The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II and the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
Size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses.Sony 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM is the longer of the two lenses at 111mm. The Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II with a length of 69mm is 42mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM also has a larger diameter of 83mm compared to Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II's 72mm diameter.
Weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II weighs 222g, which means it is 733g (76%) lighter than the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM which has a weight of 955g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Standard Zoom Lenses in Sony Alpha Mount for size comparison purposes.
Standard Zoom Lenses in Sony Alpha Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II and Sony 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM has the same Sony Alpha lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony Alpha lenses are Sony A68, Sony A77 II and Sony A58.
Focal Range
Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II has a focal range of 18-55mm and 3.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 27-82.5mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera. Sony 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM has a focal range of 24-70mm and 2.9X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 36 - 105mm.