Review of Sony E 3.5-6.3/18-200 OSS LE (Optical Steady Shot, E-mount, SEL18200LE)

For the provided lens Sony E 3.5-6.3/18-200 OSS LE (Optical Steady Shot, E-mount, SEL18200LE) many thanks the store ProFotoSalewhere you can find many new and used lenses for different systems, including similar lenses for mirrorless cameras/Sony cameras.

Navigation

1. In short
2. Main Specifications
3. Assembly
4. Stabilizer
5. Focusing
6. Image quality
7. Sample Photos
8. My personal experience with the lens
9. Lens prices
10. All Sony E APS-C cameras and all Sony E APS-C lenses
11. Results
12. Additional materials on mirrorless systems
13. User Comments
14. Add your review or question on the lens

In this review, I will abbreviate the Sony E 3.5-6.3/18-200 OSS LE (Optical Steady Shot, E-mount, SEL18200LE) lens as Sony 18-200 LE. This lens should not be confused with an analogue for SLR cameras in the face Sony 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 AF DT, as well as similar models: Sony E 3.5-6.3 / 18-200 OSS и Sony E 3.5-6.3/18-200 OSS PZ.

In short

Sony 18-200 LE is a universal superzoom for Sony NEX/Sony Alpha mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor. This lens is intended to be a lightweight addition to the older one. Sony E 3.5-6.3 / 18-200 OSS.

Sony 18-200LE was announced May 17, 2012, the lens is well built, with a fast focusing motor and image stabilization. The lens has a very convenient set of focal lengths. The obvious disadvantages are the high cost and the optical shortcomings inherent in such superzooms.

It's important: Sony 18-200 LE uses exactly the same optical design as the older lens Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 Di III VC MODEL Bo11. Most likely the Sony 18-200 LE is an almost complete copy Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 Di III VC MODEL Bo11, presented February 15 2011. Price for Sony 18-200 LE and Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 Di III VC MODEL Bo11 differs by approximately two times.

Main technical characteristics of Sony E 3.5-6.3/18-200 OSS LE:

Review Instance Name	Near the front lens: 'E 3.5-6.3/18-200 OSS LE 0.5m/1.64ft Ø62' On body '3.5-6.3/18-200 Optical Steady Shot Sony E-mount'
Basic properties	LE (Light Edition) – a fleshed-out version of the lens APS-C E-mount – lens designed for mirrorless cameras Sony with APS-C SEL – Sony lens for mirrorless cameras with 'mount'E'. This lens has the short identifier name 'SEL18200LE' OSS (Optical Steady Shot) - built-in optical image stabilization Internal linear motor - internal linear focusing motor Internal focus Electronic focus ring DMF (DDirectly Mannual Focus) - direct manual focus LOCK - focal length lock at 18 mm Aspherical elements in the optical circuit Low dispersive elements in the optical scheme Rounded petals aperture
Front Filter Diameter	62 mm (versus 67 mm for the version Sony 18-200mm f / 3.5-6.3 OSS), metal thread for filters
Focal length	18-200 mm EGF for cameras Sony with APS-C sensor is 27-300 mm
Zoom ratio	11.11 x
Designed by	for digital mirrorless cameras SonyNEX with APS-C sensor
Number of aperture blades	7 rounded petals
Tags	bayonet mount mark hood attachment mark focal lengths for 18 mm, 35 mm, 50 mm, 70 mm, 100 mm and 200 mm
Diaphragm	18 mm: F / 3.5-F / 22 35 mm: F / 4.5-F / 29 50 mm: F / 5-F / 32 70 mm: F / 5.6-F / 36 100 mm: F / 6.3-F / 40 200 mm: F / 6.3-F / 40
MDF (minimum focusing distance)	0.5 meters the maximum magnification ratio is reached by 200 mm and is 1: 3.7
The weight	463 grams, measured (61 grams lighter than version Sony 18-200mm f / 3.5-6.3 OSS)
Optical design	17 elements in 13 groups. The circuit includes 4 aspherical element (shown in purple on the optical diagram [1]). The type of asphericity is unknown. And 2 low-dispersion elements (shown in green on the optical diagram [2]). The image of the optical circuit is clickable. The lens uses the same optical design Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 Di III VC MODEL Bo11. XR optical elements in the circuit Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 Di III VC MODEL Bo11 could be a marketing ploy. And also in the diagram Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 Di III VC MODEL Bo11 The manufacturer distinguishes between hybrid and cast aspherical elements, so the designs may appear different.
Lens hood	Bayonet, Sony (ALC-SH124)
Manufacturer country	Made in China (Made in China)
Period	May 17, 2012
Price	The real cost of this lens can be found at Aliexpress is here.

Unlike some other lenses, the Sony 18-200 LE is available only in black body color, for example, Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 Di III VC MODEL Bo11 Available in two body colors (black and silver).

Assembly

Sony 18-200 LE is made in China. The lens feels pleasant and reliable to the touch. The retractable body frame ('trunk') consists of 2 sections. There are no backlashes between the parts of the trunk.

The lens has metal mount. The zoom ring is rubberized, the focus ring is plastic.

Changing the focal length occurs smoothly, without micro-jerks. The trunk of the Sony 18-200 LE spontaneously changes its size under its own weight; over time, problems with the trunk may worsen. Especially for this purpose, there is a focal length lock on the lens - the “LOCK” button. It locks the lens at the 18mm focal length position.

On the case there is a bayonet mount mark and a mark for quick installation of the lens hood. On the side of the information plate there is a small plastic protrusion, the purpose of which is unknown to me. The lens uses a plastic hood, which is fixed in special grooves located near the front lens of the lens (bayonet-type hood). The hood can be installed in the reverse direction for transport. In this position, access to the zoom ring is a little difficult. When changing focal length, the hood moves along with the front section of the lens.

When changing the focal length, the rear lens moves in the middle of the lens body like a pump - very much draws in and pushes out air. This may increase the amount of dust that accumulates inside the camera.

On the back of the lens is a rectangular hood that cuts off excess light and prevents exposure.

The diameter of the front filter is only 62 mm.

Stabilizer

Sony 18-200 LE uses built-in image stabilization Sony OS (Optical Steady Shot). The stabilizer can compensate 4 steps by shutter speed. In numerical terms, this means that you can shoot at shutter speeds 16 times slower than required by the lens without a stabilizer. For example, when shooting without stabilizer of stationary objects, at a focal length of 200 mm, it is recommended to shoot at shutter speeds of 1/200 s or faster. With the stabilizer turned on, it is theoretically possible to shoot at 1/15 s.

In practice, I was able to make sharp shots of stationary objects with hands at 200 mm only at shutter speeds no longer than 1/30 of a second.

There is no switch on the lens responsible for stabilizer operation. The stabilization function is turned on in the camera menu.

The noise from the operation of the stabilizer is present, quite large, reminiscent of the hum of a transformer. During video shooting, the stabilizer switches to some other operating mode and the hum decreases.

There is also a twitching of the image when the stabilizer is activated and stopped, which is normal behavior of the lens.

In general, the stabilizer confidently holds two or three stages of shutter speed.

Focusing

The lens uses a built-in “linear” focusing motor. During automatic focusing, there is noise from the focusing motor, similar to the “hum of a transformer.” The noise is small, but still noticeable.

Auto focus speed medium closer to high. Focusing speed will vary slightly depending on the camera you are using. First cameras SonyNEX, for which this lens was developed, used automatic contrast focusing, which is sometimes slower than the hybrid focusing methods of subsequent generations Sony Alpha.

While working with the camera Sony α3500 (Sony ILCE-3500) the focusing accuracy was high. In good lighting conditions, there are practically no problems with accuracy, tenacity and refocusing. But in poor lighting, especially in the tele range, the lens can scour for a long time in search of the correct focusing. It is also very difficult to get the lens to focus at close focusing distances for pseudo-macro photography, especially at 200mm focal lengths. Sony a3500 has a primitive autofocus system, everything should be much better on modern Sony cameras.

To manually focus, select the focus mode MF (Manual Focus) or DMF (Direct MF) in the camera menu, after which the focus ring will respond to rotation. When rotated very smoothly, the focus ring rotates approximately 90 degrees (from MDF to infinity). Electronic focus ring reacts more to the speed of its rotation than to a specific angle of rotation, which sometimes creates a tactile inconvenience. During auto focus focus ring remains stationary. The focus ring may produce unpleasant rubbing sound (as if fine sand had been poured between two plastic surfaces).

During focusing, the front lens remains stationary, as the lens uses internal focus. Thus, it is possible to use any filters without problems, for example polarizing or gradient.

The minimum focusing distance is 50 centimeters, while you can get a maximum magnification for macro photography of 1: 3.7, which is a good indicator for such a lens.

Other focusing features:

• Focusing speed is practically independent of the selected focal length.
• After the lens has lost accurate focusing, refocusing is fast enough.
• The lens does not have a depth of field scale, focusing distance, and tags for working in the infrared spectrum.
• Focus shift (shift-focus) was not noticed during operation and testing.
• The focusing speed depends heavily on the illumination, the selected focusing mode in the camera menu, and the focusing logic of each individual camera.
• There is no focus mode switch on the case.
• During manual focusing, the focus distance bar appears on the display of some cameras.
• When changing the focal length, focusing is lost.
• Sony 18-200 LE has strong 'Focus Breathing' effect (changes in viewing angle during focusing).

Image quality

The Sony 18-200 LE initially came with cameras that had a 16 MP sensor, but later it migrated to cameras with a 20-24 MP sensor. In general, the Sony 18-200 LE does not shine optically, but this can be forgiven for its huge zoom ratio.

Sharpness

• confident sharpness at an open aperture in the center of the frame in the range of 18-50 mm
• low sharpness at the edges and corners of the frame by 18 mm at F / 3.5, sharpness at the edges of the frame becomes acceptable after F / 5.6
• good resolution in the center of the frame on covered apertures (in the F / 8 region) in the range of 18-50 mm
• there is a general slight drop in sharpness after 100 mm of focal length
• at 200mm, sharpness is best around f / 8

Distortion

• strong barrel distortion at only 18mm focal length
• in the wide-angle range, the nature of the distortion is barrel-shaped, after 50 mm focal length - pincushion
• the nature of distortion is unified, easily corrected in the editor

Vignetting

• the overall level of vignetting is at a level typical for such lenses
• vignetting is most pronounced at the extreme positions
• vignetting is easily fixable in the editor
• in some cases, due to auto-correction of vignetting, you can get a vignette in the shape of a circle

Aberration

• lens suffers from chromatic aberrations, especially at extreme zoom positions (example)
  
• strong milling

Rest

• the lens behaves well in side and back light
• You can get the effect of a 14-ray star only with very closed apertures (example)
• sometimes you can get neutral and even pleasant bokeh (especially in the TV range)
• Concentric 'onion' circles are present on the discs of confusion

For the Sony 18-200 LE there is a lens profile in popular RAW converters.

Sample Photos

Camera used Sony α3500 (Sony ILCE-3500) based on the EXMOR APS-C CMOS 20 MP sensor.

RAW source files '.ARW' can be download from this link (34 photos, 700 MB). The shooting took place in the RAW + JPEG mode. Several photos in small processing can be found here here.

My experience

because of high price tag on the Sony 18-200 LE I would definitely look at something similar Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 Di III VC MODEL Bo11. Let me remind you that the Sony 18-200 LE is an almost complete copy Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 Di III VC MODEL Bo11. Yes, and original “real” Sony 18-200mm f / 3.5-6.3 OSS I liked it much more; the difference in weight between the lenses, which is approximately 60 grams, has no practical significance.

Prices

The real cost of this lens can be seen, for example, here.

Results

Sony 18-200 LE is a classic representative of superzooms. Is he worth it? 850 dollars – the question is open.

10 main advantages:

1. very convenient set of focal lengths
2. high-quality assembly, metal mount, bayonet-type lens hood, rubberized zoom ring
3. internal focus
4. focus is very quiet and fast enough
5. built-in image stabilizer, works quietly
6. stepper focus motor
7. electronic focus ring
8. five aspherical elements in the optical scheme and one low-dispersion element
9. under this lens there are profiles for popular RAW converters that can quickly eliminate some optical flaws
10. reasonably sharp images in wide and medium range, low vignetting

10 main disadvantages:

1. almost complete copy Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 Di III VC MODEL Bo11
2. very high pricecomponent about 850 dollars (same Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 Di III VC MODEL Bo11 costs around 400 dollars, and Tamron 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD Model B061 costs around $700)
3. low aperture at the long end, uneven drop in aperture ratio with focal length
4. periodic hum from the stabilizer, slight noise from the focusing motor
5. no switches (for example, Sony E 70-350 / 4.5–6.3 there is a switch “AF/MF” and “OSS ON/OFF”)
6. plastic focus ring, rubbing sound when rotating the focus ring
7. Quite large in size, especially considering the tiny dimensions of the cameras SonyNEXfor which it was designed
8. there are no additional marks, for example, focusing distance, direction of rotation of the focusing ring, depth of field, etc.
9. poor resolution in the range after 100 mm focal length
10. strong chromatic aberration

For the provided Sony E 3.5-6.3 / 18-200 OSS lens many thanks the store ProFotoSalewhere you can find many new and used lenses for different systems, including similar lenses for Sony mirrorless cameras.

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram