The Sony 18-55mm lens is the standard kit lens that is often sold with many Sony Alpha DSLR cameras. This lens is also sold individually from Amazon
This lens is the replacement for the old Sony 18-70mm lens which is no longer offered and was below average in term of performance.
Being a kit lens, you really cannot expect great build quality.
However, I was surprised by how sharp this lens can actually get.
It has minor optical issues as well. For the price, this lens really offers great value for money if you do not need superb build quality.
See my full Sony 18-55mm lens review below to learn more about this lens.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Sony 18-55mm lens Specs
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Official Name:
Sony DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAL-1855
Focal Length Markings:
18, 24, 28, 35, 55mm
Features:
DT – Lens with this designation can only be used with cropped sensor DSLR. You should not use this with a full frame or film DSLR camera.
Full Technical Specs (from Sony’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 7 / 8 |
| Angle of View | 66 – 24 |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22-36 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 0.82ft. (0.25m) |
| Filter Thread | 55mm |
| Weight | 210g |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 2 3/4 X 2 3/4″ (69.5 X 69mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 1:1 |
| Available at | Amazon, B&H Photo or Adorama |
Optical Performance
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Sony 18-55mm Lens Sharpness
Center sharpness is excellent on this lens at any aperture and focal length, even wide open.
Surprisingly, border sharpness is also great at any aperture and focal length. This is quite rare for a kit lens!
See the complete sharpness test result below for this Sony 18-55mm lens at each focal lengths and apertures.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Sony DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAL-1855 Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 18mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 28mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 55mm | n/a | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Sony DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAL-1855 Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 18mm | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
| 28mm | Great | Great | Excellent | Great |
| 55mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
Distortion
Barrel distortion is apparent at 18mm and it is quite visible. At 28mm and 55mm, distortion can be ignored.
See the distortion test image grid below for each focal lengths.
Vignetting
Typical for a kit zoom lens, vignetting is visible at 18mm f/3.5. Stop down to f/5.6 to reduce vignetting significantly on this focal length.
At 28mm, vignetting is still visible, although not as pronounced as 18mm. Stopping down to f/5.6 will eliminate vignetting at this focal length.
At 55mm, the extreme telephoto, vignetting can be ignored at any aperture.
See my vignetting test chart below for each focal lengths and apertures.
Chromatic Aberration
This kit lens has a great chromatic aberration control. Chromatic aberration is very low at any focal length and aperture and can be ignored.
See the full chromatic aberration test result below for each focal lengths and apertures.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Sony DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAL-1855 Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 18mm | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| 28mm | Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| 55mm | n/a | Very Low | Very Low | Negligible |
Build Quality
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Materials
Cheap plastic for both the body and mount. This is to be expected given the price.
Zoom Ring
There is no zoom creep on this lens and the zoom ring is pretty smooth. This lens has its physical length on the middle of the range and will extend towards the extreme wide (18mm) and extreme telephoto (55mm).
There is some slight wobble on this lens when it is zoomed towards the longer end.
Focusing
The focusing ring is located at the front of the inner tube. You really should not do manual focusing when using this lens.
The front filter thread does rotate during focusing so you cannot use a polarizing filter easily.
This lens features an SAM (Smooth Autofocus Motor) which is an internal lens motor. It does not rely on the camera’s drive and therefore the autofocus is fairly fast and noiseless.
Direct manual focusing is not supported on this lens and you have to use the autofocus switch on the lens for manual focusing.
Image Stabilization
In the Sony DSLR world, the Image Stabilization is built into the camera sensor, not on the lenses. Check your camera body to see if it has the Image Stabilization feature.
Compatibility
This lens is compatible with both cropped sensor and full frame DSLR camera.
Sample Image
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Below are some sample images taken with this lens. Click on any thumbnail to open the image.
Get the best price online from these sites: Amazon
Conclusion
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Alright, I will summarize this Sony 18-55mm lens review here.
Drawbacks
- Barrel distortion at 18mm
- Visible vignetting at 18mm f/3.5 and 28mm f/4.5
- Cheap build
Positives
- Very sharp at any aperture and focal lengths, both on the center and borders
- Excellent chromatic aberration control
- Lightweight
- Fast and quiet autofocus
- Excellent value for money
Good For
- Lightweight kit lens for everyday use
Not So Good For
- Low light photography
- Portraiture photography due to small aperture at telephoto end
What Others Are Saying…
by “Philip”
I got this lens after my Sony 18-200 died. I got it so I’d have a wide zoom to carry me until I get something with more range, like an 18-250 or 16-105. I haven’t had this lens long, but no one…
Click here to see the full review
by “A. Dichter”
The general expectations for for a lightweight kit lens were met for the most part… especially size and weight. Although most inexpensive lenses show some problems at one range extreme or…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Sony 18-55mm lens from these sites (best price online):
Amazon (Best Price + FREE Shipping)
Do check out the related Sony lens review post below if you want to explore your options further.
Thanks for reading my Sony 18-55mm lens review, hope you’ve enjoyed it and I will catch you in the next one!
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
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