Sony E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens
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MPN's:
Excellent lens, but not for pixel peeper
Optics: This is NOT a critically sharp lens. It has ok sharpness, pretty much on the same level with other kit zooms on the market. Terrible fisheye-like distortion at 16mm, probably the worst I've seen, this is the main aspect of criticism on the internet. But to be fair, this issue is corrected in camera with newer bodies or newer firmwares right up to the preview level. So you won't notice it at all, whether after capture or when you're framin... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Underperforms for such a good camera
I purchased an NEX-6 and decided to include the retractable lens, since it was cheap with the package. I also purchased the 50mm 1.8 Sony lens, which gives some nice comparison for the review. The rule of thumb is to usually not expect much from the stock lens in a camera kit, and it definitely holds true here. I did some test shoots around Central Park and currently am in Africa using the camera, so I have quite a variety of landscapes to distin... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Better the negative reviews suggest
I bought mine at B&H in a kit with a NEX-6 in February 2013. I've shot this lens all over the world on my NEX-6 - as have other skilled photographers - and the simple fact is, you won't find a superior, comparably priced 16-50mm zoom for your NEX, A3000 or A6000 than this lens.To appreciate this lens, you need to understand that - to keep the price so low - it's a software-corrected lens. What that means is, the distortion, corner unsharpness and... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A fine paperweight
This lens has a pretty neat design and is quite compact but in the end, it's all about the images and this thing fails. I took a few dozen shots with it (bought it as part of a kit with my A6000) and thought wow, this camera sure doesn't produce very nice images. Then I put a Sigma 30mm f/2.8 prime on it and BAM! Wow! Amazingly detailed, contrasty, colorful, sharp images. The problem was NOT the camera. It was the lens. The amount of distortion t... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Avoid
I have owned several similar zooms including those from Nikon, Canon and Sony's non Power zoom version. I also have a close friend who has a Pentax so I have experiance with it too and without a doubt this is the worst kit lens I have ever seen. This also including the non powerzoom as they really are the same lens. Now before you brush me off as a Sony hater know that I am one of those people who just sold a lot of nice Nikon gear to switch over... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Love everything about it except the most important thing
This lens came with my Sony A6000. It has everything I want it to have, except the most important thing - image quality. The lens is extremely compact, light, has power zoom, OS, is wide enough to squeeze your friends for a picture in a tiny apartment, the focus is lightning fast...etc. But when it comes to image quality, it's only OK. At F/3.5, it's a bit fuzzy, although the chromatic aberration is not that bad. At F/8.0, sharpness increases mod... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not acceptable
Don't know how to square my now 3-day-long experience with the people who like this lens. Maybe it's a quality control problem and I got a bad one. I had a Samsung NX series mirrorless keep-in-my-car camera to compliment my several Sony A-Mount DSLR cameras for about a year. I was quite pleased with it, even with the kit lens the IQ was unexpectedly good. After reading the multiples of rave reviews about the A6000, I decided to trade over to that... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
amazing in a lot of ways but very delicate
I liked this lens a lot more than I thought I would. I will say it is in no way worth the price they are asking for new, as you can find it used like new for much less. It might not be the sharpest lens out there and the camera has to compensate for a lot of issues, but this lens combined with the small size of the a6000 and the fast auto focus is possibly one of the best lenses for travelling, it's so easy to carry around and so quick to snap gr... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Painfully bad image quality
I got this lens with the a6500. Ive used many zoom lenses, including modern Nikon and Canon and Panasonic DSLR kit lenses. This lens falls far behind all of them. Its sized like a m4/3 lens but then extends to its real size. Its still overly small, with computerized corrections to make up for some of its inherent flaws. The image quality suffers, with hazy and glowing edges and lots of aberration. Most basic image quality issues, like CA and vig... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good things come in small packages!
The poor and highly underestimated underdog of the E-mount lens family is actually a very good performer on APS-C Sony cams. It delivers excellent autofocus, excellent image stabilisation, is incredibly small and weighs practically nothing. Just don't ever use it for RAW images. I've used it for videos in poor lighting conditions, long exposure shots of the sky at night and even time-lapse clips during both day and night. The results were ver... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A very mediocre lens
This lens is all about trade-offs. You get a versatile and very compact zoom but you trade it in for a lot of image quality. Sharpness is quite poor especially at the edges of the frame. Chromatic aberration is very pronounced even in the center of the image - at the edges it's unbelievably bad and can't be totally removed even with arduous post processing. The wide angle performance is dreadful - along with aberration and smearing you get the wo... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A satisfactory compact power zoom
With any lens, the question is what is the expected use of the images made. In this case, it's snapshots. I bought this lens to replace the original Sony 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 glass zoom on my wife's NEX-5. It's half the length, and about a third the weight. The power zoom makes camera handling much easier than the manual zoom of the lens it replaced.Informal sharpness testing at max and min zoom with a lens-testing chart, viewed at 1:1 shows this lens... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Unappreciated Lens
I purchased this lens twice, once as part of a kit. I used it on the camera it came with and then sold it when I sold the camera. Kit lenses get a bad rap even though many of them perform quite well. Perhaps it is because testers and reviewers evaluate the lens without the lens profile in most of the better editors that adjust the characteristics such as, distortion, chromatic aberration, etc., which cause the lower ratings. Or perhaps the man... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Actually pretty good for what it is
I've read a lot of poor reviews of this lens so I assumed it was. It was bundled with my camera. However, I've now used it for at least 3 years and the image quality always surprises me. I only shoot raw. Yes, there's some corner softness and sometimes, the chromatic aberration can be pronounced despite post-processing. Distortion can creep in at the wide end. But most of the time, I can get nice sharp images, pixel peeping on my large 5K desk mo... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
very bad at wide angle
Shoot at the widest angle in raw, horizon showed up impossibly curved I was able to fix it by using Dxo ViewPoint 2. Soft was able to do the good job but this fact won't make me feel better about this very weak product Wide angle lenses are notoriously prone to distortion that is why only few example can be truly called wide angle lens Nikon and Canon come to mind but not this Sony Add the fact of no less than distortion a vignetting problem and ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Don't judge by cheapness
I got this lens in a a6000 kit - being the a6000 is a backup to a7r, I've had it at least 3 years and never really used it. I have been on a photography gear buying bing and have bought 5 lenses in the last 2 months so have been comparing all my lenses. I'm pretty impressed for the size and cheapness it kind of performs much better then expected. Hate that it only has one twist ring and it is used for zooming or focusing depending on focus mode. ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
The ideal compact walk-around lens
Let's be clear about what this lens isn't: It isn't a high-speed, super sharp, pro level lens. It is an extraordinarily compact, nicely performing ,surprisingly solidly constructed lens that takes up no more room on my a6000 than my favorite 20mm pancake, all for a very low price. It lets me have a good range of focal lengths on hand at all times in a very compact and unobtrusive package. I find the image quality across the range to be pretty goo... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not the sharpest tool, but good all-around
I purchased an A6000 with this lens. It's a kit lens and you shouldn't expect any more from it. Wide open it tends to be a bit soft, stopped down it has decent sharpness and contrast. The OSS works well and is nice for both photos and videos. Though, when shooting video if you use the power zoom you can hear it on the video, unless you're recording something that's really loud. My 50mm Sony and 19mm Sigma prime lenses are certainly sharper and fa... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Pretty great for what you get but delicate.
I wasn't blown away by the image quality of this lens but for it's size and price it's a really nice lens for travel. My main issue with it is how delicate it is. Basically one drop and the lens is gone, it's made of cheap plastic parts that shatter on impact. since everything about it is controlled electronically you can't even use it in a limited capacity after breaking it. Simple solution is to not drop it, but hey things happen, especial... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Very dissappointed
I've been using this lens for over a year and a half now, first on the NEX 5R and now on the Alpha a6000. After all this time I have come to a sad conclusion: my old kit lens 18-55 that I had on my first mirrorless, which was a F3, was much better than this. To say the lens is not sharp is an understatement. It is awful. I feel like I'm throwing away the excellent quality of the body (Alpha a6000) with this lens. The distortion is also a big prob... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A bit early to evaluate
I have played around with the camera and lens some but the A6500 has a big learning curve and I am close to the bottom of the ladder. theThe lens is not listed as 100% compatible with the camera according to Sony. It was made for earlier models but I wanted a inexpensive-light-small wide to portrait zoom to use prior to going on to the GM primes and zooms. It worked fine with the A6500 out of the box but so far has not impressed with depth of fie... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
The size is fantastic! Everything else is not.
I've got this attached to my a6000. I wanted it for video.. and a few wide angle shots to complement my SEL35F18. Sometimes the focus is spot on, and it looks quite good. In many photos it looks weird. Not really out of focus, but not in focus either. It's just muddy. It distorts like crazy. I mean serious distortion. At 16mm the vignetting is extremely bad. In camera corrections are good, but this lens needs better glass, or construction, or both. I will use it anyways, for video. The autofocus is fast and silent. The lens is small, and that's pretty much all I care about for my little kit.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
horrible reliability
I bought a alpha 5000 camera for its light weight to travel with. It was supplied with the 18 - 50 OSS lens. It is small, lightweight but the lens is absolutely unreliable. The body is OK but if you just touch the lens it breaks down internally and refuses to operate. The first time was after 1 month and was repaired within warranty; took 3 weeks. Now. 3 months later, in Greece, it happens again; the lens makes some noise but refuses to operate. The only advise Sony can give is to buy an new lens............. Very, very disappointing; I thought to buy a quality product, but alass
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Three Years of experience with this lens.
I know this is not a perfect lens. It was never designed to be perfect or even excellent. But, it is my go-to lens. I keep coming back to it. If you have realistic expectations, this is a good everyday lens. Very useful zoom range. I tend to use it as a 18 to 48mm lens to avoid the extremes. It's been pretty rugged as well... I've dropped it a few times, once in a mudpuddle... Never a problem. I"ve attached a photo of the Hungarian Parliament building in Budapest. Shot at night, freezing cold, windy, from a moving boat and handheld (thanks OSS). A6000. f4.5. ISO 5000. 24mm.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
