Pentax 18-250

Just wondering if anyone has used the Pentax 18-250 which I believe is a variant of the Tamron lens?

The reviews over in the lens database seem pretty decent but just wondering if anyone had first hand experience with it.

It focuses close, gives nice sharp images and is quite compact as well. Nice lens overall.

It will creep under its own weight, but a lock is provided to prevent this whilst carrying.

Thanks John I will consider it, looking for a walkaround, was going to procure another 16-45 but thought the 18-250 might be a good all round option.

I've recently acquired a 18-250mm and brought it to Greece for a few days as my only lens.
Let alone the quality of my pictures which are mainly my fault, the lens is a very good all in one lens especially when you can't be bothered to change lenses for different focal lengths.
There will be slight compromise in IQ compared to other ones with shorter lengths like the 16-45 or a 28-70 f2.8 but you gain a lot of convenience with it.
I wouldn't complain about it as it suits my needs more or less spot on.
It does creep under its own weight though as John has mentioned, which could be a slight annoyance when you forget to lock it,

Thanks for the comments Adrian, it seems to be from reading that optically it is better than the 18-55 kit lens certainly in some focal ranges but it is not as good optically as the 16-45 or 17-70, I will ponder its not that much dearer than another 16-45 and the more general range appeals to me.

One point to consider is that this lens is (or was) available as either a Tamron or a Pentax. I understand that the Pentax version was actually made by Tamron.

They appear to be optically identical but if used on recent Pentax bodies only the Pentax version will work with the in-camera distortion and aberration correction function. Not a big deal as it only works with JPEG anyway and RAW images have to be corrected in PP. It might make a difference to some users.

It is a very useful lens for travel and on occasions when changing lenses is undesirable.

Thanks Archie,

I guess I need to make the age old decision or all in one with the 18-250 or adding something to my existing 70-300 to cover the lower end range.

If you already have a 70-300mm, surely a 17-70mm to go with it is a more versatile option. That would certainly be my choice.

Probably right enough tbh, I am leaning toward ordering a Sigma 17-70 a lens I used before on a Sony and was impressed enough with it, I was just seeing if I could cover more range for a similar price.

It seems strange to me that you've asked several questions on these forums, to which you already knew the answer.

Can I ask, Why?

I don't believe I've asked any questions that I 100% knew the answer, I've asked a few questions mainly to ask others impressions of lenses. Really to check if my assumptions are still valid.