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Sony SAL-1118 DT 11-18mm f4.5-5.6 lens review Gordon Laing, September 2007

More results : Outdoor / Resolution / Corner sharpness / Fringe and macro / Geometry / Vignetting

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Sony DT 11-18mm vs DT 18-70mm uniformity, shortest focal length

To compare the vignetting and light fall-off of the Sony DT 11-18mm against the DT 18-70mm at their shortest focal lengths, we photographed a white target with a highly diffused filter; each lens was focused to infinity with its aperture wide open. The images were then analysed with Imatest and the full areas presented here at a reduced resolution. Bigger percentages are better.

Light falls off to 65.4% of the maximum when it reaches the corners of the Sony DT 11-18mm when it's zoomed-out to 11mm. This is roughly the same as the DT 18-70mm kit lens when its zoomed-out to 18mm, although the gradient is smoother on the ultra-wide lens and less noticeable in real-life. It's also a much better result than the Canon EF-S 10-22mm when it's zoomed-out, although the Sony lens isn't as optically fast.

Sony DT 11-18mm
Using Sony Alpha A100
Sony DT 18-70mm
Using Sony Alpha A100
Sony DT 11-18mm uniformity at 11mm f4.5
Sony 18-70mm uniformity at 18mm f3.5
11-18mm at 11mm f4.5
Mean corner fall-off: 65.4%
18-70mm at 18mm f3.5
Mean corner fall-off: 63.3%




Sony DT 11-18mm vs DT 18-70mm uniformity, longest focal length


To compare the vignetting and light fall-off of the Sony DT 11-18mm against the DT 18-70mm at their longest focal lengths, we photographed a white target with a highly diffused filter; each lens was focused to infinity with its aperture wide open. The images were then analysed with Imatest and the full areas presented here at a reduced resolution. Bigger percentages are better.

With the DT 11-18mm zoomed-into its longest focal length, the light falls-off to 62.2% of the maximum in the corners. This is actually pretty much identical to the kit lens at the same focal length, although again the gradient is subtle and it's a better result than Canon's ultra wide angle for EF-S bodies. Now for some real-life results, let's head on over to our Sony DT 11-18mm sample images.


Sony DT 11-18mm
Using Sony Alpha A100
Sony DT 18-70mm
Using Sony Alpha A100
Sony DT 11-18mm uniformity at 18mm f5.6
Sony 18-70mm uniformity at 70mm f5.6
11-18mm at 18mm f5.6
Mean corner fall-off: 62.2%
18-70mm at 70mm f5.6
Mean corner fall-off: 87.7%

Sony DT 11-18mm lens results

Outdoor / Resolution / Corner sharpness / Fringe and macro / Geometry / Vignetting



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