Some people believe that the DA II lens produces better images. And the two models do have differences physically. At this time, I have both lenses side by side to demonstrate them (Figs 1 - 2 and Table).
Fig. 1. Front view of DA II and DA L. See the different colors of reflections caused by two kinds of front element coating.
Table Physical differences between SMC Pentax DA L and DA II (18 - 55mm)
DA L | DA II | |
Quick shift (QS) | No | Yes |
Super protect coating SP | No | Yes |
Mount ring | Plastic | Metal |
Distance scale | No | Yes |
Weight (g) | 200 | 220 |
The key difference is the quick shift (QS) in DA II. The lens releases the gear with the focus-driving motor in camera body and allows manual adjustment of focusing once the auto-focusing finishes. I use QS for two purposes (1) manual focus adjustment if I can do better than auto-focusing, and (2) for storage, I set the distance ring to infinity to reduce the lens length, without switching to the manual focusing mode on camera body.
Fig. 2. Side and mount views of DA L and DA II
The DA L lens was sold online for USD 37 including shipping, on May 20, 2011.
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