SAL-1870
3.3
5
5
6
It gets you by
Pros Explanation: This lens is very light. Great for if you're not wanting lots of weight to carry around. The color of this lens is alright, it certainly isn't the best but it's a kit lens so it does the job its intended to do.
Cons Explanation: The focus ring on this lens is very small and the distance is short so manual focus would be a challenge with this lens. I've tried it and each time the photo comes out slightly out of focus. This camera produces a great deal of noise from the focus because its screw-drive driven by the camera's motor. I have mine mounted on an a300 but I'm certain it may be better with the a700 or one of the newer models like the a5xx series. Over the life time of this lens it seems the quality begins to slip. You'll notice having to correct more photos than normal. Its not totally bad but it can become irritating if you're trying to do projects quickly and want to avoid correcting as much as possible.
Overall: Its a kit lens and it does a bit better than your typical kit lens from other manufacturers and it has its flaws as well. If you're looking for an upgrade to this lens, Look at the Premium model lens which was a kit lens to the a700 but far more advanced than the kit with entry level models, which is the Sony 16-105mm lens. Its $549 sale and $599 full price but well worth it. It too has its flaws but there easy to get over once you see the quality of this lens. If your budget allows for an even better lens upgrade then I highly recommend the Carl Zeiss 16-80mm lens. You may not miss the shorter range compared to the 16-105 but its wider and longer than the kit 18-70mm and with the highest quality possible from a lens. Which ever rout you go is a good one, but this lens is a nice budget lens that will get the job done. Just not for high paid projects or other assignments that require the best picture quality possible.
July 20, 2010
Lets explain
I own my A100 kit for over a year. I took allot of realy good pictures with it, but once I tried to sell them on shutterstock, I got very disapointed... Chromatic aberration and lock of overall sharpness made my pictures useless for shutterstock.
P.S. If you want to have great pictures for your family album, Kit lens is just great, good zoom range, very light and sharp. But if you are thinking of selling your photos, you must have top quality optics like fixed focal length prime lenses, or Zeiss, or G series.
April 13, 2009
Better than other kit lenses on Famous name DSLR
I'm no expert, but the range, 18-70 is way better than the 18-50, or 18-55, that you get with Nikon or Canon. Also the color quality and picture quality is very good for a so called "kit lens." I also did some research online, and the 18-70 lens from Sony has an above average rating. My lens came as a "KIT" with the a200 and I am very satisfied because it's a macro, and a zoom lens in one. It's lightweight and easy to use. Manual or auto focus it does what it's supposed to and much more. I've got some very good pictures and like this lens very much.
December 29, 2008
A Year's Experience
I bought an Alpha100 with the 18-70mm "kit" lens in December 2007. After using it for a year I am still very pleased with it. The only thing I would like that the ?100 does not have is a tilting LCD screen, and that has been accommodated with the ?300. I have used the camera/lens for the full range of photography and it handled everything I attempted. I am especially pleased with its available light performance. And that was a surprise as the 18-70 is not a particularly fast lens. I think the image stabilization and auto focus are excellent, allowing me to concentrate on composition, and compensating for the average lens speed.
I take a lot of indoor photographs of our Yorkshire Terrier and Blue Fronted Amazon parrot. Both are challenging subjects. The Yorkie is a black and silver and his fur is a light magnet and hard to focus on manually. Add the fact that he is in almost constant movement and is a hard subject to keep in focus. The parrot takes a dim view of cameras and goes into flight or fight mode when one gets near her. And the pop and flash of a big flash panics her. But with the 18-70mm lens I can stand back to where she will tolerate me holding a camera pointed at her. And the little on-camera flash provides enough light without spooking either of them. So my Yorkie shots have good definition in the fur without washing out the eyes and teeth. And the highlights in the parrots eyes and feathers of her face are sharp. The reaction time of the camera allows me to get the picture I am trying to take, rather than the back of the parrot's head or departure view of the Yorkie.
I am mentally comparing the ?100/18-17mm to a classic German rangefinder camera I use to photograph these animals and it passes the test. I would recommend this camera and lens to anyone without reservation. Sony created a winner. I have been so pleased with the ?100 that I am getting an ?300.
December 7, 2008
