Sony Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM vs Sony DT 16–50mm F2.8 SSM

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Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM compared with DT 16–50mm F2.8 SSM

	SonyVario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM	SonyDT 16–50mm F2.8 SSM
Overview
Released
Released	January 2009	October 2011
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Zoom	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	16–35 mm	16–50 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/2.8	f/2.8
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/22	f/22
Optical construction
Optical construction	Seventeen elements in thirteen groups	16 elements in 13 groups
Special elements
Special elements	Three aspherical elements, one Super ED element and one ED element	Two aspherical elements and three ED elements
Coatings
Coatings	Zeiss T* coating	–
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Nine rounded blades	Seven rounded blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	107°–63° full-frame; 83°–44° APS-C	83°–32° on APS-C
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Sony A	Sony A
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	APS-C
Image circle detail
Image circle detail	Full-frame A-mount coverage; 24–52.5 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C	APS-C-only A-mount lens; 24–75 mm equivalent field of view
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	Sony 1.4× and 2× teleconverters unsupported	Sony 1.4× and 2× teleconverters unsupported
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	0.28 m	0.3 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.24×	0.2×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	–	No
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	In-lens SSM ultrasonic autofocus motor	In-lens Super Sonic wave Motor (SSM); AF/MF switch
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	Internal focusing; 0.28 m minimum focus. Direct Manual Focus available in single-shot AF (OpticalLimits)	0.3 m minimum focus from the image-sensor plane; internal focus and distance scale
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	–	No lens optical stabilisation; compatible camera bodies provide stabilisation
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	–	Yes
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	77 mm	72 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	83 mm	81 mm
Length
Length	114 mm	88 mm
Weight
Weight	860 g	577 g (better)
Controls
Controls	AF/MF focus-mode switch and focus-hold button	Zoom lock at 16 mm (Photography Blog)
Zoom design
Zoom design	Outer length remains constant, with internal lens-tube movement during zooming (OpticalLimits)	Extending zoom barrel; front filter thread does not rotate during focusing (OpticalLimits)
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	–	Dust- and moisture-resistant construction; Sony does not guarantee complete protection
Filter detail
Filter detail	77 mm filter thread	–
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	83 mm maximum diameter × 114 mm length	–
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 860 g, maker lens weight	–
Lens hood
Lens hood	Petal-shaped bayonet hood supplied	ALC-SH117 petal-shaped bayonet hood
In the box
In the box	Lens hood and case	Lens, front cap, rear cap and hood
Release detail
Release detail	Sony’s 10 September 2008 announcement states January 2009 sale in Japan; no exact day is specified.	Sony Electronics announced October 2011 retail availability in the USA. Japanese Alpha77 lens kits went on sale on 14 October, while separate lens availability was subsequently delayed to December.