Verdict
Pros
- Great technical performance and robust feel
Cons
- Manual-focus ring lacks silky smoothness
Key Specifications
- Review Price: £499
When the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 16-80mm zoom was tested for WDC’s round-up of Sony standard zooms it performed unexpectedly poorly and looked like a rogue sample. That suspicion is backed-up by the results of this review, which was conducted using a different lens.
First, the 16-80mm’s MTF curves now have a textbook appearance. Maximum resolution is in excess of 0.3 cycles per pixel from wide-open to f/11 at all focal lengths and the fall-off at smaller apertures is nicely progressive. Any resolution performance above 0.25 cycles per pixel indicates a well-mannered lens and this lens exceeds such expectations. Second, chromatic aberration is all but invisible. It is true that taxing images (bare tree branches silhouetted against a bright sky) reveal colour fringes when examined at pixel-level but this manner of inspection is so severe that no standard zoom can escape totally unblemished.
Third, optical distortion is well controlled. There is significant barrel distortion (6.3%) at 16mm, falling to an insignificant level (0.1%) at 35mm, then switching to a small amount of pincushioning (0.6%) at 80mm. That said, even when set to its minimum focal length the lens produces a natural image quality in which distortion is not obtrusive. Equally pleasant is the way depth-of-field is rendered: there is a particularly soft gradation from in-focus to out-of-focus regions despite biting sharpness in the former. This trick is something of a Carl Zeiss speciality and is one of the best reasons for choosing this lens over Sony’s own lenses.
Handling is good thanks to a wide zoom ring closest to the camera body and a narrower manual-focus ring beyond. The zoom mechanism produces a continuous extension in the lens as it progresses from 16 to 80mm. There is a focused-distance window but no indications for depth-of-field.
It might be thought unfortunate that the maximum aperture is only f/3.5 and that this declines to f/4.5 at 80mm when other standard zooms achieve and even maintain a maximum aperture of f/2.8. But the 16-80mm has a 5x zoom, which is more than most of its rivals offer. The only lens that triumphs on both counts is the Olympus 12-60mm f/2.8-4 but that retails at over £600.
IMAGE QUALITY
(Below) There is a beautifully natural graduation from sharpness to out-of-focus blur when the lens is used wide-open (in this case at its 16mm focal length).
Sample images
Verdict
Having had a second chance to evaluate the Carl Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 ZA it is clear that this is a cracking lens. If you are a Sony user who demands the best, then this is the standard zoom for you.
Trusted Score
Score in detail
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Value 9
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Design 9
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Image Quality 10
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Features 9
Editorial independence
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
