Sony 16-35 f4 PZ Review - The BEST wide angle zoom for Sony?

In this one, we take a look at the Sony 16-35mm f4 PZ wide-angle lens that I just picked up.
F!#$ the G Master. This is the Sony 16-35mm wide angle zoom you want... it's an absolutely ridiculously good lens and is an amazingly small but powerful pair with the Sony a7c. And yeah, the power zoom is pretty cool.
Did that spoil the video? Watch it anyway dammit!
Check out this lens for yourself (affiliate link)
-----------
amzn.to/3ETLSTY
Some excellent reviews you should check out
-----------
Gerald Undone (because of course): • Sony PZ 16-35mm f/4 Le...
DP Review: • Sony 16-35mm G PZ Review
Christopher Frost: • Sony FE 16-35mm f/4 PZ...
Jake Sloan: • Sony 16-35 F4 PZ Revie...
The Hybrid Shooter: • Sony FE PZ 16-35mm F4 ...
Timestamps!
-----------
00:00 Intro
00:45 Quick unboxing & specs
01:02 Why I chose this lens
02:21 Image samples
04:35 f2.8 vs f4 comparison
05:10 Features & focus breathing
06:06 Sony 20mm f1.8 comparison
07:00 Who is this lens for?
My favourite gear
(affiliate links)
-----------
Cameras
Sony a7c: amzn.to/3S0qJLR
Sony a6400: amzn.to/3duxgiD
Sony a6000: amzn.to/3DYTKDx
Full Frame Lenses
Sony PZ 16-35 f3 G: amzn.to/3ETLSTY
Sony 20mm f1.8 G: amzn.to/3duxrdN
Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 DG DN: amzn.to/3SiHSjq
Rokinon 35mm f1.8: amzn.to/3BYiNVF
Rokinon 75mm f1.8: amzn.to/3BT3Kvp
APSC Lenses
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8: amzn.to/3DEIGej
Sony 18-135mm: amzn.to/3BATs2M
Sigma 16mm f1.4 for Sony e-mount: amzn.to/3S2Mj2d
Sigma 30mm f1.4 for Sony e-mount: amzn.to/3f8SIKH
Microphones
Rode Videomic Go II: amzn.to/3xFvq5o
Smartphone
Google Pixel 6: amzn.to/3DIFQ8m
Tripods
Sirui AM-225: amzn.to/3LAbQNW
Leofoto LS-225C: amzn.to/3Sf39L6
AOKA mini-tripod CMP163CL: amzn.to/3QWOaUJ
Camera Bag
Shimoda Explore v2 25L: amzn.to/3qVVd5F
Camera Accessories
Peak Design capture clip: amzn.to/3BwIco8
Memory Cards
Sony Tough 64GB UHS-II: amzn.to/3xGx4Uk
Sandisk Extreme Pro UHS-I: amzn.to/3xG3s9O
Powerbank
Anker PowerCore 10000: amzn.to/3R2kd5J
Wireless earbuds
Google Pixel Buds A-Series: amzn.to/3UqHQbc
Full disclosure: these are Amazon affiliate links. Buying from here costs you nothing, but helps me continue to make videos like these... your support is greatly appreciated!
#WideAngle #PowerZoom #Sony

[@DavidEmmanuelSolomon]

Thank you ! I’ve been looking all over for videos on this lens for my Fx3

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching! It's an amazing lens and I liked it way more than i expected to.

[@Mraz75]

It is hard to find a channel that discuss how small difference between f4 and f2.8 in lowlight. You did it Thank you

[@blueanthias]

Great review, thanks much.

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching! Glad it was useful

[@PRTPHO]

I subscribe cause I’m curious to see the comparison between the zoom and the primes!!! can’t wait! I’m also a “new” creator and I love this video! Amazing job!!

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching and for the kind words! Hopefully I can get that video made soon...

[@martinruiz398]

I had the Sigma 16-28, it was a good lens but I never shot it at f2.8. I returned it for this lens since it's smaller and has a bigger zoom range. This is my main travel lens.

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching! This has been my experience as well.

[@AbrahamTaveraV]

Right now the Sony 16-35 f4 PZ it's my favorite lens, lightweight, sharp, even at f4 really good at low light, and along with the Tamron 28-200 it's a perfect travel combo

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching! I've been debating adding the Tamron 28-200 or 70-300 for travel but can't decide which one. What made you pick the 28-200?

[@AbrahamTaveraV]

@@andreas1701d I don't find reaching so often 100mm or more, so starting with the Tamron at 28 even with the overlap I find it more useful and in general it's also a sharp lens. I think another great combo will be the Tamron 35-150 f2-2.8 but that will be really expensive

[@andreas1701d]

@@AbrahamTaveraV Thanks for the feedback! It's the size & weight that makes the 35-150 a no-go for me. Way too big to hike or carry around for any significant length of time imho

[@steviegoose9566]

I have this very combo. PZ 16-35 and the Tamron 35-150. Yes, it’s pricey and weighs a little on the heavier side, but with the 35-150 you are pretty much getting two lenses in one at 2-2.8! To me it’s so worth it. I say rent one. Keep shooting!

[@andreas1701d]

@@steviegoose9566 I may give it a go, but I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to carrying gear on a 4-5 hour hike 😂

[@KungfuandKettlebells]

I just got this lens last week in Bangkok. Still trying to learn how to use it. I trying to get the blurry/bokeh background like you did with the keyboard and the ball head. Thanks for the great review! 👍

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching! The blurry background was all about shooting close to the subject at 35mm

[@KungfuandKettlebells]

@Andreas1701 Thanks! I saw that. I'm going to play around with it later today. 👍

[@stevenwaldstein2249]

Thank you for your video. Curious which Sony bodies you used it on. You should always add that to your videos. I have picked one up to try out but deciding if it’s a keeper or not.

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching! I used it on an a7c and A7IV and it worked beautifully

[@bigallee3]

I have the Tamron 17-28 and I have had focusing issues once in a while. I am sure this Sony lens would be much better for autofocus. I think I will get this eventually. Thanks for the video.

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching. My pleasure! That Tamron complaint seems to be quite common, albeit not super severe. Haven't missed yet with this Sony lens, though admittedly I haven't had it long.

[@christophmunch4796]

This one also has significantly better rendering and colors than the Tamron 17-28.

[@bigallee3]

@@christophmunch4796 In that case, I might want to switch. But for indoors, would there be any concern with that 1 stop difference with the F4?

[@NetvoTV]

If I want to film everyday life, travel, walk tour to capture the environment and product reviews where I will behind the camera most of the time to do the talking, elements record for game making and I want to experiment music making with singing and instrument too and the video will be shot with a Panasonic HC-X1500 camcorder and Sony A7RV, what minimal multi use cases no show on screen audio setups are right for me, should I get just one stereo super cardioid shotgun mic or an omnidirectional audio recorder to do it all or combination of them to cover stereo and mono needs? That camcorder has an optional handle with LED and 2 XLR inputs but the setup will be tall even before add the mics, is XLR necessary and will I able to use the XLR handle on the camcorder as music recorder? The gear I have in mind are the unique looking stereo Sennheiser MKE 440, Deity V Mic D4 Duo, Sony ECM-B1M, Sony PCM-A10 recorder, Zoom H2n, Saramonic SR-VRM1, Roland R07 and Zoom H3-VR. For photography, I shoot mainly for document life and creative shots and potentially photograph for photorealistic shots, I haven't know how to get photography gig yet, I will use the A7RV to shoot photo but do you think it's for me I should go for RX100 VII, or something in between, but I think there's no much reasons other than weight to get unpocketable compact cameras because you get less handling and EVF but still need to carry with a bang or hang on neck, I know I can get great shots with RX100 VII or Lumix LX10 but I have some photographs ideas that might only able to achieve with interchangeable camera which is full body person with background blur from a distance, ultramacro and I want to try to join competitions. I not a bokeh person but a story and creativity driven person and prefer most of my shots to be fully in focused, and sometime I wonder do I really need to put so much effort into carry these gears when I can just google the photos I want to look at that other people already took, what you guys think, X2D, A7RV, G9 ii, G95, GX9, RX10 IV, LX100 ii/D Lux 7, LX10, RX100 VII or something else? I was plan to get the Sony 16-35 F4 PZ & 70-200mm F4 MACRO ii with 2X tele converter which can get 1:1 macro and 600mm digitally too but that camcorder can reach that hence it's less needed and just I need to figure out ways I can get more magnification of macro hopefully with a tele lens too to reach things further away. I hope there is a camera I can use with my left hand while using the camcorder at my right hand!

[@starskymedia]

Great review mate, but how come no comment or comparison with the Tamron 20-40mm? That is my biggest consideration currently before I grab this lens!

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching! I haven't used the 20-40 yet but I can tell you why I chose the 16-35: based on the reviews I've seen, the 16-35 is significantly better optically. It's as small, has a more useful range imho, better ergonomics, better AF and as I mentioned with the other lenses, f2.8 vs f4 isn't a huge deal for me. The only advantage the Tamron has is price which of course is an important factor. I may pick up a Tamron just to do a head to head.

[@starskymedia]

@@andreas1701d great to hear, and pretty much for the same reasons I'll probably grab the 16-35 pz over the Tamron 👍

[@SingularityFM]

Great review. Thank you for that. I am divided between the 16-35 PZ and the 20 mm F1.8 for the Sony A7RV. What would you do, if you had to pick one of them only, given that you seem to have both, and you will use it on the Sony A7RV for both video and pictures?

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching! They're both fantastic lenses and your choice between the two will come down to 2 questions: 1, is 20mm wide enough? 2, do you film often in low light?

[@SingularityFM]

@@andreas1701d Thank you for your reply. Here are my answers: 1. I don't know if 20 mm is wide enough because, so far, I've been shooting with a 24-70 mm lens, and all I know for sure is that the 24 is not wide enough for me. I am hoping 20 mm will be wide enough, but I may or may not benefit further from the 16 mm as an option. 2. As far as video goes, I never shoot in low light, but as far as pictures go - I do occasionally shoot pictures of indoor events, and when I travel for fun, I shoot a lot in museums, churches, galleries, and other such places of interest. Quite often, those are somewhat, if not rather, dark, so I don't know if the F4 will be good enough in those cases, even though the Sony A7RV is supposed to have fantastic image stabilization for pictures.

[@andreas1701d]

@@SingularityFM You could try shooting your 24-70 at F4 and see if you're happy with the results in low light. If you are, the 16-35 is your best bet. If not, pick up the 20.

[@SingularityFM]

@@andreas1701d Thank you for your reply. The problem is twofold: 1. My 24-70 was actually a Fujifilm 16-55 F2.8 with a 1.5 crop factor in full frame equivalent to a 24-78. With that, I struggled with images over 3200 ISO, and 4,000 was getting too much on my Fujifilm XT3. But given the cropping factor, how old that camera is now, the fact that it doesn't have a dual gain sensor, no image stabilization, and Fuji's unique take on ISO measurements, it is very hard to translate my Fuji noise and ISO experience into a Sony full frame lens which I will be shooting on a Sony A7RV. 2. I already sold all my Fuji gear because I'm stepping up to buy the Sony, so I can't do any new tests. Hence I am very grateful to all the KZbinrs like you who compared the 16-35 F4 with the 20 F1.8.

[@andreas1701d]

@@SingularityFM the iso performance on modern Sony cameras is terrific. Having said that, everyone's tolerance for noise is a little different. For me, I'm quite happy shooting my a7IV or a7C + 16-35 F4 up to iso 12,800 if I need to.

[@MariusXMelisa]

Hello, bro! I am filming with a7c + 20mm 1.8 for travel vlogging, but the problem that sometimes I need a 35mm perspective. I had tamron zoom and it was great. I can t affort to switch all the time the lens, because I will miss the important moments.

[@andreas1701d]

Hey. Well, throw the camera into crop mode and it'll give you about 30mm, so that's close to what you need. Just assign a custom button on the camera (or lens) to crop mode and you're good to go. But if you can only afford one lens right now but need multiple focal lengths, you'd probably be better off selling the 20 and getting either the Sony 16-35 PZ or 20-70 instead.

[@MariusXMelisa]

@@andreas1701d yep, I am doing the crop mode and its great. But sometimes its not enough

[@wakeywarrior]

It’s a lovely lens, but very pricey here in the U.K. at £1299 (Sony rip us off on pricing here). I would have liked to get it but bought the Zeiss OSS version which is very nice still, second hand in very good condition for £450. I wanted Sony as they work a lot better with the IBIS on the ZVE1.

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching! Ive heard prices are significantly higher in Europe... that's unfortunate. Enjoy your Zeiss though, that's a great deal!

[@bijosn]

Hey man, between this and the tam 20-40 which one do you recommend?

[@andreas1701d]

They're both good lenses, and I debated a while between them. Here's what I'd say: Buy the Sony if corner to corner sharpness, lens controls, a wider angle (6mm is significant), video features & low focus breathing are important to you. Buy the Tamron if that stuff doesn't matter so much because it's less expensive and has a brighter maximum aperture (though to be fair I don't find the difference between f2.8 and F4 noticeable at these focal lengths)

[@JoeCarlBunda]

This or the 14mm 1.8 GM?

[@andreas1701d]

The only reasons to get the 14 are if you shoot in low light very often or if the extra 2mm are essential. Otherwise, save the money and get the 16-35. I doubt you'd see a real-world image quality difference.

[@matttheking1655]

New to your channel, great review especially the low light channel....👍 Subscribe!

[@andreas1701d]

Hey thanks for watching! Glad you found it useful!