Photos Taken with a Sony 18-135mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 E-Mount Lens

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 (i.e., 35mm equivalent). So the zoom range makes it an especially versatile choice for travel or 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 an 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

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.

Sony E 18-135mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens Price & Availability

Check current price and availability of the Sony E 18-135mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 at:

• B&H Photo
• Adorama
• Amazon

You can also often find used copies at KEH.

Accessories for the Sony E 18-135mm ƒ/3.5-5.6

Filters. It takes regular 55mm screw-in filters: Polarizer | UV/Haze | ND

Lens Hood. It comes with a lens hood. If you need a replacement, the model number is ALCSH153.

Lens Caps. It takes standard Sony front (ALC-F55S) and rear (ALCR1EM) lens caps.

Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2023-09-25 at 16:41. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.