The Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 is a member of the ”vacation lens” club, with an extreme range of focal lengths available through the zoom range that makes changing lenses a thing of the past. Or at least that’s the idea with vacation lenses, but the trade-off for their obvious ease-of-use and zoom range is usually a distinct lack of optical quality. And while Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 theoretically possible to make a high-quality vacation lens. The Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3, on a Sony digital body with a 1.5 crop factor, will represent a 27-300mm lens in 35mm film terms. It weighs in at 14oz (405 grams) and takes 62mm filters.
Additionally, another lens has been developed and capture great images is the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro. Compared to Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3, Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro has the upgraded F-mount version of the lens to an HSM drive. The build quality of the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro lens is good – it’s made of tightly assembled combination of metal and high quality parts. You may notice that it’s actually quite long at 70mm especially when mounting the supplied lens hood. The Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro OS features the slightly simplified version of Sigma’s HSM. It is still fast and nearly silent but full-time manual (FTM) override is not possible in one-shot AF mode. Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro two control rings have a smooth, pleasant action. The Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro focus ring is coupled to the AF mechanism so it rotates during focus operations. This is a point where the cost-cutting measurements get a little more obvious. Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro borders start with good figures here whereas the corners are somewhat soft and you should stop down to f/4 to overcome these corner problems. The peak performance is reached at f/5.6 with a generally very good quality across the frame. A major new feature is, of course, the OS (“Optical Stabilizer”). As already mentioned, Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro is impressively efficient and as good as the corresponding genuine manufacturer implementations. The Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro center performance is very fine straight at 17mm @ f/2.8 and it even gets excellent when stopping down. Click here to get the most of Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro.
The Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 is nicely sharp when used in the mid-range of its specifications: not wide-angle or telephoto, and with the aperture stopped down about halfway. Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 optimum performance with respect to sharpness can be achieved with the aperture set to ƒ/8 and a focal length between 35mm and 70mm. With the Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 set to wide-angle and shot wide open at ƒ/3.5. There is a small sharp area in the central region of the frame. Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 lens is an excellent candidate for showing why setting a larger minimum aperture is a good thing – for example, at 200mm and ƒ/40, the whole image is extremely soft, at around 9 blur units. Not great performance, unless you’re into that sort of look. Click here to get more of exciting features of Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3.
Here is a summary of Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 review from a satisfied customer:
a travel photographer’s dream
As a professional landscape photographer who feels compelled to carry a wide variety of lenses, I found this lens has helped me lighten my carry on case. This is a versitile lens that provides fine steady quality under most landscape conditions. It replaces 3 lenses that I used to carry on my travels. The reproduction quality that I get from most enlargements from my new alpha 700 with this lens is top quality. As others note, I wish it had sturdier materials but if it gets banged up, it is reasonably inexpensive to replace. If you add a set of macro filters, it does a great macro job on flora. You will find that on most shoots, you will likely use this lens over 75% of the time. That helps keep the dust and dirt from getting on the sensor when you change more frequently as I used to do.
In summary, you can achieve nicely sharp images with this Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 if you shoot in within a limited number of apertures and focal lengths: generally, ƒ/8 or ƒ/11, and between 35mm and 70mm. Resistance to chromatic aberration is good for Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 if you shoot it at somewhat conservative focal lengths; specifically, between 35mm and 100mm. The Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 does vignette. Shading in the corners is really only a factor when using the lens at a wide angle (~18mm). The focusing operation of Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 is conducted mechanically even with this limitation the autofocus racks through very quickly, at less than one second for the entire range. The Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 lens is a dedicated macro lens, focusing fairly distant (18″, 45cm) from the subject. The lens provides a magnification of 0.27x.
Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 has the following features and specifications:
- DT lens design for optimum performance
- Excellent wide-angle to long telephoto shots
- Fast internal focusing with no change in lens length
- 3 aspherical lens elements for wide-angle accuracy
- 35mm equivalent: 27mm to 300mm
Click here to watch a video of Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 and view its great features
Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 has the following Pros and cons:
Pros:
- Long range
- Good all around
- Good close capability
- Relatively inexpensive
- Compatible with APS-C Sensors
- Compact DT Design
- Has IF (Internal Focusing System)
cons:
- Plastic mount
- Soft and distortion
- Weak edge performance
Conclusion:
Overall, the Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 lens is very well constructed, with a rugged plastic mechanism. The lens does have a distance scale. Specially designed for the APS-size CCD imager of the Sony α (alpha) DSLR camera, the SAL-18200 is the standard zoom lens that brings you closer to your subject. With superior all-in-one lens performance for everyday shooting, its 35mm-equivalent range of 27mm wide-angle to 300mm telephoto excels at capturing faraway subjects, sports events, dramatic landscapes and intimate close-up views. Click here to get the exciting features of Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3.
