Sony Carl Zeiss DT 16-80mm lens review

[BoxxyFan]

Sony 16-105mm is superior and longer reach. This is just overpriced tacky crap that uses the Carl Zeiss name only.

[lightbringer942]

Well, of course the AF system of the a100 is noisy and slow because it is an entry level model..use the lens with the a700 or a900 which has higher end AF systems and the noise will go down and the speed will be faster..and besides, if you're planning to get this lens, that means that you have the money to buy a higher end body, meaning better AF performance than the a100

[TheDerdani]

you are from new kids.

:D

mongo_____lol

[FullHD911]

Can you help me? I have Sony nex-5 and I wanna know what do you think do I have to change my original lens to this 16-80mm?

[gotenoct]

hi gordon can u make a review of sony g lens sal 70-300 thx

[mYOzZyKaT]

Hi Gordon...

Are you going to do a review on the new Sony a55 when it comes out? I'd like an independent review of that camera... really liking the 10 fps and fast autofocus in HD video. Hope you will do on.

[verheul32]

why is it a 24/105 mm lens its on a full frame body right?

[gerSick]

@verheul32 Are you talking about the 24-105 Sony (or KM)? That's different lens. very compact FF zoom, with weak corners on open aperture. Now that I used the Sony/Zeiss 16-80 for a good while I'm very happy with it. Very very sharp from open aperture. Below 20mm the corners darken a bit wide open. But mostly I use wide with medium aperture or >24mm with fast aperture ;o) Build quality has issues. But IQ is great And we are talking about 600€ lens...

[danzi333]

very useful thanks

[itshaeun]

Hi Gordon! I just wanted to ask what the difference was between the Carl Zeiss lens and the Sony lens.

Which one has better quality(on pictures and video), and has better auto-focus?

[cameralabs]

Do you mean the difference between it and the Sony kit lens? See my review at cameralabs . com! PS - there's no video on any Alpha, including the three new models.

[morxxy]

hey Gordon read your full review on the sony a 350 and it is really an honest review....you have a great website and great sony forums and also the reviews are not biased in any way although all photographers have personal brand preferences...just one question i have read in certain websites that the alpha 350 has 3fps using the viewfinder although in most websites it says its 2.5 fps can you confirm with me please if it really is 2.5fps...other than that great website

[cameralabs]

Aha, that's because many sites just quote the specs and don't actually test it! Check out my A350 review at cameralabs . com and see the bottom of the Features page for details on the continuous shooting in real life!

[morxxy]

hi gordon love your work you seem very honest and not biased in any way...anyway i purchased an a350 some months ago with the standard kit lens...im focusing on landscape photography so do you think the zeiss 16-80 will do the job or do you recommend another lens and if so what is that? thanks

[cameralabs]

Hi morxxy, have you checked out my review which goes with this video at cameralabs . com? As you'll see, I reckon it's one of the best general purpose lenses for cropped Sony bodies in tersm of optical quality. We've got a great community of Sny folk at the cameralabs forums too, so feel free to ask them what they think...

[BedShaker0909]

Great Honest Review.. This is very useful as i'm entering the world of photography.. Haven't decided yet for my first DSLR and Lens.. Thanks.

[gerSick]

Hi,

I did read you full Review.

But I still wonder if I should get this one.

I have a Alpha 350 with kit.

And now I'm thinking about better lens for general usage (so should be in the 18-70mm area).

And I think I'm gonne use it quite a long time in the future - making price less important than quality.

But it seems that the zeiss 16-80 is not much better than the 18-70 kit.

Are there other options (of 3rd party maybe)?

Or should I stay with the kit (as the 350 is not highest end cam. as well)?

[cameralabs]

I think the Zeiss 16-80mm is the best quality general-purpose DT lens available, but feel free to ask in the Sony section on the cameralabs forums...

[gerSick]

Thanks for your quick response...

[LuisAugusto2]

Don't you think that at it's price you can't expect more from build quality? And its better than other brands equivalents.

Anyway, I like cameralabs a lot, congrats :)

[metalgear32]

i like your review, is clear in pro and cons. good work!

[cameralabs]

Thanks! Don't forget to check out the full review at the Cameralabs website!

[cameralabs]

How is it terrible? The focusing may be noisy, but the optical quality is superb.

[hendriksholm]

It's made by Carl Zeiss, one of the most respected optical manufactures in the world!!!

[xmeda]

It only has this label.. these lenses have not much common with those old famous manual M42 ZEISS lenses like Planar T F1.4 50 mm. Or get Biogon T F2.8 25 mm and be stunned.

[SLRsnake]

zeiss is one of the best lens companies in the world what is wrong with you?

[astroboy1027]

Hi! questions on turning the focus ring by force with the camera turned off will that affact the performance of the camera??

[cameralabs]

Did it turn easily or was it locked or very stiff? If the latter, then you shouldn't do it, but I doubt it will have done any serious damage. Have you noticed any problems? Either way, you might want to ask in the Sony section of the Cameralabs forums...

[astroboy1027]

it's kind of lock up because I turn the camera off in AF mode but I only did it a couple of times when I tried to take off the lens hood so I am not sure if that will cause problems with the body or lens? If it's the lens then's not a big deal, because it's only the kit lens for the A350.

[ptrptms]

Most informative. Any plans on reviewing the Zeiss 85 mm Planar T?

[cameralabs]

Thanks! I'd like to review some more of the Sony Zeiss lenses, but it may be some time...

[miller7345]

Review this lens Sony SAL-300F28G

[cameralabs]

What no 'please'?! It's too high-end anyway, so I won't be doing it - sorry!

[nuchikim]

This lens has the exact same range, and similar looking optics, to the lens on my Sony R1 which is also designed by Carl Zeiss. Is the maximum aperture also f2.8 at 16mm?

Perhaps, being the first Zeiss lens on a Sony DSRL, it is essentially the same lens as on the old R1?

[cameralabs]

It has the same range, but it's not the same lens - the R1's effective focal length may be 24-120mm, but its actual focal length is 14.3-71.5mm. If you're interested in lenses, check out our Lens Guide at dslrtips . com !

[media1981]

Thanks for your review always. u r genius! this might sound a little weird but, which camera manufacturer do u recommend for dslr camera? just in ur point of view..

[cameralabs]

They all have pros and cons - see the Best Buys section at the Cameralabs website for the DSLRs I'd recommend.

[media1981]

yes.. as i expected. but what would u buy if u were choosing from Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus within budget range?

[cameralabs]

If the features and price are right, I would recommend people go for the model which looks and feels best to them personally!

[RattlesnakeMoonshine]

Looks like you were taking pictures in Norway. Am I right? =)

[cameralabs]

Not quite, but it is a similar-looking landscape at times - the filming and photos were taken in Queenstown in New Zealand's South Island...

[jimmiexiong]

can you do a review of the 85mm carl ziess planar t lens ?

thnkz

very educating reviews !

[cameralabs]

I'll add it to the list!

[5mmThick]

This review is a joke. I've got this lens and it focuses from closest to infinity in 85ms, which is NOT slow. It's quicker than the Canon 17-85 f4/5.6 and the Nikkor 24-120mm VR. It's also comfortably the best standard zoom on the market in terms of optical quality. There's no point in talking about the build quality. If it had a traditional Zeiss build it would cost more than a thousand pounds like the Contax 24-85 did!

[01025588]

Will you review new Pentax SDM lenses?

[cameralabs]

Yes, we hope to review some of these in the future...

[wowJhil]

Doesn't the build quality take a little much space in this review? There is not much talk at all about the lens itself, how it handles distortion etc.

[cameralabs]

Hello wowJhil, this video is just a small part of the whole review which you can find by clicking the link to the right of the video window. There you'll find lots of results for the lens along with sample images...

[bigcountry4life5]

view view/comment. My Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 just arrived today. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day here in Chicago and the lighthing in my basement isnt that great. I lovet the features though. Thanks for the review