Being the best – there's nothing quite like it. And, in terms of wide-zoom lenses on the market right now, there's nothing quite like this DxO-recommended, highly-rated lens offering from Sony: the Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM.
DxO specializes in finding out what’s the best of the best out there, and they're not shy about letting the world know all about the products they admire.
DxO has ranked Sony’s FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM lens with a score that makes it the best wide-zoom lens on the market across a range of categories, from sharpness to distortion, giving the lens an overall score of 42 or a total of 6 points higher than its nearest competitor, the Canon EF 16-35mm F2.8L III USM, according to DxO’s testing metrics.
The FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM’s outstanding sharpness score, at 34, makes it an excellent pairing with an A9 or A7R II according to The Phoblographer. The sharpness of the Sony lens outpaces its competition over its entire zoom range according to DxO.
Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM is a lens in the flagship line of Sony’s lens offerings called the G Master series. The G Master series comprises lenses developed specifically with performance optics in mind.
In designing the lens, Sony’s optical engineers sought to maintain the lens’ peak performance as well as its focal consistency across all ranges – a mark that DxO says Sony has met without disappointment.
Sony’s placement of two additional 2 XA elements (Extreme Aspherical) complement three existing aspherical elements for a remarkable resolution quality and a superior “bokeh” effect, which is also enhanced by a 11-blade rounded aperture according to DxO.
As expected, Sony’s design for the lens offers both dust- and moisture-resistant bodywork in addition to nano-AR coatings to reduce lens flare and ghosting.
Currently, the Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM retails for approximately $US 2,000 or more. But never fear, for those more budget-minded photographers, DxO suggests the wide-angle lens, the Tokina AT-X 16-28 F2.8 PRO FX, though there would be a marked decrease in image quality for photographers choosing this route.