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Sony E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens – Sample Photos and First Impressions Using Nex-7

Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens
APS-C Lens
27-300mm (35mm Equivalent)
Price:
$898 US

I received the Sony Nex-7 a few weeks ago and really wanted to test out the “Keg Can Zoom” of a lens, the Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS. So far I’m really impressed with it’s smooth zoom and sharp images. The OSS and focus motor work really well and are virtually silent.The build quality is also incredible and not a let down by any means. In fact it’s better built than I expected and physically larger than I expected. It’s also relatively heavy in comparison to the other nex lenses I’ve used. It feels more like an A-Mount Style lens size and weight wise. Wait to you see it below on the Nex-7.

I’ve also noticed the corners in some images suffer from some significant chromatic aberrations, but I haven’t taken note as to what aperture and focal length etc.. Easily correctable with raw software.

The other thing I noticed about the Sony E-mount 18-200mm lens is the zoom will not stay set if your aimed up or down. The zoom walks open to max or closed in these situations and you need to hold the zoom with your hand to keep it from walking. When I was taking the product shots I had the lens sitting on the white backdrop in the vertical position and when I zoomed it to 200mm and let go, it would just close back down to 18mm. The fastest I could get it photographed was about 180mm or so.

Notice in the image to the right as it’s not actually at 200mm like I initially intended. There is a lock at 18mm which keeps the lens from opening, and it would be nice if the lens either had more lock positions at the most popular focal lengths, or more damping to stop the self zooming.

Stay tuned for the Full Review of the Sony 18-200mm OSS lens, where I will break down all the lens details for you. I also have the Sony 18-200mm vs Tamron 18-200mm Article in the works so keep an eye out for that if your debating on which lens to buy.

Now check out this guy on the on the Sony Nex-7:

Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ 18mm
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ 50mm
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens – @ 100mm
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ 200mm

Now for some Real World Sample Pics Using the Nex-7 and the Sony E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens:

This first image is my our Dog Chubs incase you don’t know 😉 He shows up in a lot of reviews and is  a great subject for testing lenses and cameras!  His fur has tons of detail and the eyes make for a great focal point to analyze.  Now it’s not as sharp as the Sony A-Mount 70-200mm, but it’s not bad!!

Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/200sec, 200mm, ISO 400
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/200sec, 200mm, ISO 400
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/200sec, 200mm, ISO 400
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/200sec, 200mm, ISO 400 – 100% Crop
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/400sec, 96mm, ISO 400
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/400sec, 96mm, ISO 400
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/400sec, 96mm, ISO 400
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/400sec, 96mm, ISO 400

I have this fun blacksmith puzzle toy from the deck and I’m enjoying the rust developing over the months. The Bokeh is not the most amazing out there, but it’s not bad at all as this image shows pretty good. In addition the detail is also pretty good on the rust for 200mm hand held @ 1/125sec!

Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/125sec, 200mm, ISO 100 - Cropped
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/125sec, 200mm, ISO 100 – Cropped
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/125sec, 200mm, ISO 100
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/125sec, 200mm, ISO 100

This image below is an awesome covered bridge about 45 minutes from where we live. I was able to swing over the other day and managed to grab a few sample pics with some visual interest for you 😉

Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/4sec, 18mm, ISO 100, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/4sec, 18mm, ISO 100, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/4sec, 18mm, ISO 100, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/4sec, 18mm, ISO 100, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/4sec, 18mm, ISO 100, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/4sec, 18mm, ISO 100, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/2000sec, 200mm, ISO 400, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/2000sec, 200mm, ISO 400, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/2000sec, 200mm, ISO 400, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/2000sec, 200mm, ISO 400, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/1600sec, 54mm, ISO 400, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/1600sec, 54mm, ISO 400, Jpeg Fine
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/1600sec, 159mm, ISO 100
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/1600sec, 159mm, ISO 100
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/1600sec, 159mm, ISO 100
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/1600sec, 159mm, ISO 100

This is an old microwave tower near my job that now holds a cell tower antenna and a black bird that decided to stop and take a break.

Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/250sec, 85mm, ISO 200
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/250sec, 85mm, ISO 200
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/250sec, 85mm, ISO 200
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/250sec, 85mm, ISO 200

Here is some brick with a nice texture on it thanks to the early evening light. The top right corner 100% crop below is noticeable softer than the center 100% crop.

Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/60sec, 200mm, ISO 200
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/60sec, 200mm, ISO 200
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/60sec, 200mm, ISO 200 - top right corner
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/60sec, 200mm, ISO 200 – top right corner
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/60sec, 200mm, ISO 200 - center
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/60sec, 200mm, ISO 200 – center
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/125sec, 49mm, ISO 200
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/125sec, 49mm, ISO 200
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/125sec, 49mm, ISO 200
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/125sec, 49mm, ISO 200

Noticeable distortion at 18mm.

Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/80sec, 18mm, ISO 200
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/8, 1/80sec, 18mm, ISO 200
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/7.1, 2 seconds, 25mm, ISO 100
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/7.1, 2 seconds, 25mm, ISO 100 – Tri-pod
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/7.1, 2 seconds, 25mm, ISO 100
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/7.1, 2 seconds, 25mm, ISO 100
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/7.1, 2 seconds, 25mm, ISO 100
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/7.1, 2 seconds, 25mm, ISO 100
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/9, 5 seconds, 68mm, ISO 100, Tri-pod, +1 exp/comp
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/9, 5 seconds, 68mm, ISO 100, Tri-pod, +1 exp/comp

This is a super high contrast scene that i noticed when getting gas the other day. I placed the super bright sun in the upper left just out of frame so the roof line would really be forced to show flaw. Sure enough some purple fringing was there, but it’s easily correctable in Lightroom 3, or any raw converter program. I’ll put a tutorial together to show you how to set-up custom presets for this as soon as I get some time.

Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/200sec, 200mm, ISO 400
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/200sec, 200mm, ISO 400
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/200sec, 200mm, ISO 400
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/200sec, 200mm, ISO 400
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/200sec, 200mm, ISO 400
Sony Nex-7 w/ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/200sec, 200mm, ISO 400 – Corrected Purple Fringing

Closing Remarks:

That is about it for now, but I do have some video I need to put together and upload as well as the “lab” tests to go over for the actual full review. In the meantime I’m pretty impressed with the Sony 18-200mm’s performance all around. It clearly has some flaws with vignetting, chromatic aberrations, and the lens zooming on its own when aiming up and down, but overall the value for the dollar is great as always. Considering the optics required for an all in one style lens with a extreme zoom range like this, the quality is better than you might expect from a non Zeiss lens. However, there is room for improvement in a few areas.

Stay tuned for more sample pics from the Nex-7 as I have the Rokina 8mm fisheye sample pics,  and the 24mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss sample pics still to come.

I also have an article on HDR Photography and the Nex-7 in the works using the Livingston Manor bridge scene from above. I need to put together all the video footage and do the screen capture part of the article still, but it should be a really good one for those interested in HDR Photography!! I used auto hdr feature and regular multiple exposure hdr so you can see what the Sony Nex-7 can do compared to the old manual way using Photomatix pro etc..

Thanks for checking in,

Jay

APS-C Lens
27-300mm (35mm Equivalent)
Price:
$898 US

    1. Thanks for the comments and question;)
      The 55-210mm weighs Much less at 343grams(12.1 oz)vs 524g(185oz). The aperture on the 18-200mm is f/3.5 though which adds a lot larger glass elements, hence the weight!
      Best,
      Jay

  1. Im looking forward to the Sony 18-200mm vs Tamron 18-200mm Article. Keep up the good reviews bud!! One of the best review sites i have seen!

      1. I’m looking forward to the Sony vs Tamron article too.
        Did I read on one of your other threads that you’ve done a video?
        When’s it going live?
        I recently got myself a 5n and am completely blown away by what this little camera is capable of. Your tutorial on custom settings was a great help. The sony manual doesn’t cover this!

        1. Kon,
          It’s going live in about an hour or so, and yes there is comparison video 🙂 I’m writing up the rest of the article now and getting the sample pics ready for below the video.
          Best,
          Jay

  2. Aaargh… even with the APS-C format I will never get wife to like this giant “glass adaptor”.
    Lookslike a thermo with “a funny lid”..
    Maybe I’ll never be able to leave those PAS-cameras after all.
    The NEX-7 looked so promising until I saw this giant 😉
    Still – it looks very pretty impressive and cool to me! 😉

    1. Hey Chris,
      Thanks for the comments and I here your pain. This lens is a little Keg Can 🙂 I don’t mind it myself, but I’m used to holding the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS for hours at a time so it’s not a big deal for me. I could totally see your issue though!! 😉
      Best,
      Jay

  3. What about a 55-210 Sony Vs the 18-200 i think that might be a good review for someone to do if you have time 😛 Im not really much of a lens swapper but the price of the 55-210 cant be beat but are the 2 18-200’s better image quality id be guessing so but who knows. Non of my local camera shops sell nex stuff besides the kits everything has to be ordered they keep telling me there is no market for them around here. I went to porters to look at the reg size dslr and they just happened to have 1 tam e mount the first lens they every had for the emount. Would be nice if they would get the lens in there so people could take a few sample shots before buying um , I just cant see spending 400 to 1,000 bucks on a lens you can take some snaps with before ya buy it. That’s why these reviews have helped allot. A lot of the other reviews online don’t go so much in to depth. Google it it says click here for a review then you get to the review and its not a review its just a spec sheet of how its made no sample pics or anything!

    1. Brian,
      The 55-210mm is an awesome lens and the perfect complement to the 18-55mm both economically and physically. I have a ton of sample photos from it using the nex-5n, but my product shots of the actual lens didn’t come out so good. I need to get it back from BHPhotoVideo and re-shoot the lens before I can post the review 😉
      The “All in One” feature of the 18-200mm zoom range makes the optical challenges much harder, and therefore more expensive!
      Best,
      Jay

    2. @ Brian,
      A Belgian website did a 55-210 vs 18-200 review a couple of days ago. It is written in dutch but google translate will do the job. If you’re interrested, search for “nexblog” on the net.

  4. I must have gotten lucky. I found a used SEL18200 in perfect condition for a killer deal at a local camera shop and it does not have the slightest zoom creep! Works great with my NEX-6 too. Thanks for the great reviews Jay!

      1. They must have because mine has no lens creep either and I’m very happy with it! 🙂
        The zooming is dead easy with it, not too loose not too stiff, just perfect!
        I bought mine in December 2012 so it must have been manufactured recently so I guess they fixed the issue. Also it hasn’t loosened at all in the last month and a half since I’ve started using it.

  5. your images and description are really enlightening!please keep nex7 users informed with your guidance and experiences.
    Thanks
    asha

  6. hi
    i own a nex-5r with 16-50mm pz lense
    i m looking a all in one lense with good quality . the quality of my 16-50 lens is so good for me specialy in movie recording and outdoor shots .
    is the quality of sel18200 as good as 16-50 or better ?
    is it photo quality as good as 1650 for family portrits ?
    best reagards

    1. Hi Moshen,
      The quality of the 18-200mm is a little better than the 16-50mm lens as far as distortion is concerned, and overall sharpness is pretty similar. The 16-50mm is a little sharper in the very center though. 50-150mm range is much better for portraits than 16-50mm in my opinion as well.
      I hope that helps,
      Jay
      Jay

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