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Sony E 16mm f/2.8 (Sony NEX) - Review / Lens Test Report |
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Lens Reviews -
Sony Alpha/NEX (APS-C)
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Page 1 of 3
Review by Klaus Schroiff, published August 2010
Introduction
The Sony E 16mm f/2.8 is a so-called "pancake" lens for the Sony NEX system. The field-of-view is equivalent
to a classic ~24mm full format lens so it's on the borderline between a wide- and ultra-wide-angle prime lens.
The lens alone is also part of a mini-system based on optional converters. It is possible to (front-)mount a
fisheye converter (VCL-ECF1) as well as well as a 0.75x ultra wide-angle converter (VCL-ECU1). This is a
quite bold "statement" because converter combinations require a really good base lens in order to produce a
decent quality level. We'll see.
The build quality of the Sony lens is excellent but the lens construction is so simple that there can't really be
many shaky parts anyway. The metal lens body is tightly combined with a tiny metal focus ring. The front
element does not rotate and the physical length remains constant regardless of the focus setting.
The AF performance is pretty good for a contrast detection system (albeit highly dependent on the base camera).
AF operations are basically noiseless. Manual focusing works "by wire" so the focus ring is not directly coupled
to the focus gears but to the AF motor. DMF ("Direct Manual Focusing" in Single Shot AF mode) is supported.
| Specifications |
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| Equiv. focal length | 24 mm (full format equivalent) |
| Equiv. aperture | f/4.2 (full format equivalent, in terms of depth-of-field) |
| Optical construction | 5 elements in 5 groups, 1x aspherical element |
| Number of aperture blades | 7 (circular) |
| min. focus distance | 0.24 m (1:12.8) |
| Dimensions | 62 x 22.5 mm |
| Weight | 67 g |
| Filter size | 49 mm |
| Hood | - |
| Other features | optional ultra-wide and fisheye converters |
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