Review
In this Hands On Review I will cover the Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens also known as the “Pancake Lens” or SEL16F28. I used the Sony Nex-C3 to review this lens and you can see my full Hands on Review of the Nex-C3 over here>>
In addition to the specs and features below, the E-Mount 16mm lens makes the Nex-C3 small enough to put in your pocket which is absolutely awesome!! The 16mm range although nice and wide is a bit limiting for an all around lens, but makes for a great landscapes, creative portraits, architecture shots and more. I also like the 9.4″ minimum focus distance which creates deep separation from backgrounds when utilized in compositions like the test shots you’ll see below.
Full Specs
Optics/Lens
- Aperture (Max.) : f/2.8
- Aperture (Min.) : f/22
- Filter Diameter : 49mm
- Lens Groups-Elements : 5 groups, 5 elements (1 aspheric surfaces)
- Minimum Focus Distance : 9.4″ (0.24m)
- Aspheric Elements : 1 aspheric surface
- Non-rotating Focusing Ring : No rotation
- AF for Movie Capture : Yes
- Angle of View : 83°
- Aperture Blade : 7 blades (Circular aperture)
- Dimensions (Max. Diameter x Length) : 2-7/16 x 7/8″ (62×22.5mm)
- Direct Manual Focus : Yes
- Exterior Finish : Metal
- Focal Length (35mm equivalent) : 24mm
- Focus Ring in AF Mode : No rotation
- Internal Motor : Yes (Stepping motor)
- Lens Weight : 2.5 oz (70g)
- Low Noise During Movie Capture : Excellent
- Maximum Magnification : 0.073x (APS-C)
- Mount Material : Metal
Features
Light weight, heavy duty
Ultra compact and elegant, the SAL16F28 compliments your camera with a refined feel. The lens barrel is contracted from high-quality aluminum alloy which provides maximum durability in combination with the metal lens mount. Weighing in at only 2.5 oz (70g) it measures 62mm in diameter and 22.5mm thick.
Circular Aperture
The SAL16F28 features seven aperture blades that form a near circle. This result in a pleasing defocused circular effect on the background of your image when the aperture is set wide open. The same type of internal stepping motor used for the focus drive is used for aperture actuation as well, that result in a smooth, low-noise aperture operation ideally suited to movie shooting.
Smooth Manual Focusing
An easy-grip focus ring on the lens barrel gives you a solid “hands-on” feel in manual focusing. Additionally, Direct Manual Focus (DMF) allows you to focus manually after AF lock-on without the need for any switching. This can be extremely useful in situations where AF can’t lock onto the subject accurately, or when AF locks onto a point that does not match your intention. Electronic manual focus technology was originally developed for professional Sony camcorders to ensure smooth, precise focus control.
Made for movies
The SAL16F28 performs equally as well when shooting video. Thanks to an internal stepping motor and rear-focusing design It has optimized video performance for smooth, quiet operation essential for high-quality movie capture.
Accessories for creative shooting
The VCL-ECU1 Ultra-wide converter and VCL-ECF1 Fisheye conversion lenses can simply be attached to the front of the SAL16F28 to provide ultra wide or fisheye fields of view. Both conversion lenses were developed concurrently with and specifically for the SAL16F28 and integrate elegantly as well. The Ultra-wide and Fisheye conversion lenses offer single-focal-length image quality with superior portability.
High Res Photos of the Sony 16mm f/2.8 E-Mount Lens:
Be Sure to Click the photos for a nice Large Crisp view!!
Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens
Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens
Sony 16mm f/2.8 E-Mount Lens – side
Sony 16mm f/2.8 E-Mount Lens Next to the Sony 18-55mm E-Mount Lens
Sony 16mm f/2.8 E-Mount Lens on the Sony Nex-C3
As you can see from this side by side comparison below, the Nex-C3 becomes a pocket sized camera with the 16mm Pancake lens on it! A large pocket, but still a pocket 
Click Pics for a larger versions!!
Sony 18-55mm E-Mount Lens on the Sony Nex-C3 – Top View |
Sony 16mm f/2.8 E-Mount Lens on the Sony Nex-C3 – Top View |
Test Shots:
Personally I’m not the biggest fan of using charts for testing lenses although they certainly have there place for raw data measurements etc… I prefer using real world objects to examine the lens flaws and in this case, I used leaf with a very colorful flower basket and deck railing in the background. This set-up gives a great visual of how well this lens can isolate subjects and separate them from the background. The leaf also offers enough detail and color to get a good idea how the lens works. I had the camera sitting on the deck and used the self timer to get as little camera shake as possible. Do to the slight occasional breeze being on the deck and all, I set the ISO to 400 to insure decent shutter speeds. I also included a few different 100% crops, but be sure to head over to the Full Res 16mm E-Mount Sample Gallery I set-up to check out the images in greater detail!!
Be sure to Click the images for a nice large gallery style view!
Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/2.8
Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/2.8 – Test Shot |
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Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/2.8 – Test Shot – 100% Crop |
Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/2.8 – Test Shot – 100% Crop Top Left |
Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/4
Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/4 – Test Shot |
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Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/4 – Test Shot – 100% Crop |
Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/4 – Test Shot – 100% Crop Top Left |
Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/5.6
Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/5.6 – Test Shot |
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Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/5.6 – Test Shot – 100% Crop |
Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/5.6 – Test Shot – 100% Crop Top Left |
Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8
Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8 – Test Shot |
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Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8 – Test Shot – 100% Crop |
Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8 – Test Shot – 100% Crop Top Left |
Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/16
Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/16 – Test Shot |
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Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/16 – Test Shot – 100% Crop |
Sony E-Mount 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/16 – Test Shot – 100% Crop Top Left |
After examining the photos above you will see the lens is pretty sharp at f/2.8 and f/16, and Very sharp at all other apertures! You can also clearly see the separation between the leaf and the background flowers change through out the aperture range producing a nice bokeh in the process.
Sony 16mm Pancake Sample Photos:
Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8, 1/500sec, ISO 200 – Sadie
Check out the Chromatic Aberration below where the white chair meets the dark background in the 100% crop. It’s easily fixable in Lightroom or whatever your preferred editing software is, so in the real world it’s not an issue as far as I’m concerned.
Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8, 1/500sec, ISO 200 – 100% crop – Sadie
Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8, 1/250sec, ISO 200
Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8, 1/125sec, ISO 200 – Reflection
Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8, 1/640sec, ISO 200 – Goshen Church
Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8, 1/320sec, ISO 200 – In Memory of Sign
Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8, 1/500sec, ISO 200 – Looking Up
Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8, autoHDR – Goshen Church
Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8, 1/800sec, ISO 200 – Chester Black-Dirt
Shooting into the Sun.
Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/8, 1/1600sec, ISO 200 – Chester Black-Dirt
Sony E-Mount 16mm lens and Portraits??
Portraits can also be done, you just have to be nice and close and like a little distortion for close-ups. Far away landscape style portraits are my favorite, but I just didn’t get a chance to grab one this time around. I’m getting the Nex-5n and Nex-7 though soon, so I’ll definitely be using the 16mm pancake again in the near future ;) I’ll update this review and the sample gallery respectively at that time.
Layla is not Happy! Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/2.8, 1/100sec, ISO 200, skin smoothing option on High
Layla is Happy! Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/2.8, 1/100sec, ISO 200, skin smoothing option on High
Layla – Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/2.8, 1/100sec, ISO 200, skin smoothing option on High
Layla Grabbing for the Camera – Sony Nex-C3, Sony 16mm f/2.8 Lens @ f/2.8, 1/100sec, ISO 200, skin smoothing option on High
Conclusion:
The Sony (SEL16F28) 16mm f/2.8 E-Mount Lens is an excellent complement to Nex series cameras and I highly recommend it! The lens is incredibly light weight and very thin which turns the Nex cameras into a pocket sized camera. With an effective focal range of 24mm on the Nex-C3, the Sony 16mm f/2.8 lens offers a really wide view! Add to that Panoramic Mode, and you can pretty much capture anything with this combo! The Sony 16mm pancake lens is also very sharp in the center, although it doesn’t have any ED (Extra-low Dispersion) Glass Elements. If it did the price would be more like $5-600 I would imagine. That killer ED glass is huge money!! The sharpness does fade towards the corners and at the very edge it’s noticeable soft.
The bottom line for the Sony 16mm f/2.8 lens is for $249.99 your getting very good quality glass in a very well made lens housing that produces great results in the real world. Would I buy one? Yes!
I also have the two Conversion Lenses for the 16mm lens reviewed over Here: Sony 16mm Conversion Lens Review >>
On a side note, I’m really looking forward to an ultra wide angle for the Nex Cameras, and I bet Sigma will come out with one very soon!! Also be sure to check out every E-Mount lens currently available for the Nex Cameras in my Sony E-Mount Lens Guide >>.
Jay
Price: ~$249.99
Compare SEL16F28 Prices @ BHPhotoVideo | Amazon | Adorama | Ebay Auctions
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Thanks,
Jay
Share and Enjoy
About the Author
Nice job on this review Jay. Looks like a great lens for the money!!
Thanks Chuck
This lens in combination with the VCL-ECU1 converter shows even better results, imho.
Thanks for the comments and info Walter!!
This lens always in my bag when I travel. nice lens
Thanks for the comments Henry
Be sure to share some pics on the New Forum!!
Jay
I’m a rookie! How much could i use this lens having the 16-50 on the nex-6 kit? Thanks. Your site is very helpfull!
Diego,
Do you shoot in Raw or jpeg?? If jpeg only I would just use the 16-50mm lens. If you plan on going down the Raw quality road and developing your photos in Lightroom or whatever, then I would recommend the 16mm as it it much better than the 16-50mm zoom at this focal range. Plus you can get the fisheye and wide angle conversion lenses (Clcik Here) for cheap to expand your options big time!! When shooting jpeg mode, the camera fixes the flaws for you so the 16-50mm lens is pretty good. In Raw mode, it’s not near as good though.
I hope that helps!
Jay
Hi again Jay ,
if you had 16-55 mm and 50 mm lenses for your sony nex-6 , which one would be next lens in your opinion ? 55-210 mm or 16mm with wide angle adapter?
Best Regards
Harun
Hello Harun,
I would definitely go for the 55-210mm (sel55210) first personally. Not even a slight hesitation as you already have 16mm, but no telephoto capabilities!! After that, perhaps then consider the primes and conversion lenses ect.. That is what I would do anyway
Hope that helps,
Jay
Hi Jay,
I recently purchased a NEX 7… and I can love it more! But it seems to me that the 18-55 lenses does not make its sensor justice so I was thinking in purchasing two additional lenses. For the long shoots I was planning on the SEL55210, but for shot distance and night shooting I was in doubt between this one and the SEL50F18….
Any advice or recommendation?
Thank you so much!!
Hello Laura,
Thanks for the comments and questions!! The sel55210 is a great lens for the money, no question.
As far as the 16mm vs the 50mm?? Two very different lenses. I would go with the 50mm personally as the 16mm is not the best quality in the corners, and it’s more noticeable on the high res Nex-7 than the lower res Nex-6 for example. The 50mm is great for portraits, street photography, and low light shooting tahnks to the fast f/1.8 Aperture and OSS. The 16mm is a wide-angle lens best for Landscapes and taking in large views at once.
The Sigma 19mm is a great option for a wide-angle high quality, yet affordable lens!! Much better in the corners than the Sony 16mm lens, especially on the Nex-7 24mp sensor!!
Jay
I decided to pick the 50mm and… Great advice! I am highly surprised by the quality of the lens, and the performance in portraits… wow just great for me!
Thank you so much for the advice! I truly love all your reviews, you make it easy even for beginners, just like me!
the SEL55210 will be my next purchase!
Thank you again!
Awesome news Laura!! Thank you so much for writing back with your results as well
The sel55210 is on my list of must own as well!!
Have a great day,
Jay
Hi Jay,
Thanks for the lens review. i just purchased Nex 3N with 16-50 and 16mm lens. The main reason to get the 16mm is because of the light weight, Can you advise how to take better portraits when using 16mm lens? Is there any big different in photo quality between the two lens if using only 16mm range. I only use JPEG format. Thanks
Hi Wisnom, and great question.
Check out this article on lenses and portraits Photography, and I think you will get you answer
Jay
HI Jay,
Thanks for the great write up and I know much more about taking portraits. However, I noticed the pic is less sharp even in the center using 16F28 lens compared with 16-55 lens. It is normal or some problems of my lens?
The image should be sharper using the 16mm f/2.8 prime lens in my opinion, but it depends at what aperture. F/4 is much sharper than f/2.8 at 100% Crops. I never actually did and A and B with each lens. The center sharpness was pretty good on the 16-50mm from what I recall, but the corner sharpness was pretty poor.
I would use a tri-pod and do some testing to find out for sure though
Jay
Thanks Jay, looking forward to seeing your results.