LensTip.com

Lens review

Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80 mm f/3.5-4.5

25 August 2009
Arkadiusz Olech

3. Build quality

Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* DT 16-80 mm f/3.5-4.5 is really compact, taking into account its range and fastness. It is slightly bigger than the kit 18-70 mm but significantly smaller than Sigma 17-70 mm, which has smaller range but is a bit faster. The tested lens’s dimensions increase significantly (almost twice) at 80 mm focal length. The front element pulls out on a solid barrel, which works stable without any sideways movements .

Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80 mm f/3.5-4.5 - Build quality


The lens body is made of black metal in a very good taste; on one side there’s the Zeiss logo, on the other – the logo of Sony. In the middle we find a clear distance scale, above it a comfortable manual focus ring, below – a zoom ring. The last element moves with a changeable resistance, significantly more loosely for the 16-30 range, a bit tighter for the rest of the range. On one side, the lens ends with a non-rotating filter thread, 62 mm in diameter, and a lens hood fitting, with a petal-type lens hood being a part of the set; on the other side, the lens has a metal bayonet.


Please Support Us

If you enjoy our reviews and articles, and you want us to continue our work please, support our website by donating through PayPal. The funds are going to be used for paying our editorial team, renting servers, and equipping our testing studio; only that way we will be able to continue providing you interesting content for free.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - advertisement - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Inside the tested Zeiss we have 14 lenses in 10 groups (two of them aspherical) and a round 7 blades aperture which can be closed to f/22-29 depending on the focal length.

Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80 mm f/3.5-4.5 - Build quality

As it was mentioned above, you get a petal-type lens hood and a soft case in the set.

Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80 mm f/3.5-4.5 - Build quality