[1] The lens barrel is made of magnesium alloy,[2] and the zoom ring will scratch after some weeks of regular use.

[3] Similarly, lateral chromatic aberration is particularly noticeable at these focal lengths, and increases as the lens is stopped down.

[3][4] While center sharpness is high at all focal lengths, there is strong fall-off towards the edges and corners, particularly at 18mm.

[3][4] Neither edge nor center performance improve much at other focal lengths.

[5] Coma is well-corrected,[6] but "when it comes to flares, the Sony E 18–55 f/3.5–5.6 OSS fails spectacularly", according to reviewer Symon Starczewski of LensTip.com.