The Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS ($599.99) is a power zoom lens for Sony APS-C E-mount cameras that covers a 27-158mm field of view in classic 35mm photography, all at a maximum f/4 aperture. It's larger than some other lenses in the E-mount library, but its power zoom design and long range make it a solid choice for video. Like its compact sibling, the E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS($298.00 at Amazon) it makes some optical compromises, but if you're willing to live with them it's a more affordable alternative to the Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS($998.00 at Amazon).

The lens($648.00 at Amazon) measures 4.3 by 3.1 inches (HD), weighs 1.1 pound, and supports 72mm front filters. It's a bit big for smaller E-mount bodies, but should pair well with the Alpha 6000 and NEX-7($656.86 at Amazon). There's a zoom rocker on the side of the barrel that changes the speed of the zoom based on its position—moving it just slightly from center results in slow, steady movement, and you can increase the speed by moving it to its extreme. There's a large zoom ring, which sits in the middle of the lens, and the smaller manual focus ring that buts up against the front element. Both featured ridges so that they're easy to grip and turn. A reversible petal-style lens hood is included, fabricated from hard composite plastic. Optical stabilization is built into the lens.

I used Imatest to check the optical performance of the 18-105mm when paired with the 20-megapixel Alpha 5000($549.95 at Amazon). At 18mm f/4 is scores 1,770 lines per picture height on our center-weighted sharpness test, just a hair shy of the 1,800 lines we use to call an image sharp. The center is quite sharp, but there's softness at the outer two-thirds of the frame. Stopping down to f/5.6 bumps the score to 2,327 lines, and only the outer edges show some softness, scoring 1,705 lines. Distortion is not much of an issue here—there's a little bit of barrel distortion in JPG output, which seems to overcorrect a very slight pincushion effect that shows up in Raw files.

Zooming to 35mm improves sharpness; at f/4 the lens manages 1,901 lines, and even the outer edges hit 1,746 lines. That center-weighted score jumps to 2,260 lines at f/5.6, and the edges kiss the 1,800-line mark. JPG shots show 2 percent barrel distortion, which is somewhat noticeable in field conditions; but if you shoot Raw you'll be greeted with an absurd amount of pincushion distortion—7.1 percent. That causes the straight lines of our test chart to bow inward, like the underside of an occupied hammock. This type of distortion is evident throughout the rest of the zoom range, but thankfully is not a major issue for JPG shooters, and Raw users who use Lightroom can fix it with a single click thanks to the lens profile that Adobe has developed. When recording video, the distortion is corrected automatically as well. Why mention it? Because it's there, and if you use a Raw converter that doesn't have a lens profile for the 18-105mm you'll be required to make manual adjustments to correct it. With a prime lens that's not a big deal, but the amount of distortion varies slightly as the zoom changes, so it's not inconsequential.

At 70m the lens remains sharp, notching 1,951 lines with edges that top 1,700 lines. Stopping down to f/5.6 bumps the center-weighted score to 2,432 lines with edges that top 2,100 lines. There's about 1.4 percent barrel distortion in the JPG output, and 6.3 percent pincushion in Raw images. At 105mm the center-weighted sharpness is good, 2,039 lines, but the edges are soft at just 1,331 lines. Stopping down to f/5.6 doesn't do much to improve the overall score (2,059 lines there), but the edges do improve to 1,552 lines. Distortion is an issue here with JPG (2.4 percent barrel) and Raw (7.2 percent pincushion).

The Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS covers a long range of focal lengths at a constant f/4 aperture, but it does so by making some compromises. If you shoot JPG or work with Raw files in Lightroom the distortion is largely a nonissue, but the lens does show some edge softness at its widest angle and telephoto extreme. It's a bit large for some smaller E-mount bodies, but if you've got a body with which it balances well, it's a more affordable alternative to the Zeiss 16-70mm f/4—it's not quite as wide, but has a longer reach, and it lags just a step or two behind from an optical standpoint.

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