Sony E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Le Lens

I'm using this lens on an a6300. I would have to categorize this lens as sharp enough and good enough. I am happy with the photos I make with it while understanding that I am trading off some optical quality for the convenience of fewer lens changes. I think some have rated the focusing action as slow, however, considering the great range this focus must rack through it is once again, good enough in my opinion. The focus ring is smooth and manual focus is a breeze with it. There is no dead band before the camera realizes you are trying to adjust focus. The zoom ring is very stiff. I can't tell if the ring is loosening up a bit with use or if my arm is getting stronger with the exercise. I don't really know what the lock is for at 18mm. Pretty useless unless you are ... MoreI'm using this lens on an a6300. I would have to categorize this lens as sharp enough and good enough. I am happy with the photos I make with it while understanding that I am trading off some optical quality for the convenience of fewer lens changes. I think some have rated the focusing action as slow, however, considering the great range this focus must rack through it is once again, good enough in my opinion. The focus ring is smooth and manual focus is a breeze with it. There is no dead band before the camera realizes you are trying to adjust focus. The zoom ring is very stiff. I can't tell if the ring is loosening up a bit with use or if my arm is getting stronger with the exercise. I don't really know what the lock is for at 18mm. Pretty useless unless you are pointing the camera straight down and want it to stay, for certain, at 18mm. I had one disturbing problem with the lens at first use. When I would hold focus on a subject the focus mechanism would vibrate alarmingly and squeal loudly. I was pretty sure the lens was going back to B&H as that was really alarming. I dismounted the lens and reattached it and the bad activity was somewhat reduced. Each cycling of the mount improved matters a bit. Now I'm thinking the contacts on the lens might be a problem. I took a dry cotton swab and burnished the contacts. The problem was then gone. Since then there is no hint of the problem.

People who have trouble with low light or focusing with this lens should use it with better camera.I bought my A6300 with the original 16-50mm small lens then upgraded to the SEL18200 to discover the camera could deliver so much more than I expected.When fitted on the A6300/A6500 cam, this lens has amazing autofocus and stabilisation performance because of the much greater number of AF points than on the NEX series of cams.Although quite large and heavy compared to the small mirrorless cams it is designed to be used on, this lens will give such a huge kick in performance to your APS-C cam, you probably won't ever want to use anything else.The 200mm telephoto provides the equivalent of a 300mm lens on a full frame cam.The large diameter provides for top ... MorePeople who have trouble with low light or focusing with this lens should use it with better camera.I bought my A6300 with the original 16-50mm small lens then upgraded to the SEL18200 to discover the camera could deliver so much more than I expected.When fitted on the A6300/A6500 cam, this lens has amazing autofocus and stabilisation performance because of the much greater number of AF points than on the NEX series of cams.Although quite large and heavy compared to the small mirrorless cams it is designed to be used on, this lens will give such a huge kick in performance to your APS-C cam, you probably won't ever want to use anything else.The 200mm telephoto provides the equivalent of a 300mm lens on a full frame cam.The large diameter provides for top quality low distortion photos or videos from wide angle all the way to maximum zoom. Autofocus and stabilisation is excellent in all but the lowest lighting conditions where the speed is getting too low.The con, of course, is you've just tripled the weight of your camera. A small price to pay to bring home the best pictures.This lens is just about the best companion to the Superior Auto mode of the A6300/A6500 rivaled only by the much more expensive SELP18200 or a cine lens.It's great for shooting 4k or time lapse clips as well.

I rented this lens to pair with an FX30 and it got the job done. Images came out nicely and the stabilishot worked as promised, but the camera struggled to recognize the lens from time to time and required remounting on the fly for autofocus to work correctly. When recognized, the pairing of internal stabilization with the lens' stabilishot provides a tripod-like level of stability, which can get a little jerky if trying to go from no movement to a small pan or tilt. Overall, if you're looking for a good travel lens with good responsiveness and few chromatic issues, it'll work.