DA18-55 lens

I've recently purchased an *ist DS and 18-55 lens.Being new to autofocus lenses I'm concerned by slight radial movement of the moving part of the lens and wonder if it is normal.If I zoom the lens to either end of the zoom range i.e. the lens extention is at max and then hold the manual focussing ring,the front part of the lens can be moved (up/down,left/right).It won't move in/out and the images don't seem to be affected.
I have spoken to Pentax technical people and they seemed a bit vague and I got the feeling they couldn't quite see what I meant.
Has anyone else noticed this and if so is there an explanation.

I think that this is a feature of these, mine certainly does it. Like yourself, I was a little worried at first but now I am used to it. It does not affect the lens performance in any way and I am very pleased with the results.

Regards,
Dave.

My expensive 24-90 is also a little wobbly. It's disconcerting at first, especially if you are used to older lenses with their superbly machined metal parts, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on the pictures.

Mind you, there's wobbly and there's wobbly.

Would you like a reply to the other post too?

G

I don't know about the construction of these recent lenses but my F35-135 also has a degree of wobble.
Some years ago, I accidently gave the lens a knock and it became possible to unscrew the inner lens barrel and remove it (complete with front element) from the outer casing - requiring a Pentax repair job.
Obviously, it is normal for some lenses to have a certain looseness when extended but if you're really concerned, you might try turning the barrel beyond it's maximum setting - a little, gentle twisting action should confirm whether or not the lens has a fault and if it has, get it fixed or replaced under warranty