Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM Lens
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Sharp, with all-round performance
I've used this lens for a couple of days, and here are my first impressions. Build quality is solid. Some don't like the plastic bodies, but this keeps the weight down on an already beefy body, which I prefer. The overall weight when attached to my A7RII is not too heavy, and the balance isn't overly front-heavy either. The lens only extends around 2 cm (2/3 in.) when zoomed out. The lens hood seems to be made of a lighter plastic, so I wouldn't ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Exactly What I've Been Looking For
For my Sonys (A7RIII, A7RII, A6500) I've been looking for sharp, fast wide-angle lenses in the sub 35mm focal range, and have also been looking for something fast to specifically cover the 35mm focal length on my full-frame Sony's. I typically buy prime lenses and already own the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G ED, which I pair with my D750. Said 20mm is great, but its kind of squeaky when focusing during video, and the D750 is just a generally a loud camera,... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Miracle of a lens
First of all, its already mind blowing enough that a f/2.8 zoom weighs in at 680g. On top of that, throw in the optical quality of arguably the best wide angle zoom of all time, and what you have is seemingly a miracle of a lens for which a $2200 price tag starts to seem reasonable. The build quality, while it is a plastic shell, seems very good and the plastic itself feels quite premium. Autofocus is silent and fast, and while carrying it aroun... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
way more creative than the 24-70mm
this lens should have more reviews than the 24-70mm. I used the 2470 of Nikon for over 10 years. The more I shoot, the more I found the 2470 boring. I shoot wedding, street and portrait. No doubt, the 2470 is classic, just personally I found this 1635 give me more space to create, more information I could input into my photos. I guess this lens is the one first time Im starting to challenge myself to jump out of the box. After I sold all my Nik... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Incredible Lens
Disclaimer: I upgraded from a Nikon D3300 with a decent 35mm Nikkor lens to the Sony a7III with this lens. Needless to say, it's not a fair comparison and I'm absolutely blown away by the upgrade. All the reviews you'll read are accurate, this lens is diverse, crisp and incredible, especially on the body I bought. The photos I've attached are all 3.5MB to 5MB - you should see the detail in the raw images, it's stunning. From Sunset, nighttime l... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Marvelous Lens!
I originally bought the Sony a9 as a body for my Canon 24-70 2.8 L lens, hoping that this combination would be a very high quality, nearly all-purpose carry-around kit. But, with the adapter and the weight of the Canon lens it wasn't ideal. So, I went in search of another very high quality lens to serve as my nearly all-purpose carry-around. After a good bit of research I decided to try this lens. (My other carry-around camera is the Leica Q, a n... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Does NOT focus above 16mm (respecting minimal focus distance
Purchase date: 21/12/17 - Problem date: 01/09/18 - Symptom: Does NOT focus when I zoom above 16mm, even respecting the minimal focus distance and using any Automatic Focus setting (lens and camera). This is supposed to be PRO GRADE lens! I am using it with a Sony Alpha a7R III. The lens worked well for some time and suddenly stopped for no reason. If I start using 16mm, focus an object and them zoom, the auto focus does not work any more in any f... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
sony now has wonderful lenses!
I've been a picky photographer for more than 50 yrs. Mostly nikons until sony nex 7. Still have my 810 and a few others but the tech in sony's cameras have captured me. Lenses have been their weakness. No longer. Recently acquired the 16-35 2.8 GM, the 85mm 1.8 G and the 18-105 oss G for aps-c. All have been as good or better than the great stuff i've been using. Sold my zeiss that is was using for the 6500 because the sony G was better. The 85 m... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great all around lens
The first lens I got had a broken focus ring. The second works perfectly. I got it for the holiday family trips so I can fit everyone in group shots and get some nice scenery shots with the wide angle. Some reviews online say its sharpest on the wider end of the spectrum but I have no problem shooting with it at 35mm at all. Sharp enough and the 2.8 provides decent bokeh but found myself stopping it down more often when getting scenery and family... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Outstanding, but not tiny or featherweight
For my copy...image quality is excellent in all dimensions, e.g. sharpness, contrast, color, at all focal lengths, at all reasonable apertures, at all focus distances including closest focus; autofocus is fast, accurate and quiet on the a7rII and a9, both single shot and continuous shooting, including in low light (no experience with manual focusing as yet); build quality is very good. It is only 100gm lighter than the Canon equivalent, alas: gla... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Hot diggity.
I'm a semi-pro portrait/event photographer and amateur landscape photographer. I went through a few lenses in this focal length range, each with their own little issues, before deciding to bite the bullet and fork out for the G Master. In brief: SO GLAD that I did. It's just brilliant. Sharp, snappy autofocus, and just feels great. It is a bit heavy, but so is the burden of existential dread, what can you do? I actually like the weight of it; t... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sharper than my 24-70 GM
Just picked up this lens. Did my standard check of it on the brick wall of my house at various focal lengths and apertures mounted on my a7r2 on my rrs tripod. Then swapped in my 24-70 2.8 GM to take the same shots in the 24-35mm range without moving the camera and tripod. Brought the images up in Lightroom in compare mode. This lens is so sharp in the corners that it outperforms the 24-70 GM at 24mm and 35mm. (The 24-70 is extremely sharp and I ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
PHOTOS ALL LOOK LIKE THEY CAME FROM PRIME LENSES
Its been about a year and a half since I started using the 16-35mm 2.8 GM. (gave my 16-35mm f4 zeiss to my daughter) I simply had to write this review. Ive now tested it side to side with the new SONY 24mm 1.4 GM and the images are very similar. Its the ONLY zoom lens that delivers the sharpness and BOKEH you would expect from Prime lenses in the f1.4 & f2 world. Yes its not a throw it in your bag anytime lens. It is fairly big and heavy. BUT, ma... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
All I can say is WOW!
I was reluctant to purchase this lens at first, due to the price point. However, the more research I did the more this lens kept popping up on everyones top 10 list. Not only that, it was almost always listed as #1 for Sony e-mount lenses. Once I used this lens, it all made sense. All I can say is WOW! I wont bore you with the technical details, which you can find in most reviews of the lens. Suffice it to say, this lens will not disappoint. To c... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
WOW !
I'm a real estate photographer so I use wide angle lenses. I have the Sony 12-24mm f/4 lens, while it produces good images, they are not great. I've tried the Sony FE 16-35mm f/4 ZA OSS lens but at the widths I shoot the 16-35 was no better than the 12-24mm lens. So, on a whim and relying on great B&H Photo's return policy I ordered the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens. WOW! What a difference. The images produced are sharp, great contrast and t... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Worth its Weight
I had this lens for about 6 months now. Initially it feel very heavy when fitted with my Sony a7ii. I tested it in taking city-scapes and am pleased with the result, especially on its sharpness all the way to the edge. Recently I lugged it with me on a long hiking trips. l took lots of panoramic photos on mountain massif, down wide and low on rocks and rivers, wide open night sky and even snap shots of people (on 35mm). When those photos were loa... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Very Good Lens
Just as with the GM f/2.8 24-70, this lens is well built and produces a sharp, crisp image. I use the lens for video with the Sony PXW-FS5 and the Sony a7s2. The reason I cannot give the lens 5 stars is because there is no image stabilization built into the lens, and there is no image stabilization built into the body of the FS5. Sony should have been well aware that FS5 users would want to use these lenses and have either put stabilization into ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
AWESOME LENS!!!
I debated for quite a while about which lens to buy first and I am completely happy with the choice I made. I shoot a lot at 16 mm, but it is very nice to have the flexibility to zoom in a little when needed. I debated on buying a prime lens for my first lens, although I'm very glad I chose this one because of its versatility and sharpness from edge to edge. I take mostly sunrises and sunsets and I have not been disappointed with the performance ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A7iii with this lens is great!
I initially got my a7iii with the sony 35mm 2.8 and it was great. That lens is phenomenal but I wanted a zoom lens with the same distance and went for the 16-35 and im extremely happy i did. i mainly use my camera for vlogs and skits or just story telling and this lens does the job with amazing quality. quick story when I unboxed it, I was in a car at night driving home and my first impression was that I was going to have to raise my iso becaus... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Focus and vignetting issues
Wouldnt autofocus reliably initially, this progressed to point I gave up on autofocus. Then started blacking out upper right, lower left corners. All of this randomly. Turning camera off, removing batteries, all off the basic standard computer equipment moves to fix glitches to no avail. Occurred midpoint of vacation to Icefields Parkway. Lens not purchased through BH Photo, love them. Should still be under 1 yr warranty but just barely so hopefully Sony will be able to fix/replace. When it does work properly it takes excellent excellent shots. Very sharp, focused well throughout pic .
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A Modern Technological Marvel
I'm a fine art outdoor photographer, and have used many different lenses over the past 50+ years. This is one lens that lives up to the hype. It's almost as sharp as the best Zeiss wide angle prime, and at every focal length from 16mm to 35mm. Like all 35mm format lenses, sharpness tails off after f11.0 due to diffraction. But the consistently outstanding clarity and sharpness throughout this zooms' range make this a lens that can match the capabilities of the Sony A7riii camera. And I'm enjoying both immensely. Sony has pulled off a major balancing act with this gem.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Amazing Landscape Lens
I've been very satisfied with this lens. It's sharp, fast, great autofocus. I prefer having the f2.8 even for landscape to get great foreground blur and and good for portraits at 35mm. This stays on my camera 90% of the time. The weather sealing seems to be legit as I have had it in some pretty rainy conditions. I appreciate the 16-35mm range which makes it more versatile than the tamron equivalent. It's expensive but I feel that the price is worth it to gain such a versatile and high quality lens. Easily the best landscape lens available for Sony alpha bodies.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Lens for Backpacking Landscape Photography
Often the landscape photographer has to pack in to remote areas to get the desired photo. So weight from extra prime lens carried isnt enjoyable over the long haul. This lens is fast and sharp (see attached photos). It is a great complement to the A7RIII. I specifically bought this lens to have versatility and speed. In the first photo I hand held that image at 1/20 shutter speed to get the break in the clouds in the canyon before the clouds closed up. Didnt have time to switch lens or set a tripod. Ill let my two examples illustrate to quality of the product.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Beats F4 Sony 16-35
I recently purchased the G-series 16-35 to replace my F4 16-35 and I couldn't be happier. Combined with my a7riii, the lens has been able to do portraits as well as group shots when indoors. My old Sony F4 was great for landscapes and group photos, but if I wanted to take a picture of an individual, it couldnt give the moment that professional grade image like the G-series can. All around better piece of glass with sharper spots in the middle as well as the outer frame. Aside from the size and price, it's a must have for your toolbox.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
