Sony launches Zeiss 16-70mm F4 OSS, 18-105mm F4 G, and black 50mm F1.8 E-mount lenses

Sony announces three new E-mount lenses today for NEX system cameras: the Carl Zeiss T* 16-70mm F4 zoom, 18-105mm F4 G power zoom, and a black version of the existing 50mm F1.8. All three feature Sony's OSS Optical SteadyShot image stabilization.

Covering an equivalent range of 24-105mm, the Zeiss 16-70mm F4 zoom uses four aspherical elements and an ED glass element, and has T* coatings to reduce flare and ghosting. The 18-105mm F4 covers a 27-157.5mm equivalent range, and has a lever on the side of the lens barrel to operate the power zoom. The lens uses two ED glass elements and three aspherical elements. The 50mm F1.8 will be familiar to NEX fans, as a silver-colored version is already in Sony's lineup.

According to Sony, the black 50mm F1.8 and 16-70mm F4 zoom will be ready to ship to consumers in September; the 50mm prime will cost about $300 and the 16-70mm will cost about $1000. The 18-105mm F4 power zoom will be available in December for $600. 

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Press Release:

Sony Expands E-Mount Lens Family with Announcement of Three New Models

Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* 16-70mm F4 zoom

New Offerings Include 16-70mm F4 Carl Zeiss Lens, 18-105mm F4 G Lens™ and 50mm F1.8 portrait lens in black

SAN DIEGO, August 27, 2013 – Sony has announced three new additions to its line of E-mount interchangeable lenses, including a versatile mid-range zoom (16-70mm F4) by Carl Zeiss, a power-zoom G lens (18-105mm F4) optimized for video – Sony’s first ever G Lens™ for E-mount cameras - as well as a new black finish option for the popular 50mm F1.8 portrait lens.

The ever-growing family of E-mount interchangeable lenses now totals 18 different models from Sony, Carl Zeiss and now G lenses, giving shooters an impressive selection of creative tools to enhance their photography. 

Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Zoom Lens (SEL1670Z)

The new Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* 16-70mm F4 zoom lens gives photographers the opportunity to experience legendary Carl Zeiss optical excellence in a supremely compact, easy-to-carry zoom lens. A practical 4x zoom range of 16-70mm (24-105mm in 35mm full-frame equivalent) makes this model ideal for a wide range of everyday photo situations, from landscapes and portraits to informal snapshots and everything in between.

This premium lens provides outstanding contrast and resolution at all zoom settings, and it has a renowned T* coating on optical surfaces that reduces glare and ghosting for natural color reproduction, superb definition and clarity. Lens size and weight are minimized thanks to Advanced Aspherical lens (AA lens) technology, which combines four aspherical elements with one ED glass element.

Additionally, the new Carl Zeiss E-mount lens maintains a constant F4 maximum aperture at all focal lengths, reducing the need for high ISO settings when zoomed in and allowing the use of high shutter speeds to freeze fast-moving action. It also has an extra refinement in the circular aperture which enables naturally smooth background defocus, and features Optical SteadyShot image stabilization for reducing the effects of hand shake.      

Aesthetically, it has a stylish metal exterior and the premium look, feel and construction expected from Carl Zeiss.

E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS Power Zoom Lens (SELP18105G)

The new E 18-105mm F4 G power zoom lens is the first ever G lens created for Sony’s E-mount line of cameras.  The premium all-around lens covers a generous 5.8x zoom range from 18mm – 105mm (full frame equivalent 27mm - 157.5mm) and is an ideal choice for travel photography as well as every day, general purpose shooting.

The innovative optical design of the new zoom reflects its G Lens pedigree.  Two ED glass elements are combined with three aspherical elements for high resolution and contrast throughout the entire zoom range, minimizing distortion and color aberration.           

Featuring a remarkably smooth, quiet autofocus and powerzoom operation, the premium G lens is particularly suited for video shooting.  The conveniently-placed zoom lever on the lens barrel allows fixed or variable-speed power zooming, with easy fingertip operation to reduce unwanted camera shake.   Further, the overall lens length remains unchanged during focusing and zoom operation, maintaining consistent handling and delivering a more natural shooting experience. 

Like the new Carl Zeiss zoom lens, the E 18-105mm F4 G model has a circular aperture that enables smooth, professional quality background defocus, and maintains a constant F4 maximum aperture for plenty of brightness at all zoom settings.  It also features Optical SteadyShot to cut the effects of camera shake while shooting.

50mm F1.8 Portrait Lens in Black

In response to user demand, the E 50mm F1.8 fixed-focal length lens is now available with a stylish black finish to match any black E-mount interchangeable lens camera. This bright, wide-aperture prime lens is ideal for capturing atmospheric handheld portraits with flattering background defocus.  It also has Optical SteadyShot for reducing camera shake and smooth, quiet autofocus capabilities.

Pricing and Availability

• The new Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* 16-70mm F4 zoom lens will be available in late September for about $1000. 
• The new E 18-105mm F4 G Series zoom lens will be available in December for about $600
• The new E 50mm F1.8 portrait lens in black will be available in late September for about $300

The new lenses will all be available at Sony retail stores (www.store.sony.com) and other authorized dealers nationwide.

Please visit www.blog.sony.com for a full video preview of the new E-mount lenses and follow #SonyNEX on twitter for the latest α NEX camera news.

E 16-70mm F4 and E PZ 18-105mm F4 specifications

Additional images

E 18-105mm F4 G power zoom	E 50mm F1.8 prime in black

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Comments

Total comments: 129

By Francis Carver (2 months ago)

Not sure if this 18-105mm thing will let you adjust zooming by hand also (i.e. MANUAL ZOOM), or is it only a power zoom? On the photo, I see a focus ring AND a zoom ring on the barrel, plus the servo zoom switch, but the text of the press release only talks of the servo zoom, no mention of a manual zooming capability.

0 upvotes

By Marvol (2 months ago)

I also just realised that the 16-70mm lens partially answers the question "what would a hypothetical RX-10 (with APS-C and zoom) look like?"

This zoom range would be pretty much what an RX-10 would have and it accomodates a short flange distance.

With some tweaking you may be able to shorten it (optimised for an even shorter FD incl optimised sensor), you may plasticize it to shave off weight and lower the price, and you may make it somewhat smaller and cheaper by adding variable 3.5-5.6 'kit lens style' aperture... but otherwise, an "RX-10" will pretty much have a lens this size.

On the body side the NEXes are already pretty miniature so an RX-10 would really be something like a NEX-5 with the 16-70 lens welded onto it. I guess price-wise it fits too, right halfway between the US$700 of the RX-100II and the US$2800 of the RX-1 at roughly US$1400.

So really, Sony now has a DIY build-your-own RX-10 :o)

1 upvote

By Shamael (2 months ago)

http://www.cameraegg.org/sony-e-pz-18-105mm-f4-g-oss-lens-sample-images/#more-9106

the first samples shot with the 18-105/4 G are on the page

http://www.cameraegg.org/sony-vario-tessar-t-e-16-70mm-f4-za-oss-lens-sample-images/

there are more samples of the Zeiss on that page

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

By bluevellet (2 months ago)

Constant F4 is ok for telephoto, but why are they limiting themselves to f4 for the general zoom lens?

They could have made something faster by one stop (while probably sacrificing the zoom on the long end, to something more like 16-50). That lens would have made much more sense.

3 upvotes

By Shamael (2 months ago)

or in direction of Sigma's 18-35/1.8. Those lenses offered by Sony and Zeiss might be good glass, but the speed is just hilarious. Most of us dream of real fast primes, a 21/1.4, a 35/0.95 or a 50/0.95. Last lenses of Sony and Zeiss are in some cases a few milimeters apart, and all to slow. A Voigtlaender Ultron 21-1.8 is not bigger than the 18-55 kit lens from Sony. Then, why not put on the market a few real good manual primes, most of us use manual primes from other brands anyway. Who needs F4, pfffff

Comment edited 23 seconds after posting

3 upvotes

By sportyaccordy (2 months ago)

These are E-mount lenses. The cameras they go on are very small and light. A 2.8 zoom is anything but. Such heavy glass is not really appropriate for the platform.

3 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

I'm quite conservative and only want f/1.8 equivalents for APS-C mirrorless mounts = f/1.2 primes because these should be fast enough (if low aberrations at open) and won't be expensive.

Comment edited 36 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

By sportyaccordy (2 months ago)

Digital sensors can't even fully render all the light and bokeh from a lens faster than ~1.8.

0 upvotes

By bluevellet (2 months ago)

Well, I was trying not to be insatiable by asking for a 1.8 zoom. :)

M43 already has 2 f2.8 general purpose zoom lenses. It would be nice if NEX could match this with at least one lens of this kind.

I understand the need for compact size for mirrorless cameras, but NEX already has gigantic lenses compared to camera bodies. NEX owners seem fine with it. :)

2 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

those f/2.8 zooms can do no better job than f/5.5 ones on 35mm format and it'll be difficult to make small aperture lenses that are not sharp at open.

0 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

definitely I don't need the slow speed 16-70/4 but 18-105/4 may have some value for the power zoom for video, especially if the optical quality is better than DX18-105 (it should for the mirrorless mount).

0 upvotes

By photogeek (2 months ago)

Looking forward to the tests of that 16-70. A very intriguing lens for daylight shooting. 308 grams, Zeiss design and coatings, what's not to like?

1 upvote

By Francis Carver (2 months ago)

The $1,000 price tag, perhaps?

1 upvote

By Stanchung (2 months ago)

Wow, that is a sexy line up.

Comment edited 29 seconds after posting

1 upvote

By nathondetroit (2 months ago)

This list of glass is gaining momentum! Good for them. Unless Canon does some serious work on the EOS M, I'll probably be picking up an NEX is the next few years. Mirrorless makes a lot of sense, and APSC is where its at!

2 upvotes

By guyfawkes (2 months ago)

If the Zeiss optic performs anywhere near that in the old Sony R1, then Nex users will be in for a treat. And this new optic has image stabilisation, which the R1 doesn't, something I have to keep reminding myself about.

1 upvote

By Ben O Connor (2 months ago)

Finally, E mouth cameras makes sense.

ps: Well sory Sony, I have (just 5 hours ago) bought a E-PM1 body only for 100euros. Rest in focus.

Comment edited 38 seconds after posting

1 upvote

By oselimg (2 months ago)

These are exciting new lenses for E mount camera owners and look promising at least by their specifications but I also think that this is an indication Sony is not going to compete on FF DSLRS with Canon and Nikon.

0 upvotes

By tsammyc (2 months ago)

The E-Mount Full Frame NEX camera should hit the FF DSLRS head on

0 upvotes

By sportyaccordy (2 months ago)

Why not? They can and have been doing both. A successor to the A99 seems highly likely, especially considering Sony is making Nikon's sensors...

Comment edited 15 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

By BobYIL (2 months ago)

Looking forward to seeing how this 16-70 on the Nex-6 would stand against the18-46 on the Leica Vario-X. That would really be interesting....

1 upvote

By white shadow (2 months ago)

Sony should have made this Zeiss 16-70mm f/4.0 much earlier when they introduced the NEX. Probably, this lens may encourage me to buy a NEX camera but until Sony improve its Menu and User interface, I may be still reluctant.

This is the type of lens Leica should have made for the Leica Vario X, not the one they have in it. An f/4.0 constant aperture will be perfect for the Vario X. From the user friendliness point of view, I would prefer the Leica Vario X anytime.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

By white shadow (2 months ago)

It is unfortunate this lens does not have a manual focus scale and infinity stop again like what Zeiss have made for their M, EF and Nikon mount. Not good at all!

As in the past, Sony is giving priority to video again.

So, photographers have very good reason to choose the
Leica Vario X or a DSLR instead.

1 upvote

By brendon1000 (2 months ago)

I used to think the Sony Alpha had the best menu system in the world after using both Canon and Nikon cameras. Then I picked up my friends NEX and I thought it was the worst system in the world !

I was all at sea with the darn UI. Couldn't believe how Sony could make one superb interface for Alpha DSLT cameras and one crappy interface for NEX.

Regarding the manual focus scale, yes a lot of mirrorless lenses have manual focus scales but AFAIK none have an infinity stop since focusing is done by wire.

0 upvotes

By maximuscr (2 months ago)

No mirrorless lens ever will have a hard stop at infinity as long as contrast AF is used, otherwise it would be unable to autofocus on infinity since the contrast AF has to go a bit further to recognise that it was sharper before.

Comment edited 20 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

By tkbslc (2 months ago)

If they are marketing the 50mm as a portrait prime, then they should have made it a 65. 75mm equivalent is leaning toward the lame side for portraiture. They could have even made it an f2.4 at 65mm and It would still be more desirable.

Comment edited 21 seconds after posting

1 upvote

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

portraiture lens is not land surveying equipment. just casually round it up or down to nearby 50mm or 100mm is okay, 60mm or 70mm are also good, or 77mm like Pantax (maybe 77mm f/1.7). but I don't have problem if the designers happen to come out with 65.43mm.

after all this is only at infinity, not portraiture distance at say 25x equiv. focal length.

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 9 minutes after posting

1 upvote

By forpetessake (2 months ago)

I'm sure nobody can distinguish a portrait taken with 50mm from 65mm, provided there are no clues in the background. Thinking that 20% makes huge difference is silly.

6 upvotes

By PatMann (2 months ago)

I agree that 50mm is pushing it for portraits in APS-C. Image area for a 50mm lens (75mm equivalent) is about 1.5 times that of a 65mm lens (not quite 100mm equivalent), quite a big difference in practical use. It's a combination of a comfortable and flexible working distance from the subject to get the angle and framing you want, and a flattering and pleasing perspective on the face that doesn't caricature features. Those who shoot portraits a lot develop their own preferences for focal length based on those factors primarily. Those who say it's not important probably haven't worked hard to get a particular look, or to get the best look from a particular face, or are comfortable with heavy cropping. I tend to prefer the 85-90mm equivalent focal length, a 60mm lens or so for APS-C. The 50mm end of the range can be nice for shooting couples, in which you're farther away, and the facial perspective is similar to that of an individual portrait shot with a longer lens.

1 upvote

By rfsIII (2 months ago)

Am so jelly!

0 upvotes

By tkbslc (2 months ago)

Grape?

0 upvotes

By rfsIII (2 months ago)

Yes. Sour grape. Why can't Nikon get its act together like this....?

1 upvote

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

Nikon have an f/2-4 zoom on P7700 which is more than 1 stop slower at wide end but much more compact.

Nikon also have a 24-85/3.5-4.5 which is 1.6 stops faster at wide end and 0.9 stops faster at tele end with narrower zoom range.

Nikon's problem is that they don't have an APS-C mirrorless mount in the first place (it looks that there is no strong technical reason to have a 35mm one).

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 6 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

By NowHearThis (2 months ago)

> Nikon have an f/2-4 zoom on P7700 which is more than 1 stop slower at wide end but much more compact.

Problem is not the lens but the miniscule sensor that delivers average looking pictures at best and poor high ISO performance.

0 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

basically
the lens aperture decides high ISO performance
and sensor size decides low ISO limit (well depth,
that P7700 got a base ISO of about 1600 equiv.)

btw, 16-70/4 got a smaller aperture than
Sony RX100 and Canon G1 X at wide end.
of course 16-70/4 is faster than all these lenses at tele end
with an equiv. f-number of f/6.1.

Comment edited 5 times, last edit 14 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

By NowHearThis (2 months ago)

Basically, there's a massive difference in image quality between any NEX and a compact (most of them anyway).

Lens aperture alone doesn't decide high ISO performance. A Nikon P7700 is going to perform relatively poorly at ISO800 regardless of aperture because it has a tiny sensor. Having a larger aperture may help keep ISOs lower for a given amount of light, but small sensor cameras only perform so well, that's why if people still want a compact with high image quality they choose the Sony RX100 or Canon G1X, (larger sensor better low light performance).

Compare the RX100 to an Olympus XZ-2, the Olympus has a faster lens but its high ISO performance can't match the RX100, let alone something like an NEX-5T with a 16-70/4. Nor could just about any other compact (RX1 exceptioned).

0 upvotes

By lmtfa (2 months ago)

The 18-105 looks to be like the Nikon CX 10-100, the original. Heavy! Now, a more sensible lens is the 16-70. At $1000 I will wait until after my Colonoscopy.

0 upvotes

By HomoSapiensWannaBe (2 months ago)

Looks great! In the 16-70/4, Sony/Zeiss have finally come out with a lens to make me consider the NEX system.

9 upvotes

By mpgxsvcd (2 months ago)

Crack! Did you hear that? That was Sony hitting a home run off of Canon's washed up pitcher.

Nikon wasn't even in the game and Olympus and Panasonic were playing against each-other on the Pee-wee field.

Hasselbad was in the stands cheering on Sony and Pentax was absolutely dominating a game of tether-ball that no one cared to watch.

Fuji was artistically creating a master piece at a beautiful pond nearby. However, their brush broke and they spilled the paint everywhere which just made a huge mess.

8 upvotes

By sandy b (2 months ago)

That crack was the sound of the breaking backs of the accountants carrying the billions of dollars of negative reciepts for sony.

4 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

I do hope Sony can do that but if they can really do that they won't have to pay for a blue dirt stain on the lens.

isn't it obvious that Zeiss badge = low quality? same for Leica

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

By lmtfa (2 months ago)

The Fujifilm comment is just too funny. Was that "Walden Pond".

3 upvotes

By mpgxsvcd (2 months ago)

@lmtfa

"The Fujifilm comment is just too funny. Was that "Walden Pond"."

Nope it was Crystal Lake. Home to Jason Vorhees.

1 upvote

By mpgxsvcd (2 months ago)

Just because you hit a home run doesn't mean you win the game. The profit margin on this camera probably isn't good. Sony may sell a ton of them. However, selling a ton of something that isn't making you money, isn't really making money.

2 upvotes

By Jesper Frickmann (2 months ago)

The margin is low on the a3000. But perfect for recruiting new Costco dSLR buyers into the E-mount system. And those who get into it may upgrade to a NEX after that. And NEX is priced to make a profit, which is more than CaNikon can say for their dSLR gear...

0 upvotes

By Preternatural Stuff (2 months ago)

@yabokkie

For a persistent troll like you, probably only thing left for you is to use a Zeiss lens FIRST before you mouth off... duh!

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 4 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

By Preternatural Stuff (2 months ago)

@ mpgxsvcd

& where is your source regarding the profit margin for this item? Right then... another post pulled out of your a** ...

0 upvotes

By mpgxsvcd (2 months ago)

Now we are talking. Another few rounds of lens releases like this and Sony will be in the game.

I hope Canon is watching these announcements very closely. They need to come up with an answer for Sony's releases.

4 upvotes

By tkbslc (2 months ago)

I think you have it backwards. Sony is still trying to come up with answers for Canon's continued lead in sales.

2 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

Canon should work harder with EF-M (probably they are doing) but I really love their 22/2 which is a brilliant lens very handy to use.

1 upvote

By Jogger (2 months ago)

so, this is a "Sony Zeiss" and not a "Zeiss Zeiss" such as the Touit lenses?? .. not that the name matter to me.

0 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

think Touit means "Tomioka Zeiss."

1 upvote

By JEROME NOLAS (2 months ago)

They just droped "Carl" for other mounts...so for Nikon, Canon etc. it will be only Zeiss, for Sony it is Sony Zeiss...and smart phones still have Carl Zeiss! Go figure....

1 upvote

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

Zeiss is just a shared brand among some third class Japanese makers who don't have confidence in their own brand. the prefix before fee collector is the one who really designs/makes the lens.

Comment edited 30 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

By audijam (2 months ago)

so desperate

0 upvotes

By hc44 (2 months ago)

It's like, they want people to buy their camera products. Bwahaha, Phony!

7 upvotes

By Anadrol (2 months ago)

@yabokkie I think everyone here is sick of your trolling.

19 upvotes

By Thoughts (2 months ago)

I was going to ask him to give us a list of camera gear he has, so we could have a trolling-festival together...

4 upvotes

By Tomskyair (2 months ago)

Maybe yabokkie should bump up his mental ISO if he thinks everything is so "sloooow"...

4 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

basically I'm just trying to compare cameras and lenses on a level ground, what they can do and what they worth, from user's point of view.

definitely you have the rights to get sick and I repect it. but it's not my fault some makers love small aperture lenses.

Comment edited 5 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

By ManuelVilardeMacedo (2 months ago)

Two slow zooms and an useless prime of 75mm EFL. Exciting...

0 upvotes

By CFynn (2 months ago)

For a portrait lens, too bad the 50mm F1.8 prime wasn't 58mm or 60mm.

The results from the 16-70mm F4 zoom don't look bad

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

75mm is okay, only the f/1.8 for APS-C is a bit slow.

1 upvote

By ManuelVilardeMacedo (2 months ago)

yabokkie, get a life.

9 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

ManuelVilardeMacedo,
why not search for 75mm lenses and learn something
before telling us you are well educated.

0 upvotes

By ManuelVilardeMacedo (2 months ago)

yabokkie, as a matter of fact, I've learned everything that there was to learn about 75mm EFL lenses with a famous photographer and disco dancer named A. Fuqua Soll, with whom you're certainly familiar with. Let me repeat the name in case you haven't got it at first: A. Fuqua Soll.

1 upvote

By Dimit (2 months ago)

Don't get fooled by the volume(not too big anyway) or the darkness(not dark anyway) of the 16-70 zeiss.Having seen the samples in Dyxum site,the results are s t e l l a r ! But then,I always expect top quality from Zeiss.

6 upvotes

By Jesper Frickmann (2 months ago)

YES! This is what I have been waiting for. I must say that Gustav's sample shots with the ZEISS look really good! And I like the size of that lens too. But I also like the longer focal length and the price of the G... The reviews will decide which one I get for my NEX 6!

4 upvotes

By Boerseuntjie (2 months ago)

+1

0 upvotes

By Dotes (2 months ago)

The Zeiss has a distance scale (can't see it in the picture?). Aaand suddenly I am interested.

2 upvotes

By Mirrorless Crusader (2 months ago)

NEX FF will have about one stop slower lenses than typical Canon or Nikon offerings. It would be a good idea to make the lenses smaller to suit a smaller camera and to make them cheaper. and the stop difference won't matter that much because it will have an amazing Sony sensor with great high ISO performance.

Comment edited 25 seconds after posting

3 upvotes

By zodiacfml (2 months ago)

Same here. But in my case, I would like to have FF in good light since lenses are sharper with FF and probably a bit better DR.

0 upvotes

By viktoriskra (2 months ago)

For those who haven't seen them yet..

..19 (amazing) sample pics can be found at:

http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/topic100871_post1203883.html#1203883

10 upvotes

By Hugo600si (2 months ago)

Very nice set, great photographer as well, I think he could make the pancake look nice :)

2 upvotes

By Benarm (2 months ago)

This is exactly what NEX needs, high quality walk-around zoom lens. Pair the Zeiss 16-70mm F4 with NEX-6/7, and you have one awesome system.

16 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

NEX does need compact budget f/4 zooms but these are for the budget of the fools.

4 upvotes

By Dimit (2 months ago)

Zeiss made or zeiss specs made lens are AAAAAAALWAYS better than equivalent featured lenses made by Canikon,etc..Personally,and I pocess a lot(agewise),I prefer an f/4 zeiss than a Canikon or any,f/2.8..quality gentlemen..

5 upvotes

By CFynn (2 months ago)

Anyway Nikon's f/2.8 normal zooms are not stabilized.

0 upvotes

By ozgoldman (2 months ago)

I'd really like the 16-70mm lens in an A mount.

0 upvotes

By viktoriskra (2 months ago)

What about the SAL1680Z? I would expect its performance to be on par with the 'newbie'.

5 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

NEX mount lenses can have higher quality.

0 upvotes

By viktoriskra (2 months ago)

In theory, but so far the performance between A-mount and NEX versions of Sony/Zeiss lenses hasn't been that dissimilar.

0 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

okay, higher quality at the same cost,
lower cost at the same quality.

0 upvotes

By Tomskyair (2 months ago)

If you think these things are big - wait until the FF NEX-style system arrives if it ever does. That system's lenses will make the new NEX lenses looking much smaller.

Maybe then the eager FF MILC adepts will eventually realize that a "faaaast" 2.8 standard zoom for FF is going to be huge and heavy regardless whether there's a mirror in the camera or not. "Where can I buy a large and heavy battery grip to balance this monster on my small and flimsy camera?"

Ever tried to cheat the laws of physics? Well, simply doesn't work as they are laws and not an opinion. And as APS-C is the second largest sensor format being used in consumer cameras it requires relatively large lenses especially when aiming at fast f-stops and decent quality.

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

8 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

just wait until Sigma make us an f/2.8 equiv. lens on NEX,
16-45/1.8 maybe.

0 upvotes

By Tomskyair (2 months ago)

Welcome, Mr. Equivalence Troll on Duty...

...but what's your point?

13 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

I think Sigma f/1.8 zoom for NEX mount will be of higher quality (higher resolution, less aberration, and maybe wider zoom range etc.) than their current 18-35/1.8 for A-mount.

while Sony can concentrate on making small aperture lenses.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

By Rod McD (2 months ago)

It's not true that all FF lenses are huge. While f2.8 zooms and long teles may well be quite large, a wide range of prime lenses can be relatively small. There are millions of small light legacy AF DSLR lenses with FLs from 24mm to about 85mm with filter threads of 46mm, 49mm and 52mm. Not large at all. I suspect that most of the people looking for a FF NEX plan to use primes for landscape, street and travel rather than very large zoom and long tele lenses.

Comment edited 49 seconds after posting

4 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

mirrorless lenses should be smaller, better than equivalent SLR ones for that's reason we need a different mount.

0 upvotes

By sportyaccordy (2 months ago)

Can you explain why yabokkie?

1 upvote

By Rod McD (2 months ago)

It will be interesting to see the performance of the 16-70f4. There has been quite a bit of whining about the f4 maximum aperture, but if it's IQ excels corner to corner at f4, that would be fine for many users.

Fuji's 18-55 f2.8-4 is undoubtedly the best 18-55 standard zoom currently on the APSC market and one reason for many buyers to consider their X series mirror-less cameras. Sony's Zeiss 16-70 is wider, longer and physically smaller (if a stop slower). If it performs as well as its premium price suggests, it might be a real asset to the e-mount range.

Comment edited 50 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

By viktoriskra (2 months ago)

You can find some sample shots at:

http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/topic100871_post1203883.html#1203883

1 upvote

By Hugo600si (2 months ago)

Hmmm, I was waiting since nex-7 intro for a G or Zeiss standard zoom for my wife as she now only has the 24/1.8 . Now the question is which one to get, 2mm on the short end or 35 on the long end.

Gut feeling is Zeiss with the 50 will win it, but the misses likes her telezoom too, hope there will be some reviews soon to help decide!

0 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

definitely we need lenses better than 24/1.8
but not small aperture zooms like these.

0 upvotes

By Hugo600si (2 months ago)

I prefer primes for maximum aperture, but yes, if they would have managed 2.8 in that package size (or a little bigger) it would have been sweet.
Big question of course... is either the Zeiss of G full frame or not.

0 upvotes

By NowHearThis (2 months ago)

@yabokkie
I've shot a lot with the 24/1.8 Zeiss, it's a fantastic lens. Besides being plenty sharp, the color and contrast out of that lens are stellar… but of course you've never spent time using it so you couldn't know that.

4 upvotes

By Miwok (2 months ago)

The G one look pretty big for NEX system (482 g and 72mm filter size, outch!) and the Zeiss a bit expensive..

1 upvote

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

a blue dirt may cost you the same as the lens itself.

Comment edited 36 seconds after posting

1 upvote

By wlad (2 months ago)

why do the lenses appear so huge ? The 50mm looks really long.

1 upvote

By D1N0 (2 months ago)

Because they put a dslr 50mm design on a tube?

0 upvotes

By ET2 (2 months ago)

50 mm is also stabilized. The only 50mm stabilized lens.

Comment edited 17 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

By Aero Windwalker (2 months ago)

Sony is really working on the future technology...

2 upvotes

By ogl (2 months ago)

Will A-mount die?

0 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

better sooner than later.

4 upvotes

By brendon1000 (2 months ago)

I think A mount will die in another 25 years at least. If not more.

NEX has no telephoto lenses, no f1.4 primes, no IBIS and no FF bodies.

3 upvotes

By NowHearThis (2 months ago)

why would you want the A-mount to die? So you can eliminate competition and drive up prices?

2 upvotes

By sportyaccordy (2 months ago)

No... they have too much equity in the Minolta system its based on to kill it off. Plus despite this one news article, the lion's share of Sony's camera sales are still A-mounts.

0 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

why Minolta sold alpha to Sony?
because it couldn't compete and it's more true today.

0 upvotes

By John Romas (2 months ago)

Dear DPreview staff (and everybody else) I have one critical question about the 18-105 G lens: as I have seen that it has two control rings, does that mean that with one we can zoom manually, like any non-powerzoom lens?
Thanks to anyone who can clear this up!

0 upvotes

By brendon1000 (2 months ago)

Yes. You can use either manually zoom or use the power zoom buttons.

0 upvotes

By highwave (2 months ago)

popcorn... soda ...

ready... set...

*pop* may the equivalency wars BEGIN!

10 upvotes

By Combatmedic870 (2 months ago)

Well atleast its constant...should be a short war that will equal 5.6. there...done and done....

1 upvote

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

though the G badge is really an ugly design it looks much better than the Zeiss one. why should Sony prefer non-genuine third party lenses?

btw, I'd prefer to hold the lens between the zoom and focus rings.

1 upvote

By Juck (2 months ago)

Why would anyone care what a lens looks like? The only thing that matters to a photographer is the image that a lens slaps on the sensor.

16 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

Sony does.

that's why they pay Zeiss for a small blue dirt on the lens.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

By NowHearThis (2 months ago)

IMO, the Zeiss is the absolute best looking standard zoom I've seen. It looks classy, which it is.

1 upvote

By Juck (2 months ago)

Meh,, Posers. You can bet your bollocks to a barndance that Adams, Lange, Capa, Duffy et al didn't give a crap what the lens looked like.

Comment edited 30 seconds after posting

1 upvote

By Juck (2 months ago)

A 16-70mm ZA F4? Now there's an answer to a question no-one asked. Better than nothing for Sony users I guess.

12 upvotes

By tkbslc (2 months ago)

Zoom range is excellent at 24-105mm equivalent, but the aperture is a kind of boring. Could have at least gone f2.8-4 or something.

5 upvotes

By NowHearThis (2 months ago)

F4 is fine for me. It keeps the lens small, compare this against lenses like the bulky Canon 15-85 (I owned this one), or the Nikon 16-85.
66.6x75 mm 308g vs 82x88mm 575g, vs 72x85mm 485g. The Sony is smaller, lighter and faster at the telephoto end. Not a bad combination.
I personally think the trade off of 1 f-stop is worth the decrease in size. If I want a large aperture, Sony has 3 excellent F1.8 lenses I could choose from. This lens, assuming it's optically great, is a big win for Sony. Eventually when I buy back into the NEX line up, this will be the 1st lens I get!

What people should be talking about is it's the first Zeiss lens for Sony's interchangeable lens cameras with OSS!

Comment edited 6 minutes after posting

18 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

> compare this against lenses like the bulky Canon 15-85

you can't compare them. they are for very different mounts.
many people may casually think they are both APS-C,
but APS-C SLRs got a very long back focus to over come.
this is the reason why we need a new mount.

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

By straylightrun (2 months ago)

Are you kidding? NEX users have been interested in a high quality standard zoom lens since day one.

11 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

> at least gone f2.8-4 or something.

agreed, that will be less worse but still small aperture for a standard zoom for APS-C (maybe sub-standard).

Comment edited 32 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

By Absolutic (2 months ago)

Remember how Zeiss has been telling all along "WE WILL NEVER CREATE A LENS WITH IMAGE STABILIZATION BECAUSE IT NEGATIVELY AFFECT PICTURE QUALITY" what happened?

1 upvote

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

Zeiss is rubbish that cost you good.

Comment edited 25 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

By brendon1000 (2 months ago)

Zeiss was referring to their own branded lenses made by Cosina.

This is a Sony lens made by Sony under Zeiss supervision. Not the same thing.

Zeiss branded lenses have been on Sony P&S cameras for a long time and were image stabilized.

3 upvotes

By yabokkie (2 months ago)

Zeiss is a promotional website that makes it's customers fight each other.

0 upvotes

By NowHearThis (2 months ago)

The Zeiss looks fantastic.

17 upvotes

By Combatmedic870 (2 months ago)

I agree! Something I would love to have! Ive wanted a zoom like this since I had a A300 with the 16-80ZA for a short period

I dont like how they named it a Tessar though....

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Total comments: 129