Product Reviews

I bought this lens to go with my Alpha 57, which was stolen, alas. I now use it with an Alpha 65. It gives good performance throughout the range and is good value money. It is an excellent replacement for the kit zoom, giving a step up in image quality. A bit heavy though.

Advertised as f/3.5 - 5.6. At 16 mm focal length, the maximum aperture is f/3.5. However, at 24 mm focal length, it jumps to f/4.5, and at 35 mm focal length, it jumps to f/5, which is disappointingly "slow", This information is not available in the "specifications". This lens is "slower" than it would appear.

Aside from this lens not reaching the lowest of low F-stops, this lens does it ALL. From architecture wide angle photography and landscapes to portraits of people and objects with high detail to the sports shot from across the field. you can capture everything. i was recently traveling for architecture and the ability to capture the entirety of a building is what set this lens apart from all my friends who were rocking the 18mm minimum focal length lens. if you know the distance to your subject the on lens display of focus is great for those full manual shots. i would recommend this lens for the advanced to professional level photographer. absolutely perfect for the beginer looking for their first "pro" lens. BUY BUY BUY

First I love this lens....I use it with my a55 which I purchased at the same time. It takes beautiful pictures. The only thing that that I am not happy about, I bought this lens thinking that it had a Internal focusing system that did not "change the length of the lens" as it is stated in the specs. That was one of the selling points for me as I had issues with my old less expensive lens on my last Sony camera. But over all I love the lens....Sony you need to change what is said in the specs! I uploaded a couple of pictures but they come out blurry.....

This lens is a good for just about any situation. I used to use the 18-250mm as my walk around lens but since getting this one I've found that for most situations I like this one more. Having the 16mm option is sometimes just enough to keep me from having to reach into my bag for my UWA. I have found it to be a very sharp lens. It's also a little more compact as you can expect. My primary lens is still a 70-200mm but when I want versatility this is what I use. For me this lens' only short cumming is the speed. In a perfect world I would like all my lenses to have an aperture of f/2.8 or faster but for a lens of this type it's just not realistic without a very large price tag.

Overall this lens is my favorite next to the 50mm f/1.4, I take this lens on all my shoots and have used in in most all weather conditions as well as indoor without flash. I find the versatility of this lens remarkable and really the best in class for the price. When shooting at full aperture I strongly encourage removing the lens hood if you can. I'm getting ready to go on a 5 day shoot and this lens was my first choice for my toolbox. If you intend to stick with APS-C sensor, this lens should become a standard for your toolbox.

Pros explanation: The build of this lens is incredibly sturdy and feels like a quality lens, which it is. From using the old kit lens 18-70 and 16-105mm for the same photographs, you will notice the very saturated colors, much sharper than the kit lens. The focal range is very great for decreasing instances on changing lens. The wide angle surely comes in handy for wanting to capture those wide angle stadium shots or wedding parties. If you're looking for a lens with great quality and build of that of the Carl Zeiss 16-80mm, then this is a great lens to choose for that. If you are able to go for the CZ lens, then I would recommend that to you. You might not miss the 25mm addition just simply because its a Carl Zeiss and added that its highest aperture is 4.5 vs the standard 5.6 such as this lens. Also, I recommend using the Sony/Carl Zeiss UV filter for this lens. Because of the 16mm lens range, third party filters may not be thin enough for this lens. Added bonus is that you're making your Sony lens a CZ since the UV filter has the T* coating as on the CZ lenses. Cons Explanation: When using the lowest apertures on the focal range, the edges will show significant softening. To avoid that, just shoot at above 7.1 at the least and you'll be fine. It won't be so easy if you're in low light situations and you are wanting to avoid the soft edges. The focus ring on this lens moves when you try turning to the left or right slightly, but its actually not moving the focus ring inside the lens, its actually just moving itself. It may take some getting use to knowing that you have to feel that slight turn and then turn more for the focus to actually change. Overall: This lens gets 4 out of 5 stars. It has a few slight cons in my opinion but none that stand out too much to where I would want to get rid of this lens. This lens truly is a premium lens as Sony states and the quality is beautiful. It will give you a simple taste on what to expect next from the Sony "G" lenses and then the Carl Zeiss, where quality is even better and more crisp and with even better color saturation. If you're on a budget but looking for a great lens but can't afford G or Carl Zeiss, this lens is for you.

Nice focal range for walk around. Sharp pics on all stops. Great color reproduction as well. Nice lens on the A550.

It’s perfect for everyday use. I like the range of this lens 16-105mm. With perfect build and design. Although am not a pro. but this lens produce very sharp pictures. Am using it with A700 , highly recommend it for everyone. The attached Picture not the original size.