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Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS vs Sony E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

SonyVario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSonyE PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2013July 2024
Optics
Lens typeZoomZoom
Focal length16–70 mm16–50 mm
Maximum aperturef/4f/3.5–5.6
Minimum aperturef/22f/22–36
Optical constructionSixteen elements in twelve groupsNine elements in eight groups
Special elementsFour aspherical elements, including one AA advanced aspherical, and one ED elementFour aspherical elements and one ED glass element
CoatingsZEISS T* coating–
DiaphragmSeven rounded bladesSeven rounded blades
Angle of view83°–23° APS-C83°–32° APS-C
Mount and compatibility
MountsSony ESony E
Image circleAPS-CAPS-C
Image circle detailAPS-C-only image circle; 24–105 mm equivalent field of viewAPS-C coverage; 24–75 mm equivalent field of view
Teleconverter supportSony 1.4× and 2× teleconverters unsupportedNot compatible with SEL14TC or SEL20TC
Focus and stabilisation
AutofocusYesYes
Minimum focus distance0.35 m0.25 m
Maximum magnification0.23×0.215×
Optical stabilisationYesYes
Autofocus detailLinear motor and internal focusingRefined linear motor; AF available during power zooming. Up to 120 fps support on compatible cameras under Sony measurement conditions; speed varies with conditions and AF-C
Focus distance detail–Minimum focus 0.25 m at wide angle and 0.30 m at telephoto
Stabilisation detailBuilt-in Optical SteadyShot; no stop rating published in read current maker pagesOptical SteadyShot; body/lens coordinated control and Active mode require compatible cameras. No lens-only stop rating published
Video features–Breathing compensation supported on compatible cameras; enabling it slightly changes field of view and image quality and may not completely compensate breathing. Supported recording rates depend on body; ZV-E10 II does not support 4K 120p/FHD 240p
Design
Filter diameter55 mm40.5 mm
Maximum diameter66.6 mm66 mm
Length75 mm31.3 mm
Weight308 g107 g
ControlsSeparate focus and zoom rings; camera controls focus mode and optical stabilisationPower-zoom lever and shared zoom/manual-focus ring; focus mode and stabilisation selected on the camera
Zoom design–Retractable power zoom; 31.3 mm length with power off, extends when powered on
Filter detail55 mm front filter thread40.5 mm front filter thread
Weight detail–Approximately 107 g lens; separate caps excluded
Lens hoodALC-SH127 petal bayonet hood, suppliedNo hood listed or supplied by Sony
In the boxALC-SH127 hood, front and rear caps, soft caseALC-F405S front cap and ALC-R1EM rear cap; no hood or case listed
Release detailSony Japan 27 August 2013 announcement specifies 13 September first sale; no earlier sale established in read sources. UK advanced-vlogging product list retains SEL1670Z, whereas Japan product page says Sony Store sales ended.Sony Europe specified end of July 2024, both separately and in the ZV-E10 II kit. The Digital Picture Bryan Carnathan tested a retail-sourced sample in 2026, including Alpha 1 raw crops; some contextual focal-range sample photos are explicitly from the original lens and are not treated as new tests. Sony Alpha Blog Marc Alhadeff tested the exact II on Alpha 6600 in 2024. Their original-versus-II sharpness, colour-fringing and breathing judgments differ. Maker retracted length 31.3 mm supersedes Blog 29.9 mm. Photo Review was read but its final conclusion was login-only, so not counted as a full review; ePHOTOzine retrieval was unavailable

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