📷 Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera Lens: Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T DT Zoom Lens 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Review

I bought this lens as a touring lens for my α700 replacing a very old Minolta glass. Image quality immediately after installation was stunning - near-uniform brightness with minimal vignetting, corner-to-corner sharpness, minimal chromatic aberrations and distortions. The lens has an unusually hard zoom ring and the focus ring appears grainy; It attracts a lot more dust than my other Sony and Minolta lenses due to the tiny grooves in the rubber. However, these issues are minor and if it ended…

I have been a hobby photographer for many years and take pictures with film cameras. When I bought my old film camera, it came with a cheap "kit" lens that didn't live up to my expectations. I ended up having to buy a new (and better) lens for it. I recently bought a Sony Alpha A100 digital camera with an 18-70mm DT "kit" lens. sharp and crisp, just like I wanted or expected. So, as with film cameras, I bought the best lens for the Sony Alpha, the Carl Zeiss SAL-1680Z 16-80mm zoom lens. The…

Results really matter in photography. I intentionally bought a lightweight DSLR and had to look for a lens that would add half a pound more weight to the camera. But I also wanted a higher quality lens than the included lens if that was deemed important. The 16-80 lens conveys what is important. This lens has some pros and cons. Pros: Extremely high-quality output, no compromises here. For lenses in the still range of acceptable weight (a little less than a pound). Small narrow zoom ring, this…

Let's be honest, if you're a professional photographer you're probably using high quality Zeiss, Nikon or Canon lenses which cost four times as much as this lens and at least three - weigh up to five times more. But if you're an alpha amateur/semi-pro photographer like me and need a versatile lens that ticks all the basic boxes, you'll probably find it hard to beat this Sony/Carl Zeiss lens. about this lens? Here's my list of highlights: 1. Rich, deep color images that can be stunning (as you…