sony 16-50 kit lens

[Mike Leah]

Curious how decent the kit 16-50 lens is. Is it even worth getting or is it just your typical mediocre kit lens? The footage I've seen looked decent but hard to tell until you try it out.

Planning to add a Sony to my collection but wondering if I should skip the kit lens altogether.

[Juan A. Diaz]

Are you referring to the Sony A-mount 16-50mm f2.8, or the Sony e-mount 16-50mm f3.5-5.6?? Or something else entirely?

Both are "kit" lenses, and are worlds apart from each other.

The e-mount 16-50mm is a collapsible travel lens. It's sole saving grace is it's small, inconspicuous and makes NEX / ILCE APS-C sensor cameras a pocket-able size. Everything else about it is mediocre at best. Is it worth owning? For $150 as a kit, sure, why not? Great for inconspicuous shooting or friends & family events. For $348 full retail? Absolutely NOT.

It is also a software lens. Without in-body correction tables, it has unusable levels of vignetting, distortion and chromatic aberration. It can not be used with the NEX-FS100, FS700, VG10, nor any of the first generation NEX stills cameras. The PXW-FS7 will supposedly have in-body correction tables that will allow this lens to be used up to 60fps. It will not be corrected in any slow motion frame rate above 60fps.

I couldn't comment on the A-mount kit lens, because I do not shoot any A-mount cameras, however it's an f2.8, and over twice the price, so it should hopefully be somewhat better than the e-mount 16-50mm kit lens...