a 5.


Picture below taken with my K5 + DA 16-45 mm f/4 ED in 2011 : A world of difference in the evolution of the capabilities of digital cameras between 2008 and 2011.




Picture below taken with my old K10 + FA 28-105 mm f/4-5.6 @ 65 mm FL in 2008 : Sharp all over, so the sensor was not the cause of the uneveness of the images.




Below : Only satisfactorily sharp picture ever taken with the DA 18-55 mm II in 2009, close-up at 55 mm FL and f/11 on a K20 body and yet, the bottom part is not very sharp. I deleted all the rest.
.

   
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.










   
Pentaxian

Registered: December, 2016
Location: London
Posts: 1,078

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: August, 2012
Posts: 678
Review Date: July 12, 2017 Recommended | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Lightweight, reasonably sharp at higher f-stops, useful focal range
Cons: not so sharp at lower f-stops
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: Used    Camera Used: K200D   

I find it interesting that this lens is rated better than its predecessor, the DA 18-55, because I find little difference between the two. My initial impression of the lens was that it felt a little more plastic and lightweight than my DA 18-55s, but weighing the two on my digital postal scale showed they were within 0.02 ounces of one another. Testing this lens against one of my DA 18-55 lenses on my Samsung GX-20, they were equally sharp but this lens had a little lower color saturation. This lens came to me with a K200D I recently acquired so it's hard to say exactly what it cost.

All that said, I generally like all three variants of Pentax DA 18-55mm lenses (although I'm less than thrilled with the DA-L variant's plastic base) and think every Pentax owner should own at least one. They're a very useful focal range and doesn't add significant bulk to the camera, making them great 'walking around' lenses for street photography. Although not a true macro lens, they do fairly decent closeup work and have a pleasant enough bokeh for casual portrait shots.
   
New Member

Registered: October, 2014
Posts: 14
Review Date: July 26, 2015 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Tamaño, terminacion, colores
Cons: poca apertura, ruidoso, construccion
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 7    Handling: 9    Value: 8    New or Used: New    Camera Used: k50, k5, k200   

Buen lente de kit, colores y contraste muy Pentax. Calidad de construccion basica, pero solida. La apertura de diafragma es pobre, pero suficiente. El enfoque es correcto y bien combinado con el iso puede dar muy buenos resultados. El parasol cumple muy bien con su funcion. La definicion es correcta, pero en focales cortas distorsiona muchisimo.
   
New Member

Registered: December, 2014
Posts: 6
Review Date: December 19, 2014 Recommended | Price: $195.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Good all-round lense for this price
Cons: none for this cathegory
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 8    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K-200   

I started using my girlfriends camera with this lense 5 years ago - knowing nothing about it. But i didnt consider it to be great. Soon I realized I am having a great basic lense usefull for almost everything, and I still have it today. I did many travels with it - Madeira, England, Province, Sri Lanka, Tyrollia - and everywhere i was taking DA 18-55 II with me, and I was sure i will have great pictures from my holiday. Especially with nice polarizating filter! Also it is quite small and light. So for travelling it is perfect. The only situation I couldnt really use it is for indoor shooting with low light, since K-200 has very bad sensitivity for light and maximum aperture value of 18-55 is only 3,5. But in this cathegory aperture 3,5 is very common, so I am not putting this into CONS. I try to put aperture at least 7,1, then i am sure the picture will go out great. I never shoot pictures with maximum aperture (3,5) - its nonsense.
   
New Member

Registered: April, 2014
Posts: 15
Review Date: April 27, 2014 Recommended | Price: $70.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: light, compact, cheap
Cons: not sharp
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    New or Used: Used   

http://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/9511/136842496.8/0_bfe35_7e95c079_XXXL.jpg
   
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: 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):

   
Senior Member

Registered: December, 2012
Location: Kristiansand S
Posts: 250
Review Date: August 18, 2013 Recommended | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Good as travel/all round lens, solid, quick shift
Cons: a litle slow
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 7    Autofocus: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K200D/K30   

Good value. Underestimated lens. One of the best kit lenses (AL II version). A very good starter lens.
   
Senior Member

Registered: January, 2010
Posts: 290
Review Date: July 3, 2013 Recommended | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: focal length
Cons: softness
Sharpness: 6    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Autofocus: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 9    New or Used: New    Camera Used: K200D, K5   

For ladnscape you have to rise а to 11-13 to get sharp images.
http://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/9252/27105245.2/0_eb9ae_bf5bc383_XXXL.jpg
   
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.
Add Review of SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II



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