To understand my current situation:
I for three years already Scan with a Sony Alpha 200. This camera is my first DSLR, and I had then deliberately bought a first entry-level model to be slow with the DSLR photography "warm". To date, I called in addition to the kit lens (SAL 18-70 3.5-5.6 DT) still a Tamron 18-200 3,5-6,3 superzoom my own. Well, both really not necessarily tip lenses, but it was enough to get you started first, and I have made in recent years with this equipment not only many thousands of shots, but can also collect a lot of experience. Slowly but time is now ripe to take the next step, and to take up higher-quality equipment. My good old Alpha 200 is me with the time that is a little "small". With increasing knowledge and experience we noticed the shortcomings such as a super zoom lens not only, no, sometimes they begin to interfere with normal. So I looked around for suitable new lenses.
After intensive research fell three lenses shortlisted:
- The Tamron 17-50 2.8 which generally gets very good reviews, but replacing Anyway again negative reading (it seems to me that quite a bit of variation within a series are in this lens). At least it represents a price of about 300 Euro is a real bargain.
- The SAL 16-80 CZ, which generally first-class imaging performance is certified.
- This one rated SAL 16-50 2.8, about which I have so far found few reviews.
After some back and forth, I opted for the greater intensity of the Tamron / SAL 16-50 and against the slightly larger focal range of SAL 16-80 CZ, as this property is personally important to me. Thus, so the Tamron 17-50 2.8 and the SAL stayed 16-50 2.8 in the race.
Since I was not yet able to find a direct comparison of these two lenses in the form of a progress report, I originally wanted to simply order both and then compare themselves. However, the Tamron was the time of ordering from Amazon not available from stock, so I only used the SAL 16-50 2.8 ordered. So here my experience after several hundred shots with this lens:
1. Appearance:
The lens is a real chunk! It acts processed very valuable and has a to this impression very good fit, relatively heavy. Zoom and focus ring are pleasantly wide and grippy rubberized, and have a pleasant steady but not too high resistance when turning (it looks nothing loose or cheap). The lens features a metal bayonet, which the valence mE additionally underlines and makes a consistently very robust and stable impression. The technical details can be read that the entire lens is sealed against dust and moisture. An appropriate quality Gegenlichblende is included.
2. Operation:
The lens has an ultrasonic motor (SSM - Super Sonic wave Motor) for autofocus. This worked quickly, with absolute precision and very quiet in my tests. Is pleasant, the focus ring does not rotate itself, and you can also engage in autofocus manually at any time in the focus (DMF Direct Manual Focus), just turn on Fakusring and you can at any complicated situations quickly again adjust something (this function is however not available during tracking autofocus AF-C.).
3. Optical Power:
I am very impressed by this lens, even at maximum aperture makes it wonderfully sharp, detailed images, CAs I've been able to discover any. Compared to my old kit lens, and also to my superzoom, a quantum leap!
I am certainly not going to the pixel Peepern, but to me it's gone for several images so that I thought on closer inspection: "Since it is a little blur?" Then I wanted to point out a closer inspection in the 100% view change, and discovered that I was already in the 100% view! So already the 100% Crops the pictures look so sharp and detailed that you want into it attracted ever more prefer to find more details. In addition, this lens creates a nice blur in the background (bokeh), so it is also good for portraits is (keyword: Cropping). As my somewhat aged Alpha 200 the possibilities of this optics may well not exploit far, it would be interesting to see once what makes for a figure this lens on one of the new Alpha 65 or 77. The lens should be surely destined just for the high-resolution 24MP sensors of these cameras.
Conclusion:
As for me probably a new housing is likely to be due in the near future, in addition to great imaging properties, and the SSM-drive (of me really excited) just the excellent workmanship and the consideration of "future-proofing" (ie possibly better results at one of the new Alpha SLTs) tipped the scales for me to give this objective despite the significantly higher price compared with the Tamron preference.
In short: I'm thrilled! Although this lens costs more than twice the Tamron, but in my opinion it is worth every penny of money.
PS: This should not be a devaluation of the Tamron. I have not tested the Tamron 17-50, and can therefore give no vote about me has the SAL 16-50 just so excited that I decided: "If I stay!"
