Sony Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM - Review 2022

Sony's A-mount organization has come dorsum into the spotlight cheers to the loftier-resolution, fast-shooting Blastoff 99 II—a camera that offers an incredible image sensor and capture charge per unit. The Sony Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM ($2,249.99) is the company's premium ultra-wide zoom, and comes complete with a pro-class, dust- and moisture-resistant design. But the older lens suffers when paired with the latest loftier-res camera, requiring you to terminate down significantly to net crystal clear images at 16mm, which is a big drawback for a premium lens. Our recommendation is to go tertiary party and opt for the Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD. It's a little wider, just about half the cost, and captures sharper photos.

Design

The 16-35mm is a squat, hefty lens. It measures 4.v by 3.3 inches (HD), weighs 1.9 pounds, and has a apartment front chemical element so it can use 77mm lens filters if desired. Internal seals protect it from grit and wet. The Tamron fifteen-30mm is larger and heavier—5.half-dozen by 3.nine inches and ii.iv pounds—and has a bulbous forepart element that precludes the apply of standard filters without an additional accessory.

Sony Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM : Sample Image

The lens is black with a sturdy metallic butt, knurled focus and zoom rings, and the Zeiss badge in bluish and white. Front and rear caps and a reversible lens hood are included. The zoom mechanism is internal, so it doesn't extend past the front of the barrel when changing focal length, and has gear up marks for 16, 20, 24, 28, and 35mm. A plastic cutout window shows the set focus distance in feet and meters, only there's no corresponding depth of field calibration.

Sony uses sensor-based paradigm stabilization for its A-mount organisation, so there's no IS congenital into the lens, merely images and videos are kept steady by the camera. The lens does a have a toggle switch to change between AF and MF performance, forth with a Focus Hold button to temporarily disengage the autofocus system. The competing Tamron xv-30mm offers optical stabilization when you buy information technology for a Canon or Nikon camera, but omits the feature and gives way to in-body stabilization when paired with a Sony SLR.

The minimum focus distance is eleven inches throughout the zoom range. The lens isn't a macro, simply you tin certainly go upward close and personal with subjects, which can be used to dramatic effect at wide angles, bringing your subject into close view with an expansive swath of background backside it.

Image Quality

Despite being a premium lens with a pro-grade build and constant f/ii.eight aperture, the 16-35mm isn't a peak performer when it comes to sharpness. I tested the lens along with the 42MP Alpha 99 Ii and constitute image quality to exist rather disappointing.

I shot our standard test nautical chart using the 16-35mm and analyzed the results using Imatest. At 16mm f/2.8 the lens scores 1,930 lines per moving picture height using a heart-weighted analysis. That's less than the ii,200 lines we want to see at a minimum from a loftier-resolution photographic camera. The lack of fidelity isn't compatible beyond the frame—the center third is quite crisp (two,923 lines), merely it drops speedily every bit you motility away, showing merely 1,250 lines in the mid parts and i,000 lines in the periphery of the frame.

As you lot'd expect, narrowing the aperture improves image quality. At 16mm f/four the average score jumps to 2,408 lines, with an exceptionally sharp center (three,621 lines), only some softness in the mid parts (1,693 lines), and edges that are about the aforementioned equally at f/two.8. The story is the same at f/v.6.

In that location's significant improvement at f/viii. The average score climbs to two,946 lines, with a centre that approaches iv,000 lines, well-baked mid parts (2,643 lines), but edges that are still soft (1,347 lines). If you're shooting a wide landscape that demands sharpness from edge to edge, opt for f/11 or f/xvi—both deliver around 3,300 lines on average, with edges that are fairly decent at 1,922 lines and 2,319 lines, respectively. Skip f/22; narrowing the aperture that far introduces diffraction, which cuts resolution all the manner down to two,351 lines.

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The lens delivers its virtually consequent performance at 24mm. At f/2.8 the average score is 2,785 lines, with similar performance from edge to edge. It improves to 2,906 lines at f/4, 3,279 lines at f/5.6, 3,864 lines at f/eight, and 3,850 lines at f/11. There's a slight drib in quality at f/sixteen (three,522 lines) and a more than noticeable ane at f/22 (2,745 lines).

Performance is once more an upshot at 35mm. At f/2.viii the lens scores a disappointing one,934 lines on boilerplate, again with a well-baked heart area (2,845 lines), but blurred mid parts (1,300 lines) and edges (1,062 lines). Photos are clearer at f/4, at 2,716 lines on average, with a razor sharp heart (3,797 lines), decent mid parts (2,006 lines), and edges that are on the soft side (one,574 lines).

Everything clears up at f/5.6; the boilerplate score jumps to 3,165 lines, with mid parts and edges that top ii,500 lines. The boilerplate score improves to 3,633 lines at f/8, and remains solid at f/11 (three,804 lines). There's a slight dip at f/16 (3,485 lines) and a big 1 at f/22 (two,727 lines).

Barrel distortion is an result at 16mm—the lens shows near two.viii percent, giving photos a very mild fish-eye look. It's gone at 24mm, and gives mode to about one-percent pincushion distortion at 35mm, which curves lines in the opposite direction as a fish-centre lens. Baloney of this type is typical for an ultra-wide zoom—the Tamron shows more than at both ends of its zoom range—only isn't a deal breaker. If you shoot images in JPG you tin ready the photographic camera to remove it, and Raw photographers take the pick of eliminating it via a Lightroom lens contour.

Corners are a little dim at 16mm f/2.8, about two stops (-2EV) dimmer than the eye. It's less of an issue at f/four and f/five.six (-1.1EV), and negligible at narrower apertures. The event is cutting to almost -one.5EV at 24mm and 35mm when shooting at f/2.8 and f/4, and a nonissue at narrower settings. As with distortion, JPG shooters have access to in-photographic camera correction, and Lightroom users can employ the lens profile to fifty-fifty out the effulgence of Raw shots.

Conclusions

On newspaper, the Sony Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.eight ZA SSM is an appealing lens for A-mount photographers who want an ultra-broad zoom lens. It features a vivid aperture, a solid zoom range, and sturdy construction. But optical functioning doesn't match upwardly with its Zeiss pedigree—or its asking price. Yous have to stop downward to a narrow aperture to get consistent results, which shouldn't tbe the case with a premium zoom. We recommend you lot consider the Tamron 15-30mm as an culling. Its range isn't the aforementioned, merely it'south also an f/ii.8 design, and while distortion is stronger, it put up stronger sharpness numbers when we tested information technology on a 36MP photographic camera.