118 DIGITAL CAMERA^
Verdict
A top-quality, fast standard zoom for APS-C format
Sony cameras has been a long time coming. This
new 16-55mm f/2.8 G ticks all the right boxes.5.0 A best-in-class product
4.5Features5.0Performance4.5Valueiscerning full-frame shooters generally opt for a
24-70mm f/2.8 lens as their go-to zoom for general
shooting. That’s great for Sony A7 and A9 cameras,
but what if you have an APS-C format A6000 series
body? The new Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G is an almost
exact equivalent, with an effective 24-82.5mm zoom range and
the same f/2.8 constant aperture rating.
It’s designed to give owners of one of the Sony A6000-series of
mirrorless cameras a high-quality kit lens option. Just like the Sony
E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS, which was released at the same
time, the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G helps to fill out a lens range that
had lacked any real choice for those who don’t want unnecessarily
bulky lenses that are designed for use with full-frame cameras.Performance
Autofocus performance is excellent in terms of both speed and
accuracy. Sharpness across the whole image frame is epic, even
when shooting wide-open at f/2.8, throughout the shorter half
of the zoom range. It remains excellent at longer zoom settings,
although corner-sharpness drops off a little.
Contrast and colour rendition are superb, while resistance
to ghosting and flare is very good indeed. The quality of bokeh
is very pleasant when shooting wide-open.
The lens lacks optical stabilisation, which can be an issue
for handheld shooting on all current A6000-series cameras
apart from the top-end A6600, the only one to feature in-body
stabilisation. Our only other criticism is that barrel distortion is
very heavy at the short end of the zoom range. It’s automatically
corrected in the latest cameras, where distortion correction
can’t actually be switched off for this lens. Matthew RichardsD
1
Contrast is enhanced
by Nano AR Coating,
which is effective in
combating ghosting
and flare.2
There are 17 elements
arranged in 12 groups,
including two AA
(Advanced Aspherical)
elements, two further
aspherical elements
and three ED (Extra-low
Dispersion) elements.3
Although fairly light,
the lens feels solid, and
has a good scattering
of weather seals.Sony E 16-55mm
f/2.8 G
£1,199/$1,299
The new standard for APS-C Sony cameras
Mount: Sony E (APS-C)
Lens construction: 17 elements, 12 groups
Angle of view: 83-29 degrees
Diaphragm blades: 9
Minimum aperture: f/22
Minimum focusing distance: 0.33m
Maximum magnification ratio: 0.2x
Filter size: 67mm
Dimensions: 73 x 100mm
Weight: 494g5.0Build &
handling123Sharpness
Centre-frame sharpness is excellent at all focal
lengths, even when shooting at f/2.8. Only at
f/16 and narrower does sharpness fall off.Fringing Short 0.1 Long 0.33
Fringing is only noticeable at 16mm and at larger
apertures – and this is with in-camera correction
switched off.Distortion Short -8.54 Long 1.97
There’s significant and very obvious barrel distortion
at 16mm, though by 24mm it’s already reduced
to an acceptable degree.Zoom lens Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G
118 DIGITAL CAMERA^ APRIL 2020 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com