I tested my copy (bought used) and it appears to be adequate at all focal lengths for sharpness, etc on my A7C for casual shots.
Here's a shot into the sun for reference.
Sorry wo warm up this old thread. But: It was crucial for my decision on this lens. I just heard some days before about this little "piece of air", researched a bit, and wasn't so impressed with most of the photos people loaded on flickr. At least it didn't fit with all the praises I have found across in reviews or forums. Then I found that forum and saw the test series. And this photos on the opposite were unbelieveable sharp, even in the edges. I`m sorry to say that, but as I never was on that forum before, I really thought this photos were faked and Fred Miranda made a joke about that all. But why should he?? So I bought a used Sony 28-60 to check it myself, because even it was much more unsharp then this photos here, I think I would have loved that lens for its size. And woooh: It`s image quality IS amazing!! The photos are that sharp, the rendering is really nice! I just have it 1 hour and love that little ting. If that is the future of lenses, I`m very curious about so many re designs of todays bulky lenses. I just was in my early days as pupil into this heavy lenses, soon I saw its disadvantages for every day use. And now that! I`m happy. Thanks for this report here, it has an important impact on my future photographing!
I got the 28-60mm on the used market for 200 CAD (around 150 USD) 1 year ago. Very impressive little lens: sharp, instant AF and weathersealed. It is a lot of plastic, but I love plastic when it is this light. Now, if Sony could bring a similar 60-200mm for a good travel setup... Meanwhile, I add the Viltrox 14mm and the Tamron 70-300mm RXD to my bag for a small setup that can tackle almost anything except low-light. For this, I can add a small Sony 35mm f/1.8.
If I had a bit of time, I could do a comparison between 2 copies of the 28-60mm (my GF got one too), the 24-105 and the 2070G. I have no complaint about any of these zooms; they are quite sharp for most applications, and I would not hesitate to swap one or the other depending on the shooting situation. My favourite of the bunch is the 2070G for its very useful range and very sharp optics.
I know that Sony has climbed into bed with computational optics, but I bit my tongue and ordered the 28-60mm. Fred's writeup is convincing and I really wanted a standard zoom that was low weight. The used prices on eBay have entered the silly-money zone (mine cost $165).
I wish they would make a series of these lenses: the collapsible design and portability is amazing.
I'd love to see one with a little longer reach. If they made a 35-75 it would give 50-112 in APS-C mode. That would cover the vast majority of my work.
Below is a photo made during a tour of a botanical garden: the kit was small enough to put into a coat pocket.
