sony 18-105 f4 review

Sony E PZ 18-105mm F/4 G OSS reviews roundup: should you buy it?

Sony E PZ 18-105mm F/4 G OSS reviews roundup: is it worth the price?

Released in 2013, the Sony E PZ 18-105mm F/4 G OSS is an all-around zoom lens designed for Sony’s APS-C mirroless cameras, with a fixed aperture of f/4 and a focal range equivalent to a 27 – 157.5 mm on a full frame camera.

Its wide zoom range makes it a very versatile lens for most shooting situations, from portrait to landscape photography.

Specs: 

  • Mount: Sony E-mount
  • Full frame eq.: 27 – 157,5 mm
  • Optical stabilization: Yes
  • Weather sealed: No
  • Weight: 427g (15,1oz.)
  • Min. aperture: f/4
  • Max. aperture: f/22
  • Minimum focus distance: 45cm (wide)- 95 cm (zoom)
  • Filter size: 72mm
Sale
Sony SELP18105G E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS , Black
  • High performance E mount lens with excellent contrast; Minimum Aperture (F): 22
  • Minimum Focus Distance : 1.48 (Wide) 3.12 ft (Tele), Maximum Magnification ratio : 0.11x, Focal Length : 18 105 mm
  • Versatile 27 158mm (35mm equiv.) zoom range. Angle of view (APS C): 76° 15°. Number of aperture blades are 7

What do the critics think of the Sony E PZ 18-105mm F/4 G OSS?

Overall, most reviews on the web say that the Sony E PZ 18-105mm F/4 G OSS is a pretty good lens if you own an APS-C Sony camera and need something versatile, especially for video. Indeed, it has an ultra smooth and quiet motorized zoom, which makes it very popular with videographers. Its integrated stabilization is a big plus if you need to use it in low light conditions. Overall it gives pretty sharp pictures, with a good color rendition and contrast

The only downsides that come up most often is the distortion and the lack of sharpness towards the edges of the frame at 105mm. Other than that, that’s a great tool if you just need an all-around lens for travel photography and videos.

Most reviews like…

  • Great zoom range
  • Excellent sharpness in the centre of the frame
  • Excellent build quality
  • Effective optical stabilisation
  • Fixed aperture of f/4
  • Smooth and silent zoom
  • Relatively lightweight

Most reviews don’t like…

  • Lack of sharpness towards the edges of the frame at 105mm
  • Some noticeable chromatic aberations
  • Distortion at 105mm
  • Not extremely sharp
  • Not weather-sealed

For more infos about the positive and negatives sides of the Sony E PZ 18-105mm F/4 G OSS, check out the selection of reviews below:

Websites Reviews

Pcmag.com3.5/5GOOD – (‘The Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS lens has a long zoom range and a power zoom design that’s great for video, but it makes some optical compromises.‘)

Photographyblog.com★★★★☆ Recommended (‘The Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4G OSS is a versatile lens that’s particularly well-suited to video work due to the broad focal range, quiet focusing and the power zoom function. It’s too big and heavy for comfortable use on some of the smaller Sony camera bodies […] The main strength of the Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4G OSS lens lies in its 6x focal range, constant f/4 aperture, better-than-expected sharpness, and quiet operation.’)

Thephoblographer.comEditor’s Choice Award(‘When it comes to zoom lenses for mirrorless camera systems, not much can beat the Sony 18-105mm f4 G OSS. Micro Four Thirds have their own excellent zooms, but so far we haven’t seen any truly breathtaking and spectacular ones for the APS-C systems. Sony has created a lens that while big for a mirrorless system, renders some of the best images that we’ve seen from the Sony APS-C E mount system after the company’s very excellent primes. If you’re going for one single zoom to rule them all, you should take a strong look at this one. And considering the decent price point, you’ll have no reason not to spring for it.’)

Ephotozine.com✪✪✪½(‘Clearly, as this lens is aimed at video shooters, some of the optical issues may not be a concern for people recording moving images with this lens on an NEX camera. In fact, it is very good for this job. Those shooting stills may be wary of the poor performance towards the edges of the frame at the telephoto end of the zoom, and the wild distortion that is present, as well as the high levels of fringing present. These issues make the lens difficult to recommend to those who may shoot stills with this lens, unless shooting JPEG only.’)

Amazon users reviews

Sale
Sony SELP18105G E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS , Black
  • High performance E mount lens with excellent contrast; Minimum Aperture (F): 22
  • Minimum Focus Distance : 1.48 (Wide) 3.12 ft (Tele), Maximum Magnification ratio : 0.11x, Focal Length : 18 105 mm
  • Versatile 27 158mm (35mm equiv.) zoom range. Angle of view (APS C): 76° 15°. Number of aperture blades are 7

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