A kit lens is a "starter" lens which can be sold with an interchangeable-lens camera such as a single-lens reflex camera. It is generally an inexpensive lens priced at the lowest end of the manufacturer's range so as to not add much to a camera kit's price. The kit consists of the camera body, the lens, and various accessories usually necessary to get started in SLR photography. A kit lens can be sold by itself outside of a kit, particularly the ones that are moderately expensive; for instance a kit lens included in a prosumer SLR kit is often marketed as an upgrade lens for a consumer SLR. In addition, retailers often have promotions of standalone low-end SLR bodies without the lens, or a package that bundles the SLR body with one or two more expensive lenses.
The Pentax K-mount, sometimes referred to as the "PK-mount", is a bayonet lens mount standard for mounting interchangeable photographic lenses to 35 mm single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras. It was created by Pentax in 1975, and has since been used by all Pentax 35 mm and digital SLRs and also the MILC Pentax K-01. A number of other manufacturers have also produced many K-mount lenses and K-mount cameras.
Pentax lenses were first badged as Takumar. The Takumar branded lenses were well respected for their line of Super Takumar, which designated the high performance coating applied to the lens as well as the optical formulas used to make them. The majority of the industry at the time was still satisfied with the variations of the "plumb" coating process and later some of the two and three layer processes as well. Asahi Pentax soon introduced the Takumar Super-Multi-Coated line of lenses which was a 7 layer process as the industry had just caught up with similar forms of 5 layer multi-coated optics. Eventually Asahi Optical and Pentax slowly shifted much of their lens production under the Pentax name and transitioned some of the successful designs that were first introduced under the Takumar name to use Asahi/Pentax badging as well as beginning to use the "smc" abbreviation. Eventually the Asahi partnership disappeared and the Pentax name became solely used. Pentax lenses saw many feature changes to answer the market, such as: incorporating "Auto-Aperture" with the M42, the light weight and compactness with the 'M' series, Aperture Priority overrides with the 'A' series, and Auto-Focus with the 'F' series. Modern Pentax lenses for digital SLR cameras have seen the elimination of the aperture ring completely as found on Pentax DA and D-FA series lenses. They use the Pentax KAF mount. All of these lenses have an autofocus feature, either operated from the camera body or from an internal SDM motor. Pentax compatible lenses are also made by third-party companies.
The SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL lens is a standard zoom lens for the Pentax K-mount. It is often sold as a kit lens with Pentax digital SLR cameras and has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 27-82.5mm. Its optical formula is made of 12 elements in 9 groups. There are two variants of this lens:
The Pentax 645 is a medium format single-lens reflex system camera manufactured by Pentax. It was introduced in 1984, along with a complementary line of lenses. It captures images nominally 6 cm × 4.5 cm on 120, 220, and 70 mm film, though the actual size of the images is 56 mm × 41.5 mm.
The Pentax K-5 II is a 16.3-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, successor to the Pentax K-5, sharing its body shape with its two predecessors including the Pentax K-7, and making incremental improvements on the K-5. The Pentax K-5 II is available in two versions, the basic Pentax K-5 II as well as the Pentax K-5 IIs which omits the traditional low pass filter for greater sharpness but potentially greater moiré.
The smc Pentax-DA 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 ED (IF) Fish-Eye lens is a fisheye zoom lens for the Pentax K-mount. It offers an up to 180 degree view, and allows quick shift focus.
The HD Pentax DA 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED WR lens is a telezoom lens for the Pentax K-mount.
As of July 2015, the Pentax HD DA 560mm F5.6 ED AW is the longest prime lens in production under the Pentax brand. It has a telescope-type optical design.
The lens is fully compatible with the K-1 full-frame DSLR and covers the 35mm image circle. On the K-1, lens correction profiles are supported to remove chromatic aberrations and vignetting.
The HD Pentax-D FA* 70–200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW lens is a professional telephoto zoom lens for the Pentax K-mount. Announced jointly with the HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW in February 2015, it is one a pair of full-frame lenses to reboot Pentax' involvement in that format, the last previously introduced full-frame lens being the D FA 100mm weather-sealed macro lens in 2009. On Pentax APS-C cameras, the D FA* 70–200mm has an equivalent focal length range of 107–307mm.
The Pentax K-S2 is a weather-sealed digital SLR camera announced by Ricoh on February 9, 2015. It is the first Pentax SLR to feature an articulated LCD, and it is the smallest DSLR to include this feature and also be weather-sealed. In 2015, the K-S2 won the TIPA Award in the category Best Digital SLR Advanced.
Mr. Jun Hirakawa (平川純) is a Japanese lens designer best known for creating the Pentax FA 43mm Limited and FA 77mm Limited lenses during his time at Pentax.
The Pentax K-3 II is a flagship APS-C DSLR camera announced by Ricoh on April 22, 2015.
The smc Pentax-DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR is an APS-C standard zoom and high-end kit lens for Pentax DSLRs, introduced in September 2010. As a kit lens, it was the higher-end option for the Pentax K-5, as an alternative to the lower priced SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL WR, and has continued in that role with subsequent Pentax DSLR models. It is also compatible with the K-01 mirrorless camera.
The HD Pentax DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR is an advanced standard zoom lens for K mount. It is made by Ricoh under the Pentax brand, and was announced on October 29, 2014.
The Pentax smc DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited is a wide-angle prime lens for Pentax K-mount, announced by Pentax on March 2, 2009. Along with Pentax's other DA Limited primes, it was replaced in 2013 with an HD-coated version with rounded aperture blades.
The HD Pentax-DA 645 28-45mm F4.5 ED AW SR is a wide angle zoom lens for the Pentax 645 medium format system, announced by Ricoh on August 4, 2014.
The HD Pentax D FA 24-70mm F2.8 ED SDM WR is an interchangeable standard zoom lens announced by Ricoh on September 24, 2015. It covers a full frame (35mm) imaging circle.
