Why I Switched to the Sony G 18-105 from the Zeiss 16-70

[@bondgabebond4907]

For the price, this is a very, very nice zoom lens. Keep reviewing lens, helps people decide what to get. I personally love this lens for a few reasons. I don't care much about it being an F4.0, but it is F4.0 throughout it's entire zooming range. The zoom and focus mechanism is internal, keeping the lens from growing in length when zooming. Plus the powered zoom is great, very handy at times, like most of the time. Plus with Clear Image on, using the zoom slider will perform a little magic, like extend the zooming range beyond 105mm. I've taken some great quality pictures of my grandson with this lens in very low light, handheld and it came out great. If you balk at it being an F4.0 lens then have a few very fast prime on hand in those low light situations.

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Hi! I totally agree with everything you're saying here. I can't think of a better zoom for this price, especially with the features I want/need. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and watching Jenses :)

[@Milan-cf1xe]

How is the distortion? I bought the new Tamron 17-70 F2.8 for 850€ and kinda regret it. The only good thing is the F2.8 and its acceptable sharp at the medium zoom range. Autofocus fails sometimes, the manual focus is unusable, it has at 17mm terrible distortion and when zooming to 50 or 70mm it also has distortion. And it is plastic and rattles

[@INFOXlive]

Thank you for sharing! SELP18105G is created specifically for videography. If you need a lens for filming, SELP18105G is the finest option. For general photography, choose the Tamron 18-300. Of course, there are surgical circumstances where a highly specific lens is required for a certain image.

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Thank you for watching! And yes I agree, the 18-105 G very much seems to be mostly designed for video with it’s internal zoom, power zoom and OSS which also is nice for photos ofc but especially important for video.

[@frostys_bushcraft]

I've been on trying to work out what to get to replace the kit lens I got with the ZV E-10 and was just about to settle on the Zeiss and not I'm not sure again. I use it 99% of the time for 4K video, all shot outdoors. Hiking, camping, bushcraft etc. Honestly, the 16-50 of the kit lens is fine for what I do but I'd really like some zoom at the end and a better lens. My options are Zeiss 16-70 f4, Sony 18-105 f4 and Tamron 17-70 f2.8. I like the non-extending feature of the 18-105 as I can protect it from rain and snow a little easier than other ones. What do you think?

[@CarlBergsdorf]

From my experience and also a colleauge the zeiss 16-70 isnt betyer than the 18-105 unless you absolutely need that extra on the wide end. Personally I would go with the 18-105 out of these because of extra tele, good image and non extending, plus you can find it rather cheap second hand if you’re into that. I hope this helps and good luck!

[@gabithemagyar]

I like both lenses. For stills I carry around my Zeiss 16-70 since I prefer the manual zoom. For video I use the 18-105 on a tripod together with a remote so that I can keep touching the camera to a minimum. The 18-105 is rather heavy so I don't use it as a walk about lens like I do the 16-70. For longer all-in -one zoom lenses I use the 18-200. Heavy but covers the focal ranges up to supertelephoto so only need the one lens plus a small prime. for poor lighting condtions.

[@CarlBergsdorf]

I agree, both lenses can do a good job but I prefered the 18-105 because of the internal zoom and extra range on the tele end. If I got one today I would maybe look at the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 or Tamrons 17-70 f/2.8, that seems to be a popular one fof Sonys APS-C cameras. Have a nice day!

[@gabithemagyar]

@@CarlBergsdorf I was considering those lenses too but decided I would miss the 16mm focal range which I use a lot Just ordered the Sony 16-55 F2.8 instead. It's doesn't have OSS but I am planning to upgrade my old a6300 to the new IBIS equipped a6700 when it is available here in Canada. Must be a popular camera as it is out of stock even at Amazon !

[@rayvatutamote7567]

The 16 70 Zeiss was the only lens I regretted purchasing. Finally I switched to G 16 55 F2.8.

[@CarlBergsdorf]

You had the same issues with the lens as I had or was it something else? The 16-55 G looks seems awesome!

[@juliusprstfilms]

would you advise me to get The tamron 17-70 instead of the 16-70 because The 16-55 is kinda out of my budget?

[@CarlBergsdorf]

@@juliusprstfilms from what I’ve heard the tamron is really good. Just ask @Jose Regalado if you need answers about that lens 😁

[@VagnerHomeVideo]

Great video, great explanation, not boring. Congratulations, bravo.

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Thank you very much Vagner!

[@sijou4441]

Can you zoom in/out with the S18-105 PZ, using just the focus wheel for zooming alone ( that's what someone told on DP rev forum)- or just like with any other zoom lenses only with adding the focus motor+gear+mounting...The focus wheel has the comm contacts and when mounted should "talk to Roninn"-and the gimbal and camera is interfaced with the cable-so the question remains if the com. protocol includes direct zooming with the power zoom lens or not? I have the Sony A7RII, with a few glasses, for mostly I would use with the 24-105F4 zoom, which only van be balanced up to 70mm extended over that will be lens heavy, and incidentally loosing control. The cheapest option would be the 18-105PZ, if the zoom could be controlled without the z motor, gear etc. what do you think?

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Hey dude! Yes you can control the power zoom of the 18-105/4 PZ G with the focus wheel of the DJI Ronin-S and SC at least so it should likely work. I hope that answers your question, otherwise feel free to let me know and I'll help if I can :)

[@sijou4441]

@@CarlBergsdorf Hi Carl, to be precise, because you bought that lens I wanted to know if you had success zooming in-out with the control wheel only. DJ says many things ( Sony too- they all the same, they want us to pay...) so before buying one just try to fine one person who had success with this pairing. Renting is ridiculously expensive in Melbourne Au,even for a day for such a cheap lens...I planning to use on FF camera, in crop mode, video only.

[@arundarbari1995]

Brother please tell me sony 18105 vs sony Zeiss 1670 which is better I am casual sooter mony not a problem but Zeiss is light weight I am not have gimbal please reply soon brother

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Hi Arun! In that case I would say it matters most if you want the lens to be slightly wider (16mm on the Zeiss) or to have that extra zoom (105mm on the Sony G). The Sony G is only 100g heavier so it's not a lot in practice and it's easier to retain value on when you wish to sell it, but that point might not matter to you. I would probably still get the 18-105 and a fun fast portrait lens for the left over money like the Sigma 30 f/1.4 or 56 f/1.4. I hope I could be of help to you and let me know if you have any more questions :) Good luck mate!

[@radosaww624]

Sony G 18-105 - my primary choice after using kit lens 18-55 for 3 months; positive 1,5-years' experience, great shots but I sometimes wanted to take photos of more distant objects so last month I decided to buy Sony G 70 - 350, too

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Dude I’ve been looking at the 70-350 G for months now but still haven’t pulled the trigger! How do you like it? Seems like the perfect super tele zoom in a lot of ways. Crazy range on that one

[@radosaww624]

@@CarlBergsdorf Yes, with 70 mm as a starting point you sometimes need to move back before taking a picture ;) And it weighs a bit but I like the quality of the pictures

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Yeah that’s like 105 on a ff so pretty tele :P But it sounds like a perfect compliement to the 18-105, like if I could only have two lenses, I would be very happy with those two for sure. If I could have three I’d probably get the Sigma 30 or 56mm f/1.4 for blowing out the backgrounds on portraits/product shots

[@trimonmusic]

@@CarlBergsdorf If you're still considering this purchase a year later - all I can say is that the 70-350mm is my favourite lens of all time. Coming from someone who bought a Sony ZV-E10 with the intention of using it for video only. That 525mm full-frame equivalent zoom is a beast and it's quality glass too, so you get a super-crisp subject and a creamy bokeh at an insane range. Wildlife photography, which I purchased the lens to try out, is a dream because you can actually carry this lens and body with ease for a walk in the park. I've even got some astonishing shots of the moon and the orion nebula with this lens, you don't realise how useful that zoom range is until you have it. The moon shot was handheld too, because the lens is light enough that I packed it into my bag without thinking twice - something that can't be said for Sony's 200-600mm FF lens.

[@joseregalado1399]

nice video. love the discreet jokes but those aside i am actually planning to get this OR wait for the tamrom 17-70. the tammy is quite costly though. any advice?

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Thank you! Great question, I don't much about it but I recommend you check out Jake Sloans video about the new tammy he posted a couple of days back. I would say it totally depends on what you need from the lens. I'd say if you're gonna do portraits and/or low light, the tammy seems like the better option. But if you need the extra range and some money left over and don't mind the smaller aperture, go with the Sony. Anyway it's exciting to see new (relativly) affordable lenses from third party manufacturers. I can't speak for the sharpness but the tammy is 2/3 the price of Sony 16-55 2.8 and the tammy also have VC (image stabilization) which the 16-55 lacks.

[@joseregalado1399]

@@CarlBergsdorf thanks bro! will decide soon!

[@CarlBergsdorf]

@@joseregalado1399 No problem man! Let me know which one you end up with :)

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Hello again Mr. Regalado. I just wanted to let you know that if you're still on the fence about this lens, DPReview TV just dropped a video on the tammy 17-70 F2.8 with a load of information in just a 8 minute long video which I totally recommend if that interests you. Cheers!

[@joseregalado1399]

@@CarlBergsdorf Hi bro. Thanks for the heads up. Actually I bought it last night.😊 I went ahead with the Tamron. Honestly, at first when I took photos at home (indoors) I was a little disappointed. The photos were quite noisy even at the largest aperture but i gather i shouldn't expect much at f2.8. I was more into prime lenses with 1.4 and 1.8 apertures. This will be an adjustment. I went out this morning to get more photos but unfortunately the fog was a little heavy. Nevertheless, I did manage to get a few nice shots with the lens. I love the fact that I didn't have to switch lenses when i wanted to close in on something! Plus point there! 😁

[@DigitalSamTV]

Have owned both of these and while they are decent lenses and used for some projects, I sold them both and prefer to use my Sony with speed booster and canon 24-105L . Which is awesome and kicks the ass of both these in sharpnessz color, depth of field etc. The focus works awesome aswell , it's alot bigger and heavier of course but it feels great in the hand

[@CarlBergsdorf]

That’s not a bad idea at all, especially since you can find a 24-105L for a good price 👍 Thank you for sharing, take care!

[@dmotx]

I didn’t like the 18-105. The zoom is painfully slow for that range, the distortion was bad in places, and having it revert to 18mm on every power on was a pain

[@CarlBergsdorf]

I agree the PZ could have been a lot faster on the highest speed but I only use that while on gimbal and I usually don’t change zoom while recording, otherwise I prefer the zoom ring when handheld. It’s not a perfect lens but so far the one that suited my shooting best. Too bad almost nobody makes non-extending lenses but they take up more space when packed down instead so it’s a trade off. Thank you for watching David and sharing your opinion on the lens!

[@bondgabebond4907]

I have this lens and it exhibits non of these faults, though it does revert back to 18mm when powered down, but who cares.

[@CarlBergsdorf]

@@bondgabebond4907 Yeah but I think that is the case with all power zoom lenses that they revert back and I personally don't mind that either.

[@miklosnemeth8566]

@@bondgabebond4907 I fully agree, that going-back-to-18mm-at power-up is a "red herring". Honestly, in practice when you power off your camera with an internally zooming lens of a range 18 - 105mm with no FL mm-s on the lens barrel, and, say, after 15 minutes you switch it on, it could be totally frustrating, if it remembered your last focal length, because you don't remember, and you don't care; for a new scene we always want a new FL, a new composition. I have a Sony AX100, an awesome video camera, but it's really frustrating that it remembers the last focal length; I'd prefer when I switch on the camera, it should start on its widest FL, then you always have a clean position. On a protruding photography lens with mm scale on the barrel it's ok, but on an gorgeous internal zooming lens, it's really meaningless. As for the Power-Zoom, the really important feature of a PZ lens is the slowest possible creeping zoom. That is what we want in video, movie making, just adding a pleasing barely noticeable creeping zoom. I guess this guy uses this PZ lens as photography lens, which is a waste of effort, this is a fantastic video lens; there are tons of much better lenses for photography, but nothing better for APS-C video.

[@fredfred9758]

​@@miklosnemeth8566I've been using this lense for a year now and have no issues with the zoom speed, zoom reset to 18mm and any distortion. It is an entey lvl lense and provides great value for what it costs compared to others.

[@Daniel-te8xh]

great video, great setting!

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Thank you Daniel, very much appreciated!

[@xxclickingxxone-man-army632]

im picking up the 18-105 next week to go on my a6600. I also have a 24-70 full frame zeiss lens on my a7iii so it will be good to compare the two in sharpness. i feel like these are all great zoom lenses for on the go. shame they are not f2.8

[@CarlBergsdorf]

I would love to hear how they compare! I’ve only tried the Aps-c version (the 16-70 f4) but I’m looking for a normal zoom for my a7iii since currently my only ff lens is the tamron 17-28 f2.8. I might get the new sigma 28-70 f2.8 but idk. I hope you’ll like the 18-105 as much as I do, otherwise the tamron 17-70 f2.8 might be a good choice for you?

[@xxclickingxxone-man-army632]

@@CarlBergsdorf Aye i have been eyeing up the tamron 2.8 along with a few others as they would be ideal for what i aim to do with run and gun wedding videos. I got the a6600 last week as a B camera for my a7iii but am still waiting for the 18-105 before i can really test it out. Keep up the videos, its good stuff!

[@CarlBergsdorf]

@@xxclickingxxone-man-army632 Thank you very much for watching and taking your time commenting!

[@GxchaE]

You deserve more subs

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Thank you very much for the kind words, that means a lot! I just love doing these videos so if other enjoy it, that’s awesome 😃

[@VagnerHomeVideo]

Yes. You are absolutely right.

[@HezJP]

Cool video, actually really close to grabbing the 18-105 for my A6000

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Thank you! You won’t be dissapointed :) I went for a walk after work this morning with this lens on my camera and that zoom range is so nice to have :D

[@HezJP]

@@CarlBergsdorf cool!! yeah I'm filming a small music event in a forest next week and this would be fantastic for it. Very run and gun and uncertain of the environment and cant get close because of social distancing. How's the low-light performance for video?

[@CarlBergsdorf]

@@HezJP That sounds awesome! Well, it’s an F4 so not as bright as primes but depending on the lighting it could be enough. If you’re filming during the evening or even the night, you might have to crank up that ISO a bit.

[@HezJP]

@@CarlBergsdorf ordered it :) I got my sigma 16mm and sony 50mm for when shooting in the dark - this one's got the advantage of being wide/zoom, OSS and constant aperture! can't wait to get stuck in

[@CarlBergsdorf]

@@HezJP Sweet dude! I would love to get my grubby mits on the sigma 16 one day, such a low light beast. I’ve had the Sigma 30 f1.4 for about a year and that lens I will never sell haha.

[@akashh8330]

nice vid man ! how is the bokeh at around 70 to 90mm at a subject at medium distance like 10m from camera ?

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Hey thank you! Let me check and get back to you ASAP.

[@CarlBergsdorf]

I'm sorry it's taking time, the weather have been total sh*t last days here in Sweden and I can't really do it justice inside but as soon as I can go out, I'll take some shots :)

[@akashh8330]

@@CarlBergsdorf thanks for the effort carl its totally fine just tell me whenever you are free

[@CarlBergsdorf]

@@akashh8330 Here you go mate drive.google.com/drive/folders/1o9ITarb7dLpADqN9usi-4SxwDKGBqHFo?usp=sharing I know focus isn't exactly on point and some motion blur but my gf was on her way to cut her hair so I had to run after and do my best :P If you want something with bigger aperture, Tamron just announced a new APS-C lens 17-70 F/2.8 for around $1000 or so which might be good.

[@akashh8330]

@@CarlBergsdorf thank you very much carl i needed to know this!

[@abhishah1998]

Great video 🔥 love 18-105

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Thank you Abhishek! I very much appreciate that 🙏🙏 The 18-105 is such a great lens for the price

[@lost_places_global9008]

@@CarlBergsdorf better than 18-135mm

[@CarlBergsdorf]

@@lost_places_global9008 Yeah I wonder why the 18-135 is more expensive than the 18-105 G since the it's not even constant aperture. I don't think the extra 30mm is worth $100-150

[@lost_places_global9008]

@@CarlBergsdorf it’s in Germany only 60€ more expensive but many people in Germany prefer it over the 18-105. Are they like stupid? xD I just think we germans are not all about videos and rather take pictures but nvm. 18-105 has better stabilization, Better constant aperture, power zoom, G quality and it’s better for video in general.

[@CarlBergsdorf]

@@lost_places_global9008 Lol here as well in stores but on Sonys (swedish) website, its like 740€ while on Cyberphoto it's 640€ and the 18-105 is 570€. Idk man, maybe they enjoy the extra range or maybe it's sharper, I have no idea at all :P

[@GARYTALK]

很公道的評測講解，謝謝你

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@AvantiSiller]

thank you!

[@CarlBergsdorf]

No, thank you! 🙏

[@amrokas]

Zeiss 16-70 has terrible corner SOFTNESS. I think I'll pick 18-105 for my 6400.

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Yeah I don't really know why the Zeiss was so soft for that price, I wasn't impressed at a lot of the focal lengths. Better go with the 18-105 and put the money you get left over on another lens or whatever :)

[@PeterMossUkulele]

I enjoyed this video. Between the two, the Sony 18-105 gets my vote also. One extra feature that you didn't mention (I don't think?) was if shooting video or long exposure photographs, the Sony wins again due to it having the OSS stability and the Zeiss doesn't. Subscribed to you today. Peter.

[@CarlBergsdorf]

Hi Peter I totally forgot to answer you comment, sorry about that! The Zeiss 16-70 F4 also have OSS it's a tie there :) Thanks for watching and the sub, it means a lot!

[@PeterMossUkulele]

@@CarlBergsdorf Thanks for responding Carl - I now have the above mentioned Sony 18-105, the kit lens Sony 16-50, Sigma 16mm and Sigma 30mm - I can't decide between the Sigma 56mm or the Sony 85mm primes next.

[@CarlBergsdorf]

@@PeterMossUkulele that’s a really nice set of lenses! Between the 56 and 85 it depends on the use. The 56 is like a 85 on a full frame but 85 is like 127,5 which is very tele but might look very good as well. Both lenses are probably very good but for different uses so you have to figure that out 😃

[@CarlBergsdorf]

@@PeterMossUkulele if you can’t decide on either the Samyang AF 75 f1.8 FE might be a good compromise. Its nice how many lenses there are to choose from today for Sonys E Mount

[@PeterMossUkulele]

@@CarlBergsdorf Thank you Carl.

[@mission609]

SELP 16-50 is the best of the best of the best lol

[@CarlBergsdorf]

100% for sure!

[@miklosnemeth8566]

I am fan of the PZ1650, too, and it shines at 16mm, amazing at that FL, but at 50mm, hah, an image quality killer. So, I use that lens only at 16mm, and there it's brutally great for its price.

[@uweyaa]

Better you wait 17 - 70 2.8 Tamron!

[@CarlBergsdorf]

I would love to try out the Tammy but the main drawback for me with that lens is it’s extending when zooming which isn’t ideal for gimbal situations. For handheld or photo I think that lenis is great for the money from what I heard.

[@bondgabebond4907]

Bad move, you have a much longer range in zooming and when have clear image zoom on, that little slider on the slide will allow you to nearly double the focal length. Besides, it is built better than the Tamron, no plastic. I personally would not choose that lens over the 18-105mm. Only one stop different. If you can't handle that, then you need practice. I've been shooting stills with film cameras since 1975 and those didn't have any convenience these cameras have. No stabilization, no auto focusing. Everything was mostly mechanical. And yet, with all those restrictions, I was able to take perfect photos (no camera shake and perfect exposure) the majority of the time, even in North Korea.

[@DennisMeetsWorld]

The 17-70 is weather sealed so it is built better than the 18-105. It’s sharp and the autofocus is fast & reliable. Constant aperture of f2.8 and optical stabilization. It’s a beast. I got lucky and bought it open box from amazon for $499. My favorite lens for Sony APSC.