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What are the highest quality zoom lenses? - Printable Version

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What are the highest quality zoom lenses? - fernandoj - 04-17-2021

After many tests done on this website, could you make a list of the best zoom lenses?


RE: What are the highest quality zoom lenses? - toni-a - 04-18-2021

Hi Fernando and welcome, there's nothing as best zoom lens.
It's like saying which one is the best car
first we need the mount, next what you will use it for knowing "best" won't be the best for you, Canon 28-70f2.0 is highly regarded, however few will take it on a hiking trip..


RE: What are the highest quality zoom lenses? - Rover - 04-18-2021

Always depends on the mount first of all... if you're a Canon user the best Nikon zoom (or prime, actually) would have no value for you.

But I guess, Canon 70-200/2.8 IS II, Canon 100-400 IS II, Nikon 14-24/2.8, etc. would be near the top of every list.


RE: What are the highest quality zoom lenses? - Brightcolours - 04-19-2021

(04-18-2021, 08:51 PM)Rover Wrote: Always depends on the mount first of all... if you're a Canon user the best Nikon zoom (or prime, actually) would have no value for you.

But I guess, Canon 70-200/2.8 IS II, Canon 100-400 IS II, Nikon 14-24/2.8, etc. would be near the top of every list.

The Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f2.8E FL ED VR bettered that Canon, the Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 got eclipsed by lenses from Sigma Sony, Canon and Tamron. Old list ;-)


RE: What are the highest quality zoom lenses? - Rover - 04-19-2021

(04-19-2021, 05:28 AM)Brightcolours Wrote:
(04-18-2021, 08:51 PM)Rover Wrote: Always depends on the mount first of all... if you're a Canon user the best Nikon zoom (or prime, actually) would have no value for you.

But I guess, Canon 70-200/2.8 IS II, Canon 100-400 IS II, Nikon 14-24/2.8, etc. would be near the top of every list.

The Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f2.8E FL ED VR bettered that Canon, the Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 got eclipsed by lenses from Sigma Sony, Canon and Tamron. Old list ;-)

And I AM old. Smile Anyway the newest Nikon has not, as yet, been tested here, nor was the Sigma 14-24 for E-mount, so if we only take PZOL-reviewed lenses into account, there are gaps in our knowledge. Smile


RE: What are the highest quality zoom lenses? - Brightcolours - 04-19-2021

Yes, that Nikkor has not been tested yet (Markus' hiatus). So, if we base this lens on PZOL Klaus' preferences it has just one entry: Olympus 12-100mm f4 Pro (a bit meh MFT "superzoom" f8 FF equivalent, which does not really better a Canon RF 24-240mm f4-6.3 IS USM) ;-)


RE: What are the highest quality zoom lenses? - thxbb12 - 04-19-2021

These days pretty much all new lenses are good optically.
Here on OL, we're just gear heads and we nitpick about every possible flaw a lens may have.

Guys, can you remember a crappy lens that was released in the last 5 years?

Even the Fuji 16-80 which is known to have poor borders, is probably fine as a landscape lens even for photos blown at 90x60cm.

Let's face it, we're a bunch of old farts lens snobs ;-)


RE: What are the highest quality zoom lenses? - you2 - 04-19-2021

The old zuiko 12-60 f2.8-f4.0 was one of the best super zooms made !


RE: What are the highest quality zoom lenses? - Rover - 04-19-2021

(04-19-2021, 08:40 AM)Brightcolours Wrote: Yes, that Nikkor has not been tested yet (Markus' hiatus). So, if we base this lens on PZOL Klaus' preferences it has just one entry: Olympus 12-100mm f4 Pro (a bit meh MFT "superzoom" f8 FF equivalent, which does not really better a Canon RF 24-240mm f4-6.3 IS USM) ;-)

The 24-240 has not been tested here and might not be tested ever, so there's no reason to jump the gun on this one. Smile

(04-19-2021, 01:51 PM)thxbb12 Wrote: These days pretty much all new lenses are good optically.
Here on OL, we're just gear heads and we nitpick about every possible flaw a lens may have.

Guys, can you remember a crappy lens that was released in the last 5 years?

Even the Fuji 16-80 which is known to have poor borders, is probably fine as a landscape lens even for photos blown at 90x60cm.

Let's face it, we're a bunch of old farts lens snobs ;-)

"A crappy lens released in the last 5 years", off the top of my head? Yeah, just barely - the Sony 50/1.8 FE (a 2016 lens?) I don't know when the Samyang FE 50/1.4 was released but it also tested rather poorly. Maybe the Canon RF 24-105 STM is going to take that (straw) crown as well, if the hints Klaus has been dropping are any indication. He's been building suspense like a good movie director, but I'm feeling he's getting it a bit overdrawn already. Smile And of course, I'm pretty sure there's a good amount of turkeys in the stream of low-cost Chinese MF lenses that mostly passes us by. There are also the likes of Meyer-Optik-Gorlitz but I guess these truly are abominations better buried in the dust of time. Smile


RE: What are the highest quality zoom lenses? - toni-a - 04-19-2021

folks bear in mind that tests are made on brand new zooms at the peak of their performance the question is how long will they maintain this performance