Sony AF DT 11-18mm F4.5-5.6 D A-mount lens reviews
 daryl#29658 date: Aug-16-2016 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 16-105mm Tamron SP 90mm Tamron SP 70-300mm |
| price paid: | £285 |
| positive: | Very sharp over most of the frame. Good colours |
| negative: | Slightly soft in the extreme corners |
| comment: | I bought the lens from eBay, have only used it a couple of times so far. First impressions are that it is very sharp, colours are the same as the 16-105 (another very impressive lens). It's amazing what you can get in the frame, especially your feet and shadow if you aren't careful! |
| mambo#12191 date: Mar-19-2015 | |
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sharpness: 3.5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 2 flare control: 4 overall: 3.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Sigma 18mm zen, Minolta 16mm fisheye, SAL2470 |
| price paid: | $400 |
| positive: | It is wide..........that's all |
| negative: | Not sharp at all, with a lot of distortion. |
| comment: | An ok purchase that I need to dispose of. |
| chriseen#11515 date: Dec-2-2013 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 35mm f2 Babybeercan Minolta 100mm f2.8 macro Beercan Minolta 50mm f1.7 Beercan Minolta 50mm f/1.4 Beercan Minolta 75-300mm f4,5-5,6 Beercan Tamron SP 90 Macro Minolta 28-135 f4.0-4.5 Beercan Sony kitlens 18-70 |
| price paid: | 300 euro |
| positive: | Decent sharpness, even wide-open Distortion very well controlled for an ultra-wide True ultra-wide for APS/C even usable on FF (with some vignetting, super wide angle ! ! Good bokeh, a nice lens for landscapes and architecture.... Good colours (Minolta?) & saturation Very sharp from wide open Surprising good flare control. AF works fast & well. circular aperture Metal mount |
| negative: | small zoom range ? |
| comment: | I bought this used about a year ago on Ebay. It's a buzz using this super wide lens with its great DOF and surprising sharpness. Superb in tight spaces and distortion free for architectural use. So it's a nice lens for landscapes and architecture. Landscapes with a crisp CU under the nose of the lens - so easy. A very nice wide tele. Very nice indoor use. Sharpness and contrast is excellent and the build quality is very good. No wobbly lens barrel and focus is smooth. I tested this lens a lot. This lens is currently the best option for all Sony users. All the ultra wide angles lenses have excellent sharpness in the centre. This copy stays surprisingly sharp even at the edges, if you stop down a bit. Distortion is extremely low for such an ultra wide angle. There is no visible vignetting unless used on an FF. I recommend this lens for amazing landscape shots, funny portraits and dramatic architecture. It's worth every cent I paid for it. Great ultrawide lens. |
| jungen#11504 date: Nov-27-2013 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sigma 17-70 |
| price paid: | 300 € used |
| positive: | UWA |
| negative: | Very limited zoom (only x1.6) |
| comment: | I use it at 11 mm about 80% of all time, as zoom is very limited, and usually you have to bring other lens along. |
| Skoropada#9315 date: Aug-9-2011 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.1 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| syahrun#9313 date: Aug-8-2011 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 3 overall: 4.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | tokina 11-16 |
| price paid: | missing |
| positive: | Very sharp from wide open Colours good |
| negative: | flare |
| comment: | this lens have good color, n distortion control for super wide lens |
| derekw#9270 date: Jul-27-2011 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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 |
| Lez#8475 date: Jan-4-2011 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| Dryce#7272 date: Apr-10-2010 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 3 overall: 3.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| warriors.photo#7066 date: Mar-12-2010 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 |
| price paid: | missing |
| 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. |
| touareg#6699 date: Jan-5-2010 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| Watchman#6630 date: Dec-24-2009 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | CZ16-80 |
| price paid: | 690.00 |
| positive: | Colors Sharpness Fast focusing Light |
| negative: | missing |
| comment: | Should have bought this lens long ago. |
| boyanphotography#6303 date: Oct-31-2009 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| madecov#6129 date: Sep-27-2009 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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 |
| ghmcs#6109 date: Sep-23-2009 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| JeremyT#5854 date: Aug-14-2009 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.2 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | * Sony 18-70mm (kit) * Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DG |
| price paid: | missing |
| 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. |
| gdkalyanapu#5659 date: Jul-7-2009 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 3 overall: 4.2 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| anthony566#5189 date: Apr-8-2009 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | missing |
| price paid: | Ł324 |
| 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. |
| Happy Hour#4923 date: Feb-27-2009 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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 |
| RyanTheLion#4498 date: Dec-9-2008 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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 |
| fjbyrne#4384 date: Nov-15-2008 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 3 overall: 3.7 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| crlowryjr#4334 date: Nov-6-2008 | |
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sharpness: 3.5 color: 3 build: 3 distortion: 3 flare control: 4 overall: 3.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| 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. |
| Love#4055 date: Sep-5-2008 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 3 flare control: 3 overall: 3.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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.. |
| johnadams72#4045 date: Sep-5-2008 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| johnadams72#4044 date: Sep-5-2008 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| beppe61#4011 date: Aug-28-2008 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| lelou#3868 date: Jul-20-2008 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.1 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
| summit425#3567 date: May-8-2008 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 2 flare control: 3 overall: 3.2 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | missing |
| price paid: | $500 USD (displayed) |
| positive: | great wide angel |
| negative: | not much |
| comment: | great lens to use. got it from Bestbuy for $500 (displayed) |
| Dune#3345 date: Mar-7-2008 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 3 overall: 4.2 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | n/a |
| price paid: | missing |
| 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. |
| gm4jjj#3273 date: Feb-17-2008 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.2 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| 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. |
rating summary
- total reviews: 35
- sharpness: 4.43
- color: 4.60
- build: 4.09
- distortion: 4.17
- flare control: 3.94
- overall: 4.25
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