Sigma Contemporary 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN 16-28mm

The Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 is one of the sharpest ultrawide zooms we've tested, and it weighs next to nothing. Flare can be a headache, but the optical quality and value are outstanding. If you find it near the $770 mark, buy it without hesitation.

Sharpness is where this lens really flexes. It sits in the 97th percentile for optical quality in our database, which means it's one of the absolute best ultrawide zooms you can buy right now. Center sharpness is excellent wide open at f/2.8, and the corners catch up nicely by f/4. Autofocus is fast, accurate, and completely silent thanks to the stepping motor, landing in the 85th percentile. The weak spot is flare. Point this thing anywhere near a strong light source and it'll throw ghosting and veiling flare across your frame like it's showing off. Distortion is also pretty wild without a correction profile applied, but that's par for the course with ultrawide zooms and cleans up with one click in Lightroom.

The obvious rival is Sony's own 16-35mm f/2.8 GM, which costs nearly double and weighs over 50% more. The Sigma gives up 7mm on the long end but matches or beats it on sharpness in the center. The Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 is another close competitor, but the Sigma is wider, sharper, and has a more premium build feel. If you need more reach, something like the Tamron 18-300mm is a completely different beast, but for dedicated ultrawide work, the Sigma is the sweet spot between price, weight, and image quality.

Pricing is a bit of a rollercoaster across vendors, with a spread from $770 to $1349. At the low end, this lens is an absolute steal. You're getting optical performance that punches way above its price point, especially compared to first-party Sony glass. Even at the higher end, it's still a solid deal, but you'd be crazy not to shop around and grab it from the retailer offering it near that $770 mark. For the sharpness and constant f/2.8 aperture, the value is hard to beat.

Sigma's 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN is the lens a lot of Sony shooters have been waiting for. It's a constant f/2.8 ultrawide zoom that somehow weighs just 450 grams, which is absurdly light for what it does. You get a weather-sealed build, internal zooming so the barrel doesn't extend, and a stepping motor that stays dead silent during video work. It's basically a no-compromise wide zoom for people who hate carrying heavy glass.

If you frequently shoot into the sun or strong backlighting, look elsewhere. The flare on this lens is aggressive and will drive you nuts. Also, if you rely on in-lens stabilization for handheld video on an unstabilized body, the lack of OIS here might be a dealbreaker.

If you shoot landscapes, real estate, astrophotography, or vlog on a Sony E-mount body, this lens should be at the top of your list. It's sharp, light, and built well enough to handle real-world use. The flare issue is annoying, but you learn to work around it. For the price, especially if you find a good deal, there's not much else that delivers this level of optical performance in such a portable package.