During the introduction of the NEX system, Sony followed a rather erratic strategy regarding the introduction of new lenses. It seems as if they have learned quite a bit in the process because they are much more focused when it comes to the new FE mount.

If you love the dramatic perspective that an ultra-wide angle lens can produce, the Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS ($1,349.99) is a lens that should be on your radar. When paired with a full-frame camera , like those in Sony's Alpha 7 series, it captures a wide swath of scenery.

Sharp throughout range; Optically stabilized design; Compact; Ultra-wide field of view; Dust and moisture resistant design

Distortion throughout zoom range; Pricey

Well made lens. Tight tolerances. Extremely sharp in center, very good at corners. Using it on Sony A7r and works like a charm. Not many other lens options available for this camera with FE mount. This one at 18 oz. is not light but lighter than others.

If you love the dramatic perspective that an ultra-wide angle lens can produce, the Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS ($1,349.99) is a lens that should be on your radar. When paired with a full-frame camera, like those in Sony's Alpha 7 series, it captures a wide swath of scenery. You can shoot it at f/4 and get sharp results from edge to edge, and while there's some distortion evident, modern software processing tools eliminate that with ease. Not every photographer strives for the wide-angle coverage the 16mm focal length captures, but those who do, and who are invested in Sony's full-frame mirrorless system, should put the 16-35mm near the top of the wishlist. It's one of the best lenses of its type that we've used, and worthy of being called Editors' Choice. The 16-35mm ($1,348.00 at Amazon)  measures 3.9 by 3.1 inches (HD), weighs 1.1 pounds, and supports 72mm front filters. That's fairly compact given its angle of view and maximum aperture; Nikon's AF-S Nikkor 16-35m...

The Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS shows some distortion, which is typical for a lens of its type, but it's one of the best full-frame ultra-wide angle zooms that we've tested.

Sharp throughout range; Optically stabilized design; Compact; Ultra-wide field of view; Dust and moisture resistant design

Distortion throughout zoom range; Pricey

I've had this lens a while now and bought it primarily for wide angle underwater shots. In this regard, it's excellent. It's also sharp enough (paired with my A7riii) to be able to crop in when I've photographed a subject that would've been more suited to longer focal length.

Non-interal zooming is a disappointment and you should note 35mm is most compact while 16mm extend the lens from the barrel. I was a little surprised by this and disappointed as I primarily use it at the 16mm end for landscapes.While the all black all metal feels premium, I find this is no exception...

Stellar lens with good overall sharpness; Full metal build quality

Not Internal Zooming; Soft at the 35 end

The Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm f/4 ZA OSS is the only dedicated ultra-wide-angle zoom lens so far for Sony's full-frame E-mount cameras. It can also be used on APS-C E-mount cameras, where is spans a focal length range equivalent to 24-52.5mm in 35mm format.

The Sony 16-35 is a really good lens. I'd say it's one of the better lenses in the FE system. At 16mm this lens performs astonishing. This is, if you get what you want in focus, since the lens suffers from quite some field curvature.

size; center sharpness; build quality

performance >24mm; field curvature

Whilst it is a pricey lens, it is significantly cheaper than the newer G Master f2.8 version, and this f4 version does compare very well against its bigger brother. It does, of course, lose out a stop against the GM, but the 16-35mm f4 is smaller, lighter, cheaper, and image quality is superb, and...

I recently moved from the A6000 to A7ii full frame. Having owned a number of lenses for APS-C, I was torn in moving to the A7 series whether I should go with primes or zooms. I mainly do landscape photography and I was hesitant to go with this zoom lens over a dedicated prime.