dal or da II

Can someone please tell me which of these lenses is the better?

The DA II is supplied with a lens hood, has the Quick Shift function and has a metal mount. The DA-L is lighter construction and has a plastic mount. I would go for the DA II by preference, but if you want the lightest package possible then the DA-L is the one.

Optically, both will be fine.

thanks johnriley. bought da-l when i feel i ordered a daII from SRS. Do I keep it? (seems very light) or should I send it back? much better than the 18-55 da I already had. It was £56...
PS have had pentax cameras since I bought an SP1000 in 1975. Previously had praktica with domiplan then pentax lenses. Have MZ-M, MZ-7,K100D and my trusty ME Super.

All good cameras, I hope you enjoy them, and we'd love to see some of your images. They can be posted in the Your Photos section.

It's up to you which lens you would prefer - if you want to discuss it with SRS then I'm sure that's the way forward.

The DA-L and II share the same optics. The lack of hood with the DA-L is quite an important point because you can't get a decent suitable bayonet hood cheaply on its own.

I like lightweight things, so I'm tempted to swap my II for a DA-L. But I haven't made up my mind up yet.

it's quick-shift, lenshood, metal mount VS light weight.
The DAII version you can also call light weight, I'm actually quite curious if you feel the weight difference when comparing both lenses.

Can you feel any difference between the DA-L and the DA I?

Excluding the hood, the difference is 20 grams or 10%.

I think that would be just enough to notice in use, but also would contribute to a larger total saving if you apply the same policy to all your kit and get lighter versions of things when good and affordable enough. That includes your bag and accessories.

Plastic mounts have proved durable enough with the FAJ lenses. Quick Shift I wouldn't miss much as most of my lenses don't have QS anyway. Lack of lens hood is a bummer though.

Have been pondering this one myself. Ordered K200D with what I thought was the AL II lens (photo on website & non-specific lens description). Received DA AL lens, and was a bit disappointed to note receive what I thought I was ordering. Contacted the dealer, who have now changed the website to show the proper description of the lens, and have emailed to ask if they will exchange as a good will gesture. Lens did come with a hood though. If they won't, am I missing out on a better lens, or is the DA AL lens going to give me similar results? Sorry if it's a stupid question .
Andrew

Hold on, DA AL is not same thing as the DA-L. All the Pentax 18-55mm lenses have "AL" in the name, so ignore "AL" for now.

The DA 18-55mm AL (without "II" in the name) is the original version. It's optically different and commonly thought to be not as good as the mark II. I've used both and my mk II was sharper at the edges. It also comes with a better coating on the front glass and a better lens cap.

If I were in your shoes, Andrew, I would ask for a replacement or a discount. If I got the discount then I would eBay the mk I and buy a mk II.

Thanks - I knew there was a difference, not just due to the price either! Will see what they come back with, and if no goodwill, will probably send back for a refund and then get the Mk II from SRS where it's £49, so not a lot more than what I have paid for the Mk I.

Just for clarity here are the full names of the three 18-55mm lenses:

SMC PENTAX-DA 1:3.5-5.6 18-55mm AL - original version, commonly now known as the "mark I".

SMC PENTAX-DA 1:3.5-5.6 18-55mm AL II - the mark II, commonly thought to be better than the mark I.

SMC PENTAX-DA L 1:3.5-5.6 18-55mm AL - the lightweight version of the mark II. See other messages for detais.

The SMC PENTAX-DA 1:3.5-5.6 18-55mm AL and SMC PENTAX-DA 1:3.5-5.6 18-55mm AL II lenses will produce almost indistinguishable results on the K200D.

The Mk II version allegedly has increased resolving power to better suit the 14.6Mp K20D and later bodies.

On your 10.2Mp body I doubt you'll see any difference.

It's a whole different ball game if you intend to upgrade in the future.

I saw a difference on my 10.2MP K10D. My MK I was noticeably softer at the edges. Whether I had a bad sample or they all like that, I can't be sure, but there was a real difference.

Am wondering if it's worth the effort and hassle, but as well as any optical differences there's also a point of principle about accuracy of descriptions and relying on images of products on websites. Have checked a few others this morning and most make a clear distinction between the lenses, which is fine. Where it is not explicit, it is not unreasonable to assume that 'what you see is what you get'?

After a couple of unanswered emails I phoned the dealer yesterday and asked if they would do a straight swap of the lenses (my backup plan being that if they wouldn't I would just return the lens and buy the AL II from SRS). No need - they agreed to swap the lenses at no extra cost. Have been using the K200D with the 50mm lens from my K1000 but am looking forward to finally having the kit lens that I thought I was getting as well. Cats refuse to sit still, and don't understand 'stay there I'm getting you into focus'!

Andrew