Sony SAL1650 - Zoom Lens - 16 mm - 50 mm - f/2.8 DT SSM - Sony A-Type - for Handycam NEX-VG900; α SLT-A55, A57, A58, A65, A77; α NEX F3D, F3K, F3Y; α1; α3000

Extreamly durable, it takes clear, concise pictures. Focal adjust is very smooth with no play. Easy to store and easy to attach and remove. It does well with long-distance shots and close-up shots like portraits.

A Happy Medium Between Cheap Kit Lenses and Expensive Up Market Lenses.

Standard kit lenses are usually barely adequate and fail to deliver the quality of the camera itself. Most available up-market lenses cost up the wazoo. This Sony lens is a happy medium between the barely adequate lens that came with your camera and the up market lenses available for your camera body. While this is not the best lens Sony makes, it is significantly better in sharpness and contrast over the basic lens that comes with most Sony cameras. Exposure, auto-focus and image stability work completely the way they should through the electrical connections on compatible Sony cameras. If you need a better all around lens, you can't do better than this one. It won't break the bank, and it's the best bang for the buck.

As Tack sharp as it comes.

Jusst started using Sony's 16-50mm f/2.8 DT zoom lens and found it to be extremely, extremely tack sharp. Due to the f/2.8 constant aperature the image stays very bright in the already excellent Oled electronic viewfinder of Sony's a77 SLT camera. Had ordered the 18-55mm f/3.5 lens and saw right away it didn't fit my needs. Once I put the 16-50mm lens on and started shooting with it and particularly made some large prints, I'm convinced it's more than the perfect kit lens for this camera. Before ordering the lens I did some online research for this product. Until you start shooting and making prints from this lens the reviews understate the high quality of this lens. I found the images to be not only very sharp (my no. one priority) but image resolution and shadow ... MoreJusst started using Sony's 16-50mm f/2.8 DT zoom lens and found it to be extremely, extremely tack sharp. Due to the f/2.8 constant aperature the image stays very bright in the already excellent Oled electronic viewfinder of Sony's a77 SLT camera. Had ordered the 18-55mm f/3.5 lens and saw right away it didn't fit my needs. Once I put the 16-50mm lens on and started shooting with it and particularly made some large prints, I'm convinced it's more than the perfect kit lens for this camera. Before ordering the lens I did some online research for this product. Until you start shooting and making prints from this lens the reviews understate the high quality of this lens. I found the images to be not only very sharp (my no. one priority) but image resolution and shadow detail was top notch. In terms of value received, this lens is a real bargain. The rest of the photographic world will very soon realize that Sony is now among the top three players out there in this industry. Their aps-c and full frame equipment must be regarded very seriously.

Best general zoom lens in the world!

i have owned this lens for almost two years and it practically replaced my go-to prime lens, the sony 35mm f1.8. It is sharp at all focal length, with tiny drop in sharpness at 50mm wide open. At 24mm and 35mm it has maximum sharpness. I do not see a difference in sharpness at 35mm f2.8 compared to the SAL35f1.8. Although the prime lens can go to 1.8, it drops in sharpness, so I only switch when needed. The optimum sharpness is at f4 and you don't need to stop down further since you don't gain anything from stopping down more. Overall, this is the best lens to be mounted on your APS-C camera at all times. I only take it off when I need longer reach or wider aperture, which is rare for me. Just get it and never look back.

Fantastic image quality but poor build

This lens produces fantastic images close to Zeiss quality, colours are great as is sharpness... Focus speeds are also really snappy and accurate! From an image point of view I love this lens.However, This is my 3rd copy now and all 3 have had the same issues... The lens gets very stiff over time and recently the latest copy is just over a year old and I have a number of large and easy to see specks of dust inside the lens (which is suppose to be weather sealed). I have not used this lens in the rain, beach or dusty environments. I've really tried to baby the lens allot to ensure elements were not messing things up but I continue to face consistent issues and is why I would not recommend this lens.

Great Image Quality

I purchased the Sony a77 with this lens kit in FEB of 2013. It's now June and I've shot a considerable amount of stills and video. So far I'm very pleased with the image quality of both the lens and the processing power of the camera. I did send it back initially because I was concerned about a minor give in the lens mount on the camera. Just a little bit of a give when twisting the zoom back and forth where the lens actually shifts slightly. I received a replacement kit that did the exact same thing, so I figured this is just a minor flaw in design. I purchased the 3 year drops and spills SquareTrade warranty so I'm not too worried about it. So far it has had zero effect on image quality and functionality. That's really my only complaint so far. On the plus side, ... MoreI purchased the Sony a77 with this lens kit in FEB of 2013. It's now June and I've shot a considerable amount of stills and video. So far I'm very pleased with the image quality of both the lens and the processing power of the camera. I did send it back initially because I was concerned about a minor give in the lens mount on the camera. Just a little bit of a give when twisting the zoom back and forth where the lens actually shifts slightly. I received a replacement kit that did the exact same thing, so I figured this is just a minor flaw in design. I purchased the 3 year drops and spills SquareTrade warranty so I'm not too worried about it. So far it has had zero effect on image quality and functionality. That's really my only complaint so far. On the plus side, this lens has extremely great image quality, with bright consistant and fast exposure throughout the zoom range. The 16mm wide open end is a very attractive and addictive way to shoot. I've got a B+W ultraviolet/haze protector on it, mostly to protect the front end glass from scratches and dings. Next up is a polarizer. I've found it very hard to get a good exposure with bright skies without either blowing out the skies or underexposing the rest of the image. The polarizer should fix that. That's it for me so far. I def recommend this as a fairly all purpose lens. Just keep it mind the zoom range is limited so don't expect to get too far in on our subject matter. Looking at the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 to fill this void.

My most used glass by far

Perfect upgrade over my kit lens a Sony 18-55 sam II which at the time was ok but noisy when filming.This lense with 2.8 constant aperture is a dream to use, heavier than my old 18-55 but feels just right in the hand, on my a57 it feels well balanced with the body. Came without a UV protection filter and genuine Sony lens hood both of which are now resolved it looks the business.This is my first SSM lens from Sony and now will not be my last, it just sucks in the light and focuses quickly in almost silence. I say that because I have filmed with this lens and I cannot hear it change focus.Overall I love this lens and without a doubt this will be my most used glass in my kitbag.

One of Sony's very best zoom lens !

Well I purchased this lens through ebay. Heard and read a lot before purchasing this lens. This lens is suberb!! The built quality is excellent, solid, no zoom wobble,no zoom creep, really tight and well made. What surprised me the most is the image quality! It's comparable to a Zeiss zoom lens. Nice bokeh and sharpness! It's rather a large lens for a 16-50mm but it is an f2.8. The SSM is smooth and silky, and quiet. What a dream lens it is for me. I can't say enough about this lens. It is one of Sony's very best made lens out there. I haven't taken it off since I got it. It's great for portraits, landscapes, street photography and candids. You can get this lens for a bargain here on ebay, just get it from a reputable dealer and you're gonna love it! One on Sony's ... MoreWell I purchased this lens through ebay. Heard and read a lot before purchasing this lens. This lens is suberb!! The built quality is excellent, solid, no zoom wobble,no zoom creep, really tight and well made. What surprised me the most is the image quality! It's comparable to a Zeiss zoom lens. Nice bokeh and sharpness! It's rather a large lens for a 16-50mm but it is an f2.8. The SSM is smooth and silky, and quiet. What a dream lens it is for me. I can't say enough about this lens. It is one of Sony's very best made lens out there. I haven't taken it off since I got it. It's great for portraits, landscapes, street photography and candids. You can get this lens for a bargain here on ebay, just get it from a reputable dealer and you're gonna love it! One on Sony's very best short zoom, for sure.

Still a good option for Super 35 video

Picked this up recently and use it on my A7S in crop mode and my FS5. I am using it with the LA-EA3 adaptor and autofocus does not work well with the A7S and not at all with the FS5 but it has a proper mechanical focus ring unlike most e-mount lenses so manually focusing is easy and repeatable. It's parfocal as well so you can zoom in to grab focus and when you zoom out it holds focus well. Build quality is fantastic and it looks like it could handle a drop or other impacts. It's an overlooked older lens but I find it still highly useful and it can be had for a bargain price especially used.

Very good lens

I have owned this lens (purchased used from ebay) for several months and its been on my camera more or less steadily ever since I bought it. It is a a fairly heavy lens (1.25 lb. 670 g) but not bothersomely so. It is solidly built, has a very fast and silent focus drive and the pictures are generally very sharp, with the exception of a little drop-off in the corners when shooting wide-open. There is a little distortion (minimal if you keep the camera horizontal while shooting) at the 16 mm range. There is no creep in the zoom at all. It takes very good close-ups (flowers, bugs, etc) with excellent colors. The f2.8 setting allows in enough light to take many indoor pictures without additional lighting. I believe I paid $300 for this lens and I consider it to be well ... MoreI have owned this lens (purchased used from ebay) for several months and its been on my camera more or less steadily ever since I bought it. It is a a fairly heavy lens (1.25 lb. 670 g) but not bothersomely so. It is solidly built, has a very fast and silent focus drive and the pictures are generally very sharp, with the exception of a little drop-off in the corners when shooting wide-open. There is a little distortion (minimal if you keep the camera horizontal while shooting) at the 16 mm range. There is no creep in the zoom at all. It takes very good close-ups (flowers, bugs, etc) with excellent colors. The f2.8 setting allows in enough light to take many indoor pictures without additional lighting. I believe I paid $300 for this lens and I consider it to be well worth it. Overall I would rate it a 4.5/5