An ultra-wide-angle, Star-series zoom lens, providing exceptional optical performance with a large F2.8 aperture over the entire zoom range

This ultra-wide-angle zoom lens delivers high-resolution, high-contrast images without blurring at the edges, and assures excellent imaging performance in high-grade digital photography, even at open aperture. It has been developed as the latest model of the new-generation Star (★) series — a lens that provides exceptional image quality to be able to accommodate the super-high-performance digital cameras of the future.With the introduction of this lens, the high-quality, high-performance Star series now provides a wide angle-of-view coverage —from ultra-wide angle to telephoto — with its compact models featuring a large F2.8 maximum aperture, which are exclusively designed for use with PENTAX APS-C-format digital SLR cameras.

In addition to an outstanding dustproof, weather-resistant coanstruction, and -10°C cold-resistant construction, the lens provides a Focus Clamp Mechanism to lock focus at the desired focal point.It also provides useful features to improve performance and dependability in harsh outdoor conditions: a space specifically designed for wrapping a heating device to prevent dew condensation, and a metallic frame structure to more effectively transmit the heat of the heating device to the lens. These devices greatly improve the lens’s operability when shooting landscapes and starry skies.