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This lens was available from 2004 until around 2008 as the primary kit lens for Pentax DSLRs. Currently you can find it around at used camera lens sites like KEH or auction sites like eBay. It’s easy to find and very cheap. This is actually my second AL lens as I sold my first and acquired this one when I bought a used *ist D camera body recently.  The 18-55mm AL fits the standard kit lens properties well, with a few positive exceptions as I’ll go over later. I’ve never been too impressed with kit lenses in general and was not fond of my first 18-55mm AL. Let’s see how this one is… Technical specifications for the lens: Lens Mount: PENTAX KAF2 Lens Construction: 12 elements in 9 groups (1 aspherical element) Angle of View: 76-29 degrees Aperture: F3.5-5.6 Number of Diaphragm Blades: 6 Minimum Aperture: F22-40 Minimum Focusing Distance: 9.84 inches (0.25m) Filter Diameter: 52mm Maximum Magnification: 0.34X Dimensions: 2.7 x 2.7″ (68.0 x 67.5mm) Weight: 7.8 oz. (220g) Case: S80-120...

I’m thinking about what to bring to the “Otakon” Anime convention. As this is going to be a big trip for us, I wanted to bring my A-game. The K-5 body is still MIA, but I wanted to have two camera bodies available. I purchased a used *ist D camera body. That blurred coin in the image is a nickel, not a quarter! I just had the camera delivered a few days ago. Really great. The small size is amazing. Guess which lens I instantly put on it? Yep… the DA 40mm f2.8 Limited. The grip is better than the old *ist DS I had, but it could have been better with some extra room for finger tips. Surprising number of advanced controls and settings. Three custom setting saves. Timer button, green button, flash control button, af button… I started by turning off all of the extras such as noise reduction and instant preview. With my 16gb CF cards a single RAW writes in around 9 seconds based on one test. Once the image is written, I can press the review button and the image comes up instantly. While I...