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

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FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM compared with Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS

	SonyFE 16-35mm F2.8 GM	SonyVario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS
Overview
Released
Released	July 2017	November 2014
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Zoom	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	16–35 mm	16–35 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/2.8	f/4
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/22	f/22
Optical construction
Optical construction	Sixteen elements in thirteen groups; floating focus mechanism with independently driven groups	Twelve elements in ten groups
Special elements
Special elements	Five aspherical elements in total including two XA elements; two ED elements	Five aspherical elements in total including one AA advanced aspherical element; three ED elements
Coatings
Coatings	Sony Nano AR coating and front-element fluorine coating	Zeiss T* coating
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Eleven rounded blades	Seven rounded blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	107°–63° full frame; 83°–44° APS-C	107°–63° full frame; 83°–44° APS-C
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Sony E	Sony E
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	Full frame
Image circle detail
Image circle detail	Full-frame coverage; 24–52.5 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C	Full-frame coverage; 24–52.5 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	Not compatible with Sony E-mount teleconverters	–
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	0.28 m	0.28 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.19×	0.19×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	No	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Two direct-drive SSM units drive the floating focusing groups	Linear-motor autofocus (Sony Japan press release)
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	0.28 m minimum focus distance	0.28 m minimum focus distance
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	0.19× maximum magnification	0.19× maximum magnification
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	No optical stabilisation; compatible camera body stabilisation can be used	Built-in Optical SteadyShot; maker does not publish a stop rating
Video features
Video features	Constant F2.8 maximum aperture and quiet direct-drive SSM focusing	Constant F4 maximum aperture; linear-motor focusing
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	Yes
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	82 mm	72 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	88.5 mm	78 mm
Length
Length	121.6 mm	98.5 mm
Weight
Weight	680 g	518 g (better)
Controls
Controls	Manual-focus and zoom rings, AF/MF switch and customisable focus-hold button; hood release button	Manual-focus and zoom rings; stabilisation and focus mode controlled through camera
Filter detail
Filter detail	82 mm front filter thread	72 mm front filter thread
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust and moisture resistant design with rubber mount ring; not guaranteed to prevent all ingress	Dust and moisture resistant design; not guaranteed to prevent all ingress
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	88.5 mm maximum diameter × 121.6 mm maker length; lens extends at wider zoom settings (Photography Blog and OpticalLimits)	78 mm maximum diameter × 98.5 mm maker length
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 680 g lens; separate hood and caps excluded	Approximately 518 g lens; separate hood and caps excluded
Lens hood
Lens hood	ALC-SH149 petal bayonet hood, supplied	ALC-SH134 petal bayonet hood, supplied
In the box
In the box	ALC-SH149 hood, ALC-F82S front cap, ALC-R1EM rear cap and soft carrying case	ALC-SH134 hood, front and rear caps and soft case
Release detail
Release detail	Sony Canada announcement dated 17 May 2017 initially specifies August; revised Sony Japan maker release of 14 July brings Japan sale forward to 28 July 2017. Main date uses July, exact first global day unconfirmed. Two independent full reviews read: Photography Blog Mark Goldstein and OpticalLimits Klaus Schroiff, both Alpha 7R II. Differing edge sharpness, autofocus speed and balance assessments retained; OL sample centring good. OL optical table undercounts asphericals, maker five total including two XA used; Blog full-frame angle mistakenly uses APS-C83–44degree figures, maker107–63 used. No inferred predecessor link	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