Sony 16-50mm OSS lens review at ePhotozine.
Today ePhotozine posted the Sony 16-50mm OSS E-mount lens review. The size of the lens is amazing but does it deliver a good image quality? According to the reviewers: “At 16mm, sharpness is already excellent in the centre of the frame at maximum aperture. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the clarity delivered towards the edges of the frame at maximum aperture for this focal length. Zooming to 28mm results in a slight drop in sharpness in the centre of the frame, but improvements are made towards the edges. Finally, at 50mm overall sharpness is reduced further, as is common with many zoom lenses.”
The lens gets marked as “Recommended” while yesterday tested lens, the 35mm f/1.8 got the “Highly Recommended mark“.
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Sony E-mount 16-50mm Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Wex UK, Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH, and more links at Alphacameradeals .
Sony E-mount 35mm Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Wex UK, Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH, and more links at Alphacameradeals.
Sony E-mount 10-18mm Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Wex UK, Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH, and more links at Alphacameradeals.
Bob
7 months ago |I’m getting annoyed at reading about the endless array of crappy lenses from Sony being released. Just put out a quality 2.8 midrange zoom (16-50ish) with OSS and be done with it. I don’t understand why they keep screwing around with these slow lenses.
Don Cox
7 months ago |The reason they produced this slow lens is because people were clamouring for pancakes.
Frank
7 months ago |There will be plenty of people who value compactness for every day shooting over ultimate image quality to the Nth degree. I am one of them.
I have a A77 for everything else.
juiwhp
7 months ago |The bottom line is that mFT lenses have a much easier job to do the 4×3 ratio uses considerably less of the extreme edges of the imaging circle. If you instantly want to have all your lenses improve simply crop to a 4×3 ratio. If you think this is nonsense simply try it with any lens any aperture and give it ago .That is one of the major problems when comparing systems
Gunnar
7 months ago |but is it optically worse, better or equal to the standard kit zoom?
ronnbot
7 months ago |There’s one user review on slrgear (http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1552/cat/all) and it’s apparently better than the 18-55mm E.
That said, don’t expect a whole lot of improvement based on the ePhotozine review it. Looking at their other reviews, it is also not as good as the m4/3 collapsible zooms.
Regardless, the NEX-6 + 16-50mm seems like a good piece of kit.
Don Cox
7 months ago |Reviews based on single copies of these cheap lenses will not tell you much.
Fly Moon
7 months ago |I already switched to Fuji X-E1. Sing can’t match this one in everything. OK, maybe the price. But $200-300 can buy you a superior camera in every aspect.
Austin
7 months ago |So let us know how superior the video performance is on the XE-1
Fly Moon
7 months ago |If I wanted a video camera, I would’ve got one. Believe me, I still have my NEX 5N, but I think Fuji is doing the right thing for photographers.
BeachriderTflemingNewTflemingTfl
7 months ago |Au revoir
RD
7 months ago |Does that site shoot in JPEG or RAW? I’ve heard that there is a lot of lens correcting going on in camera for JPEG, but not for RAW files.
Kevin Alpha
7 months ago |bottom line, is this lens’s image quality better than the 18-55 OSS? I’m going to sell my 18-55 to get this lens.
Don Cox
7 months ago |I haven’t seen anything to suggest that this new lens is optically better than the old kit lens. Depending on your particular copy, it may well be worse.
But it is perhaps more convenient.
Pb
7 months ago |can’t wait!
performance isn’t the most important issue for me, the size is, it’ll suffice for most of my hobbyist uses anyway
Wayne summers
7 months ago |A bit off topic but I just saw a commercial with taylor shift and a sony nex.
Kevin
7 months ago |the main point of this pancake zoom is to make a statement that NEX is a pocketable APS-C camera. As long as it can deliver mediocre optics, it’ll be a winner for the system & a must have for all NEX users IMHO. There are definitely better optics lying around for those who demand more.
John Maverick
7 months ago |Absolutely agree, I shoot almost all primes on a NEX. I own the 18-55 kit, and hardly use it. Yet I am still considering this new zoom, because of its convenient size.
Frank
7 months ago |^^This.
People don’t “get” that for NEX to sell, it needs so-called “mediocre” pancakes and cheaper lenses.
This is a good things for NEX and people should be happy that it will increase NEX sales and support as a result.
shinbone
7 months ago |After paying no attention to Fuji, last week I discovered the Fuji XE-1. The XE-1 has a great sensor producing very high image quality and a great SET of lenses THAT ARE AVAILABLE NOW.
Sony – did you hear that? – [u]A great set of lenses available now.[/u]
Bye bye Sony.
Alex
7 months ago |Yeh, and it costs $400 more with the same set of features. Besides, which lenses are available for Fuji that you miss?
Sky_walker
7 months ago |Remind me how many lenses there are for Fuji right now? 3? 4?
For E-mount there’s 12 lenses + Phase Detection AF adapter letting you to use all of the A-mount lenses.
Fuji is good only if you plan to use M-mount lenses. Then it’s even: brilliant. But otherwise, especially if you want autofocus, the NEXes are a way to go (well, we all know how Fuji AF works even with these very very few lenses it got available).
Thomas
7 months ago |I am also a sony user since the a200, and I owned a NEX-5. Sony is definitely great in making cameras, but the IQ for original E-mount lens just made me off the way. If I want to shoot videos, I’d use a77 instead of NEX-5 with more controls and better lens. The autofocus speed is not a big problem for me as I seldom shoot moving objects and the fuji 35/1.4 really blown my mind. Having great specs doesn’t mean that it will suit you, afterall, I definitely love my X-E1 with 35/1.4 more than any of the NEX series now by the quality of image it gives you.
Beachrider
7 months ago |Au Renoir shinbone
Jason
7 months ago |Other reviews are similar and report even better than the 18-55… That coupled with the size makes this a sure buy for me.
raphael
7 months ago |can somebody ponint/link about the performance for the two …
18-55
16-50
what’s the best bang for the money ..^^
Vivek
7 months ago |18-55 hands down!
The 16-50 is worth the same as that of the 16/2.8. Sony ought to quit making lenses but if they feel compelled they should sell them for what they are worth. The 16-50 should be priced much lower than the 18-55.
Annx
7 months ago |Sounds like sony have nailed it for the kit lens.
Remember this is a KIT ZOOM. Its never going to be optically perfect. If its decent, small and cheap its hitting the mark.
From the reviews this seems to be exactly what it is.
Andy
7 months ago |I tried this lens on NEX7.
I took 6 seconds for the lens to collapse when shutting down.
Tried 2 copies at the dealer – same result.
When mounted on NEX6, no problem.
So this lens is not compatible with NEX7?
Clifton
7 months ago |Its compatable, but it has issues. I am sure there will be a firmware update.
More to the point is why are you buying the best mirrorless camera Sony makes and then compromising on quality for the sake of an inch of your camera bag?
Hans
7 months ago |I am planning to do the same, just to have a compact camera in my bag. Just because the best camera, is the camera you have with you. The smaller the better.
And by the way? Are there any better options? The 18-55 Kit-Zoom obviously isn’t. I own the Zeiss 24 and the Sony 50 by the way, but as a decent small walkaround lens the 16-50 should be a good addidition imho
Andy
7 months ago |I’m attracted by the compactness of this lens. Besides there isnt any “good”zoom sony is offering that can be used as walk about lens.
alonzo
7 months ago |I am waiting for fast zoom 19-60 f2.8 . I do not care about size . How more long we have to wait ? Do not as me change system . I just want to stay with E-mount . I do not understand 16-50 f3.5-5.6 is like kit lens ,so what is it point to give us ??? Of course for good quality I could just go and get la-ea2 + 24-70 but this lens has not any stabilization which I need for video . Sony should make some pancake and some relay profession lens 19-60 , 50-150 f2.8 . Very good optic and do not care for size .
fernando
7 months ago |You is going to be waiting for rest of your life. me is going to get a cup of coffee
Dennis
7 months ago |I am joining you for coffee! ^_^
stringer
7 months ago |If you want stabilisation go and buy a proper stabiliser.
Lens stabilisation and software stabilisation is useless for video.
You’re head is in the clouds if you think they’re going to make a 2.8 collapsible zoom lens with OSS.
Stabiliser is something you can get right now…
Clifton
7 months ago |if you dont care about size, buy a DSLR/SLT.