Canon L EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

Canon L EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

Canon
43 Overall Score
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony
92 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Canon L EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

No customer feedback yet

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

82 out of 100 high confidence 117 reviews

The Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens is widely praised as an excellent all-in-one travel and walkaround lens for APS-C E-mount cameras. Users consistently highlight its sharpness, compact size, light weight, and versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range. While many note it is not ideal for low light and some report significant vignetting at the wide end, the overall sentiment is very positive, with most considering it a great value kit lens upgrade.

Pros
  • Sharp image quality
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range
  • Effective optical image stabilization
  • Fast and accurate autofocus
Cons
  • Significant vignetting at 18mm wide end
  • Not ideal for low light photography
  • Variable aperture limits brightness at telephoto
  • Some copies may have quality control issues
  • Slight autofocus lag compared to premium lenses
👍 Image quality 35
👍 Build quality 12
👍 Value for money 18
👎 Vignetting 6
👎 Low light performance 10
👍 Zoom range 25

Scores

Budget
Canon
47
Sony
96
Street
Canon
56
Sony
89
Portrait
Canon
46
Sony
89
Travel
Canon
56
Sony
89
Wildlife Sports
Canon
59
Sony
84
Video Cinema
Canon
54
Sony
82
Landscape
Canon
57
Sony
76
Professional
Canon
62
Sony
74
Macro
Canon
32
Sony
68

Specifications

Canon L EF 17-40mm f/4L USMSony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Optics
Typezoomzoom
Focal Length Min17 mm18 mm
Focal Length Max40 mm135 mm
Elements1216
Groups912
Aspherical Elements3★1
ED Elements12★
CoatingSuper Spectra coating—
Aperture
Max Aperturef/17f/3.5
Min Aperturef/43.5-5.6
Constant✓★✗
Diaphragm Blades—7★
Build
MountCanon EFSony E
Formatfull-frame★APS-C
Weather Sealed✓★✗
Weight0.47 kg0.33 kg★
Filter Thread77 mm55 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeUSMLinear motor★
Stabilization✗✓★
Focus
Min Focus Distance—450 mm★
Max Magnification—0.29x★

Pros & Cons

Canon L EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

  • Strong af (93rd percentile)93rd %ile
  • Strong optical (78th percentile)
  • Strong versatility (76th percentile)
  • Strong build (72nd percentile)
  • Below average macro (12th percentile)12th %ile
  • Below average social proof (21st percentile)
  • Below average bokeh (25th percentile)
  • Below average stabilization (34th percentile)

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

  • Strong af (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong versatility (96th percentile)96th %ile
  • Strong social proof (91st percentile)91st %ile
  • Strong aperture (83rd percentile)83rd %ile

Pricing

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS is $185 cheaper (1.4x less).

Canon L EF 17-40mm f/4L USM0.063score per dollar
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS0.183score per dollar

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS offers 2.9x better value for money

Canon L EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

Verdict

★ Winner: Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Scores 92 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 7 of 21 specs.

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Better at:

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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