The SONY DT 11-18mm wide angle zoom lens has a lot to offer.
Written: Aug 11 '09
Product Rating:
Pros: Great colors, sharp, fast focusing, light weight, reasonably compact, decent build quality.
Cons: A little expensive, small maximum aperture.
The Bottom Line: Recommended as the best ultra wide angle zoom lens for the Sony Alpha cameras. Good colors, sharpness, distortion control, focus performance, and build quality.
On APS-C sensors (also known as "crop" sensors), the crop multiplication factor is of great benefit when shooting at telephoto focal lengths. For example, a 200mm lens becomes a 300mm lens on a Sony or Nikon DSLR. However, there is a trade-off: wide angle lenses become normal lenses. For example, a 35mm lens becomes a 52.5mm lens. Lens manufacturers have been forced to invent entirely new ultra wide angle lenses to accommodate the APS-C sensors. One of the recent standouts in Sony's DT 11-18mm f/4.5 - 5.6 zoom lens. On any of Sony's DSLR cameras, this lens has a 35mm equivalent focal range of 16.5mm - 27mm. That's a very useful focal range, but how does it perform? Read on.
Specifications
The following information is from SONY's USA website:
- Internal focusing - Circular aperture - Aspherical lens elements - ED (extra low-dispersion) glass
Included in the box are both front and rear lens caps, a dedicated lens hood, and an instruction manual. Sony includes a one year warranty with this lens. As of summer 2009, this lens is selling for approximately $649 - $699 from reputable online retailers in the US.
Ergonomics
Both the zoom ring and the manual focus ring have wide, rubberized grips that are easy to use in all shooting conditions. Even in cold conditions at high altitude, and even with a little moisture on the lens body, I've had no problems whatsoever controlling this lens. The focus and aperture markings are bright and easy to read. Its relatively short length of about four inches is fairly compact. Despite its 77mm filter size, its width is less than I expected. Sony flares the front filter threading to ensure there is no vignetting with such extreme wide angles. On the A350 and A380 camera bodies, it balances quite nicely thanks to its low weight. Speaking of...
The most surprising ergonomic aspect of this lens for me is how light it is. With a 77mm filter size, I had assumed it would be much heavier than the 360 grams it is. Because I need to travel fast and light in my work as a photojournalist, this low weight is very helpful to me and assures this lens stays in my camera bag. Of course, there is a trade-off. Light weight lenses often have poorer build quality than those of heavier lenses because more plastics are used instead of metal. Which takes me to the next topic... Build Quality
This Japanese-made lens is well-constructed with durable materials and tight tolerances. Although there is more plastic than metal, this is some of the better quality plastic I have seen in awhile. I am not afraid to let it bang around in my camera bag or take a few bumps in the field. So far, it's shown no wear whatsoever. Some light rain and snow at high altitude caused no problems. The lens mount is all metal, but the filter threads appear to be all plastic. The Hoya UV filter that I've mounted on the lens has not given me any trouble in terms of binding or loosening. All that being said, build quality is something that is best assessed over time - I'll update this portion of my review as needed.
Mechanical Performance
Many of the lenses constructed in the 1970's and 1980's emphasized dampening in their focal and zoom rings. Some of my Minolta lenses from this era are the pinnacle of precision in both focus and zoom control - no play, no creep, no stiffness. I have yet to find a modern lens, regardless of price, that can obtain this level of mechanical performance. The Sony DT 11-18mm is better than average for a modern lens, but still not up to Minolta standards. While there is no play in the zoom ring, its motion could be a little smoother to allow for more precise control. Still, it is much better than many comparably priced offerings from Nikon and Canon. The manual focus ring is smoother than the zoom ring, but has a slight amount of play that I could do without. It hasn't caused any problems yet, but I still prefer more precise control. Unfortunately, like nearly every other modern lens, this lens can focus past its infinity mark. The lens manufacturers argue that this is to allow for the effects of changing temperature on the lens components. In theory, that makes sense. In practice, my 25-year old Minolta lenses stop at infinity and I've had no problems whatsoever - from below sea level to 14,000 feet, from -20 degrees F to 110 degrees F. Why does it matter? In some manual shooting conditions, being able to focus to infinity by simply turning to a set point can be crucial for getting the shot. In any case, this is certainly not a shortcoming of only this lens.
Autofocus performance is excellent, both in terms of accuracy and speed. With relatively light weight elements and not much distance to travel, autofocus speed is expected to be fast on this lens. Mounted to the A350 and A380 camera bodies, it's so fast that I've never missed a shot. That being said, this really isn't an action-oriented lens so I haven't really pushed it to the extreme limits. Similarly, focus accuracy has been very impressive. Even in low light conditions, this lens rarely hunts for focus at any aperture or focal length. So far, I haven't missed a shot due to focus error.
Optical Performance
An ultra-wide angle lens is a unique beast, both in terms of its design and use. In terms of design, the Sony DT 11-18mm has been well worked out. The use of several aspherical and low-dispersion elements helps minimize image-destroying issues that I've seen in similar lenses from other manufacturers. Two issues that were at the forefront of my mind before purchasing this lens were 1) distortion, and 2) flare. Distortion is a nearly inevitable problem with ultra wide angle lenses, both in terms of the amount and the type. In the case of this lens, I was pleasantly surprised to find minimal distortion. It occurs only on and near the edges and is never to objectionable levels, when the lens is used properly. The type of distortion is another bright spot for this lens as it is fairly easy to correct with many photo processing programs. Given that distortion is a fact of life for this type of lens, I'm very pleased that Sony was able to control it so well. Of course, controlling distortion is not just the job of the lens. Keeping the focal plane as close to perpendicular to the horizon as possible will help keep the horizon flat and distortion free. Flare is also well controlled for a lens of this type, and perhaps more so than any other lens in this focal range. With the included lens hood attached, it only becomes evident when the Sun is very close to the edge of the frame, or in the frame. Essentially, it is no worse than the flare of any of my other lenses, regardless of their focal length. That's pretty remarkable for such a wide angle lens.
The good news doesn't stop there. Chromatic aberration has yet to be a problem in any of my shots, even in high contrast situations. Viewing full resolution images at 100% on my computer monitor, I can just barely detect a mild amount of aberration in harsh lighting portions of some of my images. A quick touch in post processing usually takes care of it. In other words, don't worry about chromatic aberration with this lens.
Color rendition is very good. In fact, it's noticeably better than similar offerings from Nikon, Canon, and Sigma. Still not quite up to older Minolta or Leica standards, but very good. The bokeh of this lens is a little harsh, but it's not something that affects my images in most cases. When I use this lens, I typically want everything in focus, from two feet to infinity. If bokeh is critical to your work in these focal lengths (usually it won't be), test it out at your local camera store first to make sure it meets your requirements. Vignetting is a non-issue with this lens. Even with a Hoya UV filter attached, there is no vignetting at the widest aperture and widest angle. Good work Sony.
The topic on most photographers' minds with regard to optical quality is usually sharpness. In this case, sharpness is a complex topic. Making a 50mm or 100mm lens sharp from corner to corner is reasonably easy. Ultra wide angles are much more difficult to keep sharp, especially when coping with distortion issues. Like every other ultra wide angle lens I've used, this Sony suffers from some corner softness, especially at large apertures. However, unlike a 50mm or 100mm lens, the corners are so de-emphasized in the frame with this lens that the softness is not objectionable. Edge sharpness in the center (meaning, away from the corners) is slightly better than the corners. Again, critical sharpness is not that important for this type of lens on the edge. Center sharpness is much more critical and this lens is definitely sharp in the center. At infinity focus, it seems to be sharpest at f/5.6 and even f/4.5. In other words, you can shoot it wide open and get the best results - impressive. At close focus distances near two feet, greatest sharpness is achieved at f/11. This is ideal because it also provides for a much greater depth of field than can be obtained at two feet and f/5.6.
As you can see, this isn't the type of lens you just attach to your camera and shoot. Some thought needs to be put into your shooting needs and shooting practices to obtain the best this lens has to offer. The good news is that doing so will reward you in spades with unique images that have sweeping perspectives in color-rich detail.
Conclusions
Overall, the Sony DT 11-18mm lens is the best ultra wide angle lens option for Sony Alpha camera users. Well-controlled distortion and flare, combined with great colors, respectable sharpness, and accurate focus make this a lens with few limitations. Its low weight means I don't need to think about taking it with me. At the end of the day, it gets the job done and that's a really good thing because there aren't many other lens options in this focal range.
Is this lens really worthy of a 5-star rating? It could have better build quality if it was made of all metal, but then it would be very heavy. It could be faster with a constant f/2.8 aperture, but then it would very heavy, larger, and much more expensive. Sony has kept size, weight, and cost under control while providing an optic capable of professional quality photos. Accordingly, I have no problems giving it five stars.
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