Pentax SMC DA 18 55mm F 3 5 5 6 AL II Review | 54 Data compared

The Imaging Resource review identifies the Pentax 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II SMC DA as an optically impressive kit lens, featuring a metal mount, lightweight design, and the "Quick-shift Focus System". It provides excellent sharpness of around 1.5 blur units, especially at 35-55mm, and includes a lens hood with a port for polarizer adjustments. Cons include slight softness at 18mm f/3.5, requiring stopping down to f/5.6 for better corner performance, alongside notable chromatic aberration in corners at wide-angle settings. The "II" iteration offers significant improvements over the original, making it a capable budget option despite its limitations.

The SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm II f/3.5-5.6 ED AL (IF) is a budget-friendly, £130 kit lens offering punchy performance and very good sharpness when stopped down or at 18mm, according to the ePhotoZine review. Key strengths include a sturdy, non-rotating front element, effective flare protection from the included hood, and minimal distortion at the 55mm setting. Conversely, the lens shows performance limitations with significant softness at the telephoto end when shooting wide open, alongside visible lens flare from strong direct light sources. While highly competent for beginners, it is recommended that users needing faster apertures at longer focal lengths consider an upgrade.

The SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II is a budget-friendly kit lens featuring redesigned optics, enhanced central sharpness, and a durable metal lens mount. It also offers robust build quality, the Quick-Shift Focus System, and Super Multi-Coating (SMC) to minimize flare. However, the lens has a slow f/3.5-5.6 aperture, resulting in limited low-light performance and bokeh. It also exhibits chromatic aberration, corner softness at 18mm, and utilizes a noisier, older screw-drive autofocus system.

The Pentax SMC DA 18-55mm II f/3.5-5.6 ED AL (IF) is characterized by ePHOTOzine as a robustly built kit lens, featuring a durable metal mount and "Quick-Shift" manual focus, weighing only 220g. It delivers excellent center resolution at 18mm, reaching peak performance between f/5.6 and f/8, offering significant improvement over standard, flimsier kit lenses. ePHOTOzine Conversely, the lens lacks a silent motor, relying on a screw-drive system for autofocus. Additionally, optical performance decreases at the telephoto end, and users seeking constant apertures or optical stabilization must look to higher-end alternatives.

The LensTip review of the Pentax smc DA 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II concludes that this updated kit lens is a highly successful successor that systematically outperforms its predecessor in almost every category. Optically, the lens delivers a notable improvement in center and edge frame resolution near maximum relative aperture, making the 55 mm focal length at f/5.6 highly effective for portrait photography. Additional strengths highlighted in the comprehensive review include a relatively solid build quality featuring a metal bayonet mount, low to medium chromatic aberration, efficient autofocus speed and accuracy, a highly competitive price-to-quality ratio, and a distortion level that sits lower than its immediate competitors. Conversely, the review notes several optical compromises that are typical for an inexpensive kit zoom lens. The primary drawback is weak image quality at the 18 mm wide-angle setting when shot wide open at maximum aperture. Furthermore, the lens struggles with significant coma and exhibits a high level of vignetting at 18 mm. Despite these specific optical flaws at the widest focal length, LensTip praises Pentax for successfully upgrading an already competent kit...

The DPReview evaluation of the SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL highlights it as a high-quality departure from typical budget kit lenses, featuring a solid construction with a metal mount, non-rotating front element, and a "quick-shift" focus system. While the lens provides respectable, consistent image quality and includes a quality lens hood, its main strengths lie in its robust mechanical build compared to competitors. Conversely, the review identifies limitations, noting pronounced 1.4% barrel distortion and vignetting at 18mm, along with chromatic aberration. Additionally, the lens produces soft images at 55mm f/5.6 and suffers from severely degraded quality at f/40 due to diffraction.