[davidmanze]

The entrance pupil on this one is 17.5mm, as compared to the 9.8mm entrance pupil on the typical 18-55.  It also focuses internally and features a better stabilizer.  All of the zoom motions must also happen in front of the aperture stop, placing further restrictions on the design, while having a wider zoom range (4.3x vs 3x).


The performance is poor and it is expensive, but this thing is much more complicated than the standard 18-55.

  As a lens buyer I would put the lens's complication in the hands of the lens designer and manufacturer, if they can't come up with the goods that's their problem, not mine or ours, they produce a poor lens, few people buy it, they lose out, end of story.

  We spend our money elsewhere, simple!