Sony/Zeiss 16-70mm Lens

What are some of the experiences of photographers out there with this lens, the Sony/Zeiss 16-70mm lens for the Sony E-Mount Lens/APS-C Format? The reviews are very mixed with references to quality control issues and lack of sharpness. It seems like the optimal range lens for the a6xxx series. Any experiences positive or negative?

If you already have a 16-50 you might consider a Sony 50f1.8 or Sigma 60f2.8 - either is affordable and test favorably.

 

If you are looking for a replacement or have no lens the try a 16-70 and make sure you can return if your example does not test well.

I don't have the 16-50mm kit lens but I hear that is is a good lens. I have the 35mm 1.8 lens which is very sharp and equals a 52.5 mm lens by 35mm full frame standards and the 55-210mm lens which is surprisingly good. I tried the 16-50mm lens in the store and found the power zoom use not for me. I went ahead and bought the 16-70mm zoom when there was a rebate on it and I'm very happy with is. It has a good focal length range and is extremely sharp with good color fidelity. Here's a sample image:

 

I recently bought an a6000 with the 16-50mm zoom. I can't recommend it I'm afraid. Very soft at 50mm, and not too hot at any other focal length.

 

Hopefully the 16-70 has better IQ, but I'd echo sf-photo's advice to buy from a source with a good returns policy.

I may have posted these elsewhere in photo.net, but these two pairs of photos were both taken on a NEX-7, one with the kit 16-50 E-mount zoom and the other in each pair with the A-mount 16-50 f2.8 mounted with an LA-EA2 adapter. My copy of the E-mount kit lens holds up quite well, I think.

 

16mm

A-mount left, E-mount right

 

50mm

E-mount left, A-mount right

 

(Both sets of lenses subject to similar processing in Lightroom.)

 

For comparison, here are the lenses side by side on their cameras

 

I know which I'd rather carry round on my shoulder!

After bidding on, and losing out, eBay Zeiss 16-70s numberless times, I finally accepted the current market and bought the 16-70 at my local camera store (they still exist!). I had concerns due to all the web chatter. But, after testing it, I was rather astounded. It is a remarkable lens and the perfect travel lens. However, in the end, it's a an over-priced $500 lens.

It seems that there are some bad copies of the Sony 16-70mm 4.0 lens around so I personally would never buy a second hand one on the bay or any other place. Ken Rock has a point when he says to buy at one of the big mail order houses instead of a local store because they are still factory packed while in the local store you don't know who or how the lens has been handled. Hope you have good luck with the lens. I think mine is fantastic for goth the sharpness and color fidelity but also the very useful zoom range. Here's a recent sample image I posted on Pnet recently.