Customer reviews from sony.com
18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 Telephoto Zoom Lens for Select Sony Alpha Digital SLR Cameras - Black
Average customer rating
4.8
(17 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 17 reviews
5 Stars
14
4 Stars
2
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
0
1 Star
0
94%of customers recommend this product.
(
15 out of
16)
Customer Reviews for 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 Telephoto Zoom Lens for Select Sony Alpha Digital SLR Cameras - Black
Customer Rating
5
A Keeper
on December 28, 2010
Posted by: FlyingFossil
I have had this lens for about a year now and it rarely comes off of my camera. I do use my 70-400 for longer range and birding when planned for, and my 50mm 1.7 for indoor shooting but this is a perfect "take a walk and shoot some pictures" everyday workhorse.
Love it
What's great about it: Excellent IQ on A700, fast focus, great color, sharp, perfect one lens solution.
What's not so great: It doesn't go to 400mm lol
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
5
Sony SAL-18250
on June 15, 2010
Posted by: Clarence
Purchased this lens with the a550 6 months ago and have used it in many situations and have yet to be disappointed. Bought it because I was replacing a Minolta 7000i and most of the equipment was compatible. Although not a Macro lens, I was able to step back a little, zoom in, and capture the enclosed photo.
What's great about it: Great all around lens
What's not so great: None
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
5
best for one lens package
on May 30, 2010
Posted by: Anonymous
very useful, you can do everything with it,except macro is not so good.
What's great about it: sharp at any range, good quality built
What's not so great: non
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
5
Excellent All Purpose Lens
on December 28, 2009
Posted by: Deserteagle1
Purchased for my Alpha 350. Just returned from a winter river cruise on the Rhine river and could not have been more pleased with using this lens with my 350! It is simply a terrific all purpose lens that leverages the capabilities of my Sony DSLR camera.
What's great about it: Ease of use, Solid Construction, Great Image Quality
What's not so great: None
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
5
This Lens Hits it's Mark
on November 25, 2009
Posted by: Blackriver
With the exception of the 18-55 kit lens I've shot only with Minolta glass, til now. After using this lens I will defiantly be looking to get more alpha lens' as my budget permits. I uploaded the pic of the duck to show the sharpness at long range as well as the colors you can reproduce with this lens. I don't how much the image will be shrunk but believe me the original is crisp. As for the color; this image is 100% as shot, no modifications were made. The second image is just an example of the bokeh this lens produces. So far bokeh is average to good, in my opinion. I have not taken a pic where the bokeh really impressed me nor have I taken one where the bokeh bothered me. Most often the bokeh has been pleasing. The auto focus has been great. Reasonably fast and very quiet compared to my old Minolta AF glass. Smoother and more quiet than the 18-55 kit lens as well. The grip is similar to the kit lens but slightly finer ribbing. It's comfortable but does seem to attract lint. I don’t particularly like the manual focus on this lens. The grip is fine, same grip as the zoom ring… but the rotation feels “gravely”. The good thing is I rarely go to the manual focus on this lens. I like the size and feel of the lens based on its 62mm size but it's a bit of an odd size which can lead to trouble finding filters... but you can get anything online. The weight is fine for a lens like this; sighter than my old Minolta 75-300. It takes less than a quarter turn to go from 18 all the way out to 250. So you can usually travel the whole length of the zoom without removing your hand, which is nice. The internal focus means that the filter ring does not turn when you zoom or focus which is nice for using circular polarizers. Ok for macro shooting but only in a pinch. At this point I still use the 18-55 kit or most of the time my old Minolta macro. Let me bottom line it... No better lens for alpha's if you want max range. It wont take the place of a quality macro or a 2.8 telephoto for long range, but if you want a one lens solution I don’t think you can do any better. All reviews place it ahead of the Sigma or Tamron versions in overall quality. After using it I'm glad I went with the Sony. Sony is great at starting where other companies leave off and making improvements to their versions. Last but not least, the balance is very nice with the zoom tube retracted or extended. I would have given this 4.5 stars for design but it only allows whole star ratings. Reliability... well it hasn't broken in the few weeks I've had it haha... and value.... I think all this stuff is too expensive so 4 stars. I'm OK with paying the extra 50-100 over the Sigma or Tamron. But since no VR in Sony lens' it would have been nice to see them price more competitively with other 18-250's.
What's great about it: Sharp, Color, Bokeh Balance, Range, AF
What's not so great: Barrel distortion at 18 (to be expected), Vinetting at 250 (to be expected)
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
5
Great All Purpose Lens
on November 16, 2009
Posted by: Drae
I have rarely taken this lens off my Alpha 350 since purchasing it. Easy to handle & use. I like the fact that I do not have to switch lenses while I am in the middle of shooting (thus keeps dust & dirt out of camera) & love the wide range.
As stated, I do get some vingetting, but can usually edit it out.
But, for most situations that I shoot in (as an amature/hobbyist), I really like this lens.
As stated, I do get some vingetting, but can usually edit it out.
But, for most situations that I shoot in (as an amature/hobbyist), I really like this lens.
What's great about it: Takes the place of the 2 kit lenses
What's not so great: Vingetting in some situtations
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
5
Great Lens
on January 1, 2009
Posted by: SurfnSun
I just purchased this lens to replace the lens that came with my A300. The only bad thing I can say is that its too bad it wasn't the lens that came with the camera. Ive only had it 2 weeks but Im very happy with it so far.
What's great about it: Great all purpose lens
What's not so great: none.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
5
Zoom lens
on December 11, 2008
Posted by: Anonymous
I purchased this lens for my Alpha 300 camera. I took the camera to Alaska and was able to take pictures from long distance landscapes and zoom in as if I was much closer. I am very happy with the results. A huge difference from the lens the camera came with.
What's great about it: Great zoom capability
What's not so great: It's expensive but worth it.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com