Sony DT 18 55mm F 3 5 5 6 Review | 54 Data compared

The ePHOTOzine review highlights the Sony DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM as a capable, compact kit lens for APS-C sensors, offering high resolution and excellent chromatic aberration control that exceeds typical bundled optics performance. While delivering great value and portability, the lens features a lightweight, plastic construction that lacks advanced features, such as a non-rotating front element or silent autofocus. Pros include its impressive sharpness, good color fringe control, and budget-friendly, lightweight design, making it an effective entry-level option for the Alpha system. Cons center on the basic build, specifically the rotating front element, narrow variable aperture, and the absence of a truly silent motor.

The Sony 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DT SAM (SAL-1855) is an all-plastic, lightweight kit lens weighing 210 grams that was introduced to replace the older 18-70mm model on APS-C sensor cameras. In terms of optical pros, the lens delivers surprisingly strong sharpness across the entire frame when shot wide open at 18mm, and achieves excellent, "tack-sharp" clarity across the frame when stopped down to f/5.6 or f/8. Chromatic aberration is well-managed at focal lengths of 28mm and longer, vignetting is negligible outside of the wider 18-24mm range, and macro performance is decent with a 0.34x maximum magnification and a close-focusing distance of 25 cm. Additionally, Sony’s SAM in-lens motor provides quick, quiet autofocusing, and the zoom ring offers good resistance against zoom creep. However, the lens has several cons rooted in its budget-friendly, consumer-focused build and specific focal behaviors. Its all-plastic construction extends to both the body mount and the 52mm filter threads. Optically, it suffers from high barrel distortion at 18mm (.0% in corners) and significant corner shading at wide angles, with corners measuring 2/3 EV darker than the center at...

The Radojuva review of the Sony DT 3.5-5.6 / 18-55 SAM characterizes it as a lightweight (210g) plastic kit lens for APS-C cameras, providing a 27–82.5mm equivalent focal length with good contrast and sharpness when stopped down. While it features a 7-blade aperture for smooth bokeh and includes ED/aspherical elements, the lens lacks built-in stabilization and struggles with flare. Key disadvantages include a rotating front element and filter thread, making polarizers difficult to use, alongside significant distortion and vignetting at 18mm. It is designed as a budget-friendly, beginner-oriented option.

The Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM is a low-cost, lightweight (210g) standard zoom designed for APS-C Alpha cameras, offering a 27-82.5mm equivalent range suitable for beginners. It features a Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM) for quick, quiet focusing and provides respectable edge-to-edge sharpness for a kit lens, along with a 0.34x maximum magnification for close-up shots. However, the lens features an inexpensive plastic construction and a plastic mount, which impacts its long-term durability. It lacks built-in optical stabilization and is limited by a variable f/3.5-5.6 aperture, resulting in lower performance compared to higher-end, faster lenses.

The OpticalLimits (formerly PhotoZone) review evaluates the Sony 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM DT, a standard kit zoom lens engineered for APS-C format Sony Alpha DSLR cameras. Serving as a direct replacement for the mediocre Sony 18-70mm lens, this budget-friendly optic provides a full-frame equivalent focal length of 27-82.5mm. Optically, the lens delivers a surprising performance for its entry-level class. Its core pros include excellent center sharpness straight from the maximum aperture at 18mm, highly impressive resolution at 28mm, well-controlled field curvature, and a reasonably quick and quiet internal Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM). Additionally, it boasts a tight, smooth zoom ring mechanism and a short 0.25-meter minimum focus distance for a 1:3 magnification ratio. However, the review highlights significant cons heavily tied to its low-cost manufacturing. The build quality is mediocre, defined by an all-plastic shell extending all the way down to the lens mount and a wobbly inner tube. Manual focusing is highly discouraged due to a tiny, unstable front focus ring, a lack of Direct Manual Focusing (DMF) support, and a front lens element that rotates during focusing, making the...

Ken Rockwell’s review of the Sony DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM advises against purchasing this lens due to poor optical performance, despite its compact 7.5-ounce (210g) design and a 7-blade diaphragm that maintains circular aperture. While the lens shows decent central sharpness and low chromatic aberration, it suffers from heavy, uncorrected barrel distortion and very soft corners at 18mm. At the 55mm setting, the lens remains soft across the frame at f/5.6 and requires stopping down to f/11 for acceptable results. Due to these deficiencies, Rockwell recommends opting for a used Minolta MAXXUM 50mm f/1.7 for better image quality and value.

The Imaging Resource review profiles the Sony 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DT SAM II (SAL18552) as a compact, lightweight standard zoom designed for APS-C Sony A-mount cameras, offering a 27-82.5mm equivalent field of view. Key strengths include surprisingly excellent center sharpness at 18mm (peaking at f/5.6-f/8), minimal lateral chromatic aberration, quick SAM autofocus, and a 0.34x macro magnification ratio. Conversely, the lens exhibits typical entry-level limitations, including a plastic lens mount, a narrow manual focus ring, and a rotating front element that complicates filter use. Performance-wise, it suffers from noticeable corner softness at 55mm, prominent barrel distortion at wide angles, and vignetting at maximum apertures.

The Sony 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DT SAM II is an affordable, lightweight, and compact kit lens designed for Sony A-mount APS-C cameras, offering a versatile 27-83mm equivalent focal range. Built primarily from high-quality plastics—including the lens mount—it keeps the overall weight low but offers a less robust build. The lens relies entirely on the camera body for image stabilization. It features an integrated Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM) that provides relatively fast and quiet internal focusing. Optically, the lens delivers solid sharpness that peaks when stopped down by one stop, showing excellent distortion control and zero visible distortion in corrected JPEG files. Additionally, it features zero lateral chromatic aberration and an improved front lens design that effectively minimises flare and ghosting. However, the lens has notable trade-offs, particularly its limited brightness and a busy, ringed bokeh that lacks the smoothness found in more expensive glass. Users will encounter visible vignetting at maximum aperture, though this can be easily fixed using in-camera corrections or post-processing software. While the wide zoom ring turns smoothly, the manual focus ring located at the very front is...

📸 DXOMARK Lens Assessment The DXOMARK evaluation for the Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM, tested on the Sony SLT Alpha 77 II, awards it an overall score of 13. This entry-level kit zoom performs best at 18mm focal length with a wide f/3.5 aperture. Its primary strength lies in its sharpness score of 14 P-Mpix, providing surprisingly decent center crispness for everyday snapshots. Furthermore, the optic demonstrates excellent geometric control with a very minimal distortion rating of just 0.3%. ⚠️ Optical Limitations & Compromises Conversely, the lens reveals distinct limitations typical of budget glass in its light transmission and peripheral metrics. Light gathering is somewhat compromised with a lower transmission metric of 4.8 TStop. Vignetting is quite noticeable across the frame, registering at -0.9 EV. Additionally, chromatic aberration peaks heavily at 11 µm, which will trigger visible color fringing around high-contrast edges. If you like, I can: Compare this lens with the upgraded SAM II model Explain how DXOMARK scores lens sharpness vs transmission Recommend better A-mount lenses for your Alpha camera body