Sony SELP18105G E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS

Wow this lens. Just wow. Ive been looking for that work-horse all purpose lens, and I think I found it. Now Im coming from several primes, some kit lenses, the 55-210 and an ultrawide. I think (personally) that this lens is worthy of the G series moniker even with the fact that it does hunt a bit; its just not going to be as fast as your primes (I knew that coming in), but its not bad. Im not shooting sports, Im shooting my kid. I got some of my favorite shots the first time I tried the lens out. Just awesome. Updates likely to follow, but Ill be putting this lens through its paces shortly.

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I bought my Sony Alpha a6000 Camera with 16-50mm Lens two years ago, and finally bought this lens for it about 9 months ago. My only regret is that I waited so long to buy this lens. Its been on my camera pretty much constantly since I got it. I probably need to go through my collection of APS-C e-mount lenses and cull out those that this nifty lens has replaced. Other reviews address the details so I wont repeat all that stuff. This lens is sharp, it covers the range of focal lengths and apertures that I most often need, and it feels balanced on the a6000 body. I have a full frame Sony a7, which is a fine camera. But Im immensely unhappy that as of now, theres no full frame e-mount lens thats the equivalent of this lens (which is roughly 24-150mm in FF terms). There are many reasons I love my Sony a6000 camera, but this lens alone would be sufficient reason for me to keep using it.

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I wanted to love this because the lens itself is amazing and would have been perfect for traveling. The wide range from 18-105 mm is versatile with clear sharp images. I’m not a pro and may not even really know what sharp is but in my eyes it’s great. BUT the lens had two scratches. One on the front end ( first picture ) and a small spec in the back end (second picture) . I know it’s minor but for the price for the lens i Want a scratch free lens. This is my third lens from amazon. The first I returned because there was a scrTch in the body and multiple smalll scratches on the front lens so I had to return. I ordered another emoumg lens (Sony fe 1.8/35mm) but the aperture was stuck and you can see a round circle in the picture. So of course I had to return. It’s so disappointing because amazon offers great warranty at a low cost vs Best Buy . But at this point i think I’ll get $$$ electronics arva place where I can examine right then and there before purchase.

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Somewhat of a delay from normal Amazon Prime...but it arrived on Monday , and I LOVE this lens. Great contrast, focus and dynamic range! Purchased a B+H Clear UV filter to protect the front element as Im old school photographer, and where others have commented in the past how large this lens is, its the perfect compliment to the Sony a6000. Not at all too large and the truly great range of wide to medium tele is perfect for Events and general everyday photography!

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I got my lens just before leaving town to go camping. If you arent going to switch lenses and want just ONE to live on your APS-C Sony, this is a good choice. Its a good focal range, but I was a little disappointed in the sharpness. It isnt bad, but it also didnt blow me away. I think part of the problem is that I mainly shoot with my Zeiss 55mm 1.8 and that is one of the sharpest lenses Ive ever owned. If you switched from Canon, I would say this lens is comparable to the 24-105L f/4 but maybe slightly less sharp. Either way, I dont regret buying it and it will get a lot of use.

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The quality of 99% of each picture taken with this lens is phenomenal. Unfortunately their is a manufacturing defect in this lens that leaves a greenish dot in all pictures, and it is very noticeable in many of them. Camera was used on an international trip and defect was noticed after return (and after 30 day return window with Amazon was up). Hopefully we are able to coordinate a replacement by Sony. Rating is based on 5 stars for most of the lens, and the hope that Sony makes it right. Note: Defect is not discernible to the naked eye. Once issue is resolved, this review will be updated

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Its funny that most of us here should list their qualifications in order to garner some authority when it comes to this lens, but I think that no matter what your level of photographic expertise is, it should be clear just from the fact that after many months there still arent any used or refurbished lenses for sale at amazon, likely because no one wants to part with this lens. So, I bit the bullet and purchased one new after thoroughly researching why I should have this lens. The first thing I did was analyze all the pictures Ive accumulated over the last couple of years with my Sony NEX-5n and various Sony lenses. It turned out that the majority was shot within the equivalent of 28-150mm range. I sold my Sony 18-55 and 55-210 with whose sharpness I wasnt happy, ignored the Zeiss 16-70 on the basis of price and after reading many reviews went for the 18-105/24-160mm equivalent Sony G. Well, come to papa! This baby has an unexpected creamy bokeh at f4, feels great in the hand, zooms smoothly, and the pictures are sharp. Perhaps not as sharp as a zoom at twice the price, but close enough, and with a little post sharpening on my Sony A6000 24mp files whos gonna see the difference? The build is nice, but all in all I now really enjoy going out and shoot, knowing that Ill come back with results. So, no five stars, because its not perfect, but in my world five stars only go to things that are outrageously great. Id say, for $600 you cant go wrong.

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Great all around lens, zooms and focuses very quickly. There is some distortion at certain focal lengths, and chromatic aberration across the zoom range, but both are very well corrected automatically in Lightroom. Sharpness is very good across the frame, and the bokeh is quite round, with only a slight onion pattern. The ski photo I included is a good reference for what the bokeh looks like in extreme cases where individual bright points are out of focus. This is the lens that stays on my a6300 most of the time. I got it to replace the combination of my 16-50 kit lens and 55-210, and IMO is far superior to both. I also have a 35 f1.8 and 300 f4 that I swap on for more specialized shots. The only (very minor) thing I don’t like about it is it’s inability to autofocus while zooming. The focus distance changes as it zooms, so it cannot be used for focus pulls. Seems like such a simple thing to implement in software...maybe it’ll be possible in a future software update...

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Background: Professional photographer shooting with Canon 5DMII, 17mm T/S, 24-70mm 2.8 L and 70-200mm F4 L. Those three lenses are at the top of the quality list and all highly rated. That should tell you how well I research and made choices. Most of the cameras/lenses I buy end up on the top 10 all-time favorite lists. Day 1 living with the lens: I received the delivery of the 18-105 F4 lens last night and today I had the opportunity to venture out on a sunny day, with snow on the ground in Central Oregon shooting with my Sony A6000 and 18-105mm F4 G zoom lens. I have the 10-18mm F4 lens as well that is very sharp and used for landscapes and architecture. I needed another lens but wanted a zoom to cover a range without having to carry a lot of lenses or bother to change lenses. After considering Zeis lenses (and cost), kit lenses and all others for the Sony, I decided on this one, which I could return if I had to. I should mention I had purchased the Fotodiox adapter to mount my canon lenses to the Sony A6000. However, I discovered that the weight ratio of the heavy Canon lenses to the light body weight of the Sony A6000 was uncomfortable and defeated the purpose of going to a mirrorless camera. I returned the adaptor, which by the way was way too slow to autofocus and will be selling my Canon lenses. Here is why: The 18-105mm zoom does not disappoint in the least. It is fast to focus, the contrast and color is good and the range of the zoom is great. The depth of field is deep and the lens is a sharp lens, not soft. I cant tell you whether the corners are soft or not, I dont go that far but I do tend to be a pixel peeper as it is my business as a photographer to pay attention to details. If you have spent hours of researching and the negative reviews throw you off just about the time you had made your decision, my advice would be to buy from a vendor that will accept returns. No risk to you other than possibly having to pay return shipping. Amazon is great for this. Here are some sample photos from todays shoot. Did I post process? Yes. But then I post process just about everything I shoot and I typically shoot in RAW. Did I take three exposures at 0, -2 and +2...yes and blended them to control the highlights and shadows. I make no apologies as if the photos can stand up to processing and not lose quality, then why not? BTW, the shot of the geese flying in the sky was taken from the ground and the geese were about 100-200 feet in the air, flying over my head. I aimed, the camera focused, I followed them as I tripped the shutter. Thats easier than trying to use a high ISO to stop the action.

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Most of the other reviews here adequately encompass the strengths and weaknesses of this lens so to regurgitate them would be mostly pointless; however, to sum it up briefly- I shoot event/wedding photography and videography. If Im doing a photography job, I use Sony G-Master glass and nothing else. If im doing videography, this lens is my main go-to. Using this lens on an A7R2 or A7S2 in super 35mm mode provides excellent video results. I use my camera mounted onto a DJI Ronin-M, mounted upside down on a Jockey 5th Axis Stabilizer mount with a record/zoom remote attached to the handle via a clamp mount. I can film, stabilized, with the zoom and record controls right at my fingertips. Its magical. If youre doing photography, there are quite a few better lenses than this. If youre doing videography, this is one of the best lenses available, especially if youre recording events where a wide range of focal lengths are required. The optical stabilization is REALLY good and the power zoom has variable speeds depending on how hard you depress the zoom buttons, for a wide range of applications. The power zoom can be activated via a Sony Camera remote attached to the "multi" port of the camera so that you can operate the zoom and record functions without touching the camera. TLDR: for photography, there are better options available. For videography, this is one of the best.

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