outafocus's reviews

  • Sony 35mm f/1.8 DT SAM SAL35F18

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Very small, lightweight, fast 1.8, SAM motor-in-lens
    Plastic construction through and through

    I wanted a fairly fast, inexpensive lens for indoor situations. This lens is eqivalent to a 57mm on my Sony a580. I've done my usual testing and this lens is very sharp at all aperatures. The construction is ALL PLASTIC ...., even the mount is plastic (How much can a metal mount add to the price?). How it holds up is a big question. Although it has a built-in focus motor I see no difference in speed from my other, non-SAM lenses (should have used the extra $$ for a metal mount!). Manual focus is a little sloppy with about 1/16th inch play in the focus ring. Bottom line: a very good deal for the money. We'll see if it lasts.

    reviewed September 17th, 2011 (purchased for $200)

  • Sony 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 DT Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* SAL-1680Z

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Great range, T* coatings, sharp, contrasty, good saturation
    Sloppy manual focus ring, plastic case, slow, vignetting wide open

    It took me 3 tries to get a good copy of this lens. Apparently the quality control is not too good. When you do get a good one, it's great. The plastic barrel is a turn off. Thank goodness it has a metal mount. Vignetting when wide open can be a real problem, especially at 16mm. Even using a "slim" filter will make it worse. The edges are soft at the wider settings but are OK by f/8. The 1/8" lag in the focus ring is a pain when using manual focus. If you've ever owned a Zeiss lens, you'll be dissapointed in the construction but, the IQ is there if you stop it down to f/8-f/11

    reviewed September 18th, 2011 (purchased for $750)