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Purchased as a replacement for my Tamron 16-300 PZD, which was more versatile but in the end proved unreliable and needed expensive repairs, I was drawn towards this lens as, even though it is probably a Tamron in disguise, was lightweight and very sharp at F8 and F11. Loss of the 250-300mm end was not too much of an issue, but losing the 16-18mm extra wide angle is more of a disadvantage. Nevertheless it is a Sony product and looks good and performs more than acceptably. As a new lens it is not particularly good value but purchased second hand, as I did, makes sense if it has been well looked after, as mine obviously has been. I probably had a rogue Tamron lens, and nothing against the brand as I also have the 90mm macro which is an outstanding lens in current or previous model guise.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
With a huge range optically this is a great travel lens for APS-C format Sony SLR's. Build quality is ok. Size and weight is small and light. The lens retails for £600 new. It's not worth half that. I paid £135 second hand in mint condition. For me it's a hard compromise as I use high end Zeiss, Sony and Sigma lenses costing many thousands of pounds while holidaying in the U.K. Also consider the Sigma 18-300. You can buy this at reasonable but prices second-hand and the focusing speed and quietness are noticeably better. I took this lens on my Sony a77mk2 to Portugal recently and have been reasonably pleased with the results. Will I take it on my next foreign holiday? Probably, I'll also take a couple of prime lenses. Maybe my 24 and 50 f1.4 for lower light and for sharper images when requiredRead full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Let me start this review by saying, WOW! This lens is one of my best investments ever(almost as good as my 150 cc scooter investment). I am a wedding photographer and 95% of my work was done with the Canon systems, which are no doubt reliable camera systems.Most of the weddings I do are on the beach and I always hated to swap lenses by the sandy side or carry two camera bodies with different lenses. This until recently, when the new Sony mirror-less brigade remind me of how happy shooter I was with my film Minolta back in the days! I purchased the Sony A35(yes, that little toyish camera) and I bought the Sony SAL 18-250 lens for the convenience of compactness and all in one universal lens. I did the first test shots before a wedding and I couldn't believe my eyes how sharp the lens is! Before I was using the Canon 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 f4 L series and the quality is as good as it gets, but for an all purpose lens this Sony comes dang very close when viewed by non pixel peeper! The dynamic range on the little Sony A 35 is great and when paired with this lens, you will get a ninja camera combo, small, but effective! Compared with the Canon's big boys, the L series lens mentioned above, I can safely say that the Sony 18-250 is getting the 85% of the image quality and it is twice lighter and smaller, plus there's no need to swap lenses! Sony SAL 18-250 lens pros: extremely sharp, good contrast, very little chromatic aberration, zoom lock feature, good quality build,light weight, compact and great price tag! The cons: zooming is a bit stiff, it is a plastic(good quality plastic though), no environmental sealing! Final word, if you're not printing a billboard sized photos or working in a huge catalog company, get one! It will put a big smile on your face! For a personal travel photos or even medium budget weddings, you and your clients are going to be very pleased! Cheers!Read full review
I have used this lens a week now and used it on quite a few occasions, so far I am really pleased with the image quality throughout the zoom range, it has become my main lens at the moment due to the great focal range. The other advantage of the lens is you are less likely to have to continuously change your lens reducing the risk of the sensor getting dust on it
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
A very good lens with excellent range. Covering all focal lengths needed during most travels. I used it exclusively during my road trip in West Africa and found very few occasions when I wanted something else. The image quality is excellent if used with care, but isn't as flexible as for example the stunning Tamron 17-50, which is a completely different class of lens. The focusing is also fast in most situations, however it has problems in below-twilight scenes. It is well built with a smooth motion, though with significant lens creep, making the lock necessary to use at all times. All in all a very good lens that has little competition on the market.
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