| Author: | | Inactive Account Registered: June, 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 4
5 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 24, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $160.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | zoom range, image quality | | Cons: | zoom creep | |
I am very impressed with this lens!
I traded in my Sigma 28-200 because i wanted the extra room at the wide end. The 28-200 was bought in hopes of Pentax bringing out a full frame [but that's another story].
The 18-200 has far exceeded my expectations. It is way sharper than the 28-200 and the added wide angle is a real asset.
The resolution of the lens seems to keep up with my K20D, unlike my old 18-55 kit lens which worked great with my K100D but not so much with the K20.
My one criticism is zoom creep when i point the camera downward. However, resting my baby finger against the zoom ring solves the problem.
Bottom line - love it
| | | | | | | Forum Member Registered: September, 2008 Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK Posts: 55
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 31, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $308.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Zoom range, ease of use, zoom ring lock | | Cons: | Maximum apertures, no FF capability | |
I purchased this lens nearly two years ago since I wanted an all-purpose lens for use when not doing serious photography, e.g. when walking or sightseeing. I also chose it because it gives me a reasonable close focus facility hand-held using the image stabilisation on my K10D. I would have considered the Pentax version but it wasn’t available when I purchased the Sigma; other slightly longer zooms have since appeared.
This is an excellent lens for the amateur providing good well saturated colour and sharpness for landscapes, portraits, occasional long shots for wildlife, and macro (1:4.4 nominal but 1:3 approximately with APS). It is well-balanced and easy to use and not too heavy to carry around all day. One has to accept that in dull light its speed is a limitation. The zoom ring lock is a distinct advantage to prevent the zoom extending when being carried. I purchased it to replace the basic Sigma 18-50 and 55-200 kit lenses and have not been disappointed. It will never replace lenses such as prime wide angles, long telephotos or macros but it does the job it is intended to do quite well and if one requres a long zoom range 11:1, there are only a few of alternatives and none what one would call "professional" quality.
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2017 Location: Plymouth, Devon. UK Posts: 3
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 2, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Feels well built and is a light weight replacement for several lenses | | Cons: | | |
I am an out and out amateur lens reviewer. Most of my pictures end up on the lap top and do I not have Photoshop.
I was getting a bit fed up carrying a bag of lenses and a spare body so I have got rid of all my lenses bar a 50mm F1.8 DA and have replaced the spare body with a LumixTZ55 compact fitted with a 24-480 zoom. The compact is on my belt all the time and has begun to prove very useful.
However I have also purchased a Sigma 18-200 DC recently for 60 dollars and have found that this lens covers all my DSLR needs particularly for special times like air and motor shows. It is not bad at portraits as well but the 50mm is the best out of the two for that. The Sigma really is an excellent walk around lens although I understand there have been two further versions since the original.
If you are looking for a budget do-it-all lens then this might well be the one to look out for. It is the one with the red stripe.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: October, 2016 Location: Euless Texas Posts: 268
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 13, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Light, Focal Range, Sharp in most situations, Good AF | | Cons: | Contrast can be a bit lacking | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-S2
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: 9
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I was looking for a budget lens that had a longer reach than my 18-50mm Kit lens and would be as sharp if not sharper. Based on the reviews here I decided to give it a try. So far I am very pleased as this lens and it has earned the role of default lens that stays on my camera when I am shooting family events or not using one of my specialized lens.
Sharpness - Stopped down to F8 this lens produces very sharp images. I gave it an 8 but really it is more of an 8.5.
Handling - It is just the right weight and the autofocus is reasonably fast on my K-S2.
Color - Not as vibrant as some of my older Pentax glass but by no means washed out.
Contrast - My largest complaint is I sometimes need to boost the contrast in post processing.
Bokeh - Not nearly as good as some of my manual 50mm primes but palatable.
Aberrations - I only CA and fringing I have seen is in a couple of high contrast tree shots at 200mm
Overall - I have taken some really nice shots of my granddaughter which was one of my main uses for this lens. I give this lens an overall score of 8.5.
 | | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2009 Location: Central Florida Posts: 258
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 21, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | wide focal range, sharpness, contrast | | Cons: | some distortion at the very wide end | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 5
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5 IIs
Autofocus: 9
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I bought this lens for a week's vacation on the Rhine last summer. I was planning on traveling light, so I took it and a Sigma 10-20. It turned out I didn't need the 10-20, with which I made four interior shots that I could have covered with the short end of the 18-200. This lens is light, sharp, and low in abberration, and its AF compares well with most Pentax screw-drive AF lenses I've used. I highly recommend it as a travel lens when the aim is to get the most punch into the smallest package.
Samples from the wide and long ends of the lens:
 Skylight by Noel Parsons, on Flickr
 Stolzenfels Castle by Noel Parsons, on Flickr
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 726
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 22, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Nice all around, compact, built quality, IQ | | Cons: | Slow | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
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This is my second favourite zoom lens (following it's brother the 17-70). If it is nice outdoor, this lens is on one of my cameras.
It's a utility lens, it does decent wide shot (18mm) and has a decent zoom range (200mm). Take it down a few stops and this thing is decently sharp and any range.
Aberration/distortion are minimal considering the range. It does tend to fringe a bit at longer range but it can easily be fixed in post.
Bokeh is it's major drawback, it's not ugly but it could be much better.
Handling is great, the lens is solid, zoom ring is nicely weighed (but creeps if held down), built quality is top notch. I wish the focus ring had a bit more travel when focussing manually (like most AF lens).
It's a great all-around lens if you want to travel light and still be able to take decent shots of pretty much anything life throws your way. It's not particularly great at anything but it does a very good job at being versatile.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: Near Sydney, NSW Posts: 331
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 8, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $390.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Basically the best superzoom I've come across | | Cons: | Superzooms are always superzooms | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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In the pros I said -BASICALLY the best superzoom I've come across because I have had the pleasure of using the Sigma 50-500mm, which is incredible, but that's a pretty special piece of glass, and costs $1800 or something.
I should note that I have not used the Pentax/Tamron 18-250 or 18-270 - they could well be better but to be honest, I'd be surprised, because this thing is damn impressive.
It's sharp at just about all settings, but more importantly, the results are just quite pleasing. I owned the 17-70 f2.8 - 4.5 as well, and although it's supposedly technically 'better', I just never liked it. This lens just has that X factor... and 11x zoom is never a bad thing to have.
In the end I don't actually need lenses like this because I have pro level stuff (the 50-135 for one), that will of course do a better job - but I'm always sad to sell these lenses that have impressed me in their time with me.
| | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2011 Location: Michigan (Summer); Florida(Winter) Posts: 6
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 27, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $135.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Light weight, zoom range, good autofocus, zoom lock | | Cons: | focus hunts occasionally | |
Bought this as a walk-around lens for vacations and everyday shooting. Nice weight and zoom range. Autofocus hunts sometimes. Often shoot full manual including focus. Found to produce sharp pictures in daylight even if overcast. Very happy with this performance.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: West Sussex, UK (Gap Year) Posts: 30
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 26, 2009 | Not Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | Convenience | | Cons: | Not particularly sharp, really soft on extreme edges | |
I bought this lens when i bought my K20D, only just getting into photography and not really knowing about the advantages of various lenses, quality etc. I have recently sold this lens, upgrading to a 16-45 f4. The main issue with this lens is the edge sharpness; i've been doing quite a few group portraits lately, and the people on the edge are ridiculously soft, even when stopped down to f5.6-f8. This zoom would probably be fine for travel happy snaps where weight is an issue, but for my purposes it was less than satisfactory.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: October, 2016 Posts: 557
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 20, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $110.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | relatively light, sharp, great walkaround lens | | Cons: | The zoom ring works opposite of most zoom lenses | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 6
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-50
Autofocus: 8
New Or Used: Used
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I really like this lens because of the zoom range. So far it has performed very well and is quite sharp especially on a tripod
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: February, 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 54
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 14, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $420.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Range, Sharpness, Bokeh | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
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This lens is underrated. For 8x10 prints and smaller this lens is perfectly fine.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2012 Posts: 5
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 3, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $195.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp and versatile | | Cons: | Focus | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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I was surprise with this lens being better than the reviews that it has received, so I think its a highly underrated lens. Its sharp and takes good macro shots too. It handles quite well but I do miss the quick shift features of other Pentax lenses. But for value and performance, its really hard to beat.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2010 Location: SoCal Posts: 518
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 31, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $249.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | convenience, compact, all-in-one, zoom, affordable | | Cons: | slow, AF hunt, dust magnet, CA | |
This is a generic 'all in one' lens - kinda of like having a vehicle that's a cross over.
Don't expect it to be a car, a minivan and and SUV... it makes some sacrifices.
Good:
- It can take some decent shots and 'can' be sharp... just not so much at the edges
- Its fairly lightweight, yet feels pretty sturdy (feels almost 2x as heavy as the kit 18-55mm)
- 18-200mm is a very good range
- No zoom creep (yet)
- Its $249 - unless you're wanting a shorter zoom (50-200mm Pentax or 70-300 Tamron/Sigma), you're going to pay at least this much.
- Great for travel - no swapping of lenses
Bad:
- Fringes are not so great on focus
- Not the sharpest lens out there
- slow
- AF hunt - with moving objects you might as well take off AF.
- CA
Verdict: It came down to this or Pentax 55-300. I don't think I really need the long end 'that far', but I would appreciate the 4-5.6 of the Pentax vs 3.5-6.3 of the Sigma. This is essentially a 'poor mans' / entry level version of Pentax 18-135mm.
I'll probably use this as my 'main' outdoor lens. I have taken +5000 pictures on my 18-55mm kit since September, but I've been needing a little more reach, and the 18-135mm Pentax is out of my price range.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2021 Posts: 196 | | Review Date: June 3, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | cheap, versatile, ideal for a summer holiday on a sunny day | | Cons: | AF | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: K5
Autofocus: 7
New Or Used: Used
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I was looking for a travel lens and chose this based on the feedbacks.I found my copy on the well-known merchant site. I got it in perfect condition from the outside.
My opinion is very uncertain.I have a hard time knowing myself on it.I feel the white balance setting is unpredictable. Both outdoors and indoors. Sometimes the automatic setting is perfectly good, sometimes the result is not lifelike.In the same way, autofocus was a problem. Even after trying the fine adjustment, I didn’t feel sharp enough for a long time. In fact, not even now, even though I spent a lot of time with him.So overall, I’m disappointed with my copy.
I have to review myself.I got an advice to reset the camera. Interesting, but it mattered a lot.
After that I went through the fine tuning procedure again and now it makes better images definitely.
| | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2020 Location: Lincolnshire Posts: 7 | | Review Date: April 18, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Compact travel lens | | Cons: | Jack of all trades master of none | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 8
Camera Used: K-M K3
Autofocus: 8
New Or Used: Used
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I picked this lens up as I'd missed opportunities for shots due to not having a camera and suitable lens combination with me when travelling with work. I was surprised with how good the image quality was on my K3 after reading the other comments about this lens not performing well on high resolution sensors. The lens does suffer with chromatic aberrations, but it can be controlled in post editing software.
The lens is a Jack of all trades good in all aspects but does not exceed in any areas. But I'd rather have the picture than miss out not having the ability to take the shot.
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