5 comments about Pentax DA 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 ED AL IF Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras.

1. Don't let anyone tell you anything about the negative side of this DA 18-250mm zoom lens. It is a little darling gadget in exploring good photography. Amateur and enthusiast would just love to have one in his bag. Its focal length is tremendous. You can zoom back and fore with one touch. I was laboriously using two lenses (18-55mm and 50-200mm) in the past; now I just carry one with my camera inseparably. Best of all, it has a tiny lock switch on the barrel to prevent extending out when you carry your equipment up-side-down. Otherwise, you probably have to use a suspender to hold it back.



2. This Pentax version of the Tamron original does JUST what I wanted it for at a very reasonable price. When I go on trips or outings, I want to carry very little. This more than adequately replaces my previous down-sized kit of an 18-55 and a 50-200. Not only is one lens much lighter than two, it takes considerably less space and provides me fewer opportunities to introduce dust into the camera body while I change lenses. On top of that, it produces sharp pictures with minimal CA.
   
   What it's not:
   
   Fast. Making this range of zoom fast would require lots more glass (bigger and heavier) and even more cash.
   
   A real macro lens. It doesn't compete with my FA 100 2.8. This too is a heavy lens and I don't usually take it on trips.
   
   A real telephoto lens. A 300 and up would be truly heavy and require mounting on a tripod (still more weight).
   
   An ultra-wide ange lens. At its widest it's the equivalent of a 28.
   
   What it is is a lens I can rely on to capture the picture in almost any situation without having to resort to extensive post-processing work,



3. It seems that one has to find out which are the outstanding Pentax lenses by reading a lot, and by trial and error. Price is no guide, as with this lens which sells for about half the price of the equivalent Nikon lens. It is an outstanding lens, and even at 250mm (that's 375mm in 24x36 lingo!), with Pentax's superb anti-shake mechanism, it is very useful.
   
   An extraordinarily impressive and useful lens. As always, the drawback of these zooms is their lack of speed. f/6.3 is the maximum aperture at 250mm, but if it were any faster, the lens would be enormous. I use two "prime" lenses for speed -- 50mm f/1.4 (one of the GREAT buys out there) and my trusty old 85mm f/1.8. Those two, plus a 16-45mm Pentax zoom, and this zoom, cover just about everything. I just wish Pentax would stop improving the camera body about every twenty minutes.



4. It pretty close to what it is advertised to be. Not good for low light. under bright natural or artificial lights it works great.



5. This lens are great, i only wish they would produce higher contrast and more vivid colors as my old and cheaper Sigma lens use to.

5 comments about Pentax ZX-30 Quartz Date 35mm SLR Camera Kit with 35-80mm Lens.

1. I am 14 years old and new to the photographic world. After doing months of research on what I wanted to be my first camera I decided on the Pentax ZX-30 Quartz Date. It was probably one of the best choices I have made. As a beginner I was looking for a camera that was simple to operate, but one that would give me quality pictures and versatility for me to be creative. This camera was my answer. My first roll of film was beautiful. My mother has a home daycare so I immediately started taking pictures of the kids. When I got my first roll of film back I was amazed at the quality of the pictures. They were wonderful. This camera gives you a variety of settings yet it is simple enough that you can have fun without having to deal with confusing dials and knobs. This is the choice for a beginner who wants to take photography seriously. Buy and enjoy!!



2. This is a wonderful Camera that I have had for 4 years now. I have extremely enjoyed the quality pictures, and fun options that this camera has.

   I took several photography courses and this camera was leaps and bounds above what I needed.

   I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking into starting up or continuing photography as a hobby.




3. I have owned this camera for the last 3 yrs. Not a single complaint so far. Most of the time I have used the auto settings even though it has a manual option. Excellent focus even in low light conditions and the focus lock is pretty fast. Yet to have a bad shot except for those occasional out of focus pictures which were mostly because of my fault.

   Operation is pretty simple and does not have much frills to worry about. Excellent value for the price




4. This camera is not functioning properly--which is always a danger with used products but I thought I could trust this amazon site more.



5. I got this camera from an Amazon seller. It's second handed but it works great just like the seller told me it would! It takes great pictures and it's somewhat easy to use, just read the manual! I recommend this product and the seller!

5 comments about Pentax 21mm F/3.2 AL Limited Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras.

1. I just bought this lens for my Pentax K10D and it is truly stellar. I love to shoot wide angle landscapes and this lens has such clarity and absolutely no flaws that I can find so far. I have not had to use denoising software on a picture I've taken with it yet. It is well worth the price you will pay for it, and I have no doubt that it will be the "prime" lens affixed to my camera most of the time.



2. This is the perfect lense for walking around and grabbing shots. Easy small and the quality is great. If my main purpose isn't to take pictures but I want to have my camera with me or if I am trying to be more inconspicuous it's the one to have.



3. Lens is extremely light and of highest build quality and has an equivalent 32.5mm focal length when used on a APS-C sensor.



4. Back in the '80's I owned a Pentax ME Super and I thereafter soon bought several "M" lenses to go with it (most notably the 28mm F2.8 and the 135mm F3.5). These lenses were given the "M" classification because of their Miniature size. I always loved the optical and mechanical performance of those little wonders. I have now finally found in the 21st Century an equivalent (actually they're even a bit better!) in the Pentax Limited Series. I am now the proud owner of three of that breed: the DA 21mm f3.2, the DA 35mm f2.8 Macro and the DA 70mm f2.4. I love the 21mm- it's perfect for street photography,landscapes, all around "snapshots" and, with it's close focusing, even near macro. It's small in size and light in weight which makes it a joy to carry and it is actually made of real metal! It focuses quite fast with AF and if needed it can be overridden to manual focus without pushing any buttons or moving any levers. While it is in the wide angle family, it is not an ultra wide, so there is little to no distortion to be found. I would highly reccomend this lens (and any member of the Pentax Limited Series, for that matter) to anyone who wishes to push the boundaries of their photographic experience and invest in some superior quality primes. You can see the difference!



5. If you are looking for a camera lens that transforms the look of your imposing SLR into a advanced point and shoot (everyone jumps out of the way of SLR for some reason), while maintaining excellent image quality, and increased ease of handling, the DA 21 is the perfect lens for you. With respect to handling, I hate carrying around a bagful of camera gear. There are many times where I want to walk around with just the camera and lens. The combo of K200D+DA21 is about as light as a SLR+lens can get and it handles beautifully. Two potential negatives include wishing for either a bit more width (or more focal length), and a maximum aperture of only 3.2.
   
   Wanting more length is not a problem, as the DA21 takes high enough quality pictures to allow me to crop until I get what I want. I can't do anything about width, but 21mm was good enough for me in cities such as Hong Kong and Seoul. Also, in the times when I needed to take hand-held self portraits with my significant other, the DA21mm performed flawlessly. Try taking one handed self portraits with the DA* 16-50!!
   
   When there isn't ample lighting, which is the case in most indoor photography, i do increase the ISO more than I'd like, and at that point, high ISO+slower shutter speed means crap photos. But I'd rather carry around my monopod than carry around my FA50mm. With my monopod, i can user a lower ISO and get results i like.
   
   In short, a lot of rambling later, the DA21mm is just about the perfect walk around lens. I would take it over the FA35mm too. Just because the significant other hated the fact I couldn't take self-portraits with the 21mm:)

5 comments about Pentax 70mm f/2.4 DA Limited Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras.

1. I'm extremely happy with this lens. The speed is decent enough at f2.4 and the autofocus works fast with the K100D. Apart from film size advantages, one of the reasons medium format is such a good portrait format has to do with the 'normal' lens being in the 70-85mm zone. You get just the right perspective and DOF.
   
   This lens is good to use across the room, as you can concentrate on one or two people at a time. On digital the detail and color resolution is very natural, not over done as with some. The smooth transition to really good bokeh is another advantage.
   
   Even though Pentax does not recommend the DA lenses for film bodies, I tried it out with good results on a ZX-10 camera. No vignetting and decent sharpness across the field. There is no aperture ring on the lens, so you'd need a body that works with that.
   
   Overall I recommend this lens as an excellent optic, well made and compact.



2. A lot of people have a tough time choosing between DA 70mm Limited and the FA 77mm Limited. Both lenses have their merits, but I ended up going with the DA 70mm for a few reasons...
   
   DA 70mm pros:
   + Much faster autofocus.
   + Much less CA (chromatic aberrations) and purple fringing.
   + Much cheaper.
   + Still works on film bodies, but you need a body that supports aperture controls.
   + Eolake points out in the comments that the DA 70mm is much more compact than the FA 77mm.
   
   FA 77mm pros:
   + About 1 stop faster (f/1.8 vs f/2.4).
   + Has an aperture ring so it works on all Pentax 35mm film bodies as well as digital.
   + General consensus that the bokeh is better.
   + Slightly longer reach.
   
   Both lenses are sharp and render images beautifully, so as you can see, it really depends on what you want from the lens.
   
   Since I wanted this lens for candid portraits, I needed the much faster autofocus capabilities. I also figured that I wouldn't shoot at f/1.8 much anyways since I find it difficult to work with such a small depth of field when shooting portraits. While most people find the FA 77mm's bokeh to be better, the 70mm still produces very pleasing bokeh. It's just different.
   
   All in all, the DA 70mm seemed like a much better deal to me and I don't regret buying it over the FA 77mm at all.



3. Now I have used many different camera systems and their respective lenses, I am now buying my second 70mm Da limited, the first being stolen. This is the first lens I used that really shows of the K20D's capabilities, even the old faithful 50mm does not render as well nor is as sharp over all ( edge to edge ). This lens is Very sharp wide open edge to edge right to F16, great contrast, I even compared it's sharpness to the Sigma 70mm macro and at normal distances it beats the macro for sharpness and contrast and has much better bokeh.
   
   The lens is small and light and surprisingly feels great when mounted on camera, the quick shift focusing ring is something I wish the older Fa limited lenses had so you can manual focus at anytime.
   
   Af speed is fast, this is the fastest Pentax lens I had used until the DA 40mm limited and now newer sdm/hsm lenses, yes it is a little noisy but not so bad, it focuses with zest and lets you know it. I did have to adjust the AF on the K20D to fix a bit of front focusing with this lens but I think they are all like that on the K20D, once adjusted it is very accurate from 2ft to infinity with very little hunting.
   
   But the lens does have it's real faults, first the close focus I wish was better, not macro but say to 1ft min distance, it does also purple ca at big apertures, not alot but just enough that you can see it, still much better than the FA 77mm in that regard. It handles flare well but has some ghosting, again not so bad but it is there. The last wish was that this was an F2 or better but F2.4 is just enough to get those shallow dof blown away bokeh shots, just.
   
   So it's not a perfect lens but for it's price its a real bargain for how it performs and how well made it is, if your a prime shooter and need a short tele I think this is your best bet, even over the FA 77mm ( unless you really need the shallower dof/ faster aperture or are using it manual focus only ). This is one of Pentax's real "L" glass beating lenses, I have Nikon D300 and canon 5D owners jaws drop at the sharpness and clarity ( micro contrast ) of this lens, Only the Canon 85mm and 135mm L ( the 100mm to but they stopped making that one ) lenses are as good IQ wise.



4. I purchased the 70mm DA Limited to round out my DA21, FA31, FA50, M100 Macro prime lens lineup. I agonized for months about the FA77 vs the DA70 but decided on the DA70 because of the price and the fact that in reviews, the DA70 is sharper at f2.4 than the FA77 is at similar apetures. This, in addition to the faster focusing, quick shift focus adjustment feature, lower chromatic aboration and much lower price, finally swayed me in favor of the DA70. I am very happy with my decision based on use of the lens. I find the sharpness of the lens to be astounding with excellent contrast, color rendition and bokeh.
   I highly recommend this lens and think that it is one of the best values in the Pentax lineup.



5. Small, light, beautifully made, extremely sharp. This is just about my favorite lens on my K20D. As others have said it's the ideal length for portraits, and the widest aperture is for the most part large enough to easily throw the background out of focus.
   
   Like most of the pancake lenses, the bokeh is not as smooth as the equivalent focal length full-size lens, but it's not objectionable by any means, and can vary quite a bit depending on the distance from the subject to the background.
   
   The detail this lens can pull out with the K20D is just astonishing. Yes, the closest you can focus is not that close compared to a full size lens, but if you've got 12MP+ sensor it won't matter, because you can just crop to your heart's content.
   
   Like the other DA Limited lenses I have (the 21 and the 35 macro), the color balance is a little on the cool side, with highly contrasty and saturated colors. The lens isn't adding saturation of course, it's just letting it all through. And it's not adding contrast, but it just captures as wide a range as your sensor will allow, with all the gradations in between. I have not had any issues with lens flare.
   
   The pull-out hood is neat, and personally I like the press-on cap, though others don't. With the hood and cap attached the length does grow maybe 50% beyond what you see in the picture here, but if using the lens "naked" then it is small and unobtrusive, perfect for candids.

1 comments about Pentax 49mm Lens Cap for the Pentax D FA 50mm & 100mm f/2.8 Lenses for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR.

1. I lost the original lens cap of my Konica Minolta A200. The lens size is 49mm, so I bought it. Yes, it's good fit for that. It's not easy to attach if lens hood is attached, but it's OK.

5 comments about Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL (IF) Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR's.

1. This is a great lens and was exactly what I was looking for to shoot large objects in tight spaces



2. I have been a dedicated Pentax shooter for over 30 years, using Pentax equipment for all my 35mm, 645 and 6X7 format applications. I loved the ergonomics, the incredible reliability and the uncomparable craftsmanship and optical quality of Pentax professional products - up until now.
   
   I've purchased this lens brand new from Amazon and owned it for a year before giving up on it after the third and final replacement I got from Pentax due to horrible distortions, lack of sharpness and/or purple fringing I experienced with all three samples. I am still spending hours in Photoshop trying to salvage many compositionally great images I took with all three samples of this lens I owned. Some images can not be saved due to significant lack of sharpness (this was the third sample I received - horrible autofocus errors in addition to fringing and distortion), but most are salvageable, since the distortions I experienced were mostly of a simple linear type, and are correctable in Photoshop, although the second sample of this lens had an incredibly complex wavy distortion patterns, which can not be corrected by regular means or by DxO software. The purple fringing is another matter entirely, taking hours of painstaking labor to remove and was prominently present in all three samples I had.
   
   This experience forced me to switch to Nikon for my wide-angle needs (I purchased the horribly overpriced but optically unsurpassed 14-24mm lens for the D700 I was also obliged to purchase to use this lens), but I am using the now discontinued but simply incredible Pentax 645 and 6X7 lenses on the D700 from 35mm focal length and up via a mount adapter. I was forced to sell off my Pentax bodies, in part because their other current lenses also suffer from total lack of quality control.
   
   The bottom line - if you need a good quality wide angle lens for your Pentax, DO NOT BUY THIS LENS! Consider a Tokina 11-16mm lens instead, which beats Pentax's and every other manufacturer's 12-24mm offerings hands down. It is very sad to see such a great optical designer and manufacturer as Pentax go down the drain!
   
   I am giving this lens two stars instead of one, because the SMC Pentax coating performed flawlessly - no ghosting, even when shooting directly into the Sun (do not try this with Nikon 14-24mm!) and because the physical build of this lens is great - solid, light and ergonomically superior.



3. Instead of duplicating other folks' reviews, I'll briefly add a few points that are minor or major depending on your view.
   
   First, my Pentax 12-24 mm lens (attached to a Pentax K100D) takes nice pictures when it lets me. With this lens, the K100D hunts for autofocus, and often gives up. I've become so exasperated that I have 3 pieces of masking tape attached on the focusing ring of the lens so that I'm shooting manual focus fixed at infinity. It works for most sightseeing shots outdoors. When it doesn't, I need to loosen the masking tape, and suffer the skittish autofocus or focus manually. The autofocus problem can happen in broad daylight, with only a UV protective filter attached to the lens. My other lenses are not this bad.
   
   Second, the big hood makes it devilishly difficult to rotate my polarizing filter. So much so that I don't use the hood. But I get good shots anyway.
   
   Third, although I also have the Pentax 10-17 mm diagonal fisheye zoom (wonderful lens), the Pentax 12-24 mm gives me great panorama shots, too. I use PTGUI to stitch multiple photos, and PANO2VR to create QuickTime and Flash movies.
   
   Fourth, the lens is a bit slow, and the filter diameter is a bit wide. Meaning you need good light, and if you want a polarizing filter, the price will be steep.



4. The sweet spot of the lens is at the wide end of the zoom range where the center quality is outstanding and the borders and even the extreme corners reach very good levels and that's already straight from f/4. The center quality decreases slightly towards the long end of the zoom range. At 24mm it is advisable to stop down a little to lift the contrast level and to get a little extra kick in terms of resolution. Typical for most ultra-wide zooms the vignetting is quite pronounced at 12mm @ f/4 but the problem is already mostly gone by f/5.6. The level of distortions is slightly better than average. The primary weakness of the Pentax lens are chromatic aberrations (color shadows at the image borders) which are fairly hefty at 12mm and a little less so also at 18mm. This isn't a principal show-stopper you are willing to invest a little time to reduce or even eliminate the problem during post processing (most RAW converters can help you here) but it can be visible at times if you prefer untouched JPEGs straight from the camera. It seems as if the lens is less prone to flare compared to its Tokina variant - surely an effect of the SMC coating. The build quality of the lens is very fine and regarding the moderate price tag you're getting lots of bangs for your bucks here.



5. * Did a lot of research before buying this lens and it is everything I was hoping for. My favorite lenses in the 35mm film range were 24 and 28mm. This lens covers that range with some left on both sides with very little distortion, and the edge to edge sharpness I would expect from a fixed focus. So far I have not noticed any major "purple fringing" problems that others have in high contrast areas. Since I do all my processing in PS, I am prepared to deal with those as they pop up. I manual focus only so did not test the auto focus aspect of the lens. I personally do not mind the size of the lens hood as long as it does the job it was intended to do. Someday I will buy that 15mm LTD, but I like the ability to zoom instead of switching lenses out the the dust, dirt and sand I find myself shooting in many times. Maybe Pentax will come out with a weather sealed version of this great lens???

5 comments about Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Lens.

1. I own 5-6 lenses for my Pentax *ist DS and this is bar none, my favorite. Why? Mainly because I love taking portraits whether the subject is my children or my furry friends. I don't know all the "technical" jargon but I do know "bokeh" which is that nice, blurry background this lens will give you. Everyone is always impressed by the pictures I take using this lens and always ask me how I got that "blurry" background. I always tell them "it's the lens". If you can only buy a couple of lenses, I would recommend buying this one and the 50-200mm lens. That should cover 90% of your needs. Only "negative" is that it doesn't always focus super-fast between shots but it is worth the wait. Trust me, some of your most stunning pictures will be with this lens. I am glad I bought mine several years ago as price seems to have skyrocketed. Try to find a nice "used" one if you can.



2. I bought this lens a little under 2 months ago for 2-fifty slightly less than 2 months ago. At that price it is one of the great camera deals period.
   
   It seems someone has bought up the remaining supply of FA 50's and is playing the extortion game. For 3-fifty I would still get it but I am partial to FA's because they work perfectly with my PZ-70 film body.
   
   If I was digital only I would look at the DA* 55, which in comparisons I've seen is a cut above the FA 50--and that is saying a lot. Plus the DA* is weather sealed.
   
   The current price of being greater than a 77mm Limited is just nuts.



3. My first Amazon review.
   After many productive years of using a Panasonic FZ50 with a 2.8 aperture, I finally went for the mighty Pentax K20D. At $630 the camera had a compelling IQ to price ratio. I got 3 lenses to go with it; the Pentax smc DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL (first edition), the smc DA 50-200mm F4.5-6 ED WR, and this smc FA 50mm 1.4 prime.
   What a powerful tool this lens is. Wide open it produces some really stunning bokeh. It has six blades which can give a hexagonal shape sometimes. It has really lovely rich colors and doesn't seem to have a lot of flare. Wide open the speed is amazing; you can go out at night and handhold using only street lights. Yes 1.4 is a bit soft as all fast primes tend to be, but I've still got some good results. Stop down to 2.0 or 2.8 and it will get plenty sharp. Focus is another story. Using manual focus wide open is difficult. I will reserve judgment as it is new to me and I suspect it takes finesse and practice to master. I've had some trouble with the K20D's autofocus on this lens too. I think there is a front-focus issue with my copy, and I need to do a proper optical test, and try the in camera focus adjustment feature on the K20D to make corrections. I think the K20D's matte focus screen has a wider depth of field view as well. Seriously thinking I need a split-screen upgrade like the Katzeye because of this. The shots I have managed to get in focus so far have been pleasingly sharp, with brilliant bokeh and exceptional colors. With practice, you will get great results with this lens. I'd give it 5 stars but for the crazy price jump here on Amazon. I paid less then $300 for this lens elsewhere (sorry Amazon) and feel this was money well spent.
   
   PROS: Great colors, bokeh, speed, IQ, value (if under $300-350)
   CONS: Overpriced, challenging focusing wide open



4. Its really a shame the price of this lens has gone up so much recently because this is one lens we should all own. Not for the fixed length and how it forces you to move around but for the speed! If someone made an affordable f/1.4 18-55 zoom I would buy that instead. Until then, I am sold on fast primes. This "Fast Fifty" has unlocked times and locations I didn't think I cold shoot. You NEED this lens!
   
   The lens itself is small and light. Light because it has a plastic body. Significantly, it has a metal mount so that area is not a concern. After getting used to zooms it is amazing how small your camera gets putting this on.
   
   For sharp pictures, try to stay at f/2 or better. At f/5.6 or more the sharpness is amazing. That is not to say that 1.4 and 1.7 are unusable but it is like pushing ISO - there is a price.
   
   I have not had the front focus issues some people have mentioned. In low light there is focus hunting and sometimes it locks on the wrong place but that has as much to do with the camera as the lens.
   
   One feature I wish it had was the "quick shift" focus. It is either auto or manual - no manual override like the newer Pentax lenses. That is my only gripe.
   
   I cant say enough about this lens. It spends a LOT of time on my K200 and once the sun gets low, its the only way to go.



5. I must say, stepping up to a DSLR from a point-and-shoot camera was one of the best decisions I've made regarding electronics; the picture quality is out of this world, and I can take shots in challenging lighting that allows me to get pictures of my ever-moving daughter that I never could dream of before. Typical P&S cameras take far too long from focusing to capturing to get the photo before my daughter's out-of-frame, but the Pentax DSLR does the trick. Trouble was, I still couldn't get perfect pictures in very dim, low-light environments, like a living room at night.
   
   That all changed with this lens - for about $225 lightly used, I got an amazing value that's totally transformed my camera! Low light holds no fear, and I've taken pictures in dim lighting at speeds that don't allow subjects to blur! Furthermore, the lens quality is fantastic, and the bokeh it produces is gorgeous. This lens suits me for both portrait photography and low-light family photos, and it saved me from buying another DSLR with better high-ISO performance. I never go beyond ISO 400 now, and my photos are much better for it.
   
   Pentax's new lens might be fine, but this one provided an amazing value and quality that will surely keep me enjoying my Pentax DSLR for years to come.

5 comments about Pentax DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED Lens for Pentax and Samsung DSLR Cameras.

1. I own a Pentax K10D that came with the 18-55 mm lens. I was looking for a lens that would allow better zoom. So far it has lived up to my expectations. The compact size is a plus. The profile is nearly identical to the 18-55 mm. Having a small Pentax camera bag, I can manage to fit the camera, two lenses, and all the accessories in to a grab and shoot bag. The lens work fast, feels well constructed and images have been fantastic. Excellent price too.



2. Was hesitant to buy from a new vendor with no reviews. My worries were unfounded. The lens works great and I have used it over the Holidays with excellent results.
   The lens was shipped much earlier than listed . which was a wonderful surprise. THIS ITEM WAS PURCHASED THRU AMAZON.



3. I bought this lens for my fiance for Christmas (and of course I had to test it out first once he opened it) and I love this lens. For the mm range it's very compact and easy to lug around with the camera. It's quality built and has the standard 52mm size (which is great since his old filters are 52mm). Takes great pictures both indoor and out (although you aren't going to get the good wide angle shots you would with less mm). Would recommend this as a great starter telephoto. You can't beat the price/quality of this lens.



4. I originally bought this lens with my Pentax K10D a few years ago, and used it some then, until I got a Sigma 28-300, which I used virtually always, with just occasional swapping with the 18-55 kit lens. Unfortunately, my Sigma fogged up recently going in and out of a cold hockey rink to the warm concessions area, I think. And it never fogged. (I suppose I could sell it on E-bay... which is why I never buy that way!)
   
   Well out of the closet came the 50-200 for today's game. I was very pleasantly impressed with how well it worked for taking pictures out to the ends of the hockey rink, although I was above mid-rink doing the scoreboard. The pics were brighter and sharper than the Sigma's ever were. While it certainly isn't perfect (I'd love a F2.8 or similar expensive monster!) it does a great job for the price. So 5 stars.
   
   In fact I like it so much that my next long glass will be the Pentax, too. Sigma and Tamron have Pentax beat for inexpensive all-in-one, but the Pentax sharpness is worth the lens change.



5. This is a very sharp lens. My contest photos have scored very well since purchasing this lens.

5 comments about Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras.

1. I wasn't very happy with the quality of the 18-55mm kit lens, but I did like the focal range. The newer, upgrade of the 18-55mm is a bit sharper...not the excellent quality of the DA 50-135, but it will be great for family snapshots! Glad I decided to get it.



2. I got the Pentax K2000 Camera that comes with the cheap version of the Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL. I say cheap because it uses the same glass but with a cheaper construction. Plastic mount, no lens hood and no "Quick-Shift Focus System".
   
   Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II upgrades in the following areas:
   
   1) Better overall construction, metal mount
   2) Hood is included
   3) "Quick-Shift Focus System" and focus measurements on the focus ring
   4) Less Vignetting compared to Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL
   5) Sharper on center and boders compared to the Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL on my Pentax K2000
   
   In this version II of the lens it is very similar to the old Pentax 16-45mm f/4.0 SMC PDA ED AL lens in image quality.
   
   Problems is still has
   
   1) Has the very same Distortions as the Pentax DA L 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL common to zoom lenses.
   2) Same speed (f/ stops) across the lens
   3) Same 18 - 55mm short zoom range
   
   So the question becomes, is it worth the money? I got it for $90.00 so to me it was a decent price and a decent upgrade.
   
   The question you have to ask yourself if weather you would be better served by some of the new standard zoom lenses that go from 18-200 mm and have the same lens speed when at the same focal length as the Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II. They will cost more, be heavier but could do dual duty as a zoom lens in adition to standard lens.
   
   I gave it only 4 stars because the larger 3.5 aperture is still too small for low light pictures and the zoom range too short to get really close to anything you would consider far away.
   
   In the end I find the Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II a good buy. It is small, light and is nice to walk around. What it does it does well, it just might not do enough for some.
   
   Update: After careful comparison between the Pentax DA L 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL and Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II Lens the difference between to two seems bigger.
   
   at 18mm F/3.5: The Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II has more contrast, sharpness, especially on the corners, but it is still soft. At F/5.6 both lenses improve in sharpness but the Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II stays ahead. At F/8 both are almost equally sharp at center but the The Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II still has sharper corners. The The Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II clearly has less Vignetting at all apertures at 18mm.
   
   at 35mm F/4.5: The Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II has more contrast, sharpness, especially on the corners. At F/5.6 both lenses improve in sharpness but the Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II stays ahead. At F/8 the The Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II is almost in a virtual tie with the Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL, the closest I find both lenses to each other and the sweet spot for both lenses. The The Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II clearly has less Vignetting at F/4.5-6.3 apertures at 35mm.
   
   at 55mm F/5.6.5: The Pentax L DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL is soft. On the other hand the the Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II is sharper and has a nicer bokeh (out-of-focus blur). At F/8 the The Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II clearly has a sharper and brighter image. The The Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II clearly has less corner Vignetting at all apertures at 55mm.
   
   From my testing it is clear the Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II is the superior lens.



3. I got this lens in a kit w/ a K20D body (excellent overall camera). After looking at the positive reviews here I had to do a double-take, to see if we were talking about the same lens (we were) and the next question was, if, as some reviewers noted, this is an improvement over a previous model, I don't think I'd want to use the original.
   
   Don't get me wrong, the lens is not bad. Construction quality is good and it works well with the K20D. The biggest problem I have with it is at short focal distances 18-24mm I can clearly see (and I am not a pro by any stretch of the definition) the problems with image quality:
   
   1) Distortion (images start looking fish-eyed)
   2) Vignetting
   3) Chromatic aberration
   
   Now, there are two pieces of good news: (1) these effects almost completely disappear at 24mm and up (2) at shorter focal distances raw processing software can deal with these problems to some extent (I use Bibble, YMMV). At 24+mm this lense is EXCELLENT and overall a good value. So the drawback is that now any time I take a picture with it I have to weigh the advantage of a wider angle vs. the guaranteed distortion and other problems I will have to deal with in post-processing.



4. I have read lots of reviews of this lens and most of the time it is referred to as a "kit" lens. Originally that just meant that it was the lens that came with the camera body but I think it has become unofficial code for "cheap" or "the one the amateurs use." If that is true, than this is no "kit" lens. It is a great lens that happens to come in the box when you buy some bodies (K200D in my case). This is a small, light lens with a good range for basic shooting - portrait, landscape and close-ups. Wide open you can get lots of horizon. It is my "go to" lens for sunsets. At 55mm it can get close-ups of flowers, eyes, etc. The addition of the Pentax "quick shift" focus override lets an experienced photographer do all kinds of cool things with out of focus areas or for getting the in focus area somewhere outside of the normal focus points.
   
   There is a little drop off in IQ at 55mm. It is tack sharp at 40mm and f/8. If you understand the limitations you can get wonderful pictures.
   
   This lens has earned a permanent place in my bag because of its extreme utility. If I am in a completely unknown shooting environment, I choose either this or my other "kit" lens - Pentax DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED Lens for Pentax and Samsung DSLR Cameras
   
   I dont understand why people knock this lens for being part of a kit. My only improvement would be a faster version. Give me the exact same lens in a f/2.8 or better for a reasonable price and I am there. Tamron A16 - Zoom lens - 17 mm - 50 mm - f/2.8 XR Di II - Pentax K



5. This is the "kit lens" that came with my Pentax k200d. I have had the camera and lens for 18 months now and have taken thousands of pictures. I added two more lenses, a Pentax 50 mm, 1.4 and the 50-200 mm Pentax; yet the it lens it the one I rely on on. Easily, 90% of my photos are taken with it. Even inn low light it comes through. It is a real work horse. Distortion is minimal and not noticeable in the vast majority of photos, mostly portraits, snapshots, and landscapes. When I get serious, I turn to the very fast and fine 50 mm, but for convenience, the little zoom is the one I go with.

5 comments about Pentax DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras.

1. I have had this lens for about a month now. First the good things: This lens is surprisingly sharp from 55mm all the way through 300mm and there is not much difference in sharpness between widely open and close down aperture. The weight is just about right and focusing speed is ok for me. But, my lens has very strong chromatic abberation when it is widely open, all through the zoom range. The color (blue) fringe is pretty (excuse me for not being scientifically accurate) wide. In a test shot, the black characters (on a white background) became all blue at the short end of the lens at f4 and f5.6. I did not bother to return my lens for service or exchange, because it is so sharp and I can avoid most of the chromatic abberation by not shooting high contrast subjects. At about 350 dollars, this lens is not at all a bargain as somebody has suggested. But it performs much better than many other lens in this league.



2. This is a fine zoom lens. I especially enjoy taking pictures of low flying planes with it.



3. This lens is a really great deal and unless you are going to pay waaay more, picking up this lens is a no brainer. The reason I only give it 4 stars is that while the IQ is excellent, it's still not on par with the DA* lenses. It takes excellent pictures but they just lack that POP that the DA* and other top end lenses give you but it is a very sharp lens which makes post processing that much easier.
   
   Ideally, I would like a DA* 50-135 and a DA* 300 to cover the similar range but that would run close to 2K. So all in all I am very happy with this little lens.



4. it is a light lens for zoom 55 300.
   there is a little CA on the object, but it is not a big deal for me if compared with sigma or tamron.



5. This is a really good lens. Upgraded from the smaller 55-200mm it has a good focal range and great clarity. I am really looing foward to taking this lens to an airshow to really try it out.