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Review
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Sony AF DT 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6
This camera glass has a versatile zoom range, making it a good alternative for those who don’t want to switch lenses frequently. It has both autofocus and manual focus options. The lens elements are decently coated to reduce glare and improve image quality. It was manufactured some time ago, so it may not have the latest technology. The aperture ranges from f/3.5 to f/5.6, which is average for this type of photographic lens. The build quality is decent, but not top-of-the-line. The resolution is acceptable, but not as sharp as higher-end lenses. The bokeh, or the quality of the out-of-focus areas in the image, is average. Overall, this glass is a good option for those who want a versatile zoom lens for their APS-C camera.
I recently got my hands on the Sony AF DT 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 camera lens and I must say, it is a good upgrade from the kit lens. I have been shooting with this lens for a couple of days now and I am quite impressed with its performance.
Positives:
The image quality of this lens is impressive. The pictures are sharp, with high contrast and color saturation in RAW format. The build quality of the lens is also good. It feels sturdy and well-balanced on the Sony Alpha a65 body.
The AF is quick, and surprisingly accurate for a lens with an in-body motor. I tested it by shooting a soccer game in Continuous AF mode with the central AF points active. Most of the pictures came out sharp. Compared to the Tamron SP 70-300 that I normally use for sports, the Sony lens AF is much more accurate.
Negatives:
While the AF is fast, it can be a bit noisy. This may not be an issue for most photographers, but it is something to keep in mind. Also, the lens is not very fast, but this is to be expected from a lens with this range.
Conclusion:
Overall, I am quite pleased with the Sony AF DT 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. It is a good upgrade from the kit lens and is a great travel lens due to its range. The image quality is impressive, and the AF is quick and accurate. While it may not be the fastest lens on the market, it is definitely worth considering for those in the market for a good all-around lens.
Optical design
Average brightness in this league Has 7 aperture blades, mid-grade lenses usually have this amount of blades. Having rounded blades provides out of focus circle shape closer to a circle. Full frame equivalent focal length is 24.0-157.5 mm.
Physical characteristics
83 mm long, requires consideration if you want to carry in the camera bag. With a lens filter diameter of 62 mm you are one step from the next standard filter size, buy step-up ring and bigger filter you may want to use a step-up ring and 67 or 77mm filter. Weights 470 grams so plan ahead, carry only if really necessary.
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Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fish-Eye CS is a camera glass that captures a wide 180-degree angle of view, producing a circular image. It is a manual focus photographic lens that has 10 lens elements in 7 groups to provide sharp and clear images. The lens coating helps to reduce flare and ghosting, resulting in better contrast and color accuracy. The build …
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Adapter
Fotodiox Lens Mount Adapter
With this adapter you can use your Sony a mount lens on Sony E (NEX) APS-C and full frame camera body
allphotolenses.com –
3.0 allphotolenses.com user rated as 3.87/5
dyxum.com –
92 dyxum.com user rated as 4.42/5
Ebay.com –
Ebay.com rated as 4.64/5
Ebay.com Dec 02, 2012 –
Best zoom lens for SONY Alpha APS-C cameras for this price This is definitely one of the best lenses for SONY Alpha APS-C cameras. It produces good pictures even at minimum aperture values for any focus lengths between 16-105mm. This is quite unusual for zoom lenses, especially with such zoom factor (about 6.56x). Most of them produce big aberrations and distortions – this statement is definitely not concern with SAL16105.
It has fast-focus and good colors. Other manufacturers simply don’t have lenses with similar characteristics. SAL16105 is the best choice within this price. It gives you super-wide creativity freedom with best picture quality, which most of zoom lenses can’t.
Ebay.com Mar 11, 2011 –
Great walk around lens for Sony a55 This lens has a superb focal length and a very good build quality, it is pretty fast focusing and sharp at almost any length and aperture. One stop down and your pictures are really very crisp. The lens also controls CA pretty well, and ghosting. The bokeh is decent. I really like this lens, almost as much as the more expensive Carl Zeiss. You can usually find this lens for a great price used and with the build quality it’s usually in great shape too. Highly recommended lens.
Ebay.com Apr 09, 2011 –
The useful lens for Travel This lens is a very useful size and weight to carry about – and gives an effective 24 – 150mm focal length range on reduced sensor size. For most travel work, panorama, scenic, or people, this is all I would need most of the time. So you could leave it on the camera most of the time. It is fighting for survival against my 18 – 250mm which is effectively 27 – 375mm on reduced sensor size ; not quite wide enough for crowded spaces but what a great total reach ! And their weight (obviously different) feels similar. In dusty locations I would want to ideally leave one lens attached, to minimise dust getting onto the sensor when changing lenses. So time will tell which one keeps its place in my camera bag.
Ebay.com Jul 16, 2015 –
In general a decent entry-level kit zoom lens. Positive:
Decent range/wide (24 mm equivalent)
Precise auto focus
Internal focus
Non-rotating filter/hood
Good contrast
Negative:
Small aperture
Very soft corners
Heavy and inconsistent zoom action
Loud manual focus
Complex distortion at the wide end
Focus distance window difficult to read
Build is inferior to the 18-55 SAM II
This lens looks and feels like an older design than the mid 1990’s Minolta AF 24-85 f/3.5-4.5 and 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 lenses. It is very similar in size and weight and covers the entire range of the older 28-105 with the addition of the 16-28 wide range. Unfortunately it doesn’t perform anywhere near the 28-105 as far as image quality and ease of operation. The zoom action reminds me of the 1980’s Minolta AF 28-135–very inconsistent and heavy. It seems to be both a much cheaper and a much more compromised lens design.
This is a slow lens even compared to the Sony DT 18-55 SAM II kit lens. The bulk of the lens seems to have used for attaining the wide 16 mm focal length. By 18 mm it is at a maximum aperture of f/4–slower than the cheaper kit lens, and at 24 mm it is already at f/4.5. At 35 mm it is at f/5–just like the 18-55 kit lens.
It does have better image quality on the wide end than the 18-55 SAM II lens–less barrel distortion than the 18-55 but more complex distortion. Most of the frame is sharper on the wide end compared to the 18-55 except the extreme corners. The corners are always soft at all focal lengths.
It has better contrast than the Minolta 24-85 but considerably softer corners. The auto focus of this lens is spot on in the center, while the Minolta 24-85 and the 18-55 SAM II back focus often. Similar image quality to the 28-105 at 105 mm, but considerably inferior to that lens in the rest of the range.
Retracted it is just slightly larger than the Minolta 28-105. It extends quite a bit further with two smaller diameter barrel tubes.
In general a decent entry-level kit zoom lens. Centered subjects will be sharp. It provides a decent quality 16 mm wide angle of view, but is never as good as the 18-55 is at 55 mm. The older Minolta 24-85 and 28-105 mid level lenses are consistently better options if you can give up the wide end of the range. Though those lenses do lack the built-in corrections on Sony cameras.
Ebay.com Oct 21, 2012 –
Good upgrade from the kit lens. I got the SAL16105 used on ebay as an upgrade to the kit lens SAL1855 for the Sony Alpha a65. After a lot of research and comparison to the Zeiss SAL1680z, I decided to go for this lens. The primary reason was the cost and better range for travel use. Used prices for this lens are about half the price of the Zeiss.
After a couple of days of shooting I am impressed by the image quality. Pictures are very sharp and show high contrast and color saturation in RAW, and require minimum PP. Build quality is good, the lens has a nice heft to it and balances well on the a65 body.
I was also surpised by the quick AF with the in-body motor on the Sony Alpha a65. Focusing is a little noisy but quick and accurate. I shot a soccer game in Continuous AF mode with the central AF points active. Most of the pictures are sharp. Compared to the Tamron SP 70-300 that I normally use for sports, the Sony lens AF is much more accurate. Even though the Tammy has the in-lens USM motor, it seems to struggle with AF on fast moving objects. I have never been able to use AF-C mode with the Tammy.