Sony AF DT 11-18 F4.5-5.6 D  reviews

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Skoropada   review date: August-09-11  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sony SAL 18-70 mm kit lens

price paid:

850 USD (new)

positive:

- Sharpness
- Color rendition

negative:

- Feels a little plasticy

comment:

It's a great lens that I intend to use on landscape photography.
Compared to the kit lens on the 18 mm end the difference is huge.

EDIT: I have tried this lens on a Maxxum 7000 film camera, and I can confirm that it still can be used on full-frame above ~14mm.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 3 

user: syahrun   review date: August-08-11  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

tokina 11-16

positive:

Very sharp from wide open
Colours good

negative:

flare

comment:

this lens have good color, n distortion control for super wide lens

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: derekw   review date: July-27-11  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sigma 15-30
Minolta & Sony kit lenses

price paid:

350 GBP (used)

positive:

Sharpness
Very good colour and contrasr
Build very good - solid feel
Distortion well controlled.

negative:

Hood - awkward to fit
Hood - not fully effective
Price
Relatively slow max aperture

comment:

Sharp at maximum aperture throughout the focal length range.

Very well built compared to other Sony lenses I have owned.

I had the option of buying the Tamron 10-24 or this lens.
The 10-24 would have fitted the bill in my line up but now have to fill 19-24(?). The reviews of the Tamron left me unsure, whereas this lens appeared to be a more competent performer. It certainly betters my expectations.

PS. The lens produces excellent and very sharp close-up shots

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Lez   review date: January-04-11  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

N/A

price paid:

325 GBP new

positive:

Sharp, good colour rendition.

negative:

nothing I'd grumble about!

comment:

Tested on a Sony Alpha 350, I found this lens produced sharp results with excellent colour rendition. Still life, indoors, no flash. As others have noted there is slight vignetting wide open but it isn't really a problem.

Produces some interesting distortion when used for portraits at the short end!

I haven't noticed much flare with this lens, hence the fairly high mark, likewise the distortion mark is fairly high. The portrait distortion mentioned above was to be expected; my fault not the lens.

Overall, a good buy.

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 3 

user: Dryce   review date: April-10-10  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

KM 18-70mm DT
Sony 24-105mm

price paid:

249 GBP (new)

positive:

Relatively low distortion.
Reasonably sharp (with care)

negative:

On KM5D focus was unreliable.
Exposure control.
Learning curve.

comment:

I bought this on a whim when Argos had a sale on them. Initially I was somehwat disappointed with it. I never trusted this lens on my KM5D. It tended to underexpose and the focus never seemed consistent. However, no such problems with the A700. Though you still have to check the exposure more carefully due to the field of view.

Biggest problem with this lens isn't IMHO the lens itself but the general characteristics of the focal range. For me at least controlling the edges of the scene and dealing with moving subjects have been the two biggest challenges. The upside IMHO is the ability to create a different view of a situation or carve out the subject by getting in close. But it takes effort to get it right.

Distortion hasn't been a problem if you you deal with it via the composition, whether the intention is to leave it as is or try to correct it.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: warriors.photo   review date: March-12-10  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Tokina 11-16 f/2.8

positive:

Sharp, easy to focus. Lightweight wide angle.

negative:

Not a constant stop lens. It distorts at the widest setting. Flares

comment:

I like this lens a lot. It goes with me everywhere I go. I got mine with the super thin Zeiss UV filter. It does distort at the 11MM range a little. The Tokina that I was able to play around with on my buddies Nikon doesn't as much. The Tokina is also a constant stop :(
It does do well in low light. I used it Hand-held at a zoo in Japan recently. I was able to get great shoots of the animals with this lens.
I have found that the lens will flare with the very least bit of sunlight in the shoot. The hood kinda helps, also a polarized filter will help. It will still flare when the sun in anywhere near the shoot.
I will keep this lens in my kit till the Tokina is released then I will sell it. For now its a great lens and it goes with me everywhere.
Just my .02 on this lens.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: touareg   review date: January-05-10  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sony 18-70 kit lens
Zeiss 16-80

price paid:

619$ C (new)

positive:

Pretty sharp
Nice colors
Not that much distortion wide open

negative:

Will only work with APS-C
A bit of flare here and there

comment:

A good choice for urban photography where space is limited and the subject is big. Pretty good outdoor lens too for shots where you can manage to contol flare.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: Watchman   review date: December-24-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

CZ16-80

price paid:

690.00

positive:

Colors
Sharpness
Fast focusing
Light

negative:

comment:

Should have bought this lens long ago.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: boyanphotography   review date: October-31-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

sigma 50mm F1.4, minolta 28-80

price paid:

€500 (new)

positive:

-pretty fast focus
-I like the distortion (something you'd expect from this kind of lens)
-beautiful colours!
-circular aperture

negative:

-small zoom range
-DT lens

comment:

Nice lens, i found it an absolute must to have in my lens kit.
Only the zoom range (11-18) could be larger, and if you have plans tu upgrade to full-frame later you'd better buy the Sigma 12-24.

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 3 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: madecov   review date: September-27-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Minolta 24mm f2.8

price paid:

$550.00 USD new

positive:

Monster wide on APS-C sensor. Reasonable colors. Fairly low distortion given the angle of view. No vignette stopped down with a normal filter

negative:

Huge filter size. slow maximum aperture and variable aperture. Learning curve to get good photo's. Very wide lens hood is hard to store.

comment:

Purchased mine as an open box item. had been in the showcase for more than 2 years and never touched.

Fun lens for special use since it's so wide. I think some of the reported exposure issues with this lens may be due to the vast size of the image and uneven lighting in the image areas. I downgraded the image sharpness and build grades a bit as I haven't really had time to take any serious photo's with this lens and initial test photo's seem very slightly soft and the Sony rubber ribbing is a dust magnet. Not the best choice for indoor use as it is a slow aperture lens.

Overall a fun special use lens that if gotten below the regular retail makes a nice addition to an ASP-C kit

Edit, I'm happy with this lens. Took it out on a day trip and sharpness is decent. I upgraded sharpness a bit but I still think build could be better

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: ghmcs   review date: September-23-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

none

price paid:

450 USD (used)

positive:

good center sharpness
low distortion

negative:

the price new

comment:

I hesitated to buy this lens based on the average-to-poor reviews at a variety of web sites. However, after using it for 2 weeks straight in landscape photography, I'm pleased with the images I got. In real-life images, I just don't see the problems that were attributed to it. If you can get this lens for less than $500US, I'd say go for it. It complements the 16-105mm lens very nicely.

sharpness: 4 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: JeremyT   review date: August-14-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

* Sony 18-70mm (kit)
* Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DG

positive:

* True ultra-wide for APS/C
* Sharp stopped down, good corner sharpness at 18mm
* Distortion well controlled considering the zoom length

negative:

* Zoom range is more limited than Sigma/Tamron ultrawides
* Slightly soft wide open, especially corners at 11mm
* CA, especially at 11mm
* MSRP way too high - the Tamron or KM branded versions were cheaper

comment:

This is the widest lens I own, and I can only compare it to others at 18mm. At that length it's possibly sharper than the kit lens and probably softer than the Sigma at the same aperture. It seems to get sharper stopped down to f/8, but on my A200 the difference is minimal and I feel fine using it wide open. You might feel differently on a better body, though.

Looking at my architectural photos, I have noticed that this lens can exhibit some substantial cyan fringing in high contrast areas, especially away from center on the wide end. Stopping down seems to help, but you might need to fix this in PP when making a large print.

My copy didn't come with a hood, and flare can be problematic. I ended up buying the Sony OEM hood, and it works well without causing vignetting for me. In fact, this lens has vignetting generally well controlled (although a thick filter can impede on the corners - see my images in the sample thread).

A lot of my shots with this lens are underexposed, but I attribute that to the metering system having to deal with so much sky.

Barrel distortion is fairly well controlled at 18mm, but gets more pronounced as you go wide. It's nothing to complain about considering how wide this lens is.

I find it a great complement to full-frame zooms that lose their wide end on APS/C. Having gotten it second hand I love it, but I question its very high MSRP - I never would have paid $700! As I understand it, this was originally a Tamron lens rebranded as Konica Minolta and then rebranded again as Sony, so you might try looking for the other versions to save some money.

sharpness: 5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 3 

user: gdkalyanapu   review date: July-07-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Minolta maxxum 50 1.7, Sony alpha 18- 70 DT, Minolta 24- 105 D

price paid:

$675USD

positive:

sharpness, distortion control, weight, nice zoom range

negative:

flare, some times under exposes, CA, zoom range could be longer

comment:

This lens is a charm to use. Super wide and will definitely produce good results. Nice colors compared to the kit lens. If you have a kit lens and need more wide angle, this is the real bet. So far, i liked every thing about the lens. It handles very well. Barrel distortion is very well controlled. I can Recommend this lens to any Sony/ minolta APS-c sensor DSLR cameras.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: anthony566   review date: April-08-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

price paid:

L324

positive:

Very wide and very clear. fastastic colours and good af speed also very smooth in manual mode

negative:

Could be wider & costs more than its Tamron twin. as with all sony lenses the grip is a dirt magnet.

comment:

I realy like this lens its light and gives very good colours plus its very sharp.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Happy Hour   review date: February-27-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

never owned a lens this wide so 28mm Minolta on film is about the closest I can compare to that I've owned.

price paid:

$250 USD used

positive:

color
Sharpness

negative:

hood sometimes shows up @ 11mm in pictures

comment:

I bought this used about a year ago with a flash from some poor guy who switched to another brand. After much bargaining I only paid $250 for it and it was like new! I never really used it until a couple of months ago, but once I did I was in love! You can get some very interesting shots with this lens! My copy is as sharp as can be, classic Minolta colors seem to be carried over to this lens from Sony. The only thing I can say bad about this lens is at 11mm the hood shows up in 2 of the corners, but for some reason if you screw it on 180 degrees it disappears. I never seem to pay attention to how it goes on as I'm always in a rush when trying to capture a shot. But i guess there is a wrong way on this lens. Something I've never seen before on a lens I owned. then again I never owned a lens this wide before. Distortion is present on the wide end But It's subtle and I like it. not quite fisheye but still gives a interesting look to it.Flare is present in direct light but nothing to complain about on my copy Photo shop fixes it with ease. If you need a wide lens I see no reason to look elsewhere

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: RyanTheLion   review date: December-09-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

tamron 11-18

price paid:

950 SGD

positive:

sharp
solid build
lighter then tamron clone

negative:

-0.7 under exposure

comment:

well, other then the underexposure, nothing much to say :D

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 3 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 3 

user: fjbyrne   review date: November-15-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

18-70 kit

price paid:

600 USD (new)

positive:

- Distortion well controlled for an ultra-wide
- Sharp
- Light

negative:

- Prone to flare
- Sony's grips are dust and dirt magnets
- Pricey compared to Tamron clone
- Build quality not the best

comment:

A nice lens for landscapes and architecture. Takes some getting used to as is the case with all ultra-wides. Has provided me with some nice results. Recommended but you might want to wait for the Tamron replacement 10-24.

sharpness: 3.5 

color: 3 

build: 3 

distortion: 3 

flare control: 4 

user: crlowryjr   review date: November-06-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sigma 10-20
Sigma 24

price paid:

560

positive:

+ nice focal length

negative:

- slow AF
- colors are muted
- not sharp

comment:

Gave this lens away after getting the Sigma 10-20.

On my A100 the AF was painfully slow. On my A700 it was acceptable.

Image quality was usually 'OK at best'. When compared to my Sigma 10-20 there is nothing this lens can keep up with. Oh I take that back...the Sigma doesn't report the correct EXIF for lens model.

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 3 

flare control: 3 

user: Love   review date: September-05-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

T 18-250
Sal 70-200 G

price paid:

1200 USD (new)

positive:

Wide
Solid

negative:

Slow
Not always sharp/spot on
Price

comment:

A very nice wide tele. Very nice indoor use (if you can find the light since it is slow..). Rather solid built. Gives you nice indoor pictures. But I probably wouldn't have paid the price today..

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: johnadams72   review date: September-05-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sony 50mm f1,4; Sony 100mm f2.8 macro, Beercan, Sigma 10-20

price paid:

630$ (new)

positive:

Sharp! Never seen a wide angle so sharp! Nice Minolta colors. Fast AF on my A700

negative:

none

comment:

Amazing lens! I love it. It's a great super wide angle, very sharp, great colors, fast AF.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: johnadams72   review date: September-05-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sony 50mm f1,4; Sony 100mm f2.8 macro, Beercan, Sigma 10-20

price paid:

630$ (new)

positive:

Sharp! Never seen a wide angle so sharp! Nice Minolta colors. Fast AF on my A700

negative:

none

comment:

Amazing lens! I love it. It's a great super wide angle, very sharp, great colors, fast AF.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: beppe61   review date: August-28-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sigma 24-70 f2.8, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, KM 50 f1,4

price paid:

500 euro (new)

positive:

Sharp, great colors, light weight, AF is quite fast on my A350

negative:

nothing

comment:

This lens is a great super wide angle zoom!
It's not a lens for biginners (some times you have to control the exposure), but when you begin to get the right feeling with this lens, the results are great.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: lelou   review date: July-20-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sony 18-200
Sony 50 F1.4
Beercan
Minolta 70-210 F3.5-4.5

price paid:

400 Euro

positive:

Reasonably small and light
This is wide
Very sharp from wide open

negative:

Very slow!

comment:

This is a very nice lens to pack in the bag for days when the sky is interesting or the subjects are appropriate for the wide angle. It is difficult to use indoors with AF because it is so slow. With a good bounce flash the result indoor can be pleasing as it is very sharp and precise focus is not required. (the hyperfocal to infinity at 11 mm wide open is just over 5 ft away)

I would probably exchange it for a 11 mm F2.8 if one existed for about the same price... But the zoom is useful and prevents changing lens too often. It's a great match with my other Sony lens.

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 3 

distortion: 2 

flare control: 3 

user: summit425   review date: May-08-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

price paid:

$500 USD (displayed)

positive:

great wide angel

negative:

not much

comment:

great lens to use.

got it from Bestbuy for $500 (displayed)

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 3 

user: Dune   review date: March-07-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

n/a

positive:

Colour
Sharpness
Light weight

negative:

Can flare with low winter sun in the shot (for example)
Need to watch for underexposure
Price

comment:

It was with some trepidation I bought this lens as I had read mixed reviews. I need not have worried as I think it is a great wide angle zoom. I am still learning to use it but so far have managed to produce some pleasing results.

It can under-expose on the A100 but this is not a problem as this is not a "snap shot lens" and you ought to be taking care over things like composition and exposure with such a lens mounted on the camera and with digital film is free so bracketing soon sorts this out.

I did not pay full price for this lens in the UK. In fact I was all set to buy the Sigma 10-20 when I found my 11-18 at a comparable cost.

It can flare when a light source is in the frame if you shoot into the sun but that is the only negative regarding image quality. Distortion is very good and the lens is sharp and gives very nice colours. Never out of my camera bag.

sharpness: 4 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: gm4jjj   review date: February-17-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sigma 12-24mm

price paid:

half price bargain

positive:

I am surprised at the good sharpness of this lens. AF works well with the A700.

negative:

Suffers from CA at 11mm end of range, but easily corrected in software.

comment:

I was lucky to get this lens in a half price sale at Argos. It is always in my camera bag now, giving me better coverage at wide angle than I had with just the CZ16-80.

sharpness: 4 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: W&7D   review date: January-22-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Other 'widish' lenses.

positive:

At last, a wideangle lens on my 7D. For buildings, interiors, etc
Circular aperture.
It is SO light.

negative:

I got it at a bargainprice, but otherwise quite expensive, imho.
chromatic abbreviation
Relatively small zoom range.

comment:

Afrer reading all kinds of really mixed reviews on the Internet, I decided to try it meself, and buy the Sony version last Saturday.
On of the first photos made with the lens: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrvanstraalen/2209130065/

The distorsion is to be expected and it may well possible to correct it in PS.
I enlarged the upper arcs and indeed there is very noticable
chromatic abbreviation. However, I found it only in the periphery. And it doesn't show unless you quite enlarge your photos. I just started using this lens, I will add more experiences later. ;-)

Used it today for snapshot photography and groupshots. It makes life so easy. In practise CA is imho hardly a point.

sharpness: 3 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Jasen70   review date: November-09-07  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sigma 18-125mm

price paid:

Borrowed

positive:

Nice and Wide view. Compliments kit lens.
Colours good
Light and easy to use

negative:

Rather softer than expected at 11mm and even at 18mm.
Expensive for the optical quality. Not a major step up in quality compared to kit lens.
Poor CA around edges and in from the edge 25% to centre.
Poor contrast.

comment:

I borrowed this lens with a view to buying it from a colleague who recently switched to Canon 5D from the Sony A100. He bought it for $AUD949 and I was going to offer $AUD550 if I liked it. I can't say I like this lens except that the view is a good wide one that would compliment my existing Sigma 18-125mm lens. I compared the two lens at 18mm and found my Sigma to be a little sharper and have better contrast and detail. I was disappointed with the performance of this lens for the price. Maybe it would be better on the A700, but I doubt it. Needless to say, I won't be buying this lens.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: r55d   review date: May-20-07  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

18-200mm DT Sony (sort-of)

price paid:

618USD(new)

positive:

Decent sharpness
Good bokeh wide-open
Nice color & saturation
AF doesn't hunt much
Surprising flare control
METAL MOUNT

negative:

2/3-stop underexposure
Lack of DOF markings on barrel
HUGE (but necessary) lens shade
No FullFrame coverage

comment:

I have nothing to compare this lens to, as it's the widest
I've ever owned. I'm therefore trying to gauge this lens against imaginary standards. I haven't done any formal testing, just hand-held "walking-around" tests, but this lens holds up well if you're looking to cover a lot of area.

At 11mm, it gives the expected keystoning that you would expect from a lens covering 104°, but I'm not noticing any significant barrel distortion or pincushioning; and at the 18mm end it actually appears more linear than the wide end of my Sony 18-200mm DT. With the petal lens shade attached, the sun virtually has to be in-frame to produce flare. It seems to have better sharpness stopped down to f8-11, but I can't tell yet where the maximum sharpness actually is. AF is quick and doesn't hunt very often, but that might not be a fair assessment because I do tend to flip to Manual Focus a lot of the time and tweak the focus between 10' & ∞ from shot to shot. In the shots I've made, color, contrast and saturation look great, sharpness is more than acceptable, and I don't detect any of the "purple fringe" that I see with the 18-200.

The build and feel of this lens is much the same that the 18-200 has, being generally the same size and weight (until, of course, you pop on a 77mm WA Haze Filter and the monstrous lens shade, which makes it impossible to shoot inconspicuously). The plastic construction doesn't bother me, as it has sufficient heft, operates smoothly, and fits in the palm very nicely.

I realize that my assessment of the 11-18DT is more intuitive than technical, but I hope it gives a different perspective for anyone considering this extra-wide zoom. I'm glad I have it, but honestly, I'm realizing that I won't be using it as often as I thought I would as a general-shooting lens. A lens this wide forces you to completely re-think setup and shot perspective (literally AND figuratively), especially if your brain is normally locked into the short-to-long tele mode.

sharpness: 3.5 

color: 4 

build: 3 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Kiklop   review date: March-19-07  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sigma 12-24
Sigma 10-20
Canon 10-22
Peleng 8mm

positive:

Wide angle coverage
Solid sharpness for such a lens
AF reliable compared to other lenses of this range

negative:

build quality may be better
APS-C coverage
underexposure
wish it has a bit longer reach

comment:

I was in position to have this lens at the same time as lenses mentioned in the "Compared to" field and i must confess that i really liked this lens.
Optical performance is very good compared to other lenses and i do prefer colors this lens is providing. Distortion control is a bit better than the sigma 10-20 but not so good as sigma 12-24.
Build quality isn't bad, but i certainly wish it was a bit better. Unlike Sigma lenses this one has provided very reliable AF performance at wide angle.
I did experienced constant underexposure with this lens that has required keeping +0.7/1EV correction to make perfect exposures which may indicate that the lens may pass even less light than the stated F4.5-5.6
Impossible to pick the "best" lens in this range IMHO; they all have some strenghts and weakness.
Personally i own sigma 12-24 because it's full frame lens, but between this and the sigma 10-20 my personal feel goes toward this one.

sharpness: 4 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: napo   review date: December-31-06  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sigma 10-20

positive:

Sharp, light, lens cap very convenient!

negative:

Build

comment:

After having in my possesion the Sigma 10-20 and making different tests during 3 weekends I layed my hand on the sony 11-18. I could tell from the first day of shooting that it outperformed the sigma in color and sharpness. When I saw the results from the 11-18 suddenly the 10-20 looked very soft.
I am not saying that the sigma 10-20 is bad lens ( I know many people love this lens for its performance), but I think the one I had was probably not so briliant copy.
Lens cap is also very convenient. You can remove it and put it back on with the lens hood on.
The lens slightly underexpose.

I decided to keep the sony 11-18 to cover my wide angle needs.