Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens
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Great Lens; Great Customer Service
HERE'S THE STORY: Thursday: Online purchase. Friday: Lens arrives Saturday, Sunday: Take 200 pictures. Sunday: Decide lens is defective. (Not even as good as the 18-55 kit zoom.) Monday: Arrange replacement w/ B&H Customer Service in one 15 minute phone call. Tuesday: Go to NYC; an easy train ride for me. Exchange lens in a six minute transaction. Today is the following Saturday and after a few more days of shooting all is well in the world...at ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Review, take 2
A funny thing happened on the way to this review -- this is its' second version. I had originally given it one star - do not recommend. I am changing that review to four stars -- do recommend. And perhaps someone can benefit from my experience. I normally shoot only jpeg, except when there are difficult or questionable lighting conditions or the situation is one-off, can't miss -- I really don't like to be forced into an always-must-post-process ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
So far, so good
This is an initial review of this lens. I bought it for another camera that I do not yet own. I have the Sony a6000, and love it. Unfortunately (or fortunately) my teenage son has taken quite a liking to photography and has been using my a6000 just about all the time these days (as he is taking a photography class in school). So I planned to get the a6300 and another zoom lens for myself. I have the Sony G series 4/18-105 on my a6000 and it is ve... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
a disappointment
I was really expecting an above average walk-around lens with image quality above the rest of the Sony e-mount zoom family -- particularly given the price. I do not think that an unreasonable expectation. However, I have not found that to be the case -- at least with my sample. I normally shoot only jpeg, except when there are difficult or questionable lighting conditions or the shoot is a one-off, can't miss situation -- I really don't like to b... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A great lens if you get a good copy
I have a SONY NEX-7. I bought the identical Hasselblad labeled version of this lens -- which nowhere mentions Hasselblad on either the lens itself or the plain white package it came in -- , and which was until recently available through B&H at a substantial price discount. It was clear from reading other B&H user reviews of both the SONY and Hasselblad versions, that this was a great lens, but that numerous defective copies had been shipped and s... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I got a good one
The Sony/Zeiss 16-70 mm F4 APS-C E-mount lens sits in the sweet spot of walk around lenses. I have captured many good photos using Sony's 35 mm and 50 mm prime lenses with my Sony A6300. But there is a limit to zooming with your feet. In addition, a zoom lens enhances the video capture experience. The reviews on the Web for the 16-70 mm Zeiss are good except for those who get very bad lenses. These unfortunate souls return these duds over and ove... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sharp compact solution for days out with the kids
If you want the best IQ zoom possible stop right now and buy aSonyFE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens and a A7III. AT 4200 you will get pin sharp zoom low light and no compromise. Don't forget the Book-bag case. Now that's over if you are a parent like me with small kids or value a small light weight setup (at less than half the price, weight, and size ) than you might be interested in this lens. This is a "sharp" zoom lens for daylight (or with a flash) if... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Very handy and fairly good optical quality
The 16-70 f4 is a perfect walk about lens for the a6000/a6300/a6500. It is small, light, and has pretty good optical quality. While the zoom with your feet thing is great for artists, or in ideal shooting conditions, or for the one perfect prime crowd -- in reality it is not practical for photo-journalists, street, wedding, and event photogs. In fast moving situations, nothing beats being able to frame the shot accurately and quickly in the viewf... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Outstanding!
When I purchased my NEX-7 after it was released, I was really disappointed with the NEX lenses that were available. I found them all to lack critical sharpness, so I used Leica and Nikon lenses with an adapter on manual mode. Then I purchased the Zeiss 24mm and was really pleased to have auto focus. 100-200% crops showed that the lens actually out-resovled the 24MP sensor. Not expecting as much out of the 16-70mm, since it was a zoom, I have been... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Very pleased with acquisition
First, I am an amature photographer and gadget collector since 1965. I was using an a100 then went to an a55 about two years ago - huge improvement. I also have a collection of good Minolta and Sigma lenses. The summer of 2012 I bought a RX100 and found I was taking a lot more pictures and the A55 started to feel large, heavy, and unused. Bought a NEX-6 with the 16-50 kit lens for a bicycle trip in France last summer. Wife carried the RX100 (grea... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
IT DELIVERS!
I read a lot of reviews and comparisons between this Tessar and the Sony 18-105mm at half the price. Both would cover a range that I came to use most often with my DSLR-a Sigma 17-10mm lens. However, my main concern was speed and performance in low light. The reviews slanted toward the Tessar on the latter. B&H's return policy gives me no pause on ordering with the confidence that a lens that disappoints is easily returned or exchanged. Out of th... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
The most discussed lens on the internet
Early QA issues causing bad review results and the fact that this lens is quite pricey has kept the internet abuzz with IS THE ZEISS 16-70 TOTAL GARBAGE???! discussions for YEARS, and they persist to this day. Well, I think this is a very good zoom. It's very sharp wide open, especially at 35mm. The colors are great. The mechanics are very nice. It's extremely lightweight and versatile. It's just a bit overpriced, and I'll be the first to admit t... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Well-built, small, sharp-I like it
Because of the cost, I read as much as I could about this lens (there weren't many reviews, to date) and was nearly frightened away by complaints and hearsay -- comparisons were made with the mediocre kit lens, focus was de-centered, or that it suffered from poor quality control. Nevertheless, I purchased this used from B&H and fully expected the worst. But to my surprise and delight, the lens has been terrific. I like the size & versatility of t... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent tool for walk around shooting
The 16-70 mm Zoom focal length covers about 98 percent of the pictures I take which was why I wanted this lens for my Sony Alpha 6000 to replace the 18-55 mm kit lens. My images are mostly family pictures along with occasional scenics from vacation and day trips. The extra few mm on both ends are much more valuable than many realize. Better scenic or tight spaces shots on the wide end and portrait options on the long end. The lens is expensive so... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good sharp lens
I just bought this to go with a Sony a6300, whose 16-50 kit lens is truly a waste of money if you need image quality. My Vario-Tessar 16-70 is plenty sharp, showing normal distortion close up at very wide angle. Color rendition is very good. I use a 5Diii and L glass in my work, but bought crop-sensor Sony and this lens for compact vacation travel, often flying to Costa Rica. So far, results are excellent. Its single failing is f/4. Needs to be f... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sony-Zeiss 'Jack of all trades' high performance zoom lens
Sony & Zeiss hit another home run with this Vario-Tessar 1670mm f/4 OSS lens. It has proved to produce very sharp images with very good edge sharpness. Tone and contrast are also excellent. I have see no evidence of defocused side field which has occurred in early examples. Focus action is very smooth for 'drive by wire.' This 16-70mm offers the ideal zoom range. It has constant F/4 aperture while not 'fast,' is fast enough with modern cameras to... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
solid, if expensive offering
differing from the 16-50mm pancake kit lens, this lens: - has little distortion (wide-end barrel distortion is so bad on the kit) - has a bit more contrast and color pop (but not much) - is pretty sharp out all the way out to 70mm - can shoot macro type shots and bokeh-ish portraits (50-70mm f4) - has a positive manual focus and zoom control (not the wonky by-wire in the kit) - and is built better (but of course is not a tiny light pancake either... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
good choice for Sony a6000 series
Although the kit lenses available on the Sony a6300 are reasonably good for everyday photo/video applications, the Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS lens represents a step up in image quality, particularly in the color achieved in the unprocessed file. Additionally, the zoom range is more useful (24-105mm equivalent), making the 16-70mm Vario-Tessar by Zeiss something that can be left on the camera for a vast majority of shots. One issue that ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
It's decent but could be better
As pointed out by others this is the lens own if you had to own one for the E-mount systems. I have had this for nearly two years and it is my go to lens while traveling throughout Cambodia and China do to the versatility of the lens. My issue with this lens is it's a marginal upgrade from the kits lens in regards to the disparity in price between the two. There are a few YouTube reviews out there comparing this and the kit lens and they come out... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Awesome lens! Difficult price!
Love this lens, it definitely gives me a great picture for both video and photo. So far I've used this lens on an sony a6000 to record a small segment in a professional cooking show, B-Cam on an extreme sport doc project, and as my go to walk around lens for basic street photography. The lens has delivered a beautiful image every time, great color and sharpness, it's fast when paired with the a6000 mirrorless cam... not much to complain about exc... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Best lens I've ever owned
I was hesitant to pay so much for this lens, (twice the cost of my a6000), but I needed a short range zoom for various situations, especially portrait and group photography. Also the fact that many people had negative comments all over the internet had held me up. Let me tell you. This is the very best lens I've ever owned. Tack sharp, light weight, great build. The Zeiss pop is unquestionably remarkable. Manual zoom which is perfect for quick s... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Can't find any flaws.
Before buying this lens (for the Sony A6300 for a trip to Santa Fe, NM), I read many different reviews on a few different sites. There are a number of reviews that talk about softness at the edges. I am not a pro and I am not scrutinizing my photos at 100% and the only place my photos are likely to appear are on the walls of my house. From that perspective, this lens is fantastic. The lens is well constructed and the size is perfect -- I think it... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Performed worse than the Kit Lens from 16 - 24mm
at all apertures throughout the image area! at 35mm, it is better than the kit lens wide open and at f5.6. It also showed extreme softness on the lower left corner. By f8, the Kit lens again takes the lead at 35mm across the image. Only beyond 40mm, its superior to the kit lens at all apertures. In summary, the kit lens out performs it from 16-24mm across the image. At 35mm f4-5.6, the zeiss is better than the kit lens in the central 2/3 image. T... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Perfect travel and portrait lens
This Zeiss 4/16-70 lens mounted on the a6000 is perfect for me. I travel over 100 days per year and just couldn't lug my old Canon 60D and 18-135 lens around any more. Five months ago I sold my Canon gear, bought the a6000 body and this single lens. I've never had better shots. The f4 lets lots of light in, even in low light settings. The autofocus is fast. I used to take multiple shots with my Canon gear, lots of time comparing, selecting and ed... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
