Best zoom lens upgrade: 8 tested

Best zoom lens upgrades

From the legendary Carl Zeiss stable of Vario-Sonnar lenses, the DT 16-80mm is a class act that delivers a powerful 5x zoom range, equivalent to 24-120mm. The bland styling isn't much to look at, but the zoom and focus rings work smoothly.

Street price : around £630

Read the full Sony DT 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 ZA Vario-sonnar T* review

Image tests

Sharpness Test

Best dslr zoom lens upgrades: 8 tested

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Centre sharpness at all focal lengths is good, but it starts to drop towards the middle frame and plummets towards the edge.

Fringing test

Best zoom lens upgrades

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There's little sign of fringing at the centre, but towards the edge at 16mm, 24mm and 80mm there's a green influence.

Distortion test

best zoom lens upgrades

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Barrel distortion is apparent at 16mm, but from 24mm through the rest of the focal range, distortion is only minimal.

Image test verdict

Centre-to-edge sharpness is good, but drops dramatically towards the edges. Fringing at the two focal extremes is apparent towards the edges.

Score: 3/5