Sony Alpha DT 18-70mm F3 – Samples vary hugely – it can be either quite good or awful

December 25, 2019

Sony Alpha DT 18-70mm F3 – Samples vary hugely – it can be either quite good or awful

But only works with alpha 350. Had re new my suite of lens. Very annoying and expensive.

The lens looked and worked as new. It arrived perfectly on time and the price was good.

Its light, plasticky and has a rather poor maximum aperture at the longer focal lengths. However, it does have a better than usual range of focal lengths and comes almost free with many sony dslrs. Stopped down performance is ok and it works well for general use in good light. Most other brands of entry level kit lens are criticised for similar inadequacies so this probably compares. Nevertheless those who get the bug will probably seek something better and will have to pay a lot more to get that improved performance.

Arrived safe and sound and perfectly packaged. Does what it says in the tin. Having problems with the camera body itself, but that’s sony’s fault and they are not playing.

Excellent lens no issues at all>.

Excellent lens at a very reasonable price, i am pleased with the purchase and i would recommend this product as a true bargain.

First thing first, this is a decent lens. It offers a much nicer focal range than other kit lenses and it does pretty well in terms of sharpness. It’s barrel action is smooth but it’ focus ring does rotate, making it a pain to use a polariser. It does well as a budget lens, but there are better- for a higher price. If you’re a beginner, just starting out with an alpha 200 or 300/50, then this lens will keep you satisfied for a long time.

I’ve owned four copies of this lens which is a re-badge of the konica minolta kit lens from over 10 years ago. The optical design is the same, with some adjustments to the cosmetic appearance with a finer rib texture on the lens barrel grip. Covering an equivalent to 27-105mm it’s a useful range to have for a kit lens and makes a nice change from the standard 18-55mm most makers offer. Being a kit lens it’s build with extensive use of plastics on the mount and body, though doesn’t feel any worse than other kit lenses. Sony replaced the lens with the 18-55mm sam a few years back; this lens has a better macro performance (closer focus is shorter) and has a built in af motor. The km and sony 18-70mm lenses are driven by the in camera motor, not that it makes a lot of difference as both types make some noise with autofocus. Optically the lens can be hit and miss. However if you get hold of a ‘good’ copy it can be better than the 18-55mm. I had one fairly good sony copy and three poor ones. Both km badged versions were what i would class as ‘pretty sharp’ for a kit lens.

Great sony lens to replace broken original.

This kit lens come with the starter alpha cameras a200, a300 etc. On the plus side it’s a quick lens (focusing), small and light so doesn’t add unnecessary weight to the camera. On the downside the focussing ring rotates which causes filter problems, plus annoyingly the rubber grip is ribbed and catches dust easily. The pinch cap is good to aid removal when the sunshade is in place. Worth it as a start lens but consider an older sigma if you want to step up a gear.

I have been using this lens for 2. I have mainly used it for food and travel photography. Travel pictures come out sharp and food photographs have the desired blurring effect in the background. Overall i am quite happy with this lens.

Here are the specifications for the Sony Alpha DT 18-70mm F3: