Sony E PZ 18-110mm f/4 G OSS Review

Sony E PZ 18-110mm f/4 G OSS Performance

The resolution tests show an excellent level of sharpness. At 18mm the centre is excellent from f/4 to f/11, very good at f/16 and only becoming soft at f/22. The edges are excellent from f/4 to f/8, very good at f/11, good at f/16 and again soft at f/22.

35mm sees both centre and edge being excellent from f/4 through to f/11, very good at f/16 and only becoming soft at f/22.

By 70mm the centre is excellent from f/4 to f/11, very good at f/16 and soft at f/22. The edge performance is falling away slightly, but is good at f/4, very good at f/5.6, excellent at f/8, very good at f/11 and f/16 and soft at f/22.

At 110mm the centre is very good at f/4, excellent at f/5.6 to f/11, very good at f/16 and soft at f/22. The edges are still falling away, being soft at f/4, good at f/5.6, very good at f/8, good at f/11 and soft beyond that at f/16 to f/22.

The overall sharpness is a fine performance, and even the weaker edges at 110mm could be useful for portraiture.  

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is very well controlled at the centre of the field, measuring values that will be of little photographic significance. At the edges, CA is quite visible throughout the range, although is is better dealt with at the middle zoom settings. There are many shots where this might not be a problem anyway, but any bright light sources at the image edges, or branches against bright sky, will show fringing. This can of course be dealt with in software, whereas for testing purposes all corrections are switched off.

Distortion can also be corrected in software, but when switched off is quite obvious in, for example, architectural shots. At 18mm we see -3.64% barrel distortion. By 35mm we have moved into pincushion distortion, measuring +1.74%. As we zoom, this pincushion effect becomes +2.02% at 70mm and +2.07% at 110mm.

Control of flare is excellent, with no problem being observed. Perhaps a slight loss in contrast can be seen in the most challenging against-the-light shots, but nothing that could be of photographic concern.

The bokeh of the lens is pleasant and smooth and never becomes too “fussy” in appearance. It is not in the same league as super smooth lenses with apodization elements, but it is very acceptable and easy on the eye.

Value For Money

The Sony E PZ 18-110mm f/4 G OSS is priced at £3299, quite a hefty tag for a still photography lens for APS-C format. However, it is also a video lens and that may well change the VFM equation.

The nearest alternative is arguably the Zeiss 21-100mm f/3.5-6.3 T2.9-3.9 LWZ3 at £8484, or maybe, albeit with a reduced zoom range, the Tokina 16-28mm T3 Cinema lens at £4199. Other alternatives are not really exact ones, but we have the Sony E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS (£779), the Sony E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS LE (£579), the Sony E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 PZ OSS (£949) and the Sony FE 28-135mm f/4 G PZ OSS (£2099). For more options have a look at the Top 12 Best Sony E / FE Mount Lenses. 

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