The Sony 16-80 lens can be best described as Sony’s enthusiast grade standard zoom lens. You can get this lens from Amazon
This lens is a DT lens, meaning that it can only be used with a cropped sensor Sony DSLR camera. There is another zoom lens for the full frame camera which I will be reviewing in the near future.
In terms of focal length, this Sony 16-80 lens will be equivalent to a 24-120mm in terms of full frame equivalent.
This lens is fairly expensive and there is an interesting thing about this lens. It comes with a certification paper that says it is produced within factory standard specifications. Maybe this is an assurance of quality?
Let’s see it in my full Sony 16-80 review below!
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Sony 16-80 Specs
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Official Name:
Sony DT Carl Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 SAL-1680Z
Focal Length Markings:
16, 25, 35, 50, 80mm
Features:
DT – Lens with this designation can only be used with cropped sensor DSLR. You should not use this with a full frame or film DSLR camera.
CZ – Stands for Carl Zeiss. Optics are made by the superior company, Carl Zeiss. Again, just like a G lens, prepare to pay an expensive price if you see this designation.
Full Technical Specs (from Sony’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 10 / 14 |
| Angle of View | 83 – 20 |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22-29 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 1′ 2.4″ (62mm) |
| Filter Thread | 62mm |
| Weight | 16oz. (445g) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 2 7/8 X 3 3/8″ (72 X 83mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 0.24X |
| Available at | Amazon, B&H Photo Video or Adorama |
Optical Performance
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Sony 16-80 Sharpness
Center sharpness is excellent at any aperture and focal length.
Border sharpness also follow the same pattern. It is very sharp at any aperture and focal length.
Shoot at f/5.6 to get the maximum sharpness on this lens.
See the sharpness table test below to see the complete test result for this Sony 16-80 lens.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Sony DT Carl Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 SAL-1680Z Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 16mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
| 24mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
| 40mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
| 80mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
Sony DT Carl Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 SAL-1680Z Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 16mm | Excellent | Excellent | Great | Great |
| 24mm | Great | Great | Great | Great |
| 40mm | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
| 80mm | Great | Great | Great | Great |
Distortion
Unfortunately, distortion is very visible at 16mm. This is something that Carl Zeiss should fix.
At 24mm, the distortion can be considered non-existent. Same with 40mm and 80mm.
You can see the distortion test image grid below for each focal length for this Sony 16-80 lens.
Vignetting
Being a DT lens, vignetting is visible on this lens at any focal length. This is something that Sony can do better.
At 16mm, it is visible at f/3.5 and f/5.6. You need to stop down to f/8 to reduce it significantly.
At 24mm f/4.5 it is much less than the 16mm one. By f/5.6 it will be decent.
40mm and 80mm follows the same characteristics as the 24mm.
See my vignetting test chart below for each focal length.
Chromatic Aberration
Typical for a DT lens, the chromatic aberration is high at 16mm at any aperture.
At other focal length (24mm, 40mm and 80mm) it can be considered very low at any aperture.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Sony DT Carl Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 SAL-1680Z Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 16mm | High | High | High | High |
| 24mm | Low | Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| 40mm | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible |
| 80mm | Very Low | Very Low | Low | Low |
Build Quality
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Materials
Good quality plastic. Good, but not great.
Zoom Ring
The zoom ring operates smoothly with just the right amount of stiffness to prevent zoom creep.
Focusing
Just like the zoom ring, focus ring inherit the same characteristics. It does not rotate during autofocus.
In addition, this lens features an IF (Internal Focusing) design so the front element does not rotate during autofocus. You can use a polarizing filter easily with this lens.
Because this is a non-SSM lens, it has to rely on the camera’s drive. This is why it generates a moderate amount of noise.
Image Stabilization
In the Sony DSLR world, the Image Stabilization is built into the camera sensor, not on the lenses. Check your camera body to see if it has the Image Stabilization feature.
Compatibility
Being a DT lens, this lens is only compatible with a cropped sensor DSLR camera.
Sample Image
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Below are some sample images taken with the Sony 16-80 lens. Click on any thumbnail to open the image.
Get the best price online from these sites: Amazon
Conclusion
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Alright, we have finally arrived at the conclusion of this Sony 16-80 lens review.
In terms of sharpness, this lens is superb! It behaves just like the classic Carl Zeiss lens.
However, Sony needs some work on the optical control department.
Distortion is visible at 16mm which can be improved a lot. It is not visible at other focal length.
Also, the vignetting is an issue, especially at the first two apertures at every focal length.
Chromatic aberration is weak at 16mm. At other focal length it is negligible.
Build quality is quite decent, but not stellar by any means. Autofocus uses a decent mechanism as well, but could be better.
For the price, this lens is quite a decent performer but by no means a perfect one.
If you are planning to get this lens, my tips is to shoot above 16mm because 16mm is the weak spot on this lens. And you will get super sharp zoom lens that will perform great on many occasion.
Drawbacks
- Expensive
- 16mm is weak on this lens – distortion, chromatic aberration and vignetting will show up here
Positives
- Extremely sharp at any aperture and focal length, both on the center and on the borders
- Good distortion control above 16mm
- Excellent chromatic aberration control at focal length above 16mm at any aperture
Good For
- All around sharp zoom lens
Not So Good For
- Anyone wanting to get great result from the 16mm focal length
What Others Are Saying…
by “D.H. Kim”
I recently purchased SONY A700K, which is a A700 plus SONY 18-70 zoom lens bundle. The bundled lens turned out to be a nightmare. So I purchased this SAL-1680Z. Do I like it? Let me tell…
Click here to see the full review
by “Roger”
I have been an amateur photographer for years, shooting with film cameras. When I purchased my old film camera, it came with an inexpensive “kit” lens that did not perform to my expectations…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Sony 16-80 from these sites (best price online):
Amazon (Best Price + FREE Shipping)
Do check out the related lens review post below if you want to explore your options further.
Alright, thanks for reading my Sony 16-80 review, hope you’ve enjoyed it and I will catch you in the next one!
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
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