Oct. 2, 2007 - Pentax today announced the release of the DA 18-250mm f/3.5-f/6.3 ED AL [IF] interchangeable lens. The 14x super zoom lens has a 27.5mm to 383mm (35mm equivalent) focal range. The extra low dispersion lens has two aspherical optical elements for reducing aberration effects. The lens retails for $499.95 and will be available this month.
“Without the need for lens changes, it can be used for a wide variety of applications — ranging from such standard applications as landscape photography, snapshots, and portrait at frequently used focal lengths, to specialized applications like sports and wildlife photography at the super-telephoto range,” according to a company press release today.
The lens's other features include an extra short 1.48-foot (0.45 meters) minimum focusing distance. The lens has mechanical Inner Focus (IF) that prevents lens extension when focusing. The Pentax DA series is specifically designed for Pentax digital SLR cameras.
Compared to current lenses in the product line, the new DA 18-250mm f/3.5-f/6.3 is not as compact as other lenses in its category, such as the DA 50-200mm f/4-f/5.6 ED, DA 12-24mm f/4.0 ED/AL [IF], or the DA Fish Eye 10-17mm f/3.5-f/4.5 ED [IF]. The Pentax 18-250mm lens weighs one pound and has a 3 x 3.4-inch body.
