Sony SELP18105G E PZ f/4.0 G, APS-C, Power Zoom Lens, Black, 18-105 mm

This lens seems to be the preferred mid-range zoom for Sony e-mount APS-C sensor cameras and I can see why. I already own Sony's 18-135mm manual zoom lens, which is lighter, smaller and covers a longer zoom range. Both lenses are the same price, approximately.Reviews of this lens against the 18-135mm lens show that both are of comparable sharpness - one lens wins at some focus distances and zoom settings, then the other wins at other settings so they're pretty comparable and I can confirm this is the case.This lens is a huge step-up from the kit 16-50mm lens in terms of sharpness, and it does carry Sony's "G" lens designation which is reserved for its high-end performers.The other benefit is power zoom, particularly if you're a videographer. The lens' constant aperture of f/4 may not lend itself to low-light filming, but you may find the power zoom feature particularly useful.The zoom switch is a variable-speed slider, and despite other reviewers stating that a slow zoom speed can't be achieved, it is actually possible. You just have to roll your finger around at the base of the switch to achieve a very small movement of the slider off the zero position, and the lens will start to zoom extremely slowly. The same can be achieved going back to a wide shot. The zoom speeds that can be achieved are incredibly slow, taking tens of seconds to traverse from 18mm to 105mm or vice versa. Much slower than the 18-200mm power zoom lens (which is a very old lens now) even on its slowest setting.One caveat for me is that if you turn on "clear zoom" in the camera (which is Sony's proprietary digital zoom extension with enhanced apparent resolution) then there isn't the same continuity of zoom range as there is with the 18-200mm lens. Using the 18-200mm lens, the digital zoom starts immediately once the optical zoom limit is reached so you can't tell in footage where the optical zoom stopped and the clear digital zoom took over. There is a glitch in zooming out but not during zooming in. With this lens, there's always a noticeable glitch when the optical zoom range is reached and digital clear zoom starts, which is a shame as clear zoom can add between 1.7x and 2x zoom on top of whatever the lens is capable of.Overall though, it's the sharpest mid-range zoom you can get for Sony APS-C cameras and it's well worth the money. This could be your only lens if you're being strategic about achieving a camera set-up that has maximum value/quality for money, or it's a nice lens to have as part of a collection particularly if you've thinking about full zoom range coverage and need something to fit in the middle between a short range zoom or wide-angle lens and a long zoom lens such as Sony's 70-350 (which also has the "G" designation).

Excellent all-rounder lens for outdoors photography. Super-sharp with a very convenient focal length range. The sturdy body remains the same length when using the power zoom so that your gimbals won't be confused. It's a perfect match for those looking to shoot video or have one all-rounder lens e.g for travel. What it lacks in portability it makes up in being the right tool for most jobs. Throw the Sony 18-105 and one specialty lens (fast portrait, macro, or a wide angle) into your kit and you cover 99% of your needs. Only downsides are its bulk compared to other lenses on my A6300, f/4 (as opposed to faster lenses) and the focusing distance (you will not be taking many close ups with this one). Other than those, it's pretty much perfect. Certainly growing to be my favourite lens.

I use this lens almost all the time. It's my go-to when I'm unsure of what I'll be shooting and it performs admirably. I have no issues with the clarity of the images as I'm primarily doing post processing and pretty much all photo editors have distortion correction for this lens. It's plenty fast at zooming and it's buttery smooth. Very silent as well. Compared to my 50mm f.1.4, it's almost as sharp, but it's definitely not as fast a lens being only f.4, but it is fixed so in most of the lighting situations, I find it quite fast; and even while zooming, the overall brightness of the scene is not affected and I can just keep shooting. Even if some people may complain that power zooming is "slow", I find I can zoom and shoot much faster than I would be able to with another zoom lens. For everything it offers, it's worth the (Sony) price. Get it, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Good lens overall with a few drawbacks. Comparison to my Zeiss 18-70mm.IQ is decent across the lens but not as sharp as the Zeiss in the 18-50 range. The Zeiss is also brighter.That said, it’s built well and has the extra reach if that suits. However, it’s too big and heavy for an a6300/6500 body IMO.The main issue I have, which meant a return, was the focus by wire zoom. It’s laggy so there’s a delay in starting and stopping zooming - this is the same with the zoom ring and the power zoom controls. Zoom to 70mm and let go and you end up at 76mm or a little closer than you want. Same zooming out. This means you always need to fine tune which wastes time. I’ll take a well produced manual zoom every day for speed and accuracy.Sure the Zeiss is more and doesn’t reach as far but it’s a much brighter compact lens with a better zoom implementation. Which all adds up to better shots. If you can pick one up used (a good copy without the known issues) then it’s in the same range as this and worth the extra.