Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
standard zoom kit lens, KM compatible |
| Disadvantages: |
some darkening at widest angle |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
This is the standard lens that comes with the new Sony Alpha 100 digital SLR camera (dSLR).
It fits on to a the Sony a-mount or for those who have one of the old Konica Minolta Dynax camera, it will fit in the KM-mount. However it is a digital only lens so film purists will not be served well by it.
Taking photos with this lens using the Sony camera is a dodle. The auto-focus or manual is done on the camera body so the lens only has two controls and those are lens length and manual
focus if you are using it that way.
The lens length is a large ring control in the centre which is of smooth operation with just enough resistance so you don't knock it accidently but not so much where movements could be jerky. Auto-focus is fast and very reliable but not as quiet as some would like, certainly not one for stealth operation!
Manual focus is through a ring control right at the front. The lens could benefit from markers indicating distance from the object in focus but I actually found that they're absence is not critical.
The photos are nice and sharp from it and I have not found it lacking in relation to a Nikon 18-70mm kit lens we have in the household and better than the Canon 18-55mm kit lens. That extra 15mm really makes a different and means you don't have to swap lenses as often as you think. For dSLR owners that is certainly a plus.
The lens does suffer from some darkening on the corners at it's widest 18mm
angle which is a shame but easily correctable on the photos with Photoshop which has a correction for such problems.
Another annoying feature is that when transporting lenses I have been educated that you should "close" the lens to prevent the elements (that's the lenses) from dislodging. This lens is at it's most closed position on the 22mm mark and then opens up going to the 18mm mark so closing is not as easy as just pulling it to the widest angle, which is what you do with the 75-300mm telephoto zoom lens.
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