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Sony Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM vs Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

SonyVario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSMSonyVario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS
Overview
ReleasedJanuary 2009November 2014
Optics
Lens typeZoomZoom
Focal length16–35 mm16–35 mm
Maximum aperturef/2.8f/4
Minimum aperturef/22f/22
Optical constructionSeventeen elements in thirteen groupsTwelve elements in ten groups
Special elementsThree aspherical elements, one Super ED element and one ED elementFive aspherical elements in total including one AA advanced aspherical element; three ED elements
CoatingsZeiss T* coatingZeiss T* coating
DiaphragmNine rounded bladesSeven rounded blades
Angle of view107°–63° full-frame; 83°–44° APS-C107°–63° full frame; 83°–44° APS-C
Mount and compatibility
MountsSony ASony E
Image circleFull frameFull frame
Image circle detailFull-frame A-mount coverage; 24–52.5 mm equivalent field of view on APS-CFull-frame coverage; 24–52.5 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C
Teleconverter supportSony 1.4× and 2× teleconverters unsupported–
Focus and stabilisation
AutofocusYesYes
Minimum focus distance0.28 m0.28 m
Maximum magnification0.24×0.19×
Optical stabilisation–Yes
Autofocus detailIn-lens SSM ultrasonic autofocus motorLinear-motor autofocus (Sony Japan press release)
Focus distance detailInternal focusing; 0.28 m minimum focus. Direct Manual Focus available in single-shot AF (OpticalLimits)0.28 m minimum focus distance
Magnification detail–0.19× maximum magnification
Stabilisation detail–Built-in Optical SteadyShot; maker does not publish a stop rating
Video features–Constant F4 maximum aperture; linear-motor focusing
Design
Dust and moisture resistant–Yes
Filter diameter77 mm72 mm
Maximum diameter83 mm78 mm
Length114 mm98.5 mm
Weight860 g518 g
ControlsAF/MF focus-mode switch and focus-hold buttonManual-focus and zoom rings; stabilisation and focus mode controlled through camera
Zoom designOuter length remains constant, with internal lens-tube movement during zooming (OpticalLimits)–
Filter detail77 mm filter thread72 mm front filter thread
Weather resistance–Dust and moisture resistant design; not guaranteed to prevent all ingress
Dimensions detail83 mm maximum diameter × 114 mm length78 mm maximum diameter × 98.5 mm maker length
Weight detailApproximately 860 g, maker lens weightApproximately 518 g lens; separate hood and caps excluded
Lens hoodPetal-shaped bayonet hood suppliedALC-SH134 petal bayonet hood, supplied
In the boxLens hood and caseALC-SH134 hood, front and rear caps and soft case
Release detailSony’s 10 September 2008 announcement states January 2009 sale in Japan; no exact day is specified.Sony US press reproduced in DPReview dated 15 September 2014 specifies November availability; Sony Japan confirms 7 November 2014. Main uses earliest maker-confirmed month, global exact first day unconfirmed. October review samples and an unverified customer timestamp are not established retail dates. Two independently authored full reviews read: Photography Blog Mark Goldstein on Alpha 7R and Amateur Photographer Richard Sibley, refreshed 2023 with original system-era findings. Differing fringing, edge detail and distortion assessments retained. AP reverses element/group counts, corrected to maker twelve/ten; Blog hoodSH132 and full-frame83–44degrees corrected to makerSH134 and107–63. No inferred predecessor link

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