B_P_2015_04_

BETTER PHOTOGRAPHY APRIL 2015

42

Very Wide, Very Narrow

The Sony DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 offers a narrow zoom range, but A-mount

users may love its wide angle capabilities. Shridhar Kunte fi nds out.

• Noisy focus


• Soft corners


• No FTM

MINUS

• Distortion well
  controlled


• Hood supplied

PLUS

WEIGHTAGE OF

PARAMETERS

Features

Performance

Build Quality

Ergonomics

Warranty &

Support

15%

25%

35%

5%20%

TEST

at this distance, the magnifi cation ratio

comes up to be 1:8. This can be onsidered

fairly decent, given the wide focal length.

The lens accepts 77mm fi lters and the

the front element does not rotate while

focusing. This is quite handy for those

wanting to shoot landscapes along with

circular polarisers.

Handling

We coupled the lens with the Alpha

A77M2, and the combination felt quite

light and well-balanced. Despite the fact

that the lens weighs only 360g, it feels

pretty sturdy. However, a polycarbonate

barrel construction makes it look and feel

quite average.

T

his lens is not a new launch at all,

the roots of the Sony DT 11–18mm

f/4.5-5.6 lens go as far back as the

year 2005. Tamron had launched

a 11–18mm lens during the PMA

show in those days, and just after about

a year, Minolta merged with Sony. They

came out with a new lens that matched

all the specifi cations of Tamron’s version

for the Minolta mount (now the Sony

A-mount). Sony brought the same lens

back to the market with the A100, under

their brand name, of course.

Features

If you have a Sony A-mount DSLR, then

this is the only wide angle offering from

the manufacturer. The lens features four

special elements, out of which three are

aspherical and one is an ED element.

Overall, the lens consists of 15 elements

arranged in 12 groups. While the lens

offers a 7-bladed aperture diaphragm

unit, it doesn’t really make much of a

difference as wide angle lenses offer larger

depth of fi eld.

At all focal lengths, the lens offers a

minimum focusing distance of 0.25m, and

SPECIFICATIONS

Model name Sony DT 11–18mm f/4.5-5.6

MRP Rs. 44,990

Lens construction 15 elements/12 groups

Max. Aperture f/4.5

Diaphragm blades 7

Filter diameter 77mm

Dimensions 80.4mm x 83mm

Weight 360g

Sony DT 11–18mm f/4.5-5.6

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