A full-frame 24mm to 240mm zoom range allows this one lens to cover an extensive variety of shooting situations with 10x effective zoom range, making it ideal for landscape, snapshots, portraits and travel where reducing luggage is a priority. The ability to switch from wide angle to telephoto without having to change lenses also means that more of those fleeting moments that make great shots will be captured. The advanced optics include 5 aspherical elements and 1 ED glass element, achieving high-quality performance in a compact overall design. An advanced linear motor drives the focusing mechanism for quick, smooth response throughout the extended zoom range. Handheld telephoto shots and low-light photography are facilitated by built-in Optical SteadyShot (OSS) image stabilization. Like all other FE lenses, the design is dust and moisture resistant. Circular Aperture When changing your aperture to defocus the background, the light sources appear blurred. This 'bokeh' effect of the blurred background can be enhanced with circular aperture blades used in this lens. Conventional aperture blades have flat sides creating unappealing polygonal shaped defocused points of light. alpha lenses overcome this problem through a unique design that keeps the aperture almost perfectly circular from its wide-open setting to when it is closed by 2 stops. Smoother, more natural defocusing can be obtained as a result. Aspherical lens elements