New Pentax smc DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6ED AL IF DC WR lens

[r.t. dowling]

<p>No word yet on U.S. pricing; the press release states a price of £599.99, which translates to about $937, but I suspect the actual U.S. street price will be lower than that.</p>

<p>Interestingly, the press release also mentions that the lens has SDM autofocus, even though they didn't include SDM in the model name and it doesn't appear (based on this preliminary photos) to have an SDM badge. Hmmm...</p>

<p>http://www.dpreview.com/news/1009/10092019pentax18135lens.asp</p>

[r.t. dowling]

<p>This would appear to be the first Pentax lens to have the letters "DC" in its model name. The press release does make a point of mentioning "the DC motor built into the lens." I guess that'd be what the DC stands for. Is this a different kind of SDM than is used in the other SDM lenses?</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>Hard for me to say what really differentiates it but operationally it decouples the focusing ring so that it doesn't spin during AF. This is a very *good thing*. I expect the US street price will be significantly lower and there may even be kit bundles including the lens for further discounts. Assuming that optically it's not a dog and that the pricing is reasonable I would expect this lens to sell well--there's nothing like it (sealed).</p>

[thebs]

<p>With this lens coming out in November, after college football season has basically ended, I'm going to limp along with my K20D until the prices drop on the K-5 + DA 18-135 WR combination. It's still working "good enough" for now.</p>

[mountainvisions]

<p>This is a lens that appeals to me as a super zoom snob. especially in light of the lack of sealed options.</p>

<p>The question is will it be good enough at the 18mm end.<br>

<br />Also wish it had been a 3.5-4.5. Typically these lenses with 5.6 max apertures at the long end aren't all that sharp wide open.</p>

<p>I'll wait for the reviews, I think it would have appealed more as an 18-105mm 3.5-4.5, but we'll see.</p>

[r.t. dowling]

<p>A constant f/4 would have been nice, and very Pentaxian, but I don't know how difficult that would be to design compared to a f/3.5-5.6 design... and they might have worried about it cutting into sales of the 17-70 f/4.</p>

[thebs]

<p>An f/3.5-4.5, 3.5-4.9 or even constant f/4 might have been doable in an economy way had it been 18-90 or 18-105 or so, but I seriously doubt 18-135. I would have, however, bought an 18-90 or 18-105 in a constant f/4 for sure though. ;)</p>

[laur1]

<p>To be interesting to me, this should be better optically than both the 18-55 and 50-200 and its price shouldn't be a lot more than that of those two. If it's $600+, it falls in the region where it's neither good enough nor cheap enough to be worth it. Ideally, it should be priced below $500. Especially since the DA* 50-135 can be found for $820.</p>

[r.t. dowling]

<p>Hopefully it'll be at least as good as Nikon's 18-105 VR, which is quite excellent in the resolution department. It have some issues with vignetting and distortion, but Nikon has gotten very good at correcting those issues in-camera.</p>

<p>Even Sigma's 18-125 OS produced good resolution figures when tested (though not quite as impressive as the aforementioned Nikon).</p>

<p>All of the above are priced under $350. Granted, they aren't weather resistant, but they have in-lens image stabilization. It would be great if Pentax could match that price.</p>

[miserere_mei]

<p><em><strong>Extra-smooth SDM autofocus operation</strong></em><br /><em> A DC motor built into the lens’ AF (autofocus) unit assures extra-smooth autofocus operation. It features a rotation-free mechanism to keep the focus ring stationary during autofocus operation. The user can hold the lens in exactly the same way as when using it in the manual-focus mode. </em>[from the press release]<em><br /></em></p>

<p>This is what "DC" stands for. I'm anxious to find out what this will do the speed of autofocus and, more importantly, the longevity of the focusing mechanism. This might be Pentax's upgraded (ahem, "fixed") SDM.</p>

<p>One more thing: This lens is a new design direction for Pentax, as for the first time they've placed the focusing group at the rear of the lens and the zooming group and the front. Note how the ring closest to the camera is in charge of focus and the one furthest away is the zooming ring. This the opposite to what Pentax have done throughout their entire history (someone correct me if I'm wrong). In theory, this design should increase AF speed (or decrease battery drain) because the focusing group needs to move less distance by virtue of its location at the rear of the lens. The new Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 HSM OS uses this design philosophy too.</p>

<p>A telling detail: There is no distance scale on the lens! This is not technically impossible, but it would increase manufacturing costs, which tells me they're aiming this lens at total beginners. What this might say about the optical design remains to be seen...</p>

[c_wyatt]

<p>I'm sure it will appeal as a one-lens solution kit lens. Just hoping some new higher-end optics come out of photokina.</p>

[lauren_macintosh]

 

weather sealing to compliment the weather sealing of the K-5.<br /><br />Read more at: <a href="http://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-DA-18-135mm-F3.5-5.6-ED-AL-IF-DC-WR.html#ixzz106AJHFFN">http://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-DA-18-135mm-F3.5-5.6-ED-AL-IF-DC-WR.html#ixzz106AJHFFN</a>

 

That s an Interesting statement unto its self ! So come's the question just how weather resistant is the K-5<br />

 

[lauren_macintosh]

<p>R,C,Dowling: It states that that your camera must have a Operation program of 1.30 or better to be used on your camera:</p>

[bob_stevenson]

<p>Pentax stuff at about 600 quid usually has a US price just over half in real terms,...so, it will be about 700 USD. We have to pay heavily through th nose for pentax here in the UK.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>Mis, you may be right about the reversed rings and/or focusing group but I didn't assume this was the case. Have you seen any direct evidence on this? What you say about the rear focus group is probably mostly true with any internal focus design, at the rear or otherwise - in addition to keeping the front element stationary it also allows them to put the focusing group in a place where they can get the desired effect with smaller elements moving smaller distances.<br>

You may be right about the distance scale and what that suggests Pentax thinks of the target customer. Note that Nikkor 18-105 and 18-135 also lack this while the more upmarket 16-85 does. The omission certainly bugs me a bit.<br>

As for calls for faster long ends, it simply wasn't going to happen with 62mm filters and 405g weight and likely not for anywhere near the asking price either. Incidentally, 62mm is not at all a typical Pentax filter size--it <em>is </em>a common Tamron size. It wouldn't be a gi-normous shock to me if the lens was eventually revealed to be a Tamron cousin but certainly there's no compelling evidence of that now--it's just a filter size. Sigma also uses 62mm but has generally been less active in rebadged glass for cameramakers.</p>

 

[miserere_mei]

<blockquote>

<p>Have you seen any direct evidence on this?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Evidence of what, exactly?</p>

[markus maurer]

<p>R.T Dowling, the Pentax A-28-135mm F4 zoom is such a big and front heavy beast (77mm filter size) that I never used it, I prefer the Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 which must be one of the best Pentax zooms I have used in that range. I never looked at any "SuperZoom" again after first use, they just do not deliver enough quality imho.</p>

[r.t. dowling]

<p>Markus: good point about the 28-135 "A". I've never seen one, but I'll take your word for it that it's huge. I would expect a DA version to be smaller, though, since it's not full frame.</p>

[markus maurer]

<p>DA plastic constructions should be lighter than the metal A-series but just look at the size of the DA 16-45mm F4 and the superzooms usually extend quite a bit at the wide end as well and I expect such a zooms AF to hunt in lower light.</p>

[jgredline]

<blockquote>

<p>The question is will it be good enough at the 18mm end.<br /><br />Also wish it had been a 3.5-4.5. Typically these lenses with 5.6 max apertures at the long end aren't all that sharp wide open</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>My thoughts exactly. I really would like a weather resistant lens for the 2-3 weeks of rain I get a year, but in reality, my next big purchase will be that Fuji.</p>

[mountainvisions]

<blockquote>

<p>So come's the question just how weather resistant is the K-5</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Since the K-5 is in a K-7 body, one would assume that the seals and weatherproofing are identical. So the K-5 should be as weather resistant as the K-7, K10D, and K20D.</p>

[mountainvisions]

<blockquote>

<p>metal A-series</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Believe it or not, most of the A series is actually plastic and not metal. I'm sure some lenses could be metal, but the 28mm and 50mm are plastic.</p>

<p>I'm not sure what my 24-50mm F/4 A is, it's a heavy little bugger, but I think it's plastic too.</p>

[markus maurer]

<p>Justin, your right, the "A-metal" was my wishful thinking.</p>

[dominik_stiegeler]

<p>have someone tried the lens at full aperture ? <br>

the lens sounds really nice, but a bit overpriced i would say. plastic is more leightweight, so it isn't that bad...</p>