In summary
Samsung’s 16-50mm Power Zoom ED OIS is one of the better kit zooms currently available and is available for a very competitive price. Its limited maximum aperture range won’t appeal to serious photo enthusiasts but snapshooters and travellers looking for a lightweight lens should find it meets their requirements.
The power zoom function makes it ideal for anyone who wants to record movie clips with live soundtracks, while the in-built stabilisation extends its usage into poorly-lit areas. Cash-strapped photographers should find a lot to make them happy with this lens.
Full review
Samsung’s 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 Power Zoom ED OIS lens is one of two lenses announced by the company in January 2014, covering focal lengths equivalent to 24.6-77mm in 35mm format. The other is the NX 16-50mm f/2-2.8 S ED OIS zoom lens we reviewed in February, 2015. Normally offered as a kit lens with an NX camera, the slower 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ lens is more compact, lighter and substantially cheaper than its faster sibling. It’s a good partner for the NX500 body we used for this review.
Angled view of the Samsung 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 Power Zoom ED OIS lens. (Source: Samsung.)
The optical design of the lens consists of nine elements in eight groups and includes four aspherical elements and one extra-low dispersion (ED) element to minimise aberrations throughout the zoom range. Optical stabilisation is integrated into the lens design to reduce camera shake in low-light conditions and with slower shutter speeds.
Autofocusing is driven by an ‘Ultra-Precise Stepping Motor’, which is fast and almost silent, making it ideal for shooting movie clips. Samsung suggests it offers three times the focusing precision of the conventional stepping motor.
The lens includes an ‘Electro zoom’ function that enables smooth and discrete zoom control via by a rocker-type button on the lens. Also ideal for video recording, it enables users to quickly change from one perspective to another while recording or between shots.
The lens barrel also carries Samsung’s i-Function button, which enables photographers to adjust camera settings via the lens. When the camera is in the i-Scene Mode, it will automatically identify the lens and suggest scene types best-suited to that lens.
Who’s it for?
Most people will acquire this lens when they buy a Samsung camera (usually an entry- or mid-level model). Size- and performance-wise, it is well suited to these models and its useful focal length range, equivalent to 24.6-77mm in 35mm format, covers wide angle to portrait perspectives.
Importantly, this lens includes optical stabilisation, which is handy even for wider angles of view. However, the i-Function button is less useful on the NX500 than it would be when the lens is on a camera with an EVF. It’s usually easier to adjust settings with the button/ring combination when holding the NX500 at arm’s length with the rear control wheel and arrow pad.
The compact size, light weight and useful focal length range of this lens make it ideal for travellers and its relatively low price won’t break the bank. The lens is available in two colors (Black and White) to match Samsung’s latest camera bodies. Sadly, no lens hood is included.
Build and Ergonomics
Build quality is very good for a kit lens and the 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ lens has a solid metal mounting plate. The outer and inner barrels are made from polycarbonate plastic, with a smooth, semi-matte finish.
With the power switched off, the lens protrudes roughly 40 mm in front of the camera. Switching the power on extends the inner barrel by 20 mm and zooming in to the 50mm focal length lengthens it by a further 4 mm.
The front element of the lens is relatively small, with a diameter of just over 25 mm. The lens is threaded to take 43 mm filters and a lens cap of the same diameter.
There’s an 8 mm wide ring at the leading edge of the outer barrel. It is completely clad in fine ridges and turns through a full 360 degrees with a trace of tactile feedback as you span the zoom range. You can adjust either the focal length or the focus with this ring; its function changes depending on whether you’ve set the camera for manual or autofocus.
Around the left hand side of the barrel behind the zoom ring are the lens’s two controls. The i-Function button is the higher of the two. Pressing this button displays an on-screen menu that lets you select one of four functions: aperture, exposure compensation, ISO or white balance. Adjustments are made by turning the lens ring.
Below it is the power zoom (PZ) rocker switch, which carries + and – labels to indicate the direction of focal length adjustment. Both buttons are almost flush with the lens barrel and some people with limited dexterity may find it difficult to use them.
While they are usable when framing shots with the monitor screen, these buttons work well on cameras with viewfinders because they let you adjust the camera without looking away from the subject. But some people may have problems if they can’t locate and distinguish the buttons by touch.
You lose 1.3 f-stops of maximum aperture as you zoom from the 16mm to the 50mm setting, which is typical of a kit lens. This makes the light-capturing ability of the lens 1.5 stops less than the NX 16-50mm f/2-2.8 S ED OIS at the shortest focal length and two f-stops less when zoomed right in. The ability to control depth of field is similarly reduced.
Performance
One the NX500, Imatest showed the review lens to be a capable performer for its price tag, although not up to the standards set by the NX 16-50mm f/2-2.8 S ED OIS, which sells for over four times more. The highest JPEG resolution in our tests was obtained at the 22mm focal length with an aperture of f/7.1.
Edge softening was detectable across the zoom range at a level that is typical of kit zooms. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests based upon JPEG files recorded with the lens on the NX500 camera.
Samsung cameras apply automatic corrections for a number of potential aberrations to JPEG files as part of the regular processing routine. This means issues like chromatic aberration, vignetting and distortion can only be picked up by examining raw files.
We actually found very little lateral chromatic aberration in our tests and the results from raw files were only slightly higher than for JPEGs. As the graph below shows, for most aperture and focal length settings this problem is negligible.
Vignetting was also effectively negligible throughout the zoom range, even in uncorrected raw files. Some barrel distortion could be seen in raw files at 16mm. It crossed into very slight pincushion distortion at around 50mm but neither could be considered a major defect.
The built-in Optical Image Stabilisation system enables us to use shutter speeds as slow as 1/10 second with the 50mm focal length and record acceptably sharp images at least half the time. Similar results could be obtained at 1/2 second with the 16mm focal length.
Conclusion
Samsung’s 16-50mm Power Zoom ED OIS is one of the better kit zooms currently available and is available for a very competitive price. Its limited maximum aperture range won’t appeal to serious photo enthusiasts but snapshooters and travellers looking for a lightweight lens should find it meets their requirements.
The power zoom function makes it ideal for anyone who wants to record movie clips with live soundtracks, while the in-built stabilisation extends its usage into poorly-lit areas. Cash-strapped photographers should find a lot to make them happy with this lens.
SPECS
Picture angle: 82.6 to 31.4 degrees
Minimum aperture: f/22
Lens construction: 9 elements in 8 groups (including 4 aspherical lens element plus one ED element)
Lens mounts: Samsung NX
Diaphragm Blades: 7 (circular aperture)
Focus drive: Stepping motor
Stabilisation: Optical Image Stabiliser
Minimum focus: 24 cm
Maximum magnification: Approx. 0.24x
Filter size: 43 mm
Dimensions (Diameter x L): 64.8 x 31mm
Weight: 111 grams
Standard Accessories: Front and end caps
TESTS
Based on JPEG files straight from the camera.
SAMPLES
Vignetting at f/3.5, 16mm focal length. (Taken from an uncorrected SRW.RAW file.)
Vignetting at f/5.6, 50mm focal length. (Taken from an uncorrected SRW.RAW file.)
Rectilinear distortion at 16mm focal length. (Taken from an uncorrected SRW.RAW file.)
Rectilinear distortion at 50mm focal length. (Taken from an uncorrected SRW.RAW file.)
16mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/8.
50mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/8.
50mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/6.3.
100% crop from the centre of the above frame (no sharpening applied).
100% crop from the edge of the above frame (no sharpening applied).
Strong backlighting; 50mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/9.
Close-up; 50mm focal length, ISO 125, 1/160 second at f/5.6.
16mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/60 second at f/7.1.
Stabilisation test; 36mm focal length, ISO 3200, 1/5 second at f/8.
50mm focal length, ISO 25600, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Additional image samples can be found with our review of the Samsung NX500 camera.
Rating
RRP: AU$360: US$350
- Build: 8.5
- Handling: 8.8
- Image quality: 8.5
- Versatility: 8.6