RRRK
From: Lafayette, IN

2000 photos later...

September 26, 2012
Initially, before purchase, I was confused with reviews I had read else in the Net. My perfect zoom lens would be 50-320mm, but there is no such available... Because the time was running out, I decided to buy this (SEL18200LE) lens and give it a try during my trip to Yellowstone. I was nicely surprised by the quality of the build. Everything feels nice and solid out of the box. Zoom and focus rings have appropriate resistance, the lens is on heavier side, but I find it very useful, especially while using tripod - it is well balanced for me. All rubber covered contact surfaces give nice "quality feel". Very useful feature of this lens is a lock switch, which comes handy during transportation. I have noticed that the lens tends to extend slowly while un-locked and hiking in the wild, but I do not find it annoying due to aforementioned lock feature. Of note - I have not yet encountered the situation when while shooting "straight down" the lens extends by itself, which was reported in some YouTube videos. After shooting couple thousand images I can say this lens is great. All the images came very crisp, naturally colored and nicely saturated. This lens has fast AF, performs well in low light conditions, gives nice bookeh when used in portrait situations and in my opinion it is great "everyday" lens #if you don't mind it's weight#. Overall: Good job Sony!... Read More  Hide
PhotographyAmateur
From: Hamilton, NJ

Exacellent travel lens

September 12, 2014
I have used this lens on an NEX-7 body for almost a year. It is an ideal all-purpose lens for a traveler who prefers to carry a single lens to cover most shooting situations. In my opinion, carrying a lens bag with multiple lenses negates the advantage of traveling with a small mirrorless camera. Image quality is surprisingly good for a zoom lens with an 11x zoom factor. I use this lens for outdoor daytime photography of mostly stationary subjects (predominantly cityscapes and landscapes), and have not noticed the slow focusing described in other reviews; the lens I have used acquires sharp focus quickly. I cannot address its performance for action photography.... Read More  Hide
Presales
From: SAN FRANCISCO, CA

18-200 is really useful range, IQ is acceptable.

July 10, 2012
My own Nex lens ranking is like this. 1. Zeiss 24mm 2. 50mm F1.8 3. 30mm F3.5 4. 18-200 LE 5. 18-55 Bundle I like fixed range lenses because IQ is very reliable and low maximum aperture is make a great blur for portrait. Always want crispy crispy and crispy photo. First time, I used this lens at night with high ISO. Results are not good for the price. I just disappointed. I used tamron, sigma's superzoom lenses before. I got a similar feeling from this lens. Next day, I tried to use this sunny day with F7 to F11 and fixed 100 ISO. I just surprised with my photos. It looks totally different lens. Color is very stable, and easy to use zoom. Focus is absolutely fast. I know superzoom is built for outdoor photo. I think I will not have a chance to use my 18-55 lens again. 18-200 is a way expensive but I think it worth.... Read More  Hide
Most Helpful
Steelhead
From: OR, WA, BC & AK

Quality Glass

November 04, 2012
This is a great versatile lens with excellent image quality. It has a quality solid feel to it. It should not be expected to serve in low light conditions. That is a job for faster prime lenses. Out of the box, the zoom appears somewhat stiff but that goes away with use or by simply exercising it. There is no lens creep,... NONE. Yes, if you hang it on a strap, then hike or bike it may move but, well... Don't do that... not without using the lock anyhow. * The first image "mid zoom" was shot in subdued light at 54mm (79mm/35mm), f/9, .8s, 8sNDF, with a 200 ISO. A tripod was used with the long (almost one second) exposure. * The second image "full zoom" was shot in full sunlight fully extended at 200mm (300mm/35mm), f/6.3, 1/400, with a 100 ISO. This image was taken hand held. It was also cropped a bit tighter. As you can see from the second image, the Optical SteadyShot (OSS) functions well. However, as with any zoom of this range, in low or severely indirectly lighting conditions either a mono or tri pod is advised. This is an excellent lens for the money. Don't leave home without it,.. but supplement it with at least one fast prime.... Read More  Hide
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