Sony E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II

Sony

E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II

Released July 2024

An APS-C E-mount retractable power zoom with Optical SteadyShot and autofocus during zooming on compatible cameras.

Mount
Sony E
Focal length
16–50 mm
Max aperture
f/3.5–5.6
Stabilisation
Yes
Weight
107 g

What reviewers say

Both value tiny size, low weight, stabilisation and kit pricing, while criticising soft corners, raw distortion and power-zoom handling. The Digital Picture finds a substantial sharpness improvement over its original sample; Sony Alpha Blog finds the update minor. Their colour-fringing and breathing results differ: Sony Alpha Blog sees little, while The Digital Picture finds strong wide-angle fringing and telephoto breathing.

From the-digital-picture.com and sonyalpha.blog

Optics

Lens type
Zoom
Focal length
16–50 mm
Maximum aperture
f/3.5–5.6
Minimum aperture
f/22–36
Optical construction
Nine elements in eight groups
Special elements
Four aspherical elements and one ED glass element
Diaphragm
Seven rounded blades
Angle of view
83°–32° APS-C

Mount and compatibility

Mounts
Sony E
Image circle
APS-C
Image circle detail
APS-C coverage; 24–75 mm equivalent field of view
Teleconverter support
Not compatible with SEL14TC or SEL20TC

Focus and stabilisation

Autofocus
Yes
Minimum focus distance
0.25 m
Maximum magnification
0.215×
Optical stabilisation
Yes
Autofocus detail
Refined 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 detail
Optical 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 diameter
40.5 mm
Maximum diameter
66 mm
Length
31.3 mm
Weight
107 g
Controls
Power-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 detail
40.5 mm front filter thread
Weight detail
Approximately 107 g lens; separate caps excluded
Lens hood
No hood listed or supplied by Sony
In the box
ALC-F405S front cap and ALC-R1EM rear cap; no hood or case listed
Release detail
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

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 107 g lens weight
  • Retracts to 31.3 mm when switched off
  • Optical SteadyShot

Cons

  • Variable F3.5–5.6 maximum aperture
  • No lens hood supplied
  • No aperture ring

Closest rivals

Model
MountFocal lengthMax apertureStabilisationWeightReleased
Sony E16–55 mmf/2.8No494 gSept 2019
Sony E16–70 mmf/4Yes308 gSept 2013
Sony E18–135 mmf/3.5–5.6Yes325 gFeb 2018

Sources

  1. sony.jp/ichigan/products/SELP16502/spec.html
  2. sony.jp/ichigan/products/SELP16502/feature_1.html
  3. sony.eu/presscentre/sony-introduces-the-next-generation-zv-e10-ii-and-e-pz-16-5…
  4. the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Sony-E-16-50mm-f3-5-5-6-OSS-II-PZ-Lens.aspx
  5. sonyalpha.blog/2024/09/11/sony-e-pz-16-50mm-f3-5-5-6-oss-ii
  6. photoreview.com.au/reviews/mirrorless-lenses/mirrorless-lenses-aps-c/sony-e-pz-…

Photo: sony.jp

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