The 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DT Alpha A-Mount Wide-Telephoto Lens from Sony is great for nearly any situation, with focal lengths ranging from 18-250mm on cropped APS-C size cameras, with the 35mm equivalent of a long 27-375mm zoom. As it is a DT-series Sony lens, it has been optimized for these smaller image sensors, and is not recommended for use with larger 35mm full-frame cameras.

This lens is constructed of 16 elements in 13 groups, as well as 3x Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass elements, which all help to deliver sharp, clear photos throughout the zoom range. It has a minimum focusing distance of 1.5′ and a front-end filter diameter of 62mm.

Its aperture varies depending on the focal length you choose, and will slowly increase from f/3.5 to f/6.3, or f/22 to 40, as the chosen focal length increases. It also has an internal focusing system, zoom lock to prevent it from extending when you don’t want it to, and 7x circular aperture blades that work to produce smooth, out of focus background effects.

27-375mm (35mm Equivalent) 13.8x Zoom

Having been built for cropped image sensors, you can easily capture close-ups with this far-reaching zoom lens. Shoot with a wide range of focal lengths ranging from 27-375mm on cropped APS-C size cameras, without having to swap lenses.

Aperture Range: f/3.5-40

In addition to the zoom range, the lens’ aperture also increases with the focal length, from f/3.5 to 6.3 at the wide end, and f/22 to 40 when zooming in.

Optimized For APS-C Size / DT-Format Alpha & Minolta DSLRs

Designed specifically for the APS-C sized sensors used in many Sony Alpha DSLR cameras, this lens can be more compact and lightweight than it otherwise would be if built for a full-frame camera. It is recommended you one use this lens with DT-format Alpha & Minolta SLR cameras.

3x Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) Elements

To reduce chromatic aberrations, most noticeable when zoomed all the way in to the 375mm equivalent focal length, the extra-low dispersion glass corrects for certain wavelengths of light – producing sharper images with truer colors.

7x Circular Aperture Blades

Circular aperture blades produce smooth, rounded bokeh background effects when capturing spot-light sources in your pictures. Because the aperture blades form a near circle at the wide openings used for low-light shots, spot-light sources have a pleasing circular defocused effect.

Internal Focusing System

Internal lens elements move, so the overall length does not change — creating a lens that focuses more quickly and doesn’t change balance.