Tamron 18-400mm
Tamron
53 Overall Score
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Sony
92 Overall Score
What Buyers Say
Tamron 18-400mm
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
Street
Portrait
Travel
Wildlife Sports
Video Cinema
Landscape
Macro
Professional
Specifications
| Tamron 18-400mm | Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS | |
|---|---|---|
| Optics | ||
| Type | telephoto | zoom |
| Focal Length Min | 70 mm | 18 mm |
| Focal Length Max | 180 mm | 135 mm |
| Elements | 20 | 16 |
| Groups | 15 | 12 |
| Aspherical Elements | 3★ | 1 |
| ED Elements | 4★ | 2 |
| Coating | BBAR-G2 (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2) Coating | — |
| Aperture | ||
| Max Aperture | f/22 | f/3.5 |
| Min Aperture | f/2.8 | 3.5-5.6 |
| Constant | ✓★ | ✗ |
| Diaphragm Blades | 7 | 7 |
| Build | ||
| Mount | Sony E | Sony E |
| Format | APS-C | APS-C |
| Weather Sealed | ✗ | ✗ |
| Weight | 1.46 kg | 0.33 kg★ |
| Filter Thread | 67 mm | 55 mm |
| AF & Stabilization | ||
| AF Type | VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear motor | Linear motor |
| Stabilization | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stabilization Stops | 6 stops★ | — |
| Focus | ||
| Min Focus Distance | 180 mm★ | 450 mm |
| Max Magnification | 1:3.2★ | 0.29x |
Pros & Cons
Tamron 18-400mm
- Strong stabilization (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong optical (98th percentile)98th %ile
- Strong af (98th percentile)98th %ile
- Strong macro (84th percentile)84th %ile
- Below average social proof (6th percentile)6th %ile
- Below average build (11th percentile)11th %ile
- Below average bokeh (14th percentile)14th %ile
- Below average aperture (22nd 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
Tamron 18-400mm0.048score 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 3.8x better value for money
Verdict
Winner: Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Scores 92 overall, wins 8 of 9 usage categories and 1 of 22 specs.
