Sony SEL1670Z Vario-Tessar T E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS - International Version (No Warranty)

The Sony SEL1670Z Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS is a superb lens in every way for Sony NEX and Alpha E-mount APS-C cameras. "Superb" is not a synonym for "perfect". But it easily outclasses the basic Sony SEL1855 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 "kit" lens that is usually supplied with these cameras. The SEL1855 F3.5-5.6 "kit" lens is not a bad lens. I have made zillions, well tens of thousands, of images with the example I have that came with a NEX3 I once owned. But, I have seen a steady improvement with images that I have made with that same old SEL1855 lens as I have upgraded camera bodies and Sony has steadily improved its sensor technology. Going from a Sony NEX3 to a NEX5n to a NEX7 and then to an a6000 has resulted in substantial increases in image quality all using the same lowly kit lens that came with the NEX3.That said, adding the Sony SEL1670Z Vario-Tessar to my Sony a6000 has made a noticeable difference. The overall sharpness seems subtly better. But it's in the corners and edges that you get what you pay for with zoom lenses. Zooms have always been weaker than prime lenses at the corners, with both softness and more aberrations and fringing. Stopping down has always been an option to get better performance, but it is no substitute for basic lens quality. The Sony SEL1670Z Vario-Tessar easily outclasses the SEL1855 when it comes to both wide open and stopped down performance. Although comparisons based on real world shooting are inexact and subjective, I would say that this lens approaches the image quality and corner to corner sharpness of my Sony SEL50F18 50mm f/1.8 prime lens in real world use. Micro-contrast, the ability of a lens to render subtle gradations across small details, to render surface textures with more nuance, an area where high quality lenses always tend to distinguish themselves over lower priced choices, is noticeably better. And, it manages to stretch the useful range to just a bit wider, making it no longer necessary to carry a separate 16mm lens, for example, and just longer enough, at 70mm versus 55mm, to help frame many shots that might have remained loose and in need of cropping. The Sony SEL1670Z Vario-Tessar has a steady maximum aperture of f/4.0, which is an added plus as focal length increases.It's only slightly bigger than the SEL1855. The external finish and quality are excellent. Of course, you pay a premium for having the name "Zeiss" and the Zeiss logo on the barrel. But in this case I would say that it's worth it. If you are considering an upgrade from your basic kit lens this is well worth the stretch. But if you are a NEX5n or NEX7 owner, for example, upgrading to both an a6000 and this Sony SEL1670Z Vario-Tessar ens will be a revelation in improved image quality. I am a happy owner and user of the Sony SEL1670Z Vario-Tessar lens and I plan to cut back my camera gear load to carrying only this lens for almost all of my travels. RECOMMENDED.

This lens is amazing!Pros:Sharpness- this lens is sharp! Ive also rented the 85mm zeiss. pPrimes are supposed to be the sharpest but comparing photos taken with the 16 - 70 to the zeiss 85mm prime it seems like the 16-70 beats it by a noticeable difference. I dont know what it is but this thing is sharp. The only thing ive used that it sharper is the 50mm sigma art lens.Size and weight:This was prpbably my biggest concern when purchasing this lens. I was tired of switching lenses. I was also so tired of carrying big bulky 2.8f lenses around. This thing is light and pretty compact. I mean super light compared to say the sigma 50mm art or my old Tamron 2470mm 2.8. Paired with the a6000 i can carry it all day and not be frustrated with the bulk or weight. The combo also makes it wonderful on a tripod.Colors and contrast:The pictures pop! They almost have a 3d look with just a snap. The colors are amazing and also pop but not too much to make photos look fake.Cons:PriceClose to $1000 is expensive! But this is the only lens I use even for portraits or landscape. I dont do much telephoto but i hardlt have a need to change this lens off the camera.Widest aperature:This only opens to f4 which can kind of limit this lens to brighter lighted scenes and less bokeh but I usually compose the photo to circumvent these issues. But not having it open to a 2.8 cuts down on weight and size. If i really want bokeh I usually do some quick post process to add some blur. I also thought zeiss would save the wuality for the 2.8 lenses but not with this lens. The photos coming from this are hard to match.

This lens is quite controversial. Some say this lens is not up to the Zeiss standards and that is very expensive considering the relatively slow aperture (f/4). Also, there are reports that some units are heavily decentered. A smaller part of the reviews praise the sharpness, but mainly the contrast and colors. Well, I then decided to take the risk and give it a try. And I'm among the users that love this lens. It's incredibly sharp edge to edge and colors and contrast are gorgeous. It's well built, lightweight and both the zoom and focus rings are precise and smooth. Also, the OSS works as expected. It took both my NEX-6 and a6000 to another level. It's difficult to compare this to the Olympus 12-40 f2.8 that I own and use with an OMD E M-1 as both cameras are really different, but the results I got from the combo a6000+SEL1670z are better than E-M1+12-40. I should deduct 1 star, as for the price this should be a f/2.8....but it's really good anyway.

This lens take sharp still photos & videos, the only problem, that I did not like is the telephoto lens. It did NOT meet my expectations, so I have to return it.

Horrible lens at the wide end. Whole left side of the frame was soft, especially towards the edge. It gets much better as you zoom in, but I shoot wide a lot. Not worth the money at all. The kit lens is WAY sharper at the wide end than this lens.

This needs to be the one lens you'll want to buy as the perfect Walk Around lens for your Sony A6000. It's very compact and it metal construction gives the A6000 a more solid pro feel. The Zeiss add makes it one too. I've given up my Canon 5D MK II for this set up as my go to camera now.Now the lens itself is very sharp. Much sharper than the kit 16-50mm and with a 105mm boost (x 1.5 crop factor).If you have to get a lens and you can't decide to spend your money on wide or telephoto without compromise, this is the lens for you. For all practical matters it's probably the only lens you'll want to keep on your A6000.