The best zoom lens for under 1200 for a Sony camera

I have 5 zooms on my shelf, all of which I use and trust in different situations, all of which cost less than 700 pounds if you shop around / buy carefully s/h. I normally select 2 or 3 for my bag depending on what I'm expecting / how heavy it can be that day....

Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 - quirky AF but sharp and built like a tank

Sony 16-50 f2.8 - came with my a77, pretty sharp, fast AF, weather resistant

Sony CZ 16-80 f3.5-4.5 - my old goto lens, still gets some use during the day when I need a bit more flexibility

Sigma 50-150 f2.8 - small, compact and fast AF plus good low light / fast telephoto usage and relatively discrete

Sony 70-300 f4.5-5.6 G - for when I know I will need to go long, snappy AF, good IQ, a little indiscreet with the hood on

All of the above are very different lenses but all are great lenses for the right occasion. If I had a standard load out, it would be the Tokina, the sony16-50 and the sigma - that's sharp and fast f2.8 from ultra wide 11 to a reasonable 150mm telephoto - that would cover 90% of all my shots right there (I'm not a wildlife or sports photog, more landscapes, street photography and a little portraiture). If need be, throw in a good prime for critical sharpness / really low light (Sony 35mm f1.8, sigma 50mm f1.4 or sony 85mm f2.8) and I'm good to go In pretty much any situation.

Scott

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