FrankPhillips's reviews

  • Sony E 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ OSS SELP1650

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Far exceeds sharpness of 18-55 kit lens, half the size of kit lens, smooth two-way zoom ring
    tiny little lens cap is difficult to use (needs cap-keeper)

    I was one of the early adopters of the NEX system in 2010, but was extremely disappointed in the terrible image quality of the 18-55mm kit lens. Since then, there has not been a decent normal zoom lens offered for the NEX system until the NEX-6 was announced with this 16-50mm kit lens. This lens, along with the mode dial on the NEX-6, sold me on the combination...I put in a pre-order immediately.
    I've used it for about a week now, and I have to say that the image quality of the 16-50mm (at least my copy of it) FAR EXCEEDS the pathetic quality of the stock 18-55mm kit lenses (and I've had 3 of 'em). I mean - it's no contest....the 16-50mm wins hands down. I literally can't find any aberration or softness in this lens. Maybe I got a perfect copy of it (which I did a year ago with the PZ 14-42 on the Panasonic...I regret selling that one), but if my copy is representative of others out there, this will be the one to beat as far as kit lenses go.
    I rated it a 10 on all counts because the "competition" is other kit lenses I've used from Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, and Sony...so keep that in context. It's not a Canon 24-70/2.8 to be sure, but it's the best kit lens I've ever used.

    reviewed November 12th, 2012

  • Sony E 16mm f/2.8 SEL16F28

    7 out of 10 points and recommended
    size and weight
    meh....

    I've had 2 copies of the 16mm and while it's amazingly small and light, it's pretty mediocre. If you add the wide-angle or fisheye converter, it's a great substitute for more expensive ultra-wide lenses. But it's only a "decent" lens...nothing special.

    reviewed November 12th, 2012 (purchased for $180)

  • Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD SP

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    SHARP, Stabilized, Superior Value
    none

    I can't believe that SLRGear has not yet tested this amazing lens. I bought one for my D600 after seeing the test results at DxOMark, where this lens scored exactly the same as Nikon's own 24-70/2.8 (which is NOT stabilized, by the way). It matches the Nikon glass in every way, AND it is stabilized, AND it costs many hundreds less. It's fast, quiet, and SHARP! I don't know why anyone would pay more for the Nikon lens when you can have equal optical quality and stabilization for a lower cost.

    Here's a buying tip: Tamron is currently running a $100 rebate on this lens (at the time of this review). If you buy from Rakuten (formerly known as Buy.com) during one of their "cash back" sales, you could save an additional $130 to $250 (depending on the sale). My net cost on this lens was only $970 doing it this way.

    reviewed August 14th, 2013 (purchased for $1,200)