Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS LE vs Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS LE compared with E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS

	SonyE 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS LE	SonyE 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS
Overview
Released
Released	June 2012	October 2011
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Zoom	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	18–200 mm	55–210 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/3.5–6.3	f/4.5–6.3
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/22–40	f/22–32
Optical construction
Optical construction	Seventeen elements in thirteen groups	Thirteen elements in nine groups
Special elements
Special elements	–	Two ED glass elements and two aspherical elements
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Seven rounded blades	Seven rounded blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	76°–8° APS-C	28.2°–7.8° APS-C
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Sony E	Sony E
Image circle
Image circle	APS-C	APS-C
Image circle detail
Image circle detail	APS-C coverage; 27–300 mm equivalent field of view	APS-C coverage; 82.5–315 mm equivalent field of view
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	Not compatible with Sony E-mount teleconverters	Not compatible with Sony E-mount teleconverters
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	0.5 m	1 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.27×	0.225×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Quiet autofocus and Direct Manual Focus; maker pages read do not specify exact motor type	Internal motor and internal focusing; no specific motor designation published in read maker page
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	0.5 m minimum focus distance	1.0 m minimum focus; electronically coupled manual-focus ring
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	0.27× maximum magnification	0.225× maximum magnification
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Built-in Optical SteadyShot; Sony Japan specification states approximately four stops without test conditions on that page	Optical SteadyShot; Sony’s original announcement claims up to approximately four stops, not guaranteed under every condition. Current spec page leaves stop rating blank
Video features
Video features	Maker notes small changes in field of view during focusing, particularly visible in continuous AF; does not affect recorded still image	–
Design
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	62 mm	49 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	68 mm	63.8 mm
Length
Length	97.1 mm	108 mm
Weight
Weight	460 g	345 g (better)
Controls
Controls	Focus and zoom rings and 18 mm zoom lock (Radojuva)	Separate zoom and manual-focus rings; focus mode and optical stabilisation selected on the camera
Zoom design
Zoom design	Extending zoom barrel (Radojuva); separate from original SEL18200 and powered SELP18200	Extending zoom barrel; internal focusing
Filter detail
Filter detail	62 mm front filter thread	–
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	No maker dust or moisture resistance claim in read exact pages	–
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	68 mm maximum diameter × 97.1 mm maker length	63.8 mm maximum diameter × 108 mm length; aluminium-alloy exterior
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 460 g lens; separate hood and caps excluded	Approximately 345 g lens; separate hood and caps excluded
Lens hood
Lens hood	ALC-SH124 petal bayonet hood, supplied	ALC-SH115 round bayonet hood
In the box
In the box	ALC-SH124 hood and front and rear caps; no case listed	ALC-SH115 hood, front cap and rear cap; no case listed
Release detail
Release detail	Sony US announcement dated 16 May 2012 specifies July availability; Sony Asia Pacific announcement dated 17 May specifies June and Sony Japan confirms local sale on 15 June. Main release uses earliest maker month, exact first global sale day unconfirmed. One accessible full exact review read: Radojuva Arkady Shapoval, Alpha 3500, 2024 used loan sample. Imaging Resource exact review and archive return 403, so no eligible accessible review pair and summary omitted. Radojuva motor and special-element statements disagree internally; no unsupported motor/coating/special-element counts used. Its measured sample weight is not substituted for maker460g. No inferred predecessor link	Sony Japan’s original announcement specifies October 2011, matching contemporaneous Photography Blog US launch coverage. Exact global first day unconfirmed. Full independent tests: Optical Limits/Photozone Klaus Schroiff, NEX-7, March 2012, and Sony Alpha Blog Marc Alhadeff, Alpha 6000, December 2018. Their long-end usability and autofocus impressions differ. Sony’s aluminium alloy and two aspherical plus two ED elements supersede Optical Limits magnesium-alloy/four-aspherical descriptions. No unconfirmed coatings or weather sealing adopted