Sony SAL-1680Z 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T DT Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony SAL-1680Z 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T DT Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera
Digital camera Review: Great Carry Around Lens
Summary: 5 Stars
I was introduced to a more or less comparable lens on my Sony R-1. The 5:1 wide zoom is perfect for my use which includes photgraphing people, pets, and cycling events. I was always taught to get in close, so I am not a fan of long telephoto lenses. The Carl Zeiss lens at wide apertures has some visible distortion, and you need to remove the lens shade when shooting wide open. Photographs are sharp, colors properly saturated, and objects nicely modeled (not sure of the right word here, but the opposite of "flat"). The background in photos shot wide open is pleasant. The build quality is excellent, and the lens does not "travel" while being carried. The lens is large and heavy enough when mounted on a camera to require two hands to properly hold the camera. You can pick up some noise while shooting movies, but I am guessing less so than with kit lenses, but more than with so-called "SAM" lenses. I mad $100 more for the lens than I did for the cmaera (alpha 33). While I have not used this lens over time under varied conditions, I am pleased with its performance so far (snow scenes, indoor bounce flash, panorama/landscape, and hand held "twilight" shots)Digital camera Review: Great all-purpose zoom lens
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased SONY A700K, which is a A700 plus SONY 18-70 zoom lens bundle. The bundled lens turned out to be a nightmare. So I purchased this SAL-1680Z. Do I like it? Let me tell you.
If you really really care about sharpness, resolution, MTF, then get multiple prime lenses. No zoom lenses match any Minolta/Sony prime lenses in this category.
But if you can compromise a little bit (just a little bit) and want some 5x zoom convenience, look no further. This lens gives you all. Yes it is not cheap for a digital-format (1.5x FOV) lens, but in addition you get the "Zeiss" color: deep and classy.
Is it perfect? No, it shows some vignetting when wide open.
Bottom line: If you have Sony Alpha 700 (or 100) and if you want a zoom lens which you can use on almost any situation, save some money and get this.
Digital camera Review: Great lens that offers much for sony camera owners
Summary: 5 Stars
In photography, the results are really what are important. I bought an SLR that was light on purpose and had to think hard about a lens that added half a pound to the weight of the camera. But I also wanted a higher quality lens than the kit lens offerred when it counted. The 16-80 lens delivers on what is important. There are a couple of plusses and minuses to this lens.
Plus:
Extremely high quality output, no compromise here
For the photo range, a lens of acceptable weight (just under a pound)
Cons:
Expensive compared to the Sony "Kit lenses", but with the current discount ($50 off), there is less of a gap with other lenses
Narrow zoom ring, this quickly becomes a moot point, but takes some getting used to (it is right against the body, the ring that is further out is the focusing ring which you probably will rarely use with the A33 (at least I dont, the lightening fast focusing speed is one of the benefits of this camera)
Many have complained about vignetting, I have yet to experience it, many have complained with zoom creep, which I can see if you carry the lens pointing downward, not during use (maybe there was a tightening of the focusing mechanisms since the earlier builds of this lens, not really sure, but has not been a problem)
Many have complained about he build materials, this is a compromise I am willing to live with, since different materials would have added significant weight to the lens. realizing that most of the weight in this lens is glass (not plastic, which is how the cheaper lenses get much lighter), and a metal casing would have made this a non-contender for me.
Digital camera Review: My experience with this lens.
Summary: 5 Stars
Shipment was prompt. Packaging was horrible. First lens was defective. It was replaced promptly without question. Replacement lens was packed even worse than first one. It was amazing that they just tossed an expensive lens in a box without padding. You'd think for $535 they could afford to spend more than 20 seconds preparing a item like that for shippment. The lens must be well made (Carl Zeiss) because it actually worked and I could find no problems so I kept it. In fact I am delighted with the wonderful sharpness, color and contrast rendered by this lens. This vendor, however should be ashamed.Digital camera Review: Not for full frame cameras (i.e. A900/A850), good for APS-C Alphas
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a serious amateur wildlife/nature photographer and purchased this lens for use with my A350 and have been very happy with the pictures it produced. However, I recently purchased an A900 for the 5fps and other features to capture fast action. I discovered after using the this lens that this lens only produces images that are 11MP on the A900. The low image quality is because this lens is designed for use with APS-C size sensors and not full frame cameras like the A900 or A850. The full frame cameras crop the smaller image projected on the larger sensor. If you have any plans to move up to a full frame camera do not buy this lens, you will only have to buy another similar lens that is full frame compatible. Also note that any of the DT type lens that come as part of a kit package, are not full frame compatible and will produce 11MP images as well. This limitation is noted in the fine print on Sony's website. I can't for the life of me figure out why Sony would produce a Carl Zeiss lens that is not full frame compatible.
UPDATE 4/21/10:
After thinking about my two star rating and the quality of images produced on my A350 (Example: [...]), I have upgraded my rating to 4 stars. Yes I should have done more homework when I bought the lens and yes the price in comparison to other Zeiss lenses should have set off the red flags. The lens does a good job on my APS-C camera A350. It is a tough pill to swallow making a lens purchase that is not compatible or complimentary with a newer, full frame body. However I think I will use this lens on my A350 and my full frame longer lenses on my A900 until I can decide what full frame lens to buy. For now, my old Minolta 28-85mm is back into service on my A900. (Example: [...])
UPDATE 6/6/10:
My big problem with the APS-C versus Frame Lens compatibility with Sony and third party lens is they need to be more clear. I have noticed that Sigma is much more clear to note if APS-C only. If you have a Sony DSLR with APS-C size sensor (Anything except A850 or A900) this is a great lens and you won't be disappointed with the results.