Camera Labs

Right. I'm afraid we'll all have to wait a bit before I can do the tests. I'm stuck in a meeting for the rest of the week.

I'll probably post the ruler test results next week.

Thanks for all the help!

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Sony DSLT-α77V | Sony STP-GB1AM strap | Sony SAL50F14 | Sony SAL75300 | Sony SAL1680Z Carl Zeiss

"αlpha male. Sony fanboy. Like. no. other."

flickr

Okay!

Sent the ruler and brick wall tests to Bjorn today! Bjorn doesn't see any problems with these tests, so I guess its safe to assume that I've got a good sample.

Anyway, in my humble newbie opinion, the CZ SAL1680Z is a great all around lens with incredible sharpness rivaling that of my prime 50mm 1.4 under the right conditions.

It completely trumps the standard 18-70 kit lens in my opinion as far as IQ is concerned. The fact that it can zoom longer, wider and brighter is reason enough for me to justify the upgrade.

I really don't have that much issue with the build quality since I've upgraded from the standard lens. I HAVE seen quality Nikon primes that my friend brought with him, but then, he uses a semi-pro/upper enthusiast D300, so the difference in quality doesn't bother me much (I'm using an entry-level A300 after all).

The SAL1680Z is expensive, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm getting what I paid for. Even my Nikon-loyal friend was impressed by it, not least of all by the Zeiss badge it carries.

Now that I have some quality tools, I think I'll continue my journey towards our common goal of being a quality photographer.

Many thanks to Bjorn for helping me test these lens!

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Sony DSLT-α77V | Sony STP-GB1AM strap | Sony SAL50F14 | Sony SAL75300 | Sony SAL1680Z Carl Zeiss

"αlpha male. Sony fanboy. Like. no. other."

flickr

That's a good spirit, may it guide you to some great photos!
You're welcome. Always ready to help out CL users!

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

At the start of this thread, I promised unpacking shots. So here they are!

Box Shot:


Pouch and Box:


Certificate:


The Lens in storage mode:


With the petal hood detached:


And finally, the lens itself:

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Sony DSLT-α77V | Sony STP-GB1AM strap | Sony SAL50F14 | Sony SAL75300 | Sony SAL1680Z Carl Zeiss

"αlpha male. Sony fanboy. Like. no. other."

flickr

If I'll say i am not jealous I AM TELLING A LIE!

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Good Aperture Everyone! Good reply is always Making me very very happy thanks...
Sony A700; sony 18-70mm, 18-250.
My flickr!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/loymercs/
My Blog!! http://loymercsclick.blogspot.com/

Ooooh, very nice!

Mr. Hirano has a very nice signature! (well, he has nice print!)

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flickr

Sony α300
Sony HVL-F58AM Bounce-Shift Flash
Tamron SP 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF)
Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di
Sony 50mm F/1.4 SAL-50F14
Sony 100mm Macro F/2.8 SAL-100MF28

For those who've not yet seen it, and just can't wait to see the Zeiss 16-80mm unboxed, here's a video on my old YouTube channel. Don't bother to comment, I won't read any comments on my old channel anyway :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og01fbt0Bj4

H. Hirano also inspected my Zeiss 24-70mm!!!

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

Is there any better option for this kind of range (most importantly at the wide-end - i.e. the Tamron 17-50 as a rival) for A mount, within this price range? I'm looking into my next purchase, and I really need something that can match the quality of the 70-300 G at the wider end.

The CZ branding has me virtually won over already, but i'm interested in any other alternatives. The T17-50 has the 2.8 aperture, but does the CZ still win out, despite this? Surely the CZ would be closer to the IQ of the 70-300 G than the Tamron?

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Sony DSLR a300 | Sony 18-70mm | Minolta 50mm f1.7 | Minolta 70-210mm f4 | Sony 70-300mm G SSM

Next: Selling Beercan, and perhaps get a Tripod / Flash

There are alternatives, I think all of them are cheaper, but overall they are tested to have more distortion, CAs etc. For the alpha system, I don't think there is optically a better choice if 16/17mm is your starting point. But it is the most expensive choice I'm afraid.

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Fujifilm X-E1 - XF 18-55mm - XF 14mm - Lowepro Rover AW II - Think Tank Retrospective 5

The price doesn't put me off too much, so long as there is value for money. Cheers.

Is there any chance of Sony coming out with an updated model, including SSM, any time in the next year?

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Sony DSLR a300 | Sony 18-70mm | Minolta 50mm f1.7 | Minolta 70-210mm f4 | Sony 70-300mm G SSM

Next: Selling Beercan, and perhaps get a Tripod / Flash

I wouldn't bet on, or wait for it. Even the rumour mill doesn't mention an updated model. I bet you have checked out Gordon's review on the 16-80. Focus speed is one of the 'major concerns' of this lens, but in practice, it isn't too bad. Much noisier than a 70-300G of course, but not very much slower (but that's partially due to the focal length of the 70-300). Untill I met the Zeiss 24-70 (:shock: ) I was very pleased with the performance overall.

The screw-drive method is mostly reviewed as a let-down compared to competition but generally I'm not always impressed with the silent motor speed of those lenses either. The screw-drive can be really fast. But noisy, I'll give them that .

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Fujifilm X-E1 - XF 18-55mm - XF 14mm - Lowepro Rover AW II - Think Tank Retrospective 5