Well now we know why the previous lens Was a 24 to 50 mm because they probably Knew this thing was coming out this is The allnew 16 to 25 mm f2.8 it's a g Lens brand new from Sony coming out Today and it's a duplicate of that 24 to 50 same form factor same everything Basically just a different focal range And if you're looking for the ultimate Budget compact lightweight vlogging lens For your fullframe Sony camera this is Probably going to be pretty hard to beat So let's check it out as this is a Pre-production model I don't have retail Packaging but I did get this loner from Sony with plastic lens caps and a rose Petal lens Hood the body of this lens is Very familiar because Sony is calling This lens the quote twin unquote to the 24 to 50 so the filter diameter aperture Size weight buttons and switches even Down to the odd reverse rotation of the Zoom ring is all shared the lens feels Good in the hand it's made out of Plastic and glass just like nearly every Other Sony lens out there and it is Lightweight at just over 400 G this Isn't a GM but apart from the focusing System nowadays the differences between The two are starting to blur the rear Mount is metal with electronic Connections a gasket around that mount In fact the entire lens is dust and Moisture resistant in design the
Aperture ring goes from f2.8 to F22 and Then into Auto a with nice satisfying Clicks if you don't like the clicks Though there is a switch to turn turn Them off Zoom ring is next and it's a Short rotation from 25 mm to 16 mm Notice it is reversed and collapsed this Lens sits at 25 mm just like the 24 to 50 sat at 50 mm is it annoying yes but If these are your only lenses you'll Probably get used to it quickly the zoom Ring rotation is smooth with good grips So there's not much else to complain About the lens specs are listed here G Logo autofocus lock button and finally An AF MF switch the focus ring sits in Front and that is very smooth infinitely Rotating in either direction because it Is electronic around the front you get An average size front lens element lens Spec 67 mm filter thread and a minimum Focus distance of18 M inside this lens Has 16 elements in 13 groups an 11 blade Circular diaphragm and two linear Response autofocus Motors and this is Where I mentioned the G Master because That one has four XD linear motors which Are better at least in Sony's reading Materials mounted on my a7c this is a Goodlooking albeit generic Sony lens It's compact lightweight and for running Around on a small full-frame camera it's About as good as it gets for an ultra Wide I've said this before in previous
Videos it's getting hard to review these Lenses from Sony Tamron Sigma because They're just getting so good that even If you compare them and you zoom in and You pixel peep it's really hard to tell A difference between optically the Performance and so what I did was I took This lens out on my a7c and I snapped a Bunch of photos with it and I tried to Make it struggle with stuff and tried to Make it show some errors or flaws and I Don't know that I got much optically It's just simply excellent It's Tac Sharp in the center but the corners are Also just as sharp I wish I had the Tamron and sigma versions of this lens But I think that this new Sony is going To be hard to beat across the frame the Colors are punchy contrast is excellent And even when you push it and try to get This lens to show some chromatic Aberration it controls it well flares Are also subdued and not distracting and Shooting into bright sunlight you still Retain a lot of contrast there's no Barrel or pink cushion Distortion to Report as long as you have in camera Corrections on and vignetting is also a Nonissue everything with this lens just Works the autofocus is brilliant it's Fast accurate and silent I didn't have a Single M Focus shot in my samples which Is a Testament to the Dual linear Motors It tracks subjects like any other G
Master lens and this lens even supports The a93 is 120 frames per second Focus Breathing is almost non-existent even on My a7c which doesn't have any Focus Breathing compensation and this is a big Deal for video by comparison my Sigma 20 Mm F2 Prime has a ton of focus breathing So the Sony is much better I have some Mixed feelings about this lens though Now optically it's near perfect for Running around shooting yourself filming Others it's a pretty good lens and I Think that a lot of people are going to Be looking at this even if you own the 16 to35 f2.8 G Master 2 should I sell The G master and get something that's More compact especially because that Focal range from 24 to 35 is already Covered by any other lens that you have Such as a 24 to 70 or a 24 to 50 f2.8 Zoom but I also think that the focal Range could have been more interesting As a 14 to 25 or a 14 to 24 mm that Would have made this lens just a little Bit wider and better for exaggerated Wide Landscapes and for interior real Estate in reality a 14 to 20 and then a 20 to 50 would have been an awesome two Lens combo even if they weren't twins in Size or weight but what do I know I Still think the reverse zooming is Annoying as is the fact that when it's Compact it's at 25 mm it should be just The opposite way of what we're used to
But that's just a preference thing and Again those are things that you probably Can get over I do think this is a much More compelling argument than the 24 to 50 is just because it's an affordable Basically half price G master that is Cutting off a little bit of the Telephoto side but again that's covered With other lenses and so if you want Something small compact lightweight this Makes a lot of sense and I can't really Complain about the price either it Should be around 1,00 us when it's Released today which is more than the Tamron 17 to 28 at $800 and the other Competitor being the sigma 16 to 28 mm Which is a lens that I really like but It's $900 it's bigger and optically not Quite up to this level and I can throw In the Sigma 14 to 24 here as well which I haven't reviewed but that's even Bigger still and it's 1,250 us currently the problem with all Of this is when it comes down to it do You really need all of that extra Sharpness when you're you're just Running around and recording yourself And shooting Video uh I don't really know because Let's say that this lens is 5% sharper In the center of the frame and 15% Sharper in the corners does that really Matter or will you even have anyone that Notices that if you're just using it for
Casual video again probably not so when It comes down to it you're probably Going to be paying the premium for the Optics because you're going to be using This for photography in which case you Really should sit down and evaluate Whether you really need a zoom lens for Your photography or if you're better off Getting like a 20 mm f1.8 or F2 prime Lens that should be better a little bit Optically than even this Zoom it all Gets a little bit convoluted and it Opens up a bunch of different options That can drive you mad if you start to Overanalyze I'll summarize it this way This is a near perfect lens and a good Value as well especially compared to That $2,300 G Master 2 if you want to Stick with Sony lenses and you are Looking for an ultrawide Zoom for Recording yourself trips Landscapes and Perhaps a little bit of real estate this Is it you don't really need to look Further but let me know down in the Comment section what you guys think of This lens are you buying it if you own a Fullframe Sony camera are you excited About it is it everything you expected Is it everything that you didn't expect Curious to read your guys' comments as Always thank you so much for watching Stay tuned for more and have a nice day Bye-bye