Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM Vario-Sonnar T* Carl Zeiss A-Mount Lens

2015-01-19T19:00:00

Sony have ask me to tell you how I feel about my Sony 16-35mm F2.8 ZA (SAL1635Z). Not exactly a difficult task it has to be said. Without a shadow of a doubt this is the best lens I have ever owned. Its capabilities and performance allow me to use this lens with total confidence. Solidly built, ease to handle and when paired with an A850 or A99 it is a real joy to use. The image quality is break taking and has transformed my church architecture completely. The AF is responsive and a joy to use when out and about taking street and candid photography. I just love this lens and would recommend it without a second thought.

SLawrencePhoto

Originally posted at

2015-01-05T19:00:00

This lens is all you'll ever need to cover your wide angle shots. Whether it be landscape, architecture, interiors this lens takes everything in its stride and never fails to deliver those quality images expected by any Zeiss product. The SSM as you would expect is very quick and silent too, meaning this lens is also great for video too. As with any wide angle lens there is some barrel distortion and vignetting at the wider ends, though this easily rectified post edit. Zoom in / Step down a little and these distortions soon disappear. But to be honest what we are talking about here really isn't an issue to me, but rather just to make you aware that they do exist. This lens goes everywhere with me and is one of my 3 "go to" lenses.

ManicManc

Originally posted at

2014-09-24T20:00:00

This is an excellent lens that has excellent contrast and sharpness throughout it's usable range. It is so good that it has replaces three of my fixed focal length primes. Yes it is quite heavy and the adaptor required for use on my A7R makes it even bigger but it is lighter than the three lenses it has replaced. One issue is that the autofocus is extremely slow when used on an A7 (2-3 sec). Not a problem for me as I manually focus anyway but good to be aware of. Operation is identical on a5000 (pictured).

VynZ

Originally posted at

2014-08-02T20:00:00

sharp Pix with wide angle lens

Alawe

Originally posted at

2014-07-28T20:00:00

I have had this lens for about a month now......And was lucky enough to have it for our holiday in North Devon.......Where it seemed to take such great shots with ease....I love this lens for what it is able to do.....And after such a short while, I really don't know what I would do without it.....For the record I use the a99 with it....Many thanks for reading...

Sheltie

Originally posted at

2014-06-22T20:00:00

I bought this as I wanted a full frame wide angle zoom to compliment my sony/zeiss 24-70 zoom which to my mind is the best in class likewise for the 16-35 from f4 to f16 it's as good as my Minolta prime lenses. At f2.8 it does fall off at the edges, but the centre is still very sharp.

PongoAlphs

Originally posted at

2013-12-05T19:00:00

Great quality lens, very sharp, awesome pictures, but very heavy in weight and on your pocket! Overall I am happy.

PZ1234

Originally posted at

2013-11-16T19:00:00

This is the lens that I used the most when I travel and great for landscaping. It's sharp and crispy, Paring well with my A99.

kingmo

Originally posted at

2012-12-23T19:00:00

I paid a small fortune for this lens,and being that it's really the only one in it's class, I had no choice. I'm not easily blown away, so it's not a big surprise to say I'm not blown away--it's exactly as I would have expected. It's a big, heavy, well made super wide angle lens. The distortion of objects is pretty much what I expected. The focus is silent, but somehow feels a bit slow especially being that it doesn't use Sony's new hybrid auto focus--a real disappointment considering how long I've waited to have a Sony full frame and how much money I paid (I understand future updates will address compatibility issues.)At 2.8, depth of field is shockingly shallow and hard to use. The fault might be entirely mine, but for the moment the lens doesn't seem to be very sharp, and seems challenged in focusing on images at close or medium distances. Overall I'm fairly happy, but like all high end gear it doesn't do any magic by itself. You've got to know what you're doing, practice, test and work out how to get the best results from this lens. One thing that did surprise me right out of the box is the build quality, it feels like a tank and weighs about as much.

Matt M.

2011-12-11T19:00:00

This is my go to landscaping lens. Paired with my A900, it has produced some outstanding images. I love the almost "3D" look this lens provides. I 100% recommend this lens if you are doing any sort of landscape work with the Sony's fullframe cameras. The downsides to this lens are it's size/weight and it's cost. But when I see the images it produces I can't help but think that it's worth every penny. For more images from this lens check out my site... http://www.landshapephotography.com/

LonnieUtah

Originally posted at

2011-08-02T20:00:00

This lens is great with the A900. The balance is perfect with or without a battery grip. Focusing is spot on, zoom is smooth, photos are exceptional. Had the A700 with 16-80mm Zeiss, and although that was a great pair, the A900 and this lens (or the Zeiss 24-70mm) is just that much better. Sold the A700 and don't see me changing up anytime soon (although I still miss the A700 as I hate to part with quality items). All I could ask for in a lens, as is the A900 for a camera body. The Zeiss line is worth it if you shoot frequently and want to enjoy professional results. Happy capturing!

Twigger

Originally posted at

2011-04-07T20:00:00

This is a wonderful lens. It is perfectly balanced with my A900 and provides quick, quiet and accurate performance making it a pleasure to use. I've used this lens along the rocky coasts of Okinawa, the humid swamps of Florida, the icy cold of winter in the Utah canyons and other extremes of environment and it performed flawlessly. I thought the weight would be an issue, and then I saw my pictures and decided the weight was a minuscule issue compared to the quality of the images I bring home. If you're serious about landscape or interior photography then this is a must have lens.

Ocular

Originally posted at

2010-03-22T20:00:00

I don't actually don’t own this lens, but I did try it out at the Sony Style Store. This is a massive lens; diameter is 77mm and weights a lot more than the standard kit lens. Because the lens diameter is so big, it makes me worried if it will create a shadow when the pop-up flash is up (Just a thought that you might want to check out before purchasing). Construction of the lens feels solid with metal material, and the auto focus is virtually silent. You can see that it is focusing but you can’t hear it. When connected to my Alpha a300, I have to always have my hand holding onto the barrel of the lens – you cannot hold just the body of the camera because it’s so front heavy. I wish I either had more money or this lens was less expensive, but this lens makes you take incredible photos with ease. Attached photo was taken at 35mm, f/2.8, ISO-400 on a300.

ewizzle

Originally posted at