SonySELP18105G E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS , Black

Photos taken at 105mm with NEX5T. They are cropped. Taken from about 40 feet away.UPDATE: updating to 5 stars. The more I use the lens the more I see how all of the benefits outweigh the bulk. Until a lens can offer the zoom capabilities of this lens while offering the high quality construction and pictures in a smaller package, I can't give this lens anything but 5 stars.This is going to be a brief initial impressions of this lens as I've only had it for a few hours. It came nicely packaged and despite knowing that it was going to be fairly big compared to the kit lens and the Sony 35f1.8, it was a little heavier than I expected Went onto my NEX 5T easy enough and then it was ready to go. The camera with the lens is much more bulky and heavy as expected but the lens has a good quality heft to it and seems well constructed.I took some test shots in moderate sunlight as well as mild indoor lighting. I did full 105mm and 18mm shots. My 35f1.8 takes noticeable crisper shots and the 1.8 aperture has outstanding background blur and bokeh, but I didn't buy this lens expecting it to rival that lens. I bought this lens as a versatile lens with good glass and good zoom and I believe I got it. I opted for this lens instead of more zoom with the 18200 and 55210 due to price and concerns with some criticisms from online reviewers. This lens has generally favorable reviews and didn't quite break the bank like other zoom lenses could do. The pictures I got were very clear and sharp throughout all the zooming. At full zoom the pictures remained surprisingly crisp and clear and I am very satisfied with the results so far.You're gonna want a good amount of light as the quality of pictures dropped significantly in poorer lighting situations but with a good amount of light you can expect fantastic quality shots. I knocked off a star because my personal preferences. The lens is big and bulky and while it is meant as a versatile travel lens, it is just nowhere near as travel friendly as my other lenses. However, the tradeoff is for high quality pictures with good zoom and I don't think you can get that without adding a significant amount of bulk and weight to your setup. I think this will be great for travel, outdoor landscape shots, shots of kids playing sports, wildlife, etc... The price seems justified so far and I am happy with my purchase over the other zoom lenses available for this line of cameras. As it stands, I can easily recommend this lens to others and will update my review after I have more experience taking it on a trip shortly.

I wanted to use my Nex-6 as a backup to my Sony A7 with a variety of Sony A-mount lenses used through the LA-EA4. I am very pleased with the IQ of the A7. I thought this 18-105mm f4 would be a good lens to put on the Nex-6 and have a fall back camera in my street photography. The shots I got when I received this lens simply amazed me ... and I am used to full frame and good glass. They were clear, crisp and the auto focus was fast. I was a little spooked to read certain forums and reviews about this lens having pillow distortion. It seems it is tru only on cameras that do not internally correct for the lens. I am happy to report my Nex-6 has virtually no such distortion.I was also hesitant due to some forum users reporting it was a video lens and somehow fell short in still photography. That it absolutely not true. I am also a videographer and have used Sony pro video cameras and lensing for years. These camcorders all had the Sony G lenses, and they are of remarkable optical quality in my experience. This 18-105mm f4 Sony G lens is probably at the top of the image quality ladder of all the lenses I have used in both still photography and videography. And that's exceptional because zooms usually do not have the IQ (image quality) that primes have. The zoom ring is smooth and predictable. The feel and build of the lens feels pro level to me. The sharpness and general color accuracy is good. I say generally because I did not take the time to look for things such as fringing on the edges, etc. I'm not trying to be superficial here, but I even like the way this thing looks on a small Nex-6. The lens barrel is relatively thin then progresses up in diameter as you go away from the camera. And on the business end of the lens is a wide, beautiful lens element. My years have taught me that, optical paths and other technological factors equal, there is no substitute for a large piece of glass for the main element. Bigger diameter glass gathers more light and resolves more detail. That's why even though this is an f4, it seems like a fairly bright lens when shooting. Simply put, his thing rocks.I'm going to try it on my E-mount Sony A7 and see if there are apertures where the vignetting (the 18-105mm is made for the smaller APS sensor) is reduced or nonexistent. I cannot imagine the image quality that combo would yield. Though the Nex-6 is a great camera, it simply cannot compete one on one with the A7 full frame and good glass ... Or so I thought. Now, unless I was going to blow up photos to large format afterward, I would equally trust this lens on the Nex-6 and the A7 with a prime. The full frame 100mm f2.8 Sony lens on the A7, on the other hand ... being an exceptional prime ... Might barely surpass this lens on the Nex-6. Overall this was a very good purchase. Very pleased.