E 16-55mm F2.8 G at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.
Marc Alhadeff tested the new Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G lens. His conclusion:
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The new Sony 16-55 F2.8 G (1300 euros) is the pro zoom for APSC we were expecting for years. Results are superb and on on par with best E mount prime lenses
This could be your high quality lens for weddings, travel, portraits, studio shooting
Pros
- Excellent Sharpness at all focal lengths
- Consistent sharpness from centre to corners
- Very nice and soft Background blur
- Excellent color rendition
- Very good build construction
- Easy to rotate zoom with enough dampening for a smooth zooming
- Ergonomics : focus hold button , AF/MF switch
Average
- Size : the lens is relatively big in APSC standard but this allow to get corners as sharp as the centre
- Bokeh balls : well rounded but some onions rings and fringing can be observed in some situations
- Distorsion on the wide end is big and vignetting is visible.
- This improve at 35 and 55 but distorsion is still visible.
- This will be automatically corrected in a future Lightroom Lens profile
- Some chromatic aberrations (low level)
- Resistance to flare is only good
Cons
- Pricy ( as pricy as a Sony 24-105 F4 G full frame)
The Sony 16-55mm F2.8 G is definitively the Pro Zoom for Sony APSC cameras and would have deserved a GM label.
Globally it is much better than any other Sony APSC zoom currently available
- Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS (450 euros) : more targeted at video with is power zoom
- Sony E 16-70mm F4 Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar T* OSS : (900 euros) , this was the best quality zoom available but the new 16-55 F2.8 has better aperture, better IQ without a doubt
- Sony E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS (650 euros) : very good zoom but does not achieve the excellence we find on a prime or on the new 16-55mm F2.8 G , a good choice if you want the biggest zoom possible while retaining very good image quality
Highly Recommended
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E 16-55mm F2.8 G at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.