Jump to content

Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS

Smorton

By Smorton,
in Sony Alpha APS-C Lenses

 Share

Recommended Posts

Smorton Enthusiast

Smorton

Posted
Posted

Greetings:

 

Have a Sony A600.  Would like a better zoom than the kit lens that came with it (16 to 50 I think).  Does anyone have experience with the Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS?

 

Any input highly appreciated.

 

Smorton

Link to post
Share on other sites
Smorton Enthusiast

Smorton

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Does the size bother you?  I sure want to carry one good lens around. 

 

How is the sharpness?  Is there another lens that I should look at in this zoom length?  I suppose they are all big.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

Smorton

Link to post
Share on other sites
Smorton Enthusiast

Smorton

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for all your help.  The You Tube videos are generally favorable but it has distortion and chromatic aberration according to many of the reviews.  It is apparenly corrected by the Sony A6000 or by Lightroom or Photoshop.

 

Have you noticed this and if so, do you have to correct it in Lightroom or Photoshop?

 

Thanks again.

 

Smorton

Link to post
Share on other sites
Austerror Community Regular

Austerror

Posted
Posted

Very few lenses are distortion free, from any manufacturer.

 

The Adobe software can do corrections.  But there is also some free software called Capture 1, which is excellent and works very well with Sony gear.

 

Don't worry too much about distortion or sharpness.  As a do it all lens it will never be perfect.  However that is the price you pay for a zoom.  It will still be plenty good for everything.

 

The other option for an all in one lens would be the 18-200, of which there are 4 versions I think.  This lens is larger again.  There is also the old kit lens 18-55, which was ok.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Austerror Community Regular

Austerror

Posted
Posted

Indeed all the power zoom lenses are aimed at people taking video.

 

http://kurtmunger.com/sony_nex_18_200mmid237.html

 

Kurt does a great job of testing these lenses.  There is also a Tamron version that is a little cheaper and there was the Hasselblad version going for very cheap recently.  Its the same lens with a different badge on it.

 

My personal preference is the 55-210. It is super sharp, small, light, has OSS and cheap.  But I don't mind carrying another lens for the wide end. My usual travel kit is a wide prime and the 55-210. Total weight and size can be smaller and lighter than the single 18-200, depending on what prime is being used.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Al Pha Collaborator

Al Pha

Posted
Posted

Greetings:

 

Have a Sony A600.  Would like a better zoom than the kit lens that came with it (16 to 50 I think).  Does anyone have experience with the Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS?

 

Any input highly appreciated.

 

Smorton

 

I just got back from a two week trip to India. Shot lots of photos and videos. My kit: A6000 + Sony G 18-105mm PZ + Sony 10-18mm F4. Very happy with the results! The 18-105 was on the camera most of the time with the 10-18 employed mostly for architectural interiors and exteriors. I highly recommend these two lenses!

Link to post
Share on other sites
Al Pha Collaborator

Al Pha

Posted
Posted

This was a fast-paced trip with not much time for editing so I shot JPEGs which are automatically corrected in body. If you shoot RAW, existing Adobe ACR or LR lens profiles will apply the corrections for you.

 

The 18-105 is a G lens so aberrations are minimal or non-existent.

Link to post
Share on other sites
free_tibett Rookie

free_tibett

Posted
Posted

Hi,

 

you can also have a look to this blog:

 

http://luxorphotoart.blogspot.de/2015/01/the-review-selp18105-zoom-lens-in.html

 

There is also a comparison with the kit and the Zeiss 16-70

 

 

I also bought the 18105 and I am very happy with it.

 

24727208960_feefe9dfc9_z.jpg[/url]DSC02356 by FreeTi Bett, auf Flickr

25022710345_28990216c9_z.jpgDSC02366 by FreeTi Bett, auf Flickr

24655085049_f414638793_z.jpgDSC02371 by FreeTi Bett, auf Flickr

Link to post
Share on other sites
free_tibett Rookie

free_tibett

Posted
Posted

Both get FW upgrades. My lens was version 1 and I upgraded by myself to version 2.

It works quite same as to upgrade the camera. But this is only true for Sony or Sony-Zeiss lenses.

The Zeiss Touit for example needs to be returend to Zeiss for the FW upgrade.

 

Have a good day

Link to post
Share on other sites
LiveShots Mentor

LiveShots

Posted
Posted

Won't be able to read until done with work this evening. Skimmed it. 

 

Question:  I know cameras get firmware updates.  Do lenses get firmware updates too?  If so, do you simply update it through the Sony a6000?

 

Thanks

 

Smorton

 

 

Yes, go here and select your device (camera or lens model number, i.e. SELP18105G)  and then the Operating System. You can then see the list of drivers and firmware updates. Make sure that the lens that needs the update is attached to your camera and follow the instructions on the web-page… I've done this a few times and it works fine.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Pieter
      Blurry images on Sony 70-350

      By Pieter · Posted

      I've been using this lens extensively without any sharpness issues. At long focal lengths, you'll have to factor in the need for a faster shutter speed (< 1/500-ish at 350mm) and other factors like atmospheric distortion, fog/dust haze, etc. All these factors contribute to a deterioration of image quality at longer focal lengths.
    • Cameratose
      Blurry images on Sony 70-350

      By Cameratose · Posted

      That's supposed to be a pretty good APS-C lens. Can you try it on a different camera just for the heck of it? Friend? Camera shop? The lens is noted for sharpness, so if you're having as much trouble as you say, you may want to look into a replacement or repair. 
    • broz_tito
      Blurry images on Sony 70-350

      By broz_tito · Posted

      Hi everyone, I’m reaching out to the community because I’m facing a persistent image quality issue with my Sony 70–350mm f/4.5–6.3 G OSS lens, and I’d like to know if this is normal behavior or if my copy is defective. Problem description: I’ve extensively compared the 70–350mm G OSS with my Sony 18–135mm f/3.5–5.6 OSS, using a Sony A6700, under controlled conditions: • Identical lighting and background • Same subject and position (LEGO figure, consistent framing) • Tripod or steady support • Manual focus or AF with center point • Same shutter speed (e.g., 1/200s), similar ISO (ISO 4000–6400), RAW + JPEG • OIS turned on (and also tested with OIS off) My observations: • At 135mm, the 70–350mm G OSS delivers softer, flatter images than the 18–135mm, even when stopped down. • At 350mm, the sharpness drops significantly – the center is soft, and textures (like LEGO tiles or fabric) appear blurred or smudged. • Contrast and micro-detail are noticeably inferior across all focal lengths. • The 18–135mm at 135mm (even cropped) retains better edge sharpness and detail definition. • Both JPEG and RAW files confirm the issue – this is not just JPEG processing or noise reduction. Question to the community: • Have others experienced similar softness with the 70–350mm? • Is it possible I have a decentered or optically misaligned copy? • Is there a known issue with OSS introducing softness at long focal lengths? I wanted to love this lens due to the range and portability, but currently it’s unusable for anything where image quality matters. I’m considering returning or sending it for service. Thanks in advance for any feedback or comparison results you can share.  

  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...