Ever since I made the switch from a compact camera to a Sony APS-C camera, the Sony a6500 back in 2017, the ultra-wide Sony E 10-18mm F4 lens has always been on my radar. I wanted to add an ultra-wide lens to my growing camera gear arsenal, but due to its $800 price tag, for years, I could never stomach the high price... until now.

I recently stumbled upon a great deal at a local Sony secondhand market here in Thailand, and I found a listing for a used Sony 10-18mm F4 lens in mint condition with a price tag of only 400 USD, which is half of its retail price.

One thing led to another, and I ended up driving out of Bangkok to see my seller. I made sure that the lens was in good condition and acquired the long-awaited Sony 10-18mm F4 lens. Finally, my Sony APS-C lens collection is complete!

It didn't take me long to find a reason to go on another trip to test out the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens, and there is no better subject to test out the ultra-wide capability than all the massive temples and Buddha images in Bangkok.

Without further ado, here is a traveler's review for the Sony 10-18mm F4 ultra-wide lens for APS-C cameras, based on real-world travel experiences. Let's begin with the pros and cons of the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens.

Looking for other great travel lenses to buy for your Sony APS-C Camera? Here areThe Best Travel Lenses For The Sony APS-C Cameras

Table of Contents

Summary of the Sony 10-18mm F4 Lens
Things You Should Look For in an Ultra-wide Travel Lens
Why Sony 10-18mm F4 Lens Is a Great Additional Travel Lens?
What I love Most About the Sony 10-18mm F4 Lens
The Drawbacks of the Sony 10-18mm F4 Lens
Sample Images from the Sony 10-18mm F4 Lens
Overall, a Great Additional Lens to Your Sony APS-C Camera
Further Reading for Resources

Summary of the Sony 10-18mm F4 Lens

If you are short on time, here is a quick summary of the pros and cons of the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens, along with a link to see the recent price of the lens.

Pros

Ultra-Wide Angle of View
Fast Autofocus.
Optical stabilization.
Light and Compact

Cons

Not as Sharp
Slow Aperture
Expensive

Check Price on Amazon

Things You Should Look For in an Ultra-wide Travel Lens

When we travel, we often visit places with either beautiful architecture or stunning nature, and in order to capture these two aspects, you will need a lens that has a wide enough angle of view to capture everything. So, having a wide enough focal length is one of the first things you will look for.

Secondly, since it is a travel lens, the dimensions and weight need to be compact and light enough for you to have it in your bag while you travel. Otherwise, what is the point of buying a travel lens if you are not willing to carry it around with you at all times?

Last but not least, due to how spontaneous travel photography usually is, speed of operation, such as flexibility of the lens and features that help speed up the process, is very important in my opinion. This way, we can balance between taking photos and actually enjoying the moment.

With these three criteria, let's take a look at how well the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens performs in action and why the lens will be a great addition to your Sony lens collection.

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Why Sony 10-18mm F4 Lens Is a Great Additional Travel Lens?

The Ultra-Wide Focal Length

To be honest, I never thought I would find a use for such an ultra-wide angle of view of 10mm in my travels, but the more I travel with the Sony 10-18mm lens, the more I find myself using it whenever I get a chance.

You see, most of the tourist attractions we often visit while we travel consist of either visiting beautiful, massive architectures or hiking around expansive landscapes, and they are the perfect subjects to shoot with an ultra-wide lens.

In fact, architectures and landscapes are what my travel often looks like 80% of the time, and with such an ultra-wide angle of view that comes with the 10-18mm focal lengths, I was able to capture some stunning photos of these beautiful architectures all in one frame, which is something I cannot do with other lenses.

With the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens, I was able to capture a perspective I had never been able to before. It allowed me to frame the shot in a way that I won't have to zoom in and out with my feet like I used to with my trusty all-around Sony 16-55mm F2.8 lens.

This helps a lot when I want to capture a wide image in a place with a limited area where I do not have the option to zoom in and out with my feet, such as inside a temple, etc.

If you find yourself visiting places with large structures or beautiful landscapes as far as the eye can see, you will appreciate the ultra-wide angle of view of the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens.

Optical Stabilization

The Sony 10-18mm F4 lens comes with optical stabilization, which helps a lot in keeping your photos tack sharp. The lens will allow you to shoot handheld at a slower shutter speed while keeping your ISO low, which will produce sharper and less noisy images.

And with such a slow aperture of F4, the optical stabilization will come in handy at preventing those nasty blurs that come when you shoot photos handheld under poor lighting conditions.

Compact Size

The Sony 10-18mm F4 lens has a compact size that fits very well with the smaller APS-C body. With dimensions measuring at 2.5 by 2.8 inches and weighing only 220 grams (7.9 ounces), the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens is the type of lens that you won't mind carrying with you or having it mounted on your camera most of the time while you travel.

Fast Autofocus

There are quite a few options available for an ultra-wide-angle lens for Sony APS-C cameras, such as the Rokinon 12mm F2 lens and the Laowa 9mm F2.8 lens. However, both of these lenses do not come equipped with an autofocus system, which makes it quite a hassle to shoot, especially when you travel.

The Sony 10-18mm F4 lens comes with a fast autofocus mechanism, which makes it much more efficient and easier to take photos when I travel, compared to manually focusing like other lenses.

I usually have the Rokinon 12mm F2 lens with me when I travel, and I have learned that, due to the lack of autofocus, I rarely have it mounted on my camera. I often find the fixed focal length and the manual focus tedious and limiting.

That is not the case for the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens, and if you are looking for an autofocus ultra-wide lens for your Sony APS-C cameras, you won't find it anywhere else but on this lens.

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What I love Most About the Sony 10-18mm F4 Lens

The Ultra-Wide Angle of View gives Unique Looks To My Photos

I found that the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens, especially at a 10mm focal length, allows me to capture a perspective of a place that I was unable to achieve with other lenses. The ultra-wide angle of view enables me to include every important composition within the frame without the need to walk further.

This helps a lot when I am in close quarters, like inside a Buddhist temple, where my movement is bound by the walls of the building I am in. With this lens, I can finally capture the entire reclining image of the huge Buddha inside Wat Pho, all in one image.

And since I already have the 16-55mm and 70-350mm focal lengths in my arsenal, with the additional 10-18mm focal lengths I get from this lens, I finally have all the equipment I need to capture whatever stunning structures and sights the world throws at me during my future travels.

The Lens is Compact

The Sony 10-18mm F4 lens is so light and compact that I was able to fit it into my existing 35 x 16.5 x 24cm-sized camera insert that I already use together with 5 other lenses.

The lens is light enough that I do not mind having it mounted on my camera when I walk around exploring a city. Additionally, since this lens is great for landscape photography, the lightness and compactness will come in handy when I go on hiking trips where weight is an important factor.

Consistent Colors

Now, this may be specific to me only, but when I was using the Rokinon 12mm F2 lens to shoot, I often found myself spending more time editing my photos to match the colors of photos produced by my other Sony lenses.

The Rokinon produces images that are warmer than if the images were taken with a Sony lens, and with so many photos I have to edit for my travel blog, the extra time spent on color correcting my Rokinon adds up.

Now that I have the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens as my main ultra-wide-angle lens, together with my Sony 16-55mm F2.8 and 70-350mm lenses, all the photos I take now have consistent colors throughout. I no longer have to spend a long time color-correcting photos produced from my ultra-wide angle.

If you have other Sony lenses and are looking to add an ultra-wide lens to your collection, it might be best for you to pick up the Sony 10-18mm F4 instead of others, in order to keep the colors of your photos consistent and easy to edit.

The Drawbacks of the Sony 10-18mm F4 Lens

Not As Sharp As Other High-End Lenses

A quality comparison of pictures between Rokinon 12mm F2 lens (left) and the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens (right). Clearly, Rokinon is sharper at the center.

Now that I've highlighted all the pros, it's time to talk about the cons of the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens. The first thing I did when I got this lens was to test it against the Rokinon 12mm F2 lens, and I found that the images produced by the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens are softer at the center than those produced by the Rokinon 12mm F2 lens.

A quality comparison of pictures between Rokinon 12mm F2 lens (left) and the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens (right). The Sony is sharper in the corners than the Rokinon.

Thankfully, when it comes to corner sharpness, the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens excels with consistently sharp corner-to-corner performance, whereas the Rokinon 12mm F2 lens falls short in the corners.

I believe this is due to how old the lens is since it was first released way back in 2013, and when you compare the optical quality to newer Sony lenses like the 16-55mm F2.8 lens, you can clearly see just how inferior the optics on the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens are, which brings me to my next point.

The Lens is Outdated

The Sony 10-18mm F4 lens is more than 7 years old and is long overdue for a major upgrade. The high-quality standard introduced by its high-end Sony G brand in later years has produced some of the best lenses out there, and this lens could use better optics, build quality, and maybe a faster aperture.

With the release of Sony 16-55mm and 70-350 G lenses, Sony has shown us how APS-C-sized lenses can produce pro-grade quality work. However, the lack of high-quality ultra-wide lenses for Sony APS-C cameras is causing people to flee from Sony and go with Fujifilm, where their APS-C lineups continue to innovate.

It would be nice if Sony took the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens back to the drawing board, applied the same optics and quality standards as their other G lenses, and released a mark 2 version of this lens with better optics, build quality, and a faster aperture at F2.8.

Expensive

Last but not least, for a 7-year-old lens, you would think that the price of the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens would have been reduced to the point of being affordable by now. Unfortunately, the lens still goes on sale at almost its initial retail price of 800 USD, which I found a little too expensive.

I think if Sony releases a new Mark 2 lens and lowers the price of the current Sony 10-18mm F4 lens, it would make recommending the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens a little easier.

Sample Images from the Sony 10-18mm F4 Lens

Shot with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens at 10mm focal length.

Shot with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens at 16mm focal length. This should show just how wide 10mm is compared to a more common 16mm focal length.

Bangkok skyline shot with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens at 10mm focal length.

Bangkok skyline shot with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens at 16mm focal length.

The inside of Wat Ratchabophit shot with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens at 10mm focal length.

The entrance of Wat Ratchabophit shot with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens at 10mm focal length.

Sanam Chandra Palace in Nakhon Pathom shot with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens at 10mm focal length.

The Buddha images at Wat Pho shot with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens at 10mm focal length.

The pagodas at Wat Pho shot with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens at 10mm focal length.

Wat Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom shot with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens at 10mm focal length.

Overall, a Great Additional Lens to Your Sony APS-C Camera

After spending some time with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens, I am definitely going to keep this lens in my travel backpack. I am looking forward to using it in my future trips and producing unique and interesting travel photos from a new angle.

The autofocus feature that comes with the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens has saved me a ton of time and really helped motivate me to use the lens more when I am in the field, which is something I cannot say for manual focus lenses.

The flexibility that comes with having the 10-18mm focal lengths, allowing me to zoom in and out, helping me compose photos however I like, is definitely a big plus and another reason why I am sticking with this lens rather than other ultra-wide manual lenses.

This lens is, by all means, the only lens you should get for your Sony APS-C cameras. The 10-18mm focal lengths are often too wide for the lens to be an all-around lens. For an all-around lens, I would still recommend the Sony 16-55mm F2.8 G lens which should cover focal lengths commonly used in travel.

That said, the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens is still a great complementary lens to add to your lens collection if you are looking for a lens that will produce images that you won't be able to replicate with other lenses.

With the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens, the Sony 16-55mm F2.8, and the Sony 70-350mm lenses, you now cover all the focal lengths you will ever need for your future travels, whether it be for landscape, architecture, or wildlife.

I bought my Sony 10-18mm F4 lens for $400 USD from a local secondhand market. To see the recent price of this lens, be sure to check out the link below:

Check Price for Sony 10-18mm F4 Lens

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Lightroom Presets: If you are looking for a quick way to make your travel photos look like mine, you should check out my newly released Lightroom Preset Collections.

Camera: Sony a7R V, the highest resolution full-frame camera out there, is my go-to camera when I travel. All of my recent photos and videos are all from this beast.

All-Around Travel Lens: Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM II lens is the lens I mounted on my camera the most. The lens covers most of the ranges I need for travel from wide to telephoto. If I have to take only one lens with me on my travel, it would be this lens.

Ultra-Wide Lens: Sony 16-35mm F2.8 GM II Lnes: An ultra-wide lens I often use to shoot expansive landscapes and capture massive architecture I stumble upon while traveling.

Telephoto Lens: Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM II lens is one of the most versatile lenses to have. It is great for picking out details in landscapes and capturing wildlife when combined with the Sony FE 2x teleconverter.

Portrait Lens: Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Lens is the most compact and lightweight 85mm F1.4 lens out there. It's sharp and produces stunning bokeh for subject separation, perfect for portraits and street photography.

Drone: DJI Mavic Mini 2, a perfect drone for those who travel light. It weighs less than 250g and smaller than an iPhone when folded and can capture 4K video as well as 12 megapixels RAW photos. More than enough for its size.

Bag: Langly Alpha Globetrotter is a camera bag I use to carry all these lenses as well as other essentials when I'm traveling.

A Traveler's Review: The Sony E 10-18mm F4 Lens