Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens Announced, Will Cost $598

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens Announced, Will Cost $598

A new APS-C zoom lens has been announced by Sony, and is set to start shipping next month. The E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens features Optical SteadyShot stabilization and comes in a compact, travel-friendly size for pairing with a6000-series mirrorless cameras. With a 35mm format equivalent of 27-202.5mm, the new lens is aimed at being a versatile, “one-lens solution” for Sony E-mount crop-sensor cameras.

The E 18-135mm measures in at 2.75 by 3.5 inches and weighs 11.5 ounces. Inside the lens features 1 aspherical element and 2 extra-low dispersion (ED) elements, and in total there are 16 elements in 12 groups. There are seven rounded aperture blades and the front is threaded for 55mm filters. The exterior is kept simple with just a focus ring, zoom ring, and a focus mode toggle switch.

Sony claims consistent high resolution sharpness from center to edge helped by the aspherical element, all the while the two ED elements suppress chromatic aberration. Sample images taken with the new lens can be found on the Sony photo gallery website.

Sony E 18-135mm mounted to an a6300.

Personally, I’m happy to see Sony come out with new reasonably-priced APS-C lenses. This all-around zoom lens can be one-and-done for many photographers on a budget. Owners of the less expensive a6000 and a6300 camera models would also be gaining image stabilization pairing up with this lens, which is never a bad thing to have with maximum apertures of f/3.5-5.6.

The Sony E 18-135mm is priced at $598 and preordering will begin on the B&H Photo website January 10 at 11 a.m. ET.

Ryan Mense's picture

Ryan Mense is a wildlife cameraperson specializing in birds. Alongside gear reviews and news, Ryan heads selection for the Fstoppers Photo of the Day.