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