Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ

APS-C E-Mount (2013-)

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Sony 18-200mm PZ

Sony E 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS PZ (APS-C, 67mm filters, 22.9 oz./648g, 1'/0.3m (@18mm) ~ 1.6'/0.5m (@200mm) close focus, $1,148). bigger. I'd get mine at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally-approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Sony does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, store demo or used lens. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.

 

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Sample Images

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These are all shot hand-held as Standard JPGs; no RAW or FINE JPGs or tripods were used or needed.

Sony E 18-200mm OSS Sample Image

Palm Trunk, 7:13AM, 14 March 2019. Sony A6400, Sony 18-200mm PZ at 37mm, f/8 at 1/160 at Auto ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

Sony E 18-200mm OSS Sample Image

Canary Palm lit by Sunlight Glinting off the Sea, 8:30AM, 14 March 2019. Sony A6400, Sony 18-200mm PZ at 33mm, f/16 hand-held at 1/25 at Auto ISO 250, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

Introduction

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Performance   Recommendations

Good   Bad   Missing

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This Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ (Power Zoom) is a video teleproduction lens which works great on all Sony E-Mount cameras. It's bigger, heavier more expensive, better made and has better optics than the far more portable Sony E 18-200mm OSS LE.

This Power Zoom (PZ) lens is intended more for use on Sony's E-mount video cameras, but I'm using it on an A6400.

This 18-200 lens has a built-in zoom motor for smooth zooms for video. For still shooting you slide the bottom MANUAL / SERVO switch to MANUAL and turn the unmarked front zoom ring to suit.

The zoom motor system only has three slow speeds, and the W/T slider only runs at one of those speeds at a time, regardless of how far you slide it. Proper video lenses vary the zoom speed by how far you push the zoom slider, but not this lens.

This 18-200 covers a huge zoom range, focuses very close, focuses fast and silently, and has optical stabilization so I can hand-hold it in any light on any Sony camera.

Get this lens if you're shooting movies or don't mind carrying a lot more than the 18-200mm OSS LE just to get a little more optical quality and a lot more mechanical quality.

I'd get my Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

 

Good

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com All-encompassing zoom range.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Fast focus.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Silent focus.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Close focus.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Smooth power zoom.

 

Bad

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Electronic focus ring, like most mirrorless lenses, has no direct mechanical connection to the optics. It only works when you have the camera set just right.

 

Missing

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com W/T zoom switch only goes at one speed at a time regardless of how far you slide it. (You shouldn't need the H/M/L switch; speed should vary based on how far you move the W/T slider.)

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No focal length, focus or depth-of-field scales.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No tripod socket.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No stabilizer on-off switch.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No autofocus mode (AF/MF) switch.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com There's no center ND filter nor can the diaphragm close all the way for fade-to-black.

 

Sony 18-200mm PZ

Sony 18-200mm PZ with included ALC-SH125 hood. bigger.

 

Format

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I'd get my Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

This is an APS-C (cropped-sensor) lens. It also works on full-frame cameras, which automatically crop their sensors to APS-C.

 

Compatibility

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I'd get my Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

This is an APS-C (cropped-sensor) lens that works on all Sony E-mount cameras. This includes all the variations of NEX, A9-, A7-, A6xxx and A5xxx series cameras.

Full-frame cameras will automatically crop to APS-C.

It will not mount on any Sony A-mount DSLR or any Minolta MAXXUM 35mm SLR of any kind. Those use the old A mount which was actually the Minolta MAXXUM mount from 1987.

 

Specifications

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Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Recommendations

I'd get my Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

 

Name

Sony calls this the E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS PZ:

    E: E-mount.

    OSS: Optical Steady Shot (Image Stabilization).

    PZ: Power Zoom for shooting video.

Sony's model number: SELP18200.

 

Optics

Sony 18-200mm PZ optical construction

Sony 18-200mm PZ optical construction. Aspherical and ED extra-low dispersion elements.

17 elements in 12 groups.

Four Aspherical elements.

One ED extra-low dispersion element.

Internal focus.

Front section moves in and out as zoomed.

 

Diaphragm

Sony 18-200mm PZ

Sony 18-200mm PZ. Weird opening is due to how the OSS system went to sleep. bigger.

7 rounded blades.

Stops down to f/22-40.

There's no center ND filter nor can it close all the way for fade-to-black.

 

Focal Length

18-200mm.

When used on APS-C, it sees the same angle of view as a 28-300mm lens sees when used on a full-frame camera.

See also Crop Factor.

 

Angle of View

76º ~ 8° diagonal on APS-C.

 

Autofocus

Internal focus.

No external movement as focused, so no air or dust is sucked in.

 

Close Focus

At 18mm: 1 foot (0.3meters).

At 200mm: 1.64 feet (0.5 meters).

 

Maximum Reproduction Ratio

1:2.9 (0.35×).

 

Optical Stabilizer

Yes.

 

Filters

67mm plastic thread.

 

Hood

Sony ALC-SH125 Hood

Sony ALC-SH125 hood for 18-200mm. bigger.

ALC-SH125 hood included.

 

Size

3.67" maximum diameter × 3.90" extension from flange.

93.2 mm diameter × 99 mm extension from flange.

 

Weight

22.870 oz. (648.3 g) actual measured weight.

Rated 22.9 oz. (649 g).

 

Included

Lens (SELP18200).

ALC-F67S front and ALC-R1EM rear cap.

ALC-SH125 hood.

 

Announced

22 January 2013.

 

Available since

March 2013.

 

Sony Model Number

SELP18200.

 

Price, USA

$1,148, March 2019.

$1,200, 2013.

 

Performance

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Format

Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Recommendations

 

Overall   Autofocus   Bokeh   Breathing   Distortion

Ergonomics   Falloff   Filters   Flare & Ghosts

Lateral Color Fringes   Macro   Maximum Apertures

Mechanics   Sharpness   Stabilization   Sunstars

 

I'd get my Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

 

Overall

Performance          top

This Sony 18-200mm PZ has a huge zoom range with fast, silent, close focus and a great optical stabilizer.

It's bigger, heavier, more expensive, better made and has better optics than the far more portable Sony E 18-200mm OSS LE.

This Power Zoom lens is intended for shooting video; manual zooming is very stiff for still shots.

 

Autofocus

Performance          top

Autofocus is fast and completely silent.

 

Bokeh

Performance          top

Bokeh, the feel or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is neutral. This is a slow lens so nothing gets that far out of focus.

Here are photos from headshot distance wide-open:

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Bokeh sample image

Davis 6250 weather station, 14 March 2019. bigger or camera-original © file.

 

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Bokeh sample image

Davis 6250 weather station, 14 March 2019. bigger or camera-original © file.

 

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Bokeh sample image

Davis 6250 weather station, 14 March 2019. bigger or camera-original © file.

 

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Bokeh sample image

Davis 6250 weather station, 14 March 2019. bigger or camera-original © file.

 

For the softest backgrounds shoot at 200mm at f/6.3 and get as close as possible.

 

Focus Breathing

Performance          top

Focus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth.

The image from the Sony 18-200mm PZ tends to get a little smaller as focused more closely depending on the focal length. At some settings there is no breathing and at others there is minor breathing.

 

Distortion

Performance          top

As shot on modern Sony cameras this lens has no visible distortion.

If you go out of your way to turn off the automatic correction, it has strong barrel distortion at 18mm and moderate pincushion at other settings — but leave distortion correction at its default of ON and there is nothing visible.

Here are some measurements for more critical use:

At 10'/3m
Correction factor to use with images made with correction ON in A6400
Correction factor to use with uncorrected images
18mm
±0.0 +5.0*
33mm
-1.5 -3.0
60mm
±0.0 -3.0
110mm
±0.0 -3.3
200mm
±0.0 -2.0

© 2019 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

* Some waviness remains after this correction.

 

Ergonomics

Performance          top

Sony ALC-SH125 Hood

Sony 18-200mm PZ OSS. bigger.

This is a heavy, chunky lens for hand-holding. It lives to be on a tripod shooting video.

The electronic focus ring is usually ignored depending on camera settings.

Even in the MANUAL setting zoom is stiff, and there is no focal length scale.

The W/T zoom slider goes at only one speed at a time, which you set with the H/M/L switch. Sadly zoom speed doesn't vary with how far you slide the W/T switch.

 

Falloff

Performance          top

Falloff is invisible with the camera's default "Shading Correction" ON.

I've greatly exaggerated it here by shooting pure gray and displaying it against more gray. It won't look this bad in actual photos:

 

Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff on an A6400, correction ON.

 
f/8
f/11
18mm
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
40mm
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
80mm
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
200mm
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff

 

© 2019 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

 

Even if you go out of your way to turn correction off and then go looking for falloff, there isn't any except wide-open at the 18mm and 200mm ends. This is excellent performance:

 

Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff on an A6400, correction OFF.

 
f/8
f/11
18mm
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
50mm
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
100mm
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
200mm
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff
Sony 18-200mm PZ falloff

 

© 2019 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

 

Filters, use with

performance          top

There's no need for thin filters.

I can stack two regular 67mm filters with no vignetting.

Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters.

 

Flare & Ghosts

Performance          top

There is no significant flare and only negligible ghosting. It's less than I'd expect in a super zoom, so this is great.

Also see samples at Sunstars.

 

Lateral Color Fringes

Performance          top

There are no color fringes as shot on Sony cameras with correction turned on, its default setting.

If you are silly enough to turn correction off and then go looking for it, there is some magenta-green fringes at the wide end and they reverse to green-magenta at the long end, with none in the middle of the zoom range.

This is excellent performance.

 

Macro Performance

Performance          top

Macro gets very close:

 

At f/6.3

This is shot at 200mm wide-open at f/6.3. It never gets that sharp at f/6.3:

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Macro performance

Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, 14 March 2019. Sony A6400, Sony 18-200mm PZ at 200mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/250 at ISO 100. bigger or camera-original © file.

 

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Macro performance

1,200 × 900 pixel crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.

The texture you're seeing is on the watch face, and zero depth-of-field at this distance is why the hands and left side aren't in focus.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 20 × 30" (50 × 75cm).

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters).

 

At f/11

This is shot at 200mm at f/11. It's sharp at f/11:

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Macro performance

Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, 14 March 2019. Sony A6400, Sony 18-200mm PZ at 200mm at f/11 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 160. bigger or camera-original © file.

 

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Macro performance

1,200 × 900 pixel crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.

The texture you're seeing is on the watch face, and near-zero depth-of-field at this distance is why the hands and left side aren't in focus.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 20 × 30" (50 × 75cm).

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters).

 

Maximum Apertures

Performance          top

 
Maximum Aperture
18mm
f/3.5
35mm
f/4.5
39mm
f/4.5
44mm
f/5
50mm
f/5.6
70mm
f/5.6
88mm
f/5.6
100mm
f/6.3
200mm
f/6.3

 

Mechanical Quality

Performance          top

Sony 18-200mm PZ

Sony 18-200mm PZ. bigger.

This Sony 18-200mm PZ is much tougher than you'd expect, with a mostly metal exterior.

 

Hood

Plastic bayonet.

 

Front Bumper

None.

 

Filter Threads

Plastic.

 

Hood Bayonet Mount

Plastic.

 

Front Barrels

Plastic.

 

Zoom Ring

Rubber-covered anodized aluminum.

 

Mid Barrel Exterior

Metal.

 

Focus Ring

Plastic.

 

Rear Barrel Exterior

Metal.

 

Identity

Printed around front lens element, also on a sticker on the barrel near the mount.

 

Internals

Seem like all plastic, with metal zoom cams.

 

Dust Gasket at Mount

No.

 

Mount

Chromed metal.

 

Markings

Painted around front element.

 

Serial Number

Sticker glued on bottom of the barrel.

 

Date Code

None found.

 

Noises When Shaken

Moderate rattling and clicking.

 

Made in

China.

 

Sharpness

Performance          top

Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.

This lens is always sharp in the center, and a little less sharp on the sides wide-open. If you're counting pixels rather than making pictures, stop down for the very best results. If you're a real person with a life and friends and go places and take interesting pictures, use any aperture; it's always sharp.

Sony E 18-200mm PZ MTF
Sony E 18-200mm PZ MTF
MTF at 18mm. f/3.5 and f/8, 10 and 30 cyc/mm.
MTF at 135mm. f/6.3 and f/8, 10 and 30 cyc/mm.

 

Image Stabilization (OSS)

Performance          top

Optical Image Stabilization (OSS or Optical Steady Shot) works extremely well. I can almost always shoot at 1/15 at the long end and 1/8 at the wide end and get perfect sharpness.

"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness. Hand tremor is a random occurrence, so at marginal speeds some frames will be perfectly sharp with others in various stages of blur — all at the same shutter speed. This rates how many shots are perfectly sharp, not how sharp all the frames are.

 

OSS ON

% Perfectly Sharp Shots
1
1/2
1/4
1/8
1/15
1/30
1/60
18mm
17
50
50
90
100
100
100
35mm
0
10
33
100
100
100
100
75mm
0
0
0
0
60
83
100
200mm
0
0
17
50
67
100
100

I get a real two to three stops improvement over what I can handhold with OSS OFF:

 

OSS OFF

% Perfectly Sharp Shots
1/4
1/8
1/15
1/30
1/60
1/125
18mm
5
30
67
80
100
100
35mm
0
0
0
83
100
100
75mm
0
0
0
20
83
100
200mm
0
0
0
20
33
100

 

Sunstars

Performance          top

The rounded 7-blade diaphragm of this 18-200mm makes soft 14-pointed sunstars on brilliant points of light, but only at the smallest apertures.

Click any to enlarge:

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Sunstars

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Sunstars

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Sunstars

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Sunstars

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Sunstars

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Sunstars

Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ Sunstars

Click any to enlarge.

 

Recommendations

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Format

Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Recommendations

This Sony 18-200mm PZ has better optics than the 18-200mm OSS LE, but it's much bigger and heavier and more expensive. Most of the time I would never notice the difference in optics. Unless you're planning to use the Power Zoom for video, the 18-200mm OSS LE is a much more practical lens.

For still shooting you might also consider the 18-135mm, which zooms much less far but is even smaller, lighter and less expensive.

I'd get my Sony E 18-200mm OSS PZ at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear, otherwise I leave a clear protective filter on my lens at all times instead of a cap so I'm ready to shoot instantly.

The very best protective filter is the Hoya multicoated HD3 67mm UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.

For less money, the B+W 67mm 010 is an excellent filter, as are the multicoated version and the basic multicoated Hoya filters, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.

Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.

This junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Sony does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, store demo or used lens. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

 

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14 March 2019