Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens for Sony E, Bundle with ProOptic 55mm Filter Kit, Lens Wrap, Lens Case, Cleaning Kit, Cap Tether, Lens Cleaner

SKU: ISO1670EA

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Q&A

Questions & Answers

FAQ

What is the benefit of the constant f/4 aperture in the Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens?

A constant f/4 aperture allows for optimum exposure parameters at any focal length. This reduces the need to use high ISO settings and allows the use of high shutter speeds to capture action when necessary.

What does the Optical SteadyShot image stabilization feature do?

Optical SteadyShot image stabilization significantly reduces image blur caused by camera shake, especially when shooting handheld at telephoto focal lengths or in dim indoor lighting. This helps in capturing sharper images.

What is included in the ProOptic 55mm filter kit that comes with the Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens?

The ProOptic 55mm filter kit includes a UV filter, a neutral density filter, and a circular polarizing lens. These filters allow you to create a variety of effects and also protect your lens from accidental scrapes and scratches.

Is the Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens compatible with all Sony E-mount cameras?

Yes, the Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens is designed specifically for use with Sony E-mount cameras.

What is the benefit of the Carl Zeiss optics and T* coating in the Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens?

The advanced Carl Zeiss optics and T* coating ensure the reduction of chromatic aberrations, flare, and ghosting, resulting in images with high contrast and resolution. The T* coating also minimizes glare and ghosting, contributing to natural color reproduction, superb definition, and clarity.

Clorinda M : Is it compatible with the Sony a6500. How is it with indoor and night time photos?Phil D : Not sure if it's compatible with that model. It is not a fast lens, just f4, so a tripod or high ISO (film) speed is recommended.WARREN W : it is compatible. Being a F/4 lens you will need good lighting or jack up the ISO, I've taken wonderful pic's of sunset and sunrise, A bit heavy but a excellent lens, I have no regrets about my purchase. Good luckTODD K : Yes it is compatible. It is f/4 so los light is decent for inddor. If you are wanting to shoot the stars you will want lower f. This is my everyday lens on my sony a6500. I love it!
Richard A : Can I use this lens on a Sony A7 II? Yes it's a question.WARREN W : I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to this question. I bought it for my A6000.Phil D : Not sure. I have a nex7 that I use with this lens. You might experience vignetting. Check with the tech folks at Sony. com. They should have the correct info.John R : It's a great lens, but designed for APS-C, so you will not get full-frame coverage.
Shopper : Is this a full frame lens?Frederick W : No. It's designed for Sony APS-C imagerNGUYEN H : No it's not.WARREN W : yes, but it will change your angle of view, you will be going from a equivalent 24mm 105 mm zoom to a wide angle 16-70SETH J : According to the specs listed for this item it has an ASP-C sensor.PHONG V : The one I bought is for the E-Mount APS-C A6000 camera, not for the full frame body.JULIUS D : No.

Reviews about this item

Review Summary

2024-09-23T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Good general purpose lens

I've had this lens for a number of years firstly with my a6500 and now with an a6700. It is very good between 24 and 55mm and good outside those focal lengths. Stopping down improves the image quality at the edges of needed. The A6700 seems to get more from the lens, maybe because of the better sensor.

Selt62

2024-01-11T13:11:20

Rated 5 out of 5

Best travel lens for Sony

Best travel lens I've owned. I switched to Sony in 2016, and bought this lens for my A6000. Now, four APS-C and 3 FF bodies later, this is still my travel favorite. On the amazingly compact Sony APS-C bodies, the combo slips easily into a waist pack or photo vest pocket. It is sharp and a perfect range for travel, where the extra mm on the wide side get more use than more on the tele end would bring. After 8 years, it still rocks. A big test came earlier this year with a bucket list photo trip to Galapagos. An FE 100-400 GM stayed on the A7R4, and this trusty lens on the A6100 most of the time, for a combo that won't break my back. It is very hard to tell the difference from this, the GM zoom and the relatively few times I went to my primes even on a 60" screen. Bravo.

Gene V.

2023-08-09T20:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Better than expectedIdeal 'walk round'

Ideal walk round' lens for every day use. Good range and better quality than expected

Forest F.

2022-06-20T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

The perfect travel lens

Having been in the photographic retail trade (now retired) I know of the reputation for quality Zeiss has. I also have a Sony RX10 MKIV which has a Zeiss lens and is super sharp, so I was expecting a lot from the 16-70 Tessar on my newly purchased Sony A6600 and it has lived up to my expectations. Incredibly sharp all all focal lengths edge to edge, great colour reproduction, very light and compact. Highly recommended.

DigDGS

2022-06-20T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

The perfect travel lens

Having been in the photographic retail trade (now retired) I know of the reputation for quality Zeiss has. I also have a Sony RX10 MKIV which has a Zeiss lens and is super sharp, so I was expecting a lot from the 16-70 Tessar on my newly purchased Sony A6600 and it has lived up to my expectations. Incredibly sharp all all focal lengths edge to edge, great colour reproduction, very light and compact. Highly recommended.

cam m.

2021-10-13T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Superb

I bought this lens to replace the Zeiss A Frame lens and expected it to be the best there is. I wasn't disappointed.

MartinPeter

2021-10-12T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Sharp wide angle zoom, light and easy to use

I use this lens on an A6500. Together they provide a lightweight system that is comfortable to carry around all day. The lens focuses quickly and produces edge to edge sharpness at all but extreme settings.Even wide open edge sharpness is only a little softer and perfectly acceptable.

GeofL

2021-10-12T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Sharp wide angle zoom, light and easy to use

I use this lens on an A6500. Together they provide a lightweight system that is comfortable to carry around all day. The lens focuses quickly and produces edge to edge sharpness at all but extreme settings.Even wide open edge sharpness is only a little softer and perfectly acceptable.

Goef

2021-08-09T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Excellent lens

Having just purchased an Alpha 6400 body I bought this lens using the Welcome to Alpha promotion. I have only used it for a few shots so far. It is a reasonably lightweight and easy to operate lens with very effective OSS - I have obtained acceptably sharp results hand held at 1/5th second exposure. The constant f4 maximum aperture is a nice feature.

Aging a.

2021-06-15T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Excellent lens for the A6000

I bought my A6000 camera a few weeks ago. It came with the 16-50mm kit lens which did not impress me. This lens, however is a different story. It produces very sharp images with great colour rendering, handles well with great build quality. It also benefits from OSS and is an excellent lens for the A6000. I am very happy with it.

Kenny647

2021-06-15T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Excellent lens for the A6000

I bought my A6000 camera a few weeks ago. It came with the 16-50mm kit lens which did not impress me. This lens, however is a different story. It produces very sharp images with great colour rendering, handles well with great build quality. It also benefits from OSS and is an excellent lens for the A6000. I am very happy with it.

KennyM

2021-01-08T14:04:13

Rated 5 out of 5

Perfect for Sony NEX and ALPHA cameras

Excellent lens!

GREGORY G.

2020-09-22T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Excellent Product

Lived up to the great expectations promised by previous reviewers.

Wifey1

2020-09-18T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Love it for street photography and as general lens

Love it for street photography and as general lens

Nicky A.

2020-08-04T18:47:44

Rated 4 out of 5

sony tessar E16-70 lens

ok lens but does not balance on my sony 6300 camera as well as my other lenses,

Brian L.

2020-07-23T13:24:40

Rated 5 out of 5

Ave Pildas

The Sony Vario-Tessar lens is sharp, sharp, Sharp

AVE P.

2020-06-03T10:12:11

Rated 5 out of 5

Great Walk Around Zoom. Very Light Weight. Relatively Fast.

Great walk around zoom. Small and light enough to carry around for street photography. Pretty fast at F4 across the range. I use this a lot. For me, the weight is very important. If my camera and lens are too heavy I tend to leave it at home. This one is with me all the time. It's not as crisp as my Sony 35mm f1.8 prime but it's a zoom. Can't really compare. It's sharp enough, though, especially when I stop down a bit. I really like it.

DAVID A.

2020-03-21T20:00:00

Rated 3 out of 5

Mostly Plastic not metal - Not moisture Resistant

Liked size and range of focal length. Must be very careful using in high Humidity and dusty environments. Very expensive - paying for ZEISS design...Must use Capture One Software to get full photo clarity and color repro. Needed a macro capability like Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens. Wish I would have bought this lens for my APS-C camera.. More Bang for Buck with a much sharper lens....

MOV_maker

2020-02-02T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great Lens

Bought this to upgrade on my current lenses. Although I have not used it that much since purchase, the limited amount of pics I have taken have been fantastic - I am still getting used to the lens, but feel confident in saying for an amateur like myself it has increased my pic taking capabilities.

Bob2Sheds

2020-01-12T19:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

Disappointed

I bought this lens according to the reviews I've read on the internet. Although those reviews aren't excellent, they are generally above average. I thought it's worth a try. The lens is well constrected. Unfortunately, the good part of the lens stops there. To my disappointment, the quality of the pictures I get from this lens is less then average. The colors are very washed out. I use this lens with the A6300 that's been converted to infrared. The hot spot is very strong. The focus is good, though not excellent, in the center area, but very poor at the corner where the fringing and distortion is very strong. All and all, I am very disappointed. I can't recommend this lens to anyone.

368Ton

2020-01-06T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Perfect walk around lens!

This product gives great functionality for an everyday walk around lens! This is the only lens I own and I am not looking to purchase another lens any time soon! The focal range gives you a lot of options for different styles of photography.

matharvey23

2020-01-03T08:51:01

Rated 2 out of 5

Excellent lens design with poor quality control

It is a well designed lens with excellent range for general photography. I really wanted this lens but tried 3 copies of this lens, none of which was acceptable due to decentering problems, resulting in one side being sharp but not the other, some being very soft at certain focal lengths. After trying 3 of these lenses I gave up trying more. It is a shame that and excellent lens design with poor assembly and lack of quality control is a total disappointment for me.

Julius K.

2019-10-11T09:36:27

Rated 4 out of 5

Great lens

Did my research and rented this lens before purchasing. It’s not small but it is a great lens.

JEREMY K.

2019-09-06T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Produces wonderfully natural looking images

This lens isn't known for its sharpness, and often gets bad reviews by those who are slaves to fashion and tests that have no real world relevance. It's not soft; it's just not razor sharp. People focus on razor sharpness because it's unnatural...we don't notice such details with our own eyes, day to day, and so it gives us a sense of the exotic. But if you're focusing on skin pores, you're not really looking at the picture are you? Pictures from this lens draw your eye to the subject instead, and the luxury of light and colour surrounding it. The micro-contrast and smooth colour gradients give a wonderful sense of depth. Its representation of light and colour is natural in a way that other zoom lenses for APS-C E-Mount can't match, and can render a scene more real than razor sharpness ever will.

Buddhamakessense

2019-07-02T08:56:22

Rated 5 out of 5

Sharp as a tack and versatile for travel

I was a little concerned about traveling with an ƒ4 lens but the Sony 6500 made up for it. While it was a little larger than what I had hoped for in a travel lens, it was all I needed in focal length range and the Zeiss quality did not disappoint me.

CARMINE P.

2019-03-24T08:33:32

Rated 5 out of 5

Great lens

excellent lens, happy customer!

angelo m.

2019-03-03T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Absolutely delighted

I bought this lens over a month ago to replace the kit lens supplied with my Sony a6300. Am absolutely thrilled with it as photos are much sharper and the zoom gives me greater versatility for taking pictures. It was very expensive but I can't see any need for another lens in the 16-70mm range.

Rae58

2018-11-09T19:00:00

Rated 2 out of 5

Average performance high price

Starting with positives, build quality is superb, the look and feel of using this lens is fantastic. The zeiss colour is great too. However the optics on this are very poor. Edge sharpness is very bad wide open and barely passable stopped down. It is actually outperformed by the kit lens in a number of situations. For the price this is a very disappointing lens which I don’t expect to be keeping for long

David_newcastle

2018-09-06T07:56:35

Rated 5 out of 5

One Good Feature

I just liked the feature of image stabilization. My experience with this technology came from the old Nikon lenses which I paid much more.

Victor C.

2018-08-29T08:42:46

Rated 5 out of 5

5 stars

just right.

Victor C.

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Sony 16-70mm Specifications

General

General

Jump to...
  • Brand

    Sony

  • Lens Series

    None

  • Color

    Black

  • Lens Type

    Wide Angle to Telephoto Zoom

  • Lens Mount

    Sony E (APS-C)

  • Format Compatibility

    APS-C

  • Focus Type

    Auto Focus

  • Closest Focus Distance

    13.78" / 35 cm

  • Focal Length

    16-70mm

  • Angle Of View

    83 - 23

  • 35mm Equivalent Focal Length

    24-105mm

  • Maximum Aperture

    f/4

  • Minimum Aperture

    f/22

  • Maximum Magnification

    0.23x

  • Filter Size

    55mm

Construction

Jump to...
  • Lens Elements / Groups

    16 Elements / 12 Groups

  • Diaphragm Blades

    7, Rounded

  • Dimensions Diameter x Length

    2.62 x 2.95" (66.6 x 75 mm)

  • Weight

    10.86 oz / 308 g

Features

Jump to...
  • Image Stabilization

    OSS

  • UPC Code

    840014133666

14 Accessories for Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens for Sony E, Bundle with ProOptic 55mm Filter Kit, Lens Wrap, Lens Case, Cleaning Kit, Cap Tether, Lens Cleaner

  • All Accessories (14)
  • Extended Warranty (8)
  • Filters (3)
  • Bags & Cases (1)
  • Lens Caps (1)
  • Cleaning Accessories (1)

About Sony 16-70mm

FEATURED REVIEWS

Brings out the full potential of the NEX7

By DeanInCO

I searched high and low this year for a great lens for my NEX 7 that I have had since it was released. And this is truly one fantastic lens. It truly brings out the full potential of the NEX7, making it a fantastic travel camera. I pop iy in my bag with my iPad and macbook Pro and I am good to go without having to lug a ton of gear around. I own a Nikon D800, D7100, Fuji X100s, and my iPhone, and I have more fun with this lens and this camera combo than any of the others. The only drawback I ...

View full Review

Pricey but a keeper

By RalphNY

I've been waiting for a better quality daily lens for my NEX 7 to replace my kit and this one pretty much it. The lens is solidly built, light and good looking. Performance wise, very clear , fast and performs well on low lights. I was little bit hesitant because of the price but got it anyway. I brought it on my travel to Europe and so far have been satisfied with the results. My NEX 7 now has a perfect partner. I also have 35mm F1.8 Prime lens in addition to the standard kit.

Get the lens you need for impressive photos plus the kit to maintain it with this Sony 16-70mm f/4 lens bundle. Taking center stage is a quiet but powerful zoom lens that maintains a consistent aperture from 16mm to 70mm, making it ideal for filming or photography, and it also incorporates Carl Zeiss optics andlens coatings to reduce chromatic defects, flare and ghosting. Shoot stunning landscapes and capture the entire scene, or zoom in on your subject in the midrange. Despite its versatility, this Sony lens is compact enough to slip intoyour camera bag as a secondary lens. It even includes image stabilization to reduce blur when you're shooting in low-light situations.

What's also included in this Sony 16-70mm f/4 lens bundle is a comprehensive cleaning kit and extra filters. You get a UV filter, a neutral density filter and a circular polarizing lens so that you can create a variety of effects. In addition, placing a filter on the end of your lens helps to protect it from accidental scrapes and scratches. The full cleaning kit included in this Sony 16-70mm f/4 lens bundle makes it easy to keep this mirrorless camera lens looking great and working well when you're shooting in dusty areas.

Outstanding contrast and resolution throughout the image area at all zoom settings are the hallmark of this high-performance Carl Zeiss mid-range zoom lens. The renowned Zeiss T* (T-star) coating minimizes glare and ghosting that can degrade image quality, contributing to natural color reproduction as well as superb definition and clarity.

The 4x zoom range of this lens extends from 24mm to 105mm (35mm full equivalent), making it ideal for a wide range of common subject and situations. A significant reduction in overall lens size, while maintaining first-class image quality, has been realized thanks to advanced Sony high precision, advanced aspherical lens (AA lens) production technology. The lens is compact and lightweight, making it a convenient portable choice for casual day-to-day shooting as well as landscapes, snapshots, portraits and more.

A constant F4 maximum aperture throughout the zoom range allows the user to use optimum exposure parameters for the shot visualized at any focal length. The ability to use apertures of F4.0 at the telephoto end of the zoom range also reduces the need to use high ISO settings and allows the use of high shutter speeds to capture action when necessary. A circular aperture design helps to deliver smooth background defocusing.

Optical SteadyShot image stabilization provides a marked reduction in image blur cause by camera shake, especially when shooting handheld at telephoto focal lengths or in dim indoor lighting. In the Anti Motion Blur and Handheld Twilight modes this technology makes it easier than ever to shoot clear, blur-free, low-noise images at night, indoors, or in any conditions that would otherwise be a challenge due to low light conditions, without having to boost sensitivity or use a tripod.

Sony 16-70mm Features

  • Adorama Camera Lens Valuable Bundle. Kit Includes.
  • Sony Vario-Tessar T* 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS, E-Mount Lens Front and Rear Lens Caps, SH111 Petal Lens Hood, Carrying Case, Sony USA 1 Year Warranty.
  • Pro Optic 55mm Digital Essentials Filter Kit, With Ultra Violet (UV), Circular Polarizer and Neutral Density 2 (ND2) Filters, With Pouch. Universal Lens Cap Tether.
  • Adorama Slinger Soft Lens Case Medium, Black. Adorama LP99 Lens Cleaner.Pro Optic Lens Wrap, 15in x 15in (400mm x 400mm), Black.
  • Adorama 1836A Cleaning Kit for Optics and Cameras. Kit Includes: Spray Cleaning Fluid, Cotton Swabs, Lens Cloth, 3 Sheets Universal LCD Screen Protectors, Squeegee Card, Lipstick Brush, Blower Brush, Lens Tissue, New Deluxe Storage Bag.

Key Features

  • 16-70mm Wide Angle Zoom Lens
  • Digital Essentials 55mm
  • Cleaning Kit
  • Universal Lens Cap Tether
  • Neoprene Lens Pouch - Medium (Superwide to Normal)
  • Lens Cleaner

What's in the box:

  • Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens
  • Front & Rear Lens Caps
  • SH111 Petal Lens Hood
  • Carrying Case
  • Sony 1 Year Limited Warranty
  • Bundle Includes:
  • ProOptic 55mm Digital Essentials Filter Kit
  • Lens Wrap (15x15")
  • Slinger Soft Lens Case (Medium)
  • Lens Cleaner
  • Cleaning Kit
  • Universal Lens Cap Tether