"I'll start and say right off the top, if you're looking for a great pro quality lens, this isn't it. Think of this as more an extended range kit lens. Don't get me wrong, I have seen some astounding images taken with this lens, but it's not up there with the pro quality lenses.

The Pentax SMC DA 18-135mm F/3.5-5.6 ED AL (IF) DC WR ($476.95) is a compact, long range zoom with a weather-sealed design to match the Pentax SLR lineup. It's price isn't bad, especially when you consider its build quality, but image quality drops off significantly as you zoom, delivering soft results at 70mm and beyond. Coupled with the distortion that's typical of this type of lens, we don't recommend buying it, which is a shame as there aren't any third-party alternatives available with an all-weather design. The Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM ($399.00 at Amazon) is a fair-weather lens, but one that delivers a longer zoom range and better optical performance, all for less money. Design The 18-135mm ($399.95 at Amazon) is a sturdy, compact zoom. It measures 3.0 by 2.9 inches (HD) when set to the 18mm position and weighs about 14.3 ounces. It's finished in black, with a green accent ring, and its barrel is a mix of metal and polycarbonate elements. A reversible lens ho...

The Pentax SMC DA 18-135mm F/3.5-5.6 ED AL (IF) DC WR lens features an all-weather design and delivers on its promise of a long zoom range, but its image quality is disappointing.

7.5x zoom range; All-weather design; Compact and light

Soft edges and weak telephoto performance; Noticeable distortion

The Pentax lens features an internal "direct current" (DC) motor for focusing which is reasonably fast combined with low noise emissions. The focus accuracy of our test sample was very good. "Quick Shift" - manual focusing in single-shot AF - is supported.

I could not get a sharp picture with this lens, even though it was brand new. Out of the first 200 photos, I got probably 1 genuinely sharp photo. I was using Pentax k-1 camera mounted on a tripod. Both still-life and people portraits were generally less sharp than my iphone 1.

The Pentax SMC DA 18-135mm F/3.5-5.6 ED AL (IF) DC WR lens ($529.95 direct) is a weather sealed zoom lens that is compatible with Pentax D-SLRs and the K-01 ($899.95, 4 stars) compact interchangeable lens camera.

Weather resistant, compact, sporting the new DC motor and all in a very compact package, this new Pentax lens is very appealing. Braving the English rain, we shall see if its performance lives up to its potential.

With the widest zoom range of any current Pentax lens (7.5X), the new 18–135mm f/3.5–5.6 ($500, street) is the closest it has today to an all-in-one zoom. A 27–202.5mm full-frame equivalent, this is also one of the few lenses in its class with a weather-resistant (WR) O-ring on the lensmount.

I had visions of this lens being my day to day lens and saving the 50-135 for important shoots. Gotto say the images were never 'great', always ok but never great. After about 2 months I put my previous day to dya lens on for one special occasion (18-250) - and wow the photos of my kids at a school...

Well built; fast focus; weather resistant

Dissapointing shots