Sony Carl Zeiss 16-35mm F4 OSS FE E-mount lens reviews
reviews found: 13
 Harm vb#44444 date: Dec-23-2019 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.9 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 21-35 "D" A-mount |
| price paid: | 725€ |
| positive: | Range from 16 to 35mm. Weight and balance are quite good on my A7Rii with battery grip. Sharpness is good. |
| negative: | No cons so far |
| comment: | I'm satisfied with this second hand lense. |
; 36MP| boyzone#44116 date: Aug-19-2018 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | 24-70 /4 Zeiss |
| price paid: | USD 1000 New |
| positive: | Zeiss color Light weight Good range |
| negative: | 35mm is soft a bit but usable |
| comment: | A very good wide angle lens, Color is superb. Is worth to collect. |
| connospp#44059 date: May-10-2018 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 3 flare control: 4 overall: 4.1 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | missing |
| price paid: | 1000USD new |
| positive: | sharpness focusing build contrast range |
| negative: | Size & weight |
| comment: | Loving it. Would be better to have a bigger apperture but you can pay for it and get the 2.8F GM. Besides that, from the moment I tried it, is I use it all the time. |
| picman#42987 date: Jan-15-2018 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.9 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | 16-35 Zeiss A-mount |
| price paid: | approx 1300 Euros |
| positive: | Zeiss color, contrast and pop. Excellent sharpness, handling and build. |
| negative: | Nothing. |
| comment: | This is just such a lovely lens. Of pictures taken with f5.6 I am able to crop a 100% part out of and it all still looks tack-sharp. For 35 mm, this means the equivalent of about 100-135 mm! |
| fute77#40963 date: Nov-9-2017 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | KM 17-35/2.8-4 |
| price paid: | 625€ |
| positive: | size build quality sharp oss |
| negative: | f/4 price take scratchs easily |
| comment: | very good lens a little bit new to using it but I already love it |
| MITSUKI-KEN#39946 date: Sep-30-2017 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 3 flare control: 5 overall: 4.4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 17-35mm F2.8-4.0 (TAMRON) Sigma DG 15-30mm F3.5-4.5 Sigma 18-35mm F3.5-4.5 Sigma DG 20-40mm F2.8 |
| price paid: | 920 |
| positive: | SHARPNESS OSS Light contrast |
| negative: | 16-20MM DISTORTION BLUE SHIFT in color EXPENSIVE IQ at 35mm |
| comment: | this is a good and convenience lens. the sharpness is flawless. The OSS did help a lot in dark environment. but the Distortion control is strange. below 20mm it seems fine across the frame and when you reach the last 10% near the edge, It suddenly Distort a lot. The color is blue. it is fine if you shooting blue sky, you don't have to use CPL. but in some case you have to tune a lot. the Minolta 17-35mm got a better color and distortion control then this, but the edge sharpness is so poor. the Sigma 15-30mm is less contrast and purple edge and yellow color. also the EV control got problem and it is much lighter in EV then the preview. Sigma 18-35mm share the same negative with Sigma 15-30mm and even more poor in sharpness Sigma DG 20-40mm is not as sharp as SONY ZEISS, not as good color as Minolta, but it is definitely better than the Sigma 15-30mm and 18-35mm |
| dcisive#27596 date: Jun-4-2016 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Zeiss Batis 18mm f2.8 Zeiss Loxia 21mm f2.8 |
| price paid: | 1249 |
| positive: | Superb Build Excellent Sharpness at the right apertures Has that Zeiss "Pop" and microcontrast Surprising sharpness in all corners and sides |
| negative: | You need to test the lens out to discover the proper apertures in which to derive the best results. |
| comment: | I was aware there were a number of less than good copies running around the world so was initially leery of working with one of these lenses. However getting fortunate with a great copy, I'm finding this lens indispensable for interior shots as well as full on landscapes and such. The versatility of the 16 to 35 reach is also huge as opposed to needing to change lenses. You can see a few samples of extremes such as 16mm at f8 and 35mm at f5.6 at the following links. http://www.pbase.com/traveler/image/163377015/original http://www.pbase.com/traveler/image/163377013/original |
| ghmcs#21440 date: Dec-2-2015 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.7 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 20mm f/2.8 Sony E 35mm f/1.8 Minolta 28-105mm f/e.5-5.6 at 35mm |
| price paid: | 1100 USD (used) |
| positive: | sharp across the whole image reasonable size |
| negative: | heavy for a mirrorless lens IQ is weakest at 35mm |
| comment: | This zoom is very good, mostly because it is sharp across the whole image frame. It is better than the old Minolta prime at 20mm. You would want this lens for its performance from 16mm to ~28mm. It is weakest at 35mm, where the Minolta 28-105mm zoom is just as good and the native E-mount 35mm prime is much better. |
| Collingsandheal#18377 date: Oct-14-2015 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 3 flare control: 4 overall: 4.1 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony E 10-18mm. Voigtlander FE 15mm. Batis 18mm. Batis 25mm. Zeiss 16-35mm f4. 16-35mm GM. Sony FE 28mm. Zeiss FE 35mm. Batis 40mm. Samyang FE AF 45mm. Sony FE 50mm. Sony FE 50mm macro. Zeiss FE 55. Sony FE 85. Sigma A FE 135mm. Sony 70-200 GM. Sony 100-400mm GM. |
| price paid: | £679.00 |
| positive: | The name. Sharp. |
| negative: | Size, weight, distortion at 16mm |
| comment: | I wanted this lens so much but I hardly used it. There is something, that I cannot quite put my finger on, that I just do not like about the images. Edge distortion is hard to control even with a geared head on the tripod. |
| Rhansen#17339 date: Aug-22-2015 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony CZ 16-35 f2.8 Ver 1 Tokina AT-X Pro 17mm F3.5 - adapter to A7Rii |
| price paid: | 1,575 Cdn |
| positive: | For a zoom it is quite sharp and has reasonably good corners and edges. Well built and very lightweight. Quick and very quiet AF and superb IQ OSS works well on A7R, A7ii and even better with the A7Rii |
| negative: | Distortion, however, it is perfectly compensated for in LR and C1. No aperture ring Focus by wire - not a huge deal as it responds nicely and accurately |
| comment: | I owned the Sony CZ 16-35 F2.8 and sold it along with all my heavy A-mount gear. I do miss the extra stop of the F2.8, however, this FE version is a dream to use and the IQ in real life shooting is every bit as good as the F2.8. I have read about soft corners and less than stellar IQ especially at 35mm. It isn't perfect at 35 but stop down to F8 + and the corners sharpen up reasonably well and the IQ is pretty decent. Between 16mm - 30mm it is very good in all respects - remembering this is a zoom NOT a prime like the Zeiss Batis 25mm F2. I have prints from my A7ii and the 16-35 F4 at 17x22 that are stunning and even the pixel peepers will be hard pressed to find fault. One reviewer complained about the poor build and the paint wearing off. I am very hard on gear and two days after receiving the lens I bounced around Death Valley for 7 days with my gear both over my shoulder on a tripod and also lying in the back of the 4x4. A few weeks later I shot the Oregon coast with several days of strong winds and blowing sand - guess what not a mark on the lens and no dust inside. Flare is well controlled but possibly if you are less than careful in your composition it will flare. I only listed my two ultra wide angles as it is not a fair comparison when comparing to longer focal lengths and especially primes at longer focal lengths. The is an absolute keeper for an Ultra Wide Angle zoom and the convenience it provides. |
| dob2109#16327 date: Jul-26-2015 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.1 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I have experience with this lens |
| compared to: | SEL2470Z SEL70200G Sigma 35 1.4 DG HSM |
| price paid: | Rented for 2 weeks |
| positive: | Sharp over the whole range OSS works great with A7ii |
| negative: | f/4 is not fast enough The coating of the metal is not very robust. |
| comment: | This lens is a great item, I learned to like it a lot while I had it in intensive use for 2 weeks. Results are better in it's class than those of the 2470Z. While heavy driving in the bush the coating of the metal has been heavily damaged, the SEL70200G on the other hand did not get a single scratch. Such an expensive lens deserves a better coating. And f4 is not fast enough. That fits for a tele and maybe a standard lens, but a wide angle should be faster. |
| Panza#12081 date: Jan-6-2015 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 Nikon 16-35 f/4 Nikon 14-24 f/2.8 Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 |
| price paid: | 1350 USD |
| positive: | Solid feel and build Reliable weather sealing Great close focusing Sharp for a zoom |
| negative: | Colors appear colder than they really are Barrel distortion at 16mm |
| comment: | Build & Ergonomics: In the hand the lens feels solid and weighty, but not overly unbalanced on the A7. You can feel the quality metal used for a lens at this price point vs plastic competitors. I've been shooting in windy rain and snow conditions and everything seems up to stuff. Construction of the zoom mechanism is solid, the front element extends at shorter focal lengths but does not feel flimsy. With the SEL41635z you are met with a good smooth resistance on the zoom ring. Adjust the focal length by rotating the ring as intended and not by pushing the front element inward. Sounds obvious but shouldn't be overlooked. Ergonomics of the rings aren't distracting for functionality. Finding infinity is a little bit difficult, I just let the camera focus to infinity on its own which seems to be most accurate for me. The lens focuses closely at less than one foot which is a good plus. Coloration: Colors feel a bit cold to me. When reviewing raw files I can recognize that the images captured are slightly off. Edit: Double checked my WB and colors are still a bit soft so my rating doesn't change here. Sharpness & Distortion: This lens is priced adequately for its performance among its competitors. It is not a prime lens so don't expect prime sharpness. It is good for a zoom lens that doesn't cost above 2 grand USD. In the corners, sharpness is less of an issue as distortion is more distracting, but only at wide open ends of 16mm. I've been shooting landscapes and starscapes with this lens so I know where it tends to distort and soften. Yes corners, but at 16mm. Easy fix in Lightroom, lens profile is available which takes care of distortion. Slightly more distortion than similarly priced competitors, but nothing out of expectation. Flare: I can make any lens flare with poor technique and angling, but flare is predictable and not overly distracting as other 70mm+ front elements tend to be. Focus seems accurate and doesn't excessively hunt in dim lighting conditions. At least on the A7. OSS: I can shoot at 1/30th of a second sharply and reliably, with the OSS activated I've been shooting consistently at 1/4th of a second with sharp photos and up to 1/2 of a second with good technique. OSS really does well. 3 stops of reliable compensation which is good because I shoot low light hand held still often. Overall, lens is fine. Above average performance for above average cost. Great for stills and landscapes or even indoors. I'm keeping this lens with no intention of selling. |
| PhinioxGlade#12050 date: Dec-7-2014 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 3 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Zeiss FE 35mm f2.8 SEL35F28Z Tokina AF 19-35mm f3.5-4.5 Sony FE 28-70mm f3.5-5.6 Sony E 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS |
| price paid: | 1500 AUD (~1300USD) |
| positive: | Sharp Great corners Well balanced Weather sealed Great OSS, 1/6sec handheld is sharp Included hood and lens bad Distortion is well controlled Perfect match for the A7 line |
| negative: | Colour is lacking. The Tokina AF 19-35mm f3.5-4.5 has nicer blues. AF is unreliable at close focus. I still haven't cleaned my sensor, it may be affecting it Lens cap feels to close to the front element Not a metal hood and the lens bag isn't as nice as the Sigma ones Maybe to expensive for what it is |
| comment: | I've owned the Zeiss FE 16-35mm f4 OSS for a week and used it every day. Its a good lens but not great. The colour is so muted to what I expected. Not completely dull and lifeless, just no punch. I presume similar colour rendering to the Zeiss 35, its not being too cool for my liking. Auto focus continues to be a problem. I must have this calibrated. Out of the box it annoying broken at short ranges @ f4 regardless of lighting. I find my self manually focusing this lens. The focus ring is nice but legacy glass is my goto and the delay of the focus my wire is noticeable. Size and weight have been no concern. Its very well balanced with or without the battery grip. Handheld 1/6 of a second is as slow as I can go. It doesn't matter if its at 16 or 35, 1/6 works, 1/4 is a mess. The OSS worked really well when mounted on a tripod in windy conditions. When the wind picked up, with the tripod on loose gravel, somewhere around 10-12 seconds the OSS became overwhelmed. Min focus distance is at the right length for me. I have become accustom to working at ~30cm because of the Zeiss 35. Is 16mm enough, nope, I want wider. The surprisingly good E 10-18 F4 OSS allow can go as wide as 12-12.5mm with allowable compromises. Its also cheaper and a very good focal range on APS-C (15-28). As currently the only native full frame ultra wide zoom for the FE line you have little option if you want auto focus, weather sealing and OSS. You can adapt Zeiss 16-35 A 2.8, its probably weather sealed but I doubt the LA-EA4 adapter is. If you want a much smaller and lighter kit the E 10-18 is very sharp and cover the sensor between ~12-17mm, its also F4 with OSS. The likes of Canon and Nikon have cheaper similar performing glass but you will need a MetaBones like adapter and you loss AF. I recommend this lens |
reviews found: 13
rating summary
- total reviews: 13
- sharpness: 4.65
- color: 4.46
- build: 4.77
- distortion: 4.15
- flare control: 4.77
- overall: 4.56
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