Sony SAL16105 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Wide-Range Zoom Lens

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Price: $648.00    

Product Feature

• Excellent wide-angle to long telephoto shots
• 2 Aspherical Lens Elements for wide-ranging accuracy
• ED Glass Element for sharp, clear long shots
• Circular Aperture for pleasing defocused effects
• 35mm Equivalent: 24mm to 157.5mm

Product Description

Sony SAL16105 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Wide-Range Zoom Lens

Sony SAL16105 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Wide-Range Zoom Lens Review

I've been shooting this lens alongside the full-frame Zeiss 24 -70mm f/2.8 and Sony G 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6, both of which are world-class. What I've found has surprised me: this lens has no apologies to make in that company. I bought the other two lenses only because I expect to transition to full frame in about 3 years. (I'm currently using an A550 body.) I haven't done any scientific measurements, but when I blow-up shots from this lens on a large monitor, I'm not finding any resolution issues at all. I've done shots of the same subjects with all three lenses, and simply haven't seen any loss of resolution or any color signature with this lens. Again, this is real-world shooting and subjective evaluation, not laboratory testing.

Someone commented on the lens being heavy. That's a relative thing. It is much, much lighter than the Zeiss 70-24. That's partly because the Zeiss has a wider aperture and works full frame. The 16-105 is, however, heavier than typical Minolta film camera lenses.

The feel of the build quality is impressive. It is very, very close to the subjective feel of the Zeiss 24-70, which is possibly the best made lens on the market. If you twist and wiggle the two lenses, you can detect a very slightly tighter tolerance in the Zeiss, but you have to try -- it's not readily apparent.

This is my walk-around lens of choice. I also considered the Sony SAL18250 Alpha DT 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 and the Zeiss Sony SAL-1680Z DT 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5. Based on what I've read and what I've experienced first hand, I'd say the optical quality of the lenses would place the 18-250 at the low end, this 16-105 in the middle, and the Zeiss 16-80 at the high end, with this 16-105 being closer to the Zeiss than to the 18-250. Honestly, I don't think you'd go wrong with any of the three. But if you want close to the best quality, and the 6.5X zoom range suits your needs, this lens is a no-brainer. Personally, I wouldn't trade it for either of the other two, even though it's the least expensive.

Additional comment: Several months after writing my original review above, I spent 3 weeks with my camera covering 10 stops in Europe. I took this lens and the Zeiss. I left my other lenses behind because I couldn't spare the weight budget. I'm now, more than ever, a huge fan of the lens reviewed here. I took over 2000 pictures, and my best shot -- afforded by its zoom range, was taken with this lens. This lens, matched with the A550 (or A500) body makes an absolutely formidable combination.

***Update*** I note that this lens is no longer cheaper than the 18-250. I now have both, but in most cases, this is still my walk-around lens of choice on what is now my A580.
***Update 2*** I now have the Zeiss 16-80. It is slightly sharper and the colors are slightly more saturated, but you have to look very closely to see the difference. If I were traveling with my A580 and could only take one lens, the 16-105 would still be my choice, just for its zoom range. For those that want more speed, the 16-50 F2.8 is getting good reviews. I have one coming in a couple of weeks.
***Update 3*** I now must revise what I said earlier about mating this lens with the A77. Of course it will work fine, but I now have an A77 with the 16-50 f/2.8 lens. The 16-50 lens is a better fit with the A77 because of the f/2.8 aperture. The A77 sensor is noisier than other Sony offerings due to it's high pixel density. All of the so-called SLTs lose one-half stop outright to the semi-transparent, fixed mirror. The 16-50 is a hair sharper but has significantly more geometric distortion. The A77 corrects the geometric distortion for jpegs (but not for RAW). The bottom line is that the 16-50 has become my walk-around lens for the A77. In good light, this lens has the obvious advantage of a factor of two more zoom range. It would still be my choice for anything other than the A77 or A900 and a great choice in good light for the A77.
Good shooting,
Tim

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