Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens with UV Filter Kit
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The Kit Lens I Was Waiting For
I had been using an 8 year old kit lens that was purchased originally with my first E-mount camera, a NEX3...I bought it with the 18-55mm kit lens to get started - and as I upgraded camera bodies along the way, there never seemed like a reason to upgrade the kit lens. When the compact 16-50mm kit came along a few years later, I quickly dismissed it because I don't like power zoom and compacting lenses...and it didn't add any IQ advantages to the ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Perfect travel lens
I owned the 18-105 before this as my primary travel lens. I liked the images and videos it took, but was always a bit annoyed at how heavy and bulky it felt and, as a result, brought it out and about with me less and less. With half a trip under my belt, I can say confidently that the 18-135 is much preferred. Although the physical appearance of the 18-135 didnt feel wildly different from the 18-105 when I first compared the two lens sizes, in p... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Zoom, Baby, Zoom!
This is a fascinating lens. It is very good optically (not perfect by any means) but is every bit as good as my SonyZeiss 16-70 and, while you lose a little at the wide end, the additional zoom range is wonderful to have (200mm equivalent)...and physically it is only a little bit longer and heavier than the 16-70 (not enough to make a difference). I am definitely a zoom lens guy and this lens enables me to pluck details that would otherwise be ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent lens for the price
For me, this new Sony 18-135 f3.5-5.6 lens is clearly preferable to its two likeliest competitors, the Sony Zeiss 16-70 f4 lens, and the Sony 18-105 G f4 lens. As compared to the Zeiss, my new Sony 18-135 is sharper from 18mm to 50mm, equally sharp from 50mm to 70mm, and provides the extra 70mm-135mm telephoto range through which it is reasonably sharp around the center area though softer toward the periphery. The Zeiss is not significantly light... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
My "Shoulda" Lens
I call the Sony E 18-135mm lens my "Shoulda" lens, because I "shoulda" bought it for our big vacation this past fall. I was too concerned about compactness, so I brought along my 16-50mm PZ kit lens for my Sony NEX-7. While my results with that lens were good, the added reach of the 18-135mm would have made some good shots great. This lens is surprisingly sharp, especially compared to the 18-200mm I purchased from a local store - and promptly re... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Best walkabout
After taking 3 lenses on a vacation with my A5100 the obvious happened.. dust on the sensor. Switching lenses outside in the wind is bad, no matter how careful and quick you are. End result.. 1024 extremely sharp and low distortion photos that all required healing. After (extremely careful) removal of dust from the sensor using one of the many cheap hand air blowing things, and a self promise never to change a lens outside again, I bought this ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Would have given it more stars if it had been cheaper
First, let me say it's not a bad lens for what it does. My only experience with zoom lenses on my Sony a6000 is with the kit zoom that goes to 210 and the 18-105. I find the 18-105 better quality. Even though the 18-135 has slightly pictures, the 18-105 is better built and more versatile. I would say the 18-135 is a bit better than both zooms, stills wise, but not $400 better than the kit zoom. Of course the 18-105 does better video. If the 18-13... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Better than the 16-50
I bought this to replace the 16-50 kit lens that came with my Sony a6000. I thought the 16-50 was a pretty good lens for the price. It was very sharp at some apertures and most focal lengths, but pretty soft on the edges. Sharpness at the longest focal lengths was pretty soft. This lens (18-135) has performed well for me in the short time I have had it. It is much sharper throughout than the kit lens. I don't miss the power zoom because I prefer... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good Travel Lens
I was looking for a travel lens for my a6000 among Zeiss 16-70, sony 18-105, and this lens. I also considered sony 18-200 and Tamron 18-200. However, several people who owned those two 18200 lens told me they later sold off them cause they are not as sharp as 18105. I compared the MTA graphs of 18105 and 18135, which indicates 18135 had better performance in all focal lengths. As to 1670, some pro photographers said 1670 had better performance a... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Fantastic quality for the size and price
This is a very good lens for the size and price. Stopped down it is consistently sharp throughout its very useful zoom range and the color and contrast are respectable. The focusing speed is acceptable. The size is excellent. With an A6xxx camera it makes a very small and useful travel kit that takes solid pictures in good light. You do need to understand its limitations though. It is a small aperture super zoom. You shouldn't expect decent perfo... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Nice focal range all rounder
I replaced my Sony E PZ 18-105mm with this lens. The 18-105 would not allow any Sony clearimage zoom because of it's built in electric zoom, more video orientation on my A6500. Not that I use clearimage zoom often but every once in awhile it comes in very handy. This lens has an excellent overall focal range so should be on my camera a lot. Excellent for travel. It also feels much nicer, more balanced, on the camera than the 18-105 did. I guess f... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent All-in-one Travel Lens
This lens definitely has it's compromises. If you want extreme corner to corner sharpness for landscapes then a prime fixed focal length will be better. And if you need a faster aperture then there's the 18-105 with a constant f/4. But for me, this lens provides excellent center sharpness and a long focal range (7.5x zoom) in a relatively compact package (it is noticeably smaller and lighter than the 18-105 or the 18-200). It's a great option to... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Big improvement
I havent been able to use the lens much yet; still recovering from hip replacement surgery so Im limited to photos of the cats, photos through the windows of the house, and product photos for the big auction site. Its much sharper than the 16-50 kit lens, and with better contrast too. Im selling my 16-50 on the big auction site now. I havent decided if Ill also sell my 55-210; Ive read in the forums that this lens at 135 then cropped will out-per... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sony E 18-135mm Great Lens (Love It)
I received my Sony E 18-135mm late yesterday afternoon. I have been looking at this lens since January of this year and also looking at the 16-70mm. I finally decided on the 18-135mm because of many reviews I read and the MTF chart. I am definitely happier about settling on the 18-135mm vs 16-70mm because of cost and zoom range. I like the size, weight and nice build / feel. I really like the resistance and smoothness when turning the zoom ring... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Next travel with love!
I used to travel with 3 lenses (no zoom); no problem if you travel alone, but when the other person is waiting for you to move on ?because you change the lens often, is not a good situation for a plaisant trip. Thats the reason this 18-135mm is superb less time to foul around by changing lens, cleaning them, installing tripod to be stable, The 18-135mm is a superb stabilisation system (Some mention it is more stable then 18-105mm). What I like th... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
If you could only use one lens
Only the APS-C format can deliver something like this, a wide-angle to telephoto. The 35mm equivalent for this lens is 27-202.5 mm. It's slow (f/3.5 to f/5.6), but today's incredibly high ISO's make it not so big a deal. The bokeh is surprisingly good, too. This lens is pretty much all you need 99.9% of the time, except for photographers who delve into ultrawide or super-telephoto. And finally, this lens is small, compared to old-school 70-200mm ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good but...overpriced
In the short time Ive had this lens Ive enjoyed using it and, in general, have been happy with its size, weight, performance for cost ratio. I purchased it after reading several reviews and watching a number of YouTube reviews so I had a good idea of its limitations. For example, strong corner vignetting at the 18mm setting. Im surprised Sony would produce a lens with this issue, seems like a problem lens makers have solved, and solved well, over... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
a new review after a year of use
I thought that this was the perfect lens until I tried to do some long-exposure shots of the stars and learned that the lens - at least MY lens - does not know what infinity means. Instead of stars (and of course star trails) I ended up with hundreds of photos shot over several hours that all looked like water droplets on the lens. I have done night sky photography for years with a number of cameras and never had anything like this happen before.... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great travel lens!
If you're looking for a solution for travel lens, you've found it. I sold off my 55-210 AND my 18-105 for this one, and couldn't be happier. Compact, with a great range, and lightweight. This lens practically lives on my a6500 now - even when I'm not traveling. No lens creep either. I found all technical aspects of the lens work well: AF, etc. No hesitation recommending this to anyone with an a6xxx camera. I'm an enthusiast, a hobbyist, and not a pro. 16 years digital photography experience with a dozen cameras and many, many lenses over the years. This is a keeper.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Utility Lens
I've been using the lens for a few months and I have really come to appreciate how versatile the lens is. The autofocus is fast, the OSS is wonderful, and the minimal focus distance make macro-esque photos. I find the lens extremely sharp at the longer focal lengths, especially in the center but the wide angle performance is a bit weak and corner sharpness is a bit weak. For the price it would have been nice to have constant aperture but it is what it is. Overall good walk-around lens but also bring a good prime!
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Possibly the perfect travel lens
I have only had the Sony E 18-135mm a few days, but I like the way it feels on my A6300, IMO it actually feels better than the Sony E 16-70mm, the barrel does not extend as far as you zoom through the range. Test shots I have taken are sharp and have good colour rendition. The lens displays slight fringing towards the edges at longer focal lengths, but this was easily fixed in post. I am feeling like this lens will be the perfect travel lens, and stay on the camera for at least 75% of the time.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great travel lens
We toured Arizona last month and I wished I had a lens like this. I bought this as soon as I got back and headed for New Mexico. The lens makes a compact and lightweight camera, easy on the neck, and still gives great photos. I only took this one lens with me and the zoom range was perfect for every shot I wanted and image quality is still great. I wish it had a larger aperture, but I would have to pay in weight and size. I think this is a great compromise for travel.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Walk Around Lens
I was looking to upgrade my current kit lens (18-55) for my Sony A6500. After reviewing similar lenses, including third party lens (the Sony 18-105PZ, the Tamron 18-270 and others) I selected the Sony E 18-135 OSS. The Sony 18-135 is small, light, compact, excellent quality and is an excellent fit for the A6500, especially for traveling. After using it for a couple of weeks now, I definitely made the correct choice for a primary all around lens for my travel purposes.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great All In One Zoom
I just received this lens which replaced my Sony 18-105 PZ. I never needed the power zoom function but it was the best zoom option I found. I tried the Tamron 18-200 but found the images were just a tad too soft compared to the 18-105. Im happy with this new zoom. Much lighter and smaller. And Im happy to report the images seem slightly sharper as well (Im a pixel peeper). My main use will be using it while hiking so the slightly slower speed is an easy trade off.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
