Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver)

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

Image quality and performance of my specific 16mm SEL16F28 f/2.8 lens exceeded my expectations. Fon Indoor, Outdoor, architectural, portrait, large-subject photography and video- this lens is a match made in heaven for the NEX-5N camera/camcorder!

Image quality is comparable to that of more expensive, major brand lenses I own within the 16mm range.

I'm super pleased with my copy of the 16mm, Sony SEL16F28 lens!

VM

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

Enjoying being able to carry my camera and both lenses without bulk and weight.

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

As a Canon user, I purchased this lens as a gift for a friend and got the chance to use it on a walk on the High Line. It takes gorgeous photos, with limited distortion. Obviously, if you've got a Sony, your lens options for this new camera are limited, but this one is light and easy to use. Plus, it is beautiful. I can't speak as to how long it will last, but I know Sony has made strides in quality lenses. Of course, I've heard they also sell a mount to fit to Canon or Nikon lenses, which would maximize your lens options.

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

I bought this lens because at the moment this is the only pancake lens for the NEX and I wanted to have the option to make my kit as small as possible for my bike rides. The optical quality is average and not up to the NEX-5N's sensor but the lens is cheap and also, the Sony fisheye and wide angle converters are only compatible with this lens.

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

I purchased this as a compact alternative to the 18-55mm lens that came packaged with my Sony NEXC3. My hope was that it could be a lens that took advantage of the compactness of the NEXC3's body frame.

While the lens is limited mostly to landscapes as it is a fixed wide angle lens, it does perform that function admirably. What withholds a 5 rating is that the lens was a little thicker and heavier than I thought it would be based on the internet photo. The most comfortable way to shoot is still with one hand holding the lens and one on the body of the camera.

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

good compact wide angle at value

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

Haven't had a whole lot of opportunity to really use its lens, but it produces very sharp & vivid images. Nice lens paired with Sony NEX-3, makes for an outstanding high performing "pocket camera"

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

The first thing that comes to my mind is that this lens isn't for every one, and surelly not for everything, the focal lenght corresponds to a wide angle so this should be observed. To have an idea, is like the focal length from a cell phone and sometimes is too wide.

It has a f2.8 lens, so many would think this would help in low light, this is true but only by 2/3, and the same (or better) effect could be done by having a f3.5 and setting a higher ISO. It also comes with a trade off, the lens becomes really soft when fully open so I try not to use it behind f5 if I don't really need it. Finally this is a wide angle, therefore DOF is high even at f2.8 and you won't find too much background defocusing.

If you are really interested in portability you will find it useful, If you are a pixel peeper looking for sharpness then forget about it.

Personally I like it, and use it mostly when I go to parties and for night walkaround (where I don't want to be intrusive... and carry my heavy gear), however for daylight time prefer the 18-55mm unless portability is essential.

I've been able to get photos with my friends and architecture with this tiny lens, however I do not use this one for landscapes as I said sometimes is too wide.

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

I use NEX3 with 16/2.8 to supplement my primary Olympus E-3 with Zuiko 12-60. Mostly urban and landscape photos, documentary rather than pretty postcards. At least half of them made at the widest available angle. So far all my Sony experience, around 200 shots, was in broad daylight @ ISO 200.

Both Sony 16/2.8 and Zuiko at 12 mm are equivalent to 24 mm, but owing to 3/2 frame format and different distortion pattern, real-world photos from Sony are noticeably wider. Slight pincushion distortion of the Sony usually needs no correction. Focusing with NEX-3 is almost always good (unlike the inconsistent Olympus). No signs of flare at all (but then I never experienced it with the Zuiko either). End of good news.

Bad news: image quality beats pocket superzooms, but it's not a match for a midrange SLR zoom like Zuiko 12-60 or a cheaper Canon 10-22. If you read independent reviews you probably know that the Sony is quite soft, with sweet spot at F/8 and above. It's true, although the stop-down gain between F/4 (imo the widest practical aperture) and F/8 is marginal.

Worse, contrast rendition is unpleasant and it's quite inconsistent across the frame - some shots show a noticeable difference in contrast from center to edges. Overall, out-of-camera jpegs look mushed, untidy, like a pocket camera - there's fine detail but photos just looks dull, even with a polarizer on a sunny day.

My sample also is decentered - left third of the frame is consistently worse than the right one. At F/10 decentering reduces to acceptable levels. Other samples tested at the dealers' also had some centering problems and one refused focusing out-of-the-box (and it was May-June 2011, one year after introduction).

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

Good compliment for Sony FS100U and NEX5 cameras. Mount is quick and rigid. I also have the conversion lenses that came with very nice storage cases. Would be nice if this included a case.

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

As advertised, a nice little wide-angle for my NEX-FS100 -- although I tend to use an EOS lens instead.

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

This lens has changed the way I take photographs. I have a Sony Alpha APS-C DSLR and I use the NEX mostly for times when I need the space or alongside the Alpha to take advantage of situations the NEX handles more efficiently, like wide-angle shots with this lens or Panoramic mode. This lens is very good at f/2.8 and magnificent at f/22 if you can pull it off. The only con I can come up with is that it has a lot of little nooks and crannies that dust can get into, but it doesn't affect the pictures.

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

Small, light and great! 2.8 with a very focused and easy to operate. Giving air actually a movie!

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

I used this product during my last voccation. I was fantastic. Great photos.....

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

I'm a die hard film user and have looked for years for a compact digital camera system. Finally, the search is over. The NEX is here. This lens gives you just that extra bit of coverage that an 18mm lens does not cover. Sturdy, lightweight, compact and so sharp. The photo quality is A+. I assure that if you are willing to make the investment, you will not be disappointed.

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

sharp, very small and light. No vignetting that I've noticed. I've been shooting it at f4-5.6 and it looks sharp. Maybe a bit less so in those distant corners, but all in all a nice lens.

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

Not much to say. Works as advertised. Compact lens when space or weight don't permit better/larger lenses

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

It's perfect in all other aspects. AF is really fast. Almost weightless and the size is very well balanced on the Nex. The build is great, feels solid as it looks. Manual focusing ring (electronically coupled, not mechanical) is as smooth as the best manual focus lenses out there.
From my experience:

@f2.8, center sharpness is great, which all that is needed for blurring out backgrounds and/or available light shots. In real-world practice, I've never felt like corner sharpness is a priority in these situations.

@f8-11, corners are sharpened up and the lens produces good, wide landscape shots.

It keeps the camera pocketable (jacket or cargo shorts) and easy to handle. You get a great wide angle which is pretty fast. It could be a little sharper, but between the wide angle, size, and video capabilities, I have no real complaints.

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

Not as Wide-Angle as I would like to

Comments about Sony E-Mount SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Alpha E-Mount Lens (Silver):

Great little wide angle lens for my Sony NEX 5 camera body. Very pleased with the quality of shots with this lens.