Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM A-mount lens review by A68noob
 A68noob#45619 date: Dec-5-2020 | |
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| sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 3 overall: 3.9 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Zeiss 16-80 |
| price paid: | 200€ |
| positive: | + center sharpness is always epic across the entire FL even at F2,8 (on par even with minolta 50mm macro - sick!) + very useful range + fast AF + best standard zoom for alphas (considering the price to zeiss) + good portrait potential at 50mm F2,8 and in general very good to isolate objects, thanks to 2,8 (most important thing to me) + zoom lock.. but why? + thanks to F2,8 also very usable at overcast weather + especially 2nd hand, even in mint condition, very good price/performance + good, solid build |
| negative: | - 50mm feel like 45mm (certainly a very noticable difference compared to 50mm primes) - strong focusbreathing (a 50mm macro is highly recommended in your lineup to overcome this, as the magnification is poor) - often unreliable AF to lock on targets (even at good light and landscapes - especially at 16mm [maybe it is caused by SLT, as testing on older DSLR went better]) - some purple CA wide open and stopped down to F8 it will turn into red abberations (not as horrible as a beercan ofc, but often still noticeable) - questionable bokeh in some ways (i would call it mobilephone bokeh to a certain degree) - very questionable flare control at lower FL - corner sharpness not the best, considering of how sharp it is in center - not the lightest standard zoom, but tolerated considering build and F2,8 |
| comment: | I'm torn. On one hand this is the best standard zoom you can get, but on the other one you can still expect quite some (heavy) flaws. I own two examples and both of them are identical.. and both of them make me laugh. Why? Because this lens features a zoom lock. Great, isnt it? Well.. both lenses are stiff (not in a bad way) and therefore dont need any lock whatsoever.. but meanwhile huge lenses like 70-300 & 70-400 SSM dont have one. Sony'd once again.. Tested on A68 & A77ii - great pictures on both. On A580 it seems like a kit lens to me (IQ wise).. maybe the 16MP sensor is just poor. The only reason not to choose this over the CZ1680 is the loss of ~35mm FL, as it is quite short at 50mm - otherwise better in every regard. I wish i would have never bought the Zeiss and went straight to this lens - many opportunities wasted. The useful range of this lens eliminates wide-angle and multiple primes from your lens bag. Pair it with a decent 70-200 + a small macro and you are able to have a lot of fun and cover almost all needs without much trouble. Recommended! |
; 20MPrating summary
- total reviews: 101
- sharpness: 4.74
- color: 4.68
- build: 4.83
- distortion: 4.13
- flare control: 4.44
- overall: 4.56