SMC Pentax-DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR

SMC Pentax-DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR: Handling

This is a very chunky lens and, unusually for Pentax, the manual focusing ring is located near the camera body rather than near the front. This means adopting a slightly different hold, but this is not a problem and just takes a moment to adjust to. The grip on both manual focusing ring and zoom ring is positive and the action of both is smooth but firm. The lens seems to be very well made and the finish throughout is to a high standard.

The lens balances well on the K-5 body that I tested it on and is a very useful range, ideal for a standard zoom. The Quick Shift feature is a real advantage in many situation especially, as mentioned above, close up shooting. The focus point can be fine-tuned after AF locks on without having to operate any additional switch. One nice thing about Pentax lenses is that there are no inconvenient macro settings to worry about – focusing is continuous throughout the range.

The new DC motor, built into the lens, is very slick. It is silent, fast and just locks on to the subject first time, every time. During this test there was not even one occasion when focus was not instantly achieved. Being used to the sound of conventional AF built into a camera body, this new style of focusing is quite odd at first, like living in a silent world.

The metal bayonet mount is smooth and locks firmly into place, more firmly than older lenses because of the weatherproof seal at the back of the lens. The Internal Focus means that the lens does not change length whilst focusing, although the focusing ring does still rotate.

In terms of handling and general functionality, this lens design would be very difficult to improve on.

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