The Sony 18-135mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 E zoom lens is designed for Sony’s E-mount system, and specifically for cropped-sensor cameras that use the APS-C sized sensor. It has a broad zoom range from 18mm at its widest to 135mm fully zoomed in. When used on an APS-C sensor, it becomes the focal length equivalent of 27mm to 202mm on a full-frame sensor (ie. 35mm equivalent). So the zoom range makes it an especially versatile choice for travel of everyday photography.
It’s not an especially fast lens, in that it doesn’t have particularly wide maximum apertures for working in low light. Zoomed out to 18mm, it has a maximum aperture of ƒ/3.5. As you zoom in, the maximum aperture reduces until it reaches ƒ/5.6 when you’re fully zoomed in to 135mm. But when working in low light, it does have optical stabilization, which can help regain a few stops. The lens’s minimum aperture ranges from ƒ/22 to ƒ/36, depending on where on the zoom range you’re working.
The photos below were all taken on a Sony a6400, which has an APS-C sized sensor, the type of sensor that this lens is designed for. That combination works very well, but this lens will also work well on other Sony Alpha cameras with APS-C sensor such as the a6000 and a6500.
I’ve previously posted some practical examples of the zoom range of this lens. What I’m focusing on here is a more general selection of images taken with this lens.
Sony 18-135mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens Sample Images
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 64mm (ie. 96mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/5.6.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 24mm (ie. 36mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 23mm (ie. 34mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/8.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 32mm (ie. 48mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 20mm (ie. 30mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/8.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/6.3.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 20mm (ie. 30mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 22mm (ie. 33mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/11.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 27mm (ie. 40mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 45mm (ie. 67mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/5.0.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 128mm (ie. 192mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/5.6.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 32mm (ie. 48mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/5.6.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 95mm (ie. 142mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/5.6.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 20mm (ie. 30mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 110mm (ie. 165mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/11.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 135mm (ie. 202mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/8.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/6.3.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/8.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 23mm (ie. 34mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 19mm (ie. 28mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/5.6.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 35mm (ie. 52mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/8.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 20mm (ie. 30mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 19mm (ie. 28mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/10.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 59mm (ie. 88mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/5.6.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/16.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 110mm (ie. 165mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/5.6.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 25mm (ie. 37mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/16.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 64mm (ie. 96mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/5.6.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 83mm (ie. 124mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/8.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 19mm (ie. 28mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/8.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/3.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/11.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 135mm (ie. 202mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/6.3.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 35mm (ie. 52mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/4.5.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 18mm (ie. 27mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/6.3.
Taken with a Sony a6400, zoomed to 22mm (ie. 33mm in 35mm equiv.) and with an aperture of ƒ/7.1.
Things Worth Knowing
The Sony 18-135mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 E-Mount Lens takes 55mm filters.
One oddity I’ve found with this lens is that it doesn’t cover the full sensor optically. If you look at a RAW capture, you’ll see very heavy vignetting in the corners. When you import the files into Lightroom, a corrective lens profile is applied automatically that removes the vignetting and stretches out the edges of the frame. So you might never actually see the vignetting in practice unless you disable the lens profile. Applying the lens profile corrections also does a good job of addressing any chromatic aberration or distortion issues you might run into.
The vignetting doesn’t show up in JPG captures because the camera is applying the profile correction in-camera before it saves the file to the memory card.
Where to Find Them
You can find the Sony 18-135mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 E zoom lens as a standalone lens for $598 at B&H Photo. You can also get it bundled with the Sony a6400.
Questions & Comments