This 11.1x zoom lens is used for Samsung NX
camera that provided a view angle equivalent to 27-300mm lens on 35mm camera,
including optical image stabilization, i-Function control and available for
$900.
Features and Handling
Samsung
18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 ED OIS
The high quality plastic was used in most
parts of the lens and the lens mount is made of metal. It has a smooth glossy
and a green metal ring that is between the lens body and zoom ring. With a
weight of 549 g and dimension 105.5 mm, it is well balanced to Samsung NX20
body that is used to test, but can make sense a little loose on the body more
compact than Samsung.
The
lens has been installed to the camera
Focusing speed is reasonable, especially
when in good light condition and thin focus ring is very light and feels quite
smooth to operate. Focusing process is performed internally, and the 67 mm
filter threads do not rotate, ideal for using with graduated and polarizing
filters. In manual focus model the screen immediately enlarges the central part
of the photo, with quite simple adjustment. This lens includes i-Function
buttons to access quickly to camera control and switches that are provided to
enable optical stabilization and to change between auto and manual focus. A
lock switch is also provided to prevent the lens from opening widely during
transport.
Min focus distance is 50cm, which is fairly
typical for lenses in this range. With careful, at 200 mm, optical image stabilization
allows sharp hand-held photos that were taken with a consistency at 1/20.
The
lens has been installed to the camera
Performance
At 18mm and max aperture, sharpness in the
center of the frame is very high, although clearly to the edge of the frame
lagging behind little, gains a good degree of sharpness. When sharpness was dropped
it is improved in the frame, with the peak sharpness achieved at f/4. The
clarity in the center of the frame is excellent and sharpness of the edges of
the frame is very good.
Zoom result to 70mm is disappointed in
sharpness of the frame at all apertures. Sharpness is very clarity in the
center of the frame between f/8 and f/11 and sharpness toward the edges of the
frame is quite good.
Finally, at 200 mm, sharpness is further
reduced, with sharpness is from moderate to quite good at maximum aperture.
Good sharpness is performed in the center of the frame with the lens down f/8.
Chromatic
aberration review
How
to read our charts
Blue columns represent the index from the center
of the frame at the different apertures and green is from the edges. Making
average two indexes you will have red column.
Conventional column on the left side shows
the actual image resolution. Column is tall as the quality of camera lens as
good.
In the review, the lens was tested on
Samsung NX20 that used Imatest.
Chromatic aberration can be a problem with
this lens, especially at 70 mm, the edges of the frame reach 1.5 pixel width.
As the result, the little attention may need to be done when shooting
high-contrast subjects with this lens.
Sharpness
of the image review
How
to read our charts
Chromatic aberration is not only capable of
focusing on the sensor or blurring all colors of visible light at the same
point of the lens. High chromatic aberration gives the remarkable range or
creates a halo effect around sharp edges around the photos. It can be handled
by the software.
Apochromatic lens has the special lens
(extra-low dispersion, etc.) to minimize the problem, so they often have much
higher price.
In this review, the lens was tested on
Samsung NX20 that used Imatest.
Light falloff towards the corner is well
controlled throughout room range. The down about a stop in maximum aperture
significantly influences the process of visually uniform illumination.
Distortion is very well controlled, with a
knee strain ranged from 0,443% at 18mm and 0,565% at 200mm. This level is quite
low so the line parallels to the edges of the photo area that can be considered
straight for most purposes.
A petal lens hood comes with this lens as
standard, it performs a task that is covered the lens from the irrelevant lights
that can affect the contrast. This lens can be easy glare and is taken out
light to reduce contrast, so, it is best to cover the right place.
Sample
photos
Sample
photos
Value
Account to performance element of this
lens, the $900 asking price seems to like a high price to pay for the
convenience of the expansion zoom range.
Because there is no available alternative
from other manufactures, Samsung is exclusive in this case.
Verdict
Super zoom lens is always a promise as well
as optical performance is observed, but in many cases the convenience of the
zoom range is more value than any omission in the operation of the lens.
In the case of this lens, it is certainly
not a terrible lens, but there are better examples of available super zoom
lenses of other camera systems, it proves that it can create a convenient lens
that gives excellent performance.
This lens achieves good performance, with a
few points need to care, such as high level of chromatic aberration reasonable,
and lose the ability to shoot contrast into the light. If your shooting process
is okay, this lens may be right for you.
Pros
·
Convenient zoom range
·
Good build quality
·
Effective optical image stabilizer
·
Low distortion
·
Excellent sharpness in the center at 18mm
·
Low falloff
Cons
·
Drop off in performance as the lens is zoomed in
·
Chromatic aberration levels may be a problem
·
The contrast is lost when shooting into the light
Specifications
|
Lens Mounts
·
Samsung NX
Lens
·
Focal Length: 18mm - 200mm
·
Angle of View: 8° - 75.9°
·
Max Aperture: f/3.5 - f/6.3
·
Min Aperture: f/22
·
Filter Size: 67mm
·
35mm equivalent: 27mm - 300mm
·
Internal focusing: yes
Focusing
·
Min Focus: 50cm
·
Stabilised: yes
Construction
·
Blades: 7
·
Elements: 18
·
Groups: 13
Dimensions
·
Weight: 549 g
·
Height: 105.5mm
|
