Review
In this Hands on Review I had the pleasure to test the Carl Zeiss 16-80mm DT lens using the Sony Alpha 35. This lens has an incredible attractive 35mm equivalent focal range of 24-120mm on a APS-C sized sensor camera. That is pretty much all you need focal range wise to do almost everything!! The Sony 16-80mm lens could be the best all around lens in Sony’s line-up. It’s an incredible walk around lens, a great landscape lens, and a solid performer for portraits as well.
This focal range equivalent happens to be very close to my Canon 24-105mm f/4 L lens that I absolutely love!! In fact it’s my go to lens if I can only take one with me when using my full frame Canon 5D Mark II. It’s wide enough for most stuff, and you get a really nice zoom that brings you right in to most scenes. For my style of shooting it works very well and I like to take pictures of pretty much everything. You’ll see in a minute below 
The 16-80mm CZ lens is currently on sale until January 7th 2012 for $799.99, normally $850, so if you’re in the market I would jump on this offer before it expires!
First, lets check out some pics and go over the specs on the A-Mount Sony 16-80mm Carl Zeiss DT Lens:
Sony Alpha 35, Sony 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Lens – In Provided Soft Lens Bag
Sony 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT Autofocus Lens @ 16mm
Sony 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT Autofocus Lens @ 80mm
Sony 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT Autofocus Lens @ 16mm
Sony 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT Autofocus Lens @ 80mm
Sony 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT Autofocus Lens @ 80mm
Sony SAL-1680Z 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT Autofocus Lens
Sony SAL-1680Z 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT Autofocus Lens
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I could not agree more. I purchased this lens in March of this year and have used it with the a700 and a77. It is my walk around lens and the color, definition and clarity on the a77 is incredible. The videos from the a77 are the same. It is a great value for under a $1000. The difference between this lens and the one I had(price was equivilent) is very noticable.
Thanks for your comments Bob and sharing your experience with this lens!
Best,
Jay
I very much appreciate your experience and since I have just received my A77 (was a Canon man) could you advise which is going to be a better in terms of sharpness and video, the lens you just mentioned CZ 16-80 or the Sony 16-80 2.8…many thanks….I should say that I am torn between the Nex 7 and the A77 so have both for different reasons Nex is yet to come, I am hoping the Nex will be as good so I can take it travelling on a once in a lifetime trip we are going on…all the best for the new year…Viv
Viv,
I think you meant the f/2.8 16-50mm kit lens?? If so, I would definitely get the 16-80mm over the 16-50mm kit lens. It is better all around in my opinion, but it doens’t have the ssm which makes focus faster and quieter. That is better for video. Sharpness and color I would go with the 16-80mm as well.
Your trip sounds very interesting!! Were to?? The nex-7 will do everything the a77 can do pretty much, except focus as fast. That is really the only “photographic quality” difference other than the camera body itself of course and lenses. They both chew through batteries fast, so make sure you get a bunch extra for your trip no matter what camera you have!!
I hope this helps
Jay
Yes I did mean 16-50 (SL1650)…Surprise !! My wife ordered this lens for an Xmas present and it arrived yesterday (cross border delays) so I am committed, however if the 16-80 is significantly better I would not mind ordering it if you thought that was worthwhile investment.
On the other hand I don’t want to invest too much in the A77 if the N7 is where my real hopes are for the best travel camera. I know that the LA2 adapter would let the lenses work on the N7 but I am hoping that their will be some equal quality Nex lenses coming out.. (if you know there are can you list them)
The trip is from one end of Japan to the other for about 6-8 weeks where I will be traveling solo, using hi-tech clothing and a 16 ltr backpack and a Nex 7, the idea is to make a documentary style record of the trip. I wish I could get a remote to start video recording but as yet I cannot locate one
Thanks for the help….Viv
Viv,
The 16-80mm is noticable better in my opinion and the extra 30mm of reach is a lot on the A77. Is it worth the money when you already have the 16-50 f/2.8 ssm? probably not. I would probably sell that and then buy the 16-80mm if I were you, but that is just me.If your getting the Nex-7 I would probably just save for that instead though. For the same money as the 16-80mm you can get 3 E-mount lenses!! Much better investment in my opinion, unless you plan to keep the a77 and purchase killer glass anyway. Check out my wishlist for 2012!! for more on what I would get first if your curious. Your needs and style of shooting could be entirely different than mine though, so remember that when making your investments!!
Best,
Jay
This is an incredible lens. I have it for past one year on my A200. superb colours, contrast and sharp.
SSM is desirable but you had wished for OSS on this lens. But why? SONY Alphas have SS Inside. That is the advantage of SONY Alpha (and Pentax K) over “others”.
good review,
I think much cheaper Tamron 17-50\2.8 gives the same picture as Sony version