Sony DT 18-70 mm f/3.5-5.6 review - Build quality

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Sony DT 18-70 mm f/3.5-5.6

22 October 2010

Arkadiusz Olech

3. Build quality

Physically light, small, very plastic from the housing to the mount – such is our first impression of the Sony 18-70 mm. We must honestly say, though, that the same impression we had taking the Nikkor and the Canon 18-55 mm into our hand. It is interesting that, although the Sony features a significantly wider focal range, it is only minimally higher and distinctly narrower than its competitors. However, it pays for it having slower aperture. At 18 mm the situation is medium, exactly as in the case of the rivals, so f/3.5. At 28 mm the Sony’s maximum aperture is only f/5.0 when the competitors boast f/4.0. At 50 mm we get to f/5.6, so the same value as in the case of the Nikkor and the Canon 18-55 mm but still worse than the Nikkor 18-70 mm, which can be set by f/4.5 at this focal length.

Sony DT 18-70 mm f/3.5-5.6 - Build quality

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Inside the housing we can find a construction consisting of 11 elements in 9 groups. The number is exactly the same as in the Canon EF-S 18-55 mm but significantly lower than in the case of the Nikkor 18-70 mm, which consists of as many as 15 elements. Sony, like Nikon and contrary to Canon, made use of low-dispersion ED and aspherical elements. It was supposed to ensure good control of spherical and off-axis aberrations as well.

Additionally the lens features an aperture with seven diaphragm blades, which, depending on the focal length, can be closed down to f/22-f/36 and a rotating thread onto which we can screw a filter 55 mm in diameter.

The Sony 18-70 mm can’t show an outstanding performance as a macro device because its minimum focus amounts to 38 cm. That value, though, is exactly the same as in the case of the Nikkor 18-70 mm and as many as 10 cm more than in the case of other 18-55 mm kit lenses.