Zeiss Batis 2/25 25mm

The Sigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS now sits at the top of the superzoom pile, offering an absurd 18.8x range that makes every other lens here feel limited. It is the obvious pick if you never want to swap glass, but you pay for that convenience with a dim f/6.7 at the long end. The Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD is the smarter buy for Sony E and Fuji X shooters. It is sharper, focuses faster with VXD linear motors, and gives up only a little reach while keeping a slightly brighter f/6.3 aperture. For DSLR holdouts, the Nikon AF-S DX 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR is the dark horse. Its range is modest by modern standards, but the optics are excellent and used copies are dirt cheap. The Panasonic LUMIX S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 is the full-frame wildcard here, and honestly, it feels out of place. The slow f/7.1 aperture at 200mm is a dealbreaker unless you shoot exclusively in good light. The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM rounds out the group as the safe, boring choice. Nano USM autofocus is snappy and silent, making it the best video lens of the five, but it lacks the reach or optical ambition of the others.