Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ OSS lens

      Photo Review 8.8
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      In summary

      Most people will acquire this lens with one of Sony’s E-mount cameras and, as a kit lens it covers a useful range of focal lengths and performs reasonably well. The power zoom and image stabilisation are handy for video shooting and the AF motor is quiet enough to produce minimal interference in movie mode.

      One of the best features of this lens is its compact size, which will suit family snapshooters, travellers and street photographers. Mounted on a small camera body it provides a relatively inconspicuous kit.

      Potential purchasers should be aware that the inherent distortion and vignetting in this lens are high. Consequently, it is best used with a modern body that includes auto-correction for these aberrations.

       

      Full review

      Since its launch in September 2012, the SELP1650 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 Power Zoom lens has been a popular option as a kit lens for Sony’s E-mount cameras. Weighing only 116 grams, it’s a suitable partner for the α5000 camera we used for this review. It covers a zoom range equivalent to 24-75mm with the APS-C sized sensor, which many photographers will prefer to the 18-55mm kit zoom that is traditionally offered with these cameras.  

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      Side view of the SELP1650 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 Power Zoom lens, showing its compact size. (Source: Sony.)

      Like many recent lenses for compact system cameras (CSCs), this lens includes a power zoom setting that provides motorised control over its focal length via a slider on the side of the barrel or the zoom collar on the α5000’s shutter release. If the camera is in AF mode, the ring on the barrel can also be used to adjust the zoom; in manual focus mode, this ring controls focusing.

      The optical design features nine elements in eight groups and includes four aspherical elements and one made from ED (extra-low dispersion) glass. Autofocusing is driven by a micro-motor. Both power zoom and AF drive are well suited to shooting video as they are quiet and operate smoothly.

      Who’s it for?
       Most people will acquire this lens with one of Sony’s E-mount cameras and, as a kit lens it covers a useful range of focal lengths and performs reasonably well. The power zoom and image stabilisation are handy for video shooting and the AF motor is quiet enough to produce minimal interference in movie mode.

      One of the best features of this lens is its compact size, which will suit family snapshooters, travellers and street photographers. Mounted on a small camera body it provides a relatively inconspicuous kit.

      Potential purchasers should be aware that the inherent distortion and vignetting in this lens are high. Consequently, it is best used with a modern body that includes auto-correction for these aberrations.

      Build and Ergonomics
       The metal outer shell and mounting plate create an impression of quality but, overall, this lens is built to a price. The finish on the inner barrel is a little rough as is the plastic slider that controls the power zoom.

      The only adjustment ring ““ which controls manual focusing or zooming, depending on the focus made setting ““ is located right at the front of the lens. It’s approximately 12 mm wide and carries a double row of fine ridges near its trailing edge.

      This ring turns freely when the camera is switched off and provides little in the way of tactile feedback when power is on. Manual focusing is electronically controlled.

      Powering up the camera extends the inner barrel to roughly 52 mm, compared with the 30 mm overall length of the lens when the camera is switched off. Although the inner barrel moves a little when the lens is zoomed in and out, its overall length doesn’t change significantly.

      As the lens is zoomed, the maximum reduces rapidly. Maximum and minimum apertures changes with focal length are shown in the table below.

      Focal Length

      Max. aperture

      Min. aperture

      16mm

      f/3.5

      f/22

      35mm

      f/5.6

      f/32

      50mm

      f/5.6

      f/36

      Both focusing and zooming are electronically controlled from the camera, which also controls the image stabilisation.  The optical stabiliser can provide up to three f-stops of shutter speed advantage with reasonable reliability.

      Performance
       Imatest showed the performance of this lens to be somewhat mixed. At the optimal focal length and aperture settings (24mm at f/5) it was just able to meet expectations for the 20-megapixel sensor on the α5000 camera we used for our tests.

      But that was in the centre of the frame. Edge softening was substantial at wider aperture settings for all focal lengths, as shown in the graph of our Imatest results, below.

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       Lateral chromatic aberration was just as variable, being mainly negligible at shorter focal lengths but reaching into the ‘low’ zone from the middle of the zoom range onwards. In the graph of our Imatest results below, the red line separates negligible and low CA while the green line marks the border of the moderate CA zone.

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       Some degree of auto-correction for chromatic aberration is applied by the   α5000’s BIONZ processor. In-camera corrections are also applied to counteract distortion and vignetting in JPEGs and there are no options for switching them off. However, both flaws are quite severe when you examine uncorrected raw files, particularly those shot with shorter focal length settings. Examples are provided in the Samples section below.

      Fortunately, by about the 35mm focal length, rectilinear distortion is effectively negligible in uncorrected files and at 50mm the slight pincushion distortion is largely irrelevant.

      The lens is also somewhat flare-prone and no compatible lens hood is available. It also accepts 40.5 mm diameter filters, which may not be readily available as this isn’t a popular size.

      With a minimum focusing distance of 25 cm, this lens isn’t ideal for close-ups. The Macro setting in the α5000’s Scene selections sub-menu provided a small extension of the camera’s close focusing capabilities, making it possible to shoot close-ups of larger flowers. Bokeh in these shots was surprisingly attractive, although the camera selected a relatively small lens aperture by default.

      Autofocusing speed is largely dictated by the camera and the selected focusing mode. We’ve covered these aspects of performance in our review of the α5000 camera.
       
      Conclusion
       There aren’t many lenses in Sony’s E-mount range so anyone wanting a compact zoom that spans these focal lengths has no alternative to the SELP1650. For the average snapshooter, the compact size, powered zoom and stabilisation provided by this lens will be very attractive. And its performance is certainly good enough.

      Serious photographers with deeper pockets and larger camera bags should probably opt for a set of E-mount prime lenses, made up from the current offerings by Sony, Sigma and Carl Zeiss. But they would also select a higher-featured camera in Sony’s range and be prepared to pay the penalty of a hefty price tag and much more gear to carry.

       

      SPECS

       Picture angle: 83 to 32 degrees
       Minimum aperture: f/22-36
       Lens construction: 9 elements in 8 groups (including 4 aspherical elements and one ED element)
       Lens mount: Sony E-mount
       Diaphragm Blades: 7 (circular aperture)
       Focus drive: Micro motor
       Stabilisation: Optical SteadyShot
       Minimum focus: 25-30 cm
       Maximum magnification: 0.215x
       Filter size:   40.5 mm
       Dimensions (Diameter x L): 64.7 x 29.9 mm
      Weight:  116 grams
      Standard Accessories: front and end caps

       

      TESTS

       Based on JPEG files taken with the Sony α5000.

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      SAMPLES

       

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       Vignetting at 16mm; JPEG file.
       
       

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      Vignetting at 16mm; from ARW.RAW file.
       
       

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      Vignetting at 50mm; from ARW.RAW file.
       
       

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      Rectilinear distortion at 16mm; ARW.RAW file.
       
       

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      Rectilinear distortion at 50mm ARW.RAW file.
       
       

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      16mm focal length, ISO 640, 1/60 second at f/4.
       
       

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      50mm focal length, ISO 1600, 1/80 second at f/5.6.
       

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       16mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/100 second at f/10.
       
       

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      50mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/100 second at f/9.
       
       

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      Flare; 16mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/160 second at f/11.
       
       

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      Flare; 50mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/125 second at f/10.
       
       

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      Flare artefact in close-up; 16mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/100 second at f/8.
       
       

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      Closest focus in Macro mode; 50mm focal length, ISO 160, 1/160 second at f/5.6.
       
       

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      Bokeh in macro mode; 50mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/400 second at f/8.
       
       

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      40mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/80 second at f/6.3.
       
       

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      35mm focal length, ISO 3200, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
       
       

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      50mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/25 second at f/7.1.
       
       

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      45mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/60 second at f/6.3.
       
       Additional image samples can be found with our review of the Sony α5000.  

       

      Rating

      RRP: AU$499; US$350

       

      • Build: 8.5
      • Handling: 8.5
      • Image quality: 8.5
      • Versatility: 8.5

       

       
       
       
       

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