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

by Pentax
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)


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  • Improved resolution to match with high resolution sensors
  • PENTAX SP coating protects the exposed lens elements
  • Aspherical elements compensate for spherical aberration
  • Developed specifically for PENTAX digital SLRs
  • Focal length equivalent to 27mm to 82.5mm in the 35mm format
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Technical Details

  • Brand Name: Pentax
  • Model: 21717
  • Lens Type: zoom
  • Minimum focal length: 18 millimeters
  • Maximum focal length: 55 millimeters
  See more technical details

Product Details

  • Product Dimensions: 2.7 x 2.7 x 2.7 inches ; 7.8 ounces
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
  • ASIN: B0012QE4DK
  • Item model number: 21717
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Date first available at Amazon.com: January 23, 2008

Product Description

  • Size: 0.0Lx0.0Wx0.0H

  • Customer Reviews

    Love the color rendition and contrast this lens produces. Robert W. Dunsworth  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
    It is small, light and is nice to walk around. Aldo R. Perez  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
    Most Helpful Customer Reviews
    36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
    4.0 out of 5 stars Pentax DA 18-55 AL II for a Pentax Pro May 7, 2008
    I'm a former pro photographer for a newspaper & now freelance my skills for special events & corporate needs. The original kit lens was quite good for general use and serves well for newspaper shots, but not up to pro standards for high resolution work. Enter the AL II designed for the newly introduced high resolution Pentax K20D:

    The new AL II has improved the resolution across the entire focal range, from corner to corner. Border softening is dramatically reduced, and the original lens vignetting is all but eliminated. Pentax has made a very good kit lens noticably better.
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    17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nice improvement May 17, 2008
    This lense is a nice improvement over the original 18-55MM. You have about a 1 F-stop change in light transmission. The edges are much clearer. This is the best kit lense by far compared to any competitor.
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    14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
    5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good optics for a value-priced lens June 13, 2008
    By LG
    Amazon Verified Purchase
    A noticeable improvement over the first edition of this lens. Lightweight and small and the optics stand up to the much higher priced lenses. I recommend this lens to anyone interested in a great lightweight walk-around zoom.
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    16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
    4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Upgrade to the Pentax Kit Lens May 21, 2009
    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.
    ... Read more ›
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    8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
    3.0 out of 5 stars OK, not great October 12, 2009
    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.
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    10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
    5.0 out of 5 stars Pentax 18-55 da II zoom lens September 11, 2008
    Don't even hesitate to buy this lens. It is as sharp in my tests as Super Takumar primes as well as East German Carl Zeiss screw mount primes.
    Love the color rendition and contrast this lens produces. Even if your wallet is overflowing with cash, the lightweight flexibility and insanely low price makes it want to travel without fear of loss, damage, or cramping your style. Can't comment on the original version, but many tend to equate more $$ = better pictures. All I can say is: no lens at this price (99.00) by any manufacturer beats this one for value for the $$.
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    5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing wrong with "Kit" December 4, 2009
    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
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    Most Recent Customer Reviews
    5.0 out of 5 stars great lense
    This is the first auto-focus lens I've had, mounted on a pentax and I am quite pleased. Low cost, lightweight, good quality. Read more
    Published 4 months ago by Joe Zannella
    5.0 out of 5 stars 18 - 55 mm lens
    The lens works great. I love it. The product arrived quickly and provides good quality photographs. It is the lens I use for most of what I do.
    Published 13 months ago by Bill
    4.0 out of 5 stars highly recommended
    this is an excellent upgrade from the first version. a bit heavier. comes w/ a lens hood. can focus really really close. Read more
    Published 16 months ago by pentaxtic
    2.0 out of 5 stars Expectation greater than realization
    Had raised expectations on this lens based on reviews, but after comparing results with first generation 18-55 kit lens on my K-x,I feel duped by Pentax. Read more
    Published 23 months ago by sirlensalot
    3.0 out of 5 stars It's a Kit Lens
    I heard a lot of hype about how great this was for a kit lens and I can't say I agree. The construction is great, very solid build. The problem is it just isn't ever that sharp. Read more
    Published on March 21, 2011 by J.P. Hibbs.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Pentax Lens from Amazon
    The lens was received well packed and protected. I tried several pictures and they all came out excellent. This is a very good addition to my lens collection.
    Published on May 3, 2010 by Everett Schmid
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Value! Idiot-proof for all types of shots
    When I purchased the Pentax K7 camera, I had some older manual lenses that I used first. Those were not truly digital lenses, so there was a lot of manual futzing around with the... Read more
    Published on March 21, 2010 by J. Powell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional value
    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. Read more
    Published on February 7, 2010 by Michael Bruno
    4.0 out of 5 stars Nice upgrade
    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... Read more
    Published on April 21, 2009 by Carol A. Waldvogel
    4.0 out of 5 stars great lens
    I bought this lens as a cheap auto focus for my K20D when I went to China. the quality is great and from what I've seen the lens is fairly sharp, without much chromatic... Read more
    Published on March 24, 2009 by Leland W. Mark
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