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Review Summary
2020-04-16T20:00:00
Bought with a68 as a kit. Despite all the negative reports I find it a very good lens for what it is meant as. Used far more expensive lens with worse results. Completely happy.
Gerry48
2019-07-30T20:00:00
Excellent lens for mid-range photographs and videos.
User A.
2016-06-05T20:00:00
I purchased a brand new Sony SLT A58 complete with this lens. After realising that the other lenses offered by sony as kit sets included a lens hood as standard I found that the lens itself is fine but to my dismay a decent ("flower" or shaped) reversible lens hood which fastens to the bayonet fitting provided on the lens is not available - even from Sony. Any proprietary shaped lens hoods screw onto the filter ring and hence rotate with the focusing ring - which is hopeless. My previous much cheaper (Fuji) Bridge camera had this as standard and was found to be very convenient in use ( per the photos below). In this respect only I expected better from Sony who as a manufacturer I have always respected
Philip65
2016-04-02T14:51:18
Excellent performance and quality.
Gabriela A.
2016-03-27T20:00:00
This came with my A58 three lens pack, it is quick to focus and superior to the DT 18-70, and the DT 18-55 SAM I. The results are great with no noticeable low points. In times of low light it is inferior to my DT 50 prime lens but that is tone expected!
Ash C.
2016-01-31T14:33:50
Very good Lens. Makes excellent pictures. I recommend.
Peter G.
2014-10-21T20:00:00
I purchased this to replace an earlier version of the same lens (SAM 18-55) because the zoom used to stick and it could not be used for video. A basic design fault that was well known!! This one was soft due to condensation build up. After a couple of days it cleared and is now OK. It was supplied by Sony UK as a split from combined lens camera combo and mailed without any packaging, just a bit of bubble wrap. You need to do something about this. Good value for money though.
Nickname12
2014-08-08T20:00:00
Bought it along with an A58 to use on my A55 (and was going to keep a long zoom on the A58 body), unfortunately my A55 suddenly stopped working, will not take photos although very occasionally it comes to life and shows the parameters display, shows focus points, but no shutter release and no view (just blank) through the evf/lcd. Sent the A58 and lenses back, if the A55 is an example of Sony quality I will stick with my Panasonic FZ200. From the one use I had of the SAM II lens it seemed a big improvement on the original 18-55 on my A55. I recently took early ill health retirement and the A58/A55 set up with the 18-55mm SAM II and a long zoom was going to be my long term kit because of limited finances, it has left me very dissapointed.
Fred_B
2013-07-08T20:00:00
This lens produces outstanding images with my A55 camera. However, zooming in and out is not smooth at all. Matter of fact, it is choppy at best. This should not be in a lens of otherwise high quality. Quality control slipped on this one.
trentw1966
2013-06-14T20:00:00
Very well made lens for the money. Works very well and the images are crisp and clear. I am very happy with this lens in its over all use.
Rnorton
2013-04-25T20:00:00
I have to finish testing. There MUST be a sweet spot or two on this lens! Overall, it is soft. My Sony prime lenses 35, 50 , 85 are wonderful and were a great price. The 70-300 G is wonderful, but for a thousand, it should be. (It was a gift; can't spend that kind of money.) If I could afford Zeiss, I would buy that, but I can't. Love my Alpha a77 camera!
jnull91
2012-04-08T20:00:00
The SAL1855 is the kind of zoom lens that is often commonly packaged in a single or twin lens Alpha camera kit. It was included with my DSLR-A390 in a single zoom lens kit (as I own other A-mount lenses like ones from Minolta-so the single lens kit suited me the best). As it lens, the plastic lens munt is adequate and expected of such a lens but unlike my MInolta 28-85mm zoom lens for instance there is no distance scale window for manual focusing. What I like most is the comfortable focus and zoom rings which work smoothly. Build quality-feels lightweight but good enough and sturdy . Also with a 27-82.5mm equivilant focal length, the lens has nice wide-angle coverage at 27mm and telephoto coverage at 82.5mm (comes close the 85mm end on my Minolta 28-85mm)
Babya
2012-04-01T21:00:00
For an inexpensive kit lens for Sony/Minolta users, this lens is a true bargain, especially when purchased used. Much better than the older Sony/Minolta 18-70mm kit lens. Highly recommended.
TL
2011-09-15T20:00:00
The standard 18-55mm lens included in most Sony DSLRs. Great for general purpose shooting in a variety of light conditions. It is versatile enough to do portraits or macros with the depth of field effect. The autofocus motor is quick and the manual focus is smooth throughout the entire range. The main issues I had with it is the focus through the Live View seemed almost unnoticably out of focus at either the 18mm or 55mm ends and at all ranges a slight soft edge on the focused subject when reviewed during post editing. Overall a decent lens to start with but not so much for the adept.
RedRaccoonDog
2011-05-12T20:00:00
This is a fantastic lens you should get upon purchase of a camera, (stock lens) I loved it. Check out my pics using my friend Bianca as the model in both pics. :)
hoggar1
2011-04-13T20:00:00
I purchased the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 because of the reviews as a good performer and constant f-stop of 2.8. Well, I took direct comparison shots with the Kit Zoom and my Tamron Zoom, and the kit zoom was sharper and had better color and contrast then the Tamron could produce at the same f-stops of the Sony kit zoom. Get this kit zoom if you don't have one, as it is a great performer, and weighs half as much as the 3rd party junk. at 1/3 the price. If you need low-light shots, don't use a zoom. Don't fall for the constant aperture ploy spouted about as a reason to buy a 3rd party zoom like the Sigma or Tamron, and that the image quality is on par or better then this kit lens. It is NOT, and you have to use aperture priority to get it close to the kit lens. At f/2.8 with the Tamron and Sigma, all shots are soft when compared to the kit zoom for same focal length shots. Stick with the kit zoom for zoom shots. Upgrade to the Zeiss zoom. Forget the Sigma or Tamron lenses. For low light shots, get a fast Sony prime lens. You'll need the sharpness in low light shots, and the faster f-stop when compared to a zoom.
Whiplock
2010-11-28T19:00:00
The 18-55 lens came with my camera. I have owned it for about a year and have decided to finally purchase a bigger zoom since I am getting comfortable with using a SLR. I would recommend this lense for beginners use. I have included an image that was taken on the first day I had the camera. Not too bad for my first time.
mannamay
2010-05-24T20:00:00
This is a great Lens ive had it on my A350 for more than 2 years
binu
2010-05-15T20:00:00
This lens came as a kit lens with my A550. What I like about it is that it is small and light and the 18-55 range is quite nice to have. I cant really complain about any distortion at the corners even at 18mm. But I have a few other higher end lenses and the difference in sharpness and color has made me stop using this lens unless I really have to. It is my widest lens so far so sometimes I have no choice but to use it. However to be fair, it is a budget lens. It never claimed to be a WOW !! its just a normal lens with acceptable quality and colors. Gets the job done. But not as well as some of the more expensive lenses such as the carl zeiss 16-80 for example. Oh and the auto focus is blind in low light situations. You really have to keep trying to get it to focus.
Sehrawy
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f/3.5-5.6
f/22-36
2
7 blade circular aperture
55mm
APS-C 35mm eqv. 27mm to 82.5mm
Front focus SAM (Smooth AF motor)
8 elements, 7 groups
0.82ft (0.25m)
2-3/4" x 2-3/4" (69.5 x 69mm)
7-4/8" (210g)
Sony 1 year limited warranty
A buying guide for anyone who wants to grow as a photographer. UPDATED FOR 2014. Not satisfied with the kit lens that came with your APS-sensor DSLR or interchangeable-lens compact digital camera? It may be time to upgrade! Kit lenses are a great stepping stone when getting started with DSLR or M...
No, it’s not a DSLR but it packs a lot of ingenuity and cool features into a light, compact, user-friendly package
Great lens
By Rnorton
Very well made lens for the money. Works very well and the images are crisp and clear. I am very happy with this lens in its over all use.
Lens is Better the Tamron 17-50 and Sigma 18-50
By Whiplock
I purchased the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 because of the reviews as a good performer and constant f-stop of 2.8. Well, I took direct comparison shots with the Kit Zoom and my Tamron Zoom, and the kit zoom was sharper and had better color and contrast then the Tamron could produce at the same f-stops of the Sony kit zoom. Get this kit zoom if you don't have one, as it is a great performer, and weighs half as much as the 3rd party junk. at 1/3 the price. If you need low-light shots, don't use a zoom...
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The Sony SAL-1855 is a solid, all-purpose standard zoom lens. It is excellent for snapshots, portraits, interiors and more. Built specifically for your a DSLR camera, it features a smooth and silent AF operation with built-in Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM) to handle the full range of your most common shots. In 35mm equivalent, it covers wide-angle 27mm to 82.5mm midrange.