Sony 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 Mini Impression

When pretty much all manufacturers are heading in the direction of making their kit lenses with all plastics, Sony made theirs with metal, for the NEX platform anyway.  The 14-45mm kit lens that came with  my Panny G1 has a metal mount, but later ones are plastic.  I don't expect much from kit lenses, as they tend to have very bad optical quality, and the hideous distortion.  Well, the Sony E-Mount 18-55mm kit lens has pretty severe distortion, like most others, but unless you shoot brick walls or pictures with parallel straight lines, it's not very obvious.  The lens is well made, and it's optically excellent, especially at the long end.  The SteadyShot stabilization mechanism works pretty well.  most pictures are sharp when shot at 1/13s or faster.  I wish the pancake 16mm f2.8 also has image stabilization, but unfortunately it doesn't.

English River -- Sony NEX-5 & 18-55mm kit lens at ISO 1600, 1/13s hand held. Click to see larger.