Editor's Choice 2007: Imaging Essentials

EDITOR'S CHOICE SLR Lenses

Sony Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Vario-Sonnar

This is the only zoom among Sony's three new Zeiss lenses for its Alpha 100 D-SLR and the other, higher-end Alpha bodies it has promised. (The others are prime lenses, an 85mm f/1.4 and a 135mm f/1.8.) Its Zeiss optics make it sharp as can be, of course. But we also like its range, the equivalent of 24-120mm in the 35mm format. The extra four millimeters (beyond the usual 28mm) make the lens as useful in shooting cramped interiors, architecture, and expansive landscapes as it is for portraits on its long end. We'd like a wider maximum aperture in the portrait range, but that's the price of its compactness, and nine aperture blades make out-of-focus areas nice and smooth. About $700.

Read more on the Sony Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Vario-Sonnar. Next product: Tokina AT-X 107 AF DX Fisheye 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5.