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I bought this lens to replace a Sigma 28-80 f/3.5-5.6 macro lens. I have upgraded from a 35mm K-M SLR to the Sony alpha 100, and was using the older camera's lenses until I could afford to replace them. The first thing I noticed with this lens is the different focusing ring, which has no markings on it. This makes zone focusing impossible. It also makes adjusting the diaphragm & focus for the proper depth of field far more difficult when using the lens' hyperfocal distance. Maybe I can mark up the ring myself to fix this... After field testing the lens, I found I was having problems with vignetting due to the low-profile polarizing filter I had on the lens. My older lens, which was made for 35mm film, had the same field of view on 35mm film as this one does on the camera's APS-C sized sensor, but the older lens did not have the same vignetting problem with the same filter. Bummer. Finally, after getting the files downloaded to my PC and opening them in photoshop, I noticed that this lens is just not as tack-sharp as my older lens could be, although the focus does seem to be more consistent throughout the image frame. I used this lens in autofocus mode, while the older one was used as a manual focusing lens (the focusing gear broke on the old lens), so the problem could be in the camera's autofocus, but I doubt it. (After all, this lens was made for this camera.) Overall, while this lens is OEM for my current camera body and is built better than the old Sigma lens it replaced, there are some significant deficiencies with the design of this model for any serious photographer.Read full review
An excellent all-round lens for most daily photographic needs. Wide-angle to mid-telephoto without having to change lens. Excellent image quality through the full 18-70 range. Light weight but durable. Note: this is my third SAL-1870 lens -- both previous ones failed after about four years of use. The auto-focus mechanism seized up and I had to use manual focus until I found a replacement. I hope I won't b shopping for a fourth one in another four years.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I bought this to get the increased focal length over the SAL18-55 that came with my A65.It is also slightly better for Portraits. I have shot a wide variety of different photos with it.The corner to corner sharpness is not as good as my 28-135 Minolta but it's much lighter to carry around.If you are on a budget it's a great walk around lens and it's better than some of the older Minolta in the same range and is better with the flash.If you have the extra bucks go for the SAL18-250 the sharpness is better and you only need one lens for most everything. If you want tack sharpness go with the 50mm or100mm Macros.They are hard to beat.
This is a great everyday lens! Very compact & lightweight (about 8oz.). I have several lenses for my Sony A100. Carrying this lens around for quick snapshots, it's size makes it very comfortable hanging around your neck. If you need more zoom capability the SAL 18200 18-200mm lens is just a little bigger when closed and a mere 6oz heavier, although it is priced quite a bit higher than this one. If your buying a new A series camera it's worth upgrading to the 18-200 lens. This is the most standard lens sold with the Sony A series camera. It will take great still or action photos & the prints come out just as clear & vivid as any of the other lenses I have and unless you need more zoom this will be a great lens and save you a few bucks as well! Please vote YES below if you found this review helpful! THANKS!Read full review
I know a lot of people knock this lens. For $200 retail (I bought for $32!!) it's not worth it, but when you can find them on Ebay for under $60 they're great. Very wide angle, some color loss and fisheyeing at 18mm, but really does a decent job on shooting small rooms or big groups inside. Cool thing is I can lose this lens and only be out $32 instead of $600-$700 for a fast APO. So, great for cheap utility lens or an upgrade from stock 35mm-70mm that used to come with the Minolta kits.
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