Complete Guide To Choosing Lenses - Our Premium Zoom Picks

Zeiss: 16-80mm F/3.5-4.5 DT ZA T*

'The cheaper of two spectacularly good Zeiss zooms covering this range for Sony users, the other being the full-frame 24-70mm f/2.8. This one is for APS-C sensors.'

Nikon: 24-70mm f/2.8 G ED

‘Impressive image quality. Its MTF curves are above the critical 0.25 cycles per pixel at every aperture and focal length tested.'

Canon: EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM

‘Automatic focusing is brisk and distortion is virtually non-existent. MTF performance is held above 0.3 cycles per pixel from f/5.6 to f/11 at all focal lengths.'

Pentax: 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL IF SDM

‘Disappointing at f/2.8 but much better below f/4.'

Olympus: 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II

‘Offers a wide zoom range and excellent resolution.'

Tamron: 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II IF

‘Good image quality and usability and also manages to be surprisingly compact.'

Sigma: 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro

‘Wide zoom range, with good build quality and results - though it isn't a true "macro" lens.'

Tokina: 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX

‘Fast lens for Nikon or Canon users with APS-C sensors.'

MFT: Pansonic Lumix G Vario 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS

‘Resolution tests exceeded expectations given the price of this lens.'