All images - Sony NEX-7 18-55mm zoom © David and Ann Taylor-Hughes
There's more Sony lens bashing here:- http://www.photozone.de/sony_nex/724-sony1855f3556oss.
Its kind of becoming an internet sport!
"The Sony E 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS may perform decently on lower resolution NEX cameras (the 3 and 5 series). However, its capabilities are clearly overstrained on Sony's 24 megapixel sensor. In so far it is very surprising that Sony is also offering it bundled with the NEX 7. The quality is rather miserable at 18mm and if you want to achieve reasonably sharp results across the image field you should generally avoid large aperture settings at the other focal lengths as well. Another weakness is the high amount of lateral CAs at 18mm and 35mm."
"However, it is obvious that this fairly new lens is already outdated - it is just not good enough anymore at 24 megapixels.
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Pretty damning!! So how come I think its the best kit lens I've used?
This goes to show the difference between testing and using a lens in the "real world". I'm not going to show you any graphs or show you any samples.When I use the lens, I use it at its optimum apertures f/5.6 - f/11. I shoot raw files and use the Sony lens profile in Adobe Camera Raw. I also now use the updated ACR 7, with its auto CA removal. So to a large extent I'm taking care of the "problems" of CA, vignetting and distortion in the "review". As to sharpness, well I'm happy with that. If I felt I was compromising quality I wouldn't use it.
It would be nice if all lenses performed brilliantly in lens tests. However if we want light, small(ish), relatively inexpensive, lenses then we have to accept that they are going to be "corrected", "Improved", call it what you will, using software / firmware. I'm perfectly happy with that. Others may not be. I'm VERY happy with the results I can get from the 18-55mm zoom on my NEX-7. I have no idea whether the test was conducted using jpgs, or raw, so can't comment on that. I also can't comment on whether there is a variation in quality in the lenses and that I have a "good one" and the tester has a "bad one". I have no way of knowing that. All I can say is that I'm happy with my lens and satisfied with its performance.
I do have this, totally unsubstantiated I might add!, theory that the black ones bundled with the NEX-7, might be different (i.e. "better") than the silver ones that come with other cameras. Certainly my completely unscientific and untested opinion is that this black one I have is sharper than the silver ones I had before. Since I don't have the others anymore I can't compare them.
In the end its a question of using your own eyes. The "review / test" doesn't actually show any image samples or comparison shots, so make of that what you will. Finally if you click on the Sony e-mount 18-55mm link underneath this post you'll find all my other posts about the lens.
