I have only had this lens for a few hours, and have only tried it in the half-light of evening, but, I must say that I am, so far, very impressed. I must say that I am not particularly overwhelmed with the additional zoom capability over the kit 16-55mm. I appreciate that it is, on paper, a significantly superior magnification, but the visual impact isnt as great as I was expecting. However, my pictures so far have been pin-sharp. The sample picture that I have included demonstrates the clarity of focus. I was sat about 11 feet from the subject. In the original RAW image I was able to digitally zoom to see the actual brush effect in the metal finish. It is a significant improvement against the standard kit lens, which I found to be generally not too sharp, unless ... MoreI have only had this lens for a few hours, and have only tried it in the half-light of evening, but, I must say that I am, so far, very impressed. I must say that I am not particularly overwhelmed with the additional zoom capability over the kit 16-55mm. I appreciate that it is, on paper, a significantly superior magnification, but the visual impact isnt as great as I was expecting. However, my pictures so far have been pin-sharp. The sample picture that I have included demonstrates the clarity of focus. I was sat about 11 feet from the subject. In the original RAW image I was able to digitally zoom to see the actual brush effect in the metal finish. It is a significant improvement against the standard kit lens, which I found to be generally not too sharp, unless conditions were perfect.Regarding the manual zoom on my particular lens, I find the operation a little resistant, although it is very smooth.After using the power-zoom of the kit lens, the manual zoom takes a little getting used to, but it is not difficult after a few minutes of messing about.In low light, the auto-focus takes a while to find the spot. It helps if you have a contrasted linear feature to detect. I would imagine that the slowness of focus wouldnt be apparent in normal daylight conditions.The additional weight of this lens, although reasonably light, has an effect on the balance of the camera. If, like me, you started with the kit lens, you will find that the balance of weight has shifted from the.

Good all rounder

I bought this as a catchall Holiday lens. Its almost as small and light as my Zeiss 16-80 lens though build quality feels good. I suspect the image quality may not be as high as the Zeiss 16-80, but overall performance is good and there's the convenience of not needing to change lens to get the longer reach, making it ideal for holidays and opportunist shots. I appreciate that the zoom ring only needs a quarter of a turn to do the full zoom from 18 to 135mm. I also like the included petal shaped lens hood. Out the camera JPEGs look fine.

Good-plus, but noticeably lesser quality than Sony Zeiss 16-70

After dropping my thousand dollar Sony Zeiss 16-70 mm lens and shaking something loose, I decided that it was more cost-effective to buy the Sony 18-135 mm e-mount lens than to try to repair the Zeiss. The major disadvantage of the 18-135 lens is that the maximum aperture size is one stop smaller than for the Zeiss at longer focal lengths. (The minimum f-stops for the 18-135 lens at focal lengths of 18, 24, 35, 50, 70, 100, and 135 mm are 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5, 5.6, and 5.6 respectively.). Also the body of the 18-135 feels as if it has a lesser build quality (but of course its cost is 45% less).To test the image quality I compared the 18-135 to the Sony 35 mm prime lens by shooting a test target. Set at 35 mm, the 18-135 was about as sharp as the prime lens in the ... MoreAfter dropping my thousand dollar Sony Zeiss 16-70 mm lens and shaking something loose, I decided that it was more cost-effective to buy the Sony 18-135 mm e-mount lens than to try to repair the Zeiss. The major disadvantage of the 18-135 lens is that the maximum aperture size is one stop smaller than for the Zeiss at longer focal lengths. (The minimum f-stops for the 18-135 lens at focal lengths of 18, 24, 35, 50, 70, 100, and 135 mm are 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5, 5.6, and 5.6 respectively.). Also the body of the 18-135 feels as if it has a lesser build quality (but of course its cost is 45% less).To test the image quality I compared the 18-135 to the Sony 35 mm prime lens by shooting a test target. Set at 35 mm, the 18-135 was about as sharp as the prime lens in the center at all aperture settings from f/4.5 through f/16, but the corners were less sharp from f/4.5-f/8. The sharpness of the 18-135 zoomed to 70 mm was about the same as at 135 mm, but less than at 35 mm. At 35 mm, 70 mm, and 135 mm maximum sharpness was at aperture settings of f/5.6-f/8. I thought that sharpness was good for a zoom lens, although slightly less than I experienced with the Zeiss. I measured line-to-line resolution at the test target (positioned to take up the whole image) to be 225 lines/inch.At 18 mm f/3.5 the extreme corners of the image are black, apparently from the lens body. The black corners appear even without a filter mounted. They are almost all gone at f/8. This problem doesn’t occur at 35 mm with maximum aperture of f/4.5. This is a design defect that did not occur with the Sony Zeiss 16-70 lens at 16 mm and with maximum aperture (f/4).I consider this lens to be an economical alternative to the more expensive Zeiss lens, without too much sacrifice of sharpness. We lose a little on the maximum aperture, but gain significantly with the greater maximum focal length.Note on the accessory bundle: The filters supplied come in a box that describes on the back the professional multicoated filters. The filters on the Lens Essentials Filter Kit don't appear to have antireflective coatings (visual comparison made vs. Pro Optic MC-UV). For back-lit subjects or night photography with strong light sources in the frame you may need to purchase better filters or use no filters at all.

Great Travel Lens

I'm a hobbyist photographer. I've been using Sony E-mounts for about 10 years (NEX-6, a6000, a6600). This lens blows away the old 16-50 kit lens they used to include with a new E-mount camera. I took only this lens and my a6600 on a work trip to California. I wanted to see if it could be used as my only lens for street, architecture and nature photography. The image quality was excellent (I was constantly pixel peeping after each photo or burst of photos).Will this replace your best prime lenses? Probably not. Is this an excellent all around travel lens? Totally. I'll no longer have anxiety about which lens(es) to bring when I have limited space in my luggage.

Great all-purpose lens

I give this lens 5 stars, not because it is the sharpest or brightest lens available, but because it suits its purpose as well as any lens I have ever used. That is, a good general-purpose walk-around lens for casual photography. I use it mostly for traveling and casual shots of family and other people and locations. It is actually very sharp, corner to corner, for a lens in this category - not as sharp as the Sony 16-55 f2.8, and not as bright. But it is noticeably smaller and lighter, easier to carry around. And its equivalent focal range of 27-200mm means I never have to change lenses. Oh, by the way, it also has image stabilization. For any photography in good light, it is excellent. And I think that is what it was designed for, so 5 stars.

I love this lens

I decided to get this lens as an addition to the 16-50mm lens included with my A6400.I find this lens an excellent 'walkaround' lens and only swap to another for specific reasons.I have taken sharply focussed photographs, being able to zoom very quickly. The size and light weight mean that it feels superb when attached as the camera feels well balanced and I have good grip.I did look at several reviews before buying and I almost bought the 18-105mm but the 18-135mm has that extra reach which suits my needs better and I don't feel I'll miss the PZ feature.I have not noticed a loss of focus while zooming. All controls feel smooth and there's no play / backlash.This lens feels really solidly built and that gives me confidence to maintain it's use as my first ... MoreI decided to get this lens as an addition to the 16-50mm lens included with my A6400.I find this lens an excellent 'walkaround' lens and only swap to another for specific reasons.I have taken sharply focussed photographs, being able to zoom very quickly. The size and light weight mean that it feels superb when attached as the camera feels well balanced and I have good grip.I did look at several reviews before buying and I almost bought the 18-105mm but the 18-135mm has that extra reach which suits my needs better and I don't feel I'll miss the PZ feature.I have not noticed a loss of focus while zooming. All controls feel smooth and there's no play / backlash.This lens feels really solidly built and that gives me confidence to maintain it's use as my first choice.I have no regrets in picking this lens.

The Sony a6400 is the Best Camera I've Ever Used!!!

I've been using digital cameras for almost 20 years. I went from a variety of early point and shoot to a Nikon D40 to some of the early Sony Mirrorless cameras (NEX-5N and NEX-5R). When my 5R was stolen last year, I went through multiple cameras trying to find one I liked - I tried a Panasonic GX85 (loved the outside pictures, really struggled to take good pics indoors), a FujiFilm XT-20 and then X-T30 (loved the colors, but indoor pictures never appeared to be properly in focus). After I wasn't satisfied with any of those, I really considered just going back to a point and shoot. However, based on some recommendations on DPReview, I tried the Sony a6400. This is by far the best camera I have ever owned. The AF system on it is unbelievable. Pictures look great in ... MoreI've been using digital cameras for almost 20 years. I went from a variety of early point and shoot to a Nikon D40 to some of the early Sony Mirrorless cameras (NEX-5N and NEX-5R). When my 5R was stolen last year, I went through multiple cameras trying to find one I liked - I tried a Panasonic GX85 (loved the outside pictures, really struggled to take good pics indoors), a FujiFilm XT-20 and then X-T30 (loved the colors, but indoor pictures never appeared to be properly in focus). After I wasn't satisfied with any of those, I really considered just going back to a point and shoot. However, based on some recommendations on DPReview, I tried the Sony a6400. This is by far the best camera I have ever owned. The AF system on it is unbelievable. Pictures look great in any lighting I have tried so far. I love the lenses I have for it (Sony 18-135mm, Sigma 30mm 1.4, and Sigma 19mm 2.8). The menu system is a little hard to figure out; however I purchased an amazing tutorial by Michael the Maven which has helped. The only downside is I wish it had IBIS, but with a fast lens like the Sigma 1.4 lenses, it still takes great pics in lower light at higher shutter speeds. Fantastic camera!

Very Useful Lens

This lens fits a good roll. If you have the 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens, and the 55-210 zoom, but often find yourself switching at that middle ground, this is a good replacement for both imo. I would ditch both of those lenses and then take this, and the 70-350 at f4.All and all this lens is really great for walking around outside, or travel. It isn’t too big, but enough zoom to get most of the shots. It’s only about 1/2 inch longer than my sigma 30mm f1.4.I took it to a kids museum for a birthday party, it was a little dark for the lens to shine, but it’s definitely a lens that has a spot in your bag, especially for a newer shooter or if you were restricted on what you could carry.

Very disappointing lens due to veiling glare or haze

This lens is sharp but that being said the images are *very* often degraded by a high amount of haze or glare. The haze requires a lot of post processing to reduce to a tolerable level. I have not yet been able to pin the problem down to whether there is an urgent need for a lens hood (not supplied with the lens and not cheap as a Sony product + 3rd party products that will fit are the wrong shape to adequately shade a 28-70mm lens), or that this lens is somehow faulty, or that it is a general quality of this model lens.

Well built, excellent value

Just because it's plastic doesn't mean the build quality is poor. And just because it's a kit lens, doesn't mean it's terrible. I'm pleased with mine. It's plenty sharp for 5x7,8x10 even 11x14 prints. No reason for me to print larger. It's plenty sharp for posting online and social media. Mine's well built, focusing is smooth and doesn't make a sound. The manual focus ring is large and easy to use.Great everyday lens. Great compliment to the couple of primes, a macro and a longer zoom that I have. My few knocks, probably because I'm a bit old school, I miss the focus distance and aperture markings you used to see on lenses. There's also no hard stop to focusing. Might be tricky to focus to infinity. The work around is to set the camera to DMF (direct manual focus) ... MoreJust because it's plastic doesn't mean the build quality is poor. And just because it's a kit lens, doesn't mean it's terrible. I'm pleased with mine. It's plenty sharp for 5x7,8x10 even 11x14 prints. No reason for me to print larger. It's plenty sharp for posting online and social media. Mine's well built, focusing is smooth and doesn't make a sound. The manual focus ring is large and easy to use.Great everyday lens. Great compliment to the couple of primes, a macro and a longer zoom that I have. My few knocks, probably because I'm a bit old school, I miss the focus distance and aperture markings you used to see on lenses. There's also no hard stop to focusing. Might be tricky to focus to infinity. The work around is to set the camera to DMF (direct manual focus) and use the viewfinder to manually focus to infinity. Photographer Ken Rockwell says it best: "the Zeiss lenses are sharper if you spend your life indoors looking at the corners of zoomed-in images on computer screens, but for people who actually get out, shoot and hang one-man shows in galleries, this lens is more than sharp enough" (quote is from his review of the lens from his website)