I was pleasantly surprised by this lens, I bought it for a euro trip, I was a bit hesitant of the f4 and night shots, but mixed with the a7iv I got some of the best night shots ive ever gotten! the zoom is great to have as well both for video and photography... great lens !
My dream kit is: 16-35 PZ (light and small) 24mm f1.4 GM (sharp and bright aperture) 35-150 f2-2.8 Tamron (great all rounder) 85mm f1.4 Sigma art (great portrait) 300mm f2.8 (not super long telephoto but still f2.8) 200-600mm G (super tele zoom)
Great Video! I agree with you, I have given up on heavy fast glass and going with lenses like this that are small, versatile and high quality. After getting over my own snobbery of having f1.4 lenses that sit at home due to weight, I'm really pleased with this PZ16-35. Keeping my 35mm f1.8 for lowlight and when I want more background blur.
Great video, I was torn between the 20mm f1.8 and the 16-35mm f4 PZ and your video helped me make the move to the PZ. I shoot mostly street, travel, and landscape but want to start doing some video as well and this lens seems to handle both areas of shooting nicely. thanks
i have the 10-20mm pz (the apsc version) of this lens. it's served me really well. they say it doesn't do well at night, but shoot at night all the time and i find no issues
I recommend this lens over the 16-35/2.8 GM II. Why? Because it is A LOT SMALLER and you are unlikely to need a wide aperture in a wide angle zoom. You are unlikely to need or have the opportunity to blur the background at these angles. You are also likely to be able to use longer exposures for the landscapes you are shooting. Pack this along with the 20-70/4 G or 24-70/2.8 GM II, and an 85/1.8 Batis, 85/1.4 GM or 100/2.8 STF prime for portraits and you are generally set.
@@damiansealsUh, usually landscapes don't move, so even in low light or in darkness you can put your camera on a tripod and use exposures many seconds long. In less extreme scenarios, you can shoot a sharp landscape with 1/4 sec exposures hand held with in body Image stabilization because the focal length is short and because the subject is still. You can't really do that with portraits, animals, street photography, etc. One a bright day, you usually shoot landscapes at F8 or (F22 if you want the sunburst) anyway. Hence, a fast aperture for the purpose of low light performance is not anywhere near as important in a wide angle zoom than in a standatd or tele-zoom. For this reason I have always favored small aperture, compact, wide angles lenses over bulky, wide aperture ones. I care about optical performance but not aperture size when it comes to wide angle zooms and the PZ16-35/4 offers exactly that -- very high image quality, very compact size. -- Even back in the days of manual focus primes on film SLRs, I have always complained about the Contax MM mount Zeiss 21/2.8 Distagon T* being too big and I'd have very much preferred a 21/4 that is half the size. Unfortunately, nobody made one that is high quality.
Disagree completely with OP. I own and shoot extensively with the lens being reviewed here. It's a deliciously sharp and high contrast lens, and internal zoom is great. The issue with it when shooting landscape is that the focus ring and zoom ring are super close together and it's easy to bump one when turning the other. Also it's a pain to look down at the zoom ring and have no idea what focal length you are at, and not get a hard stop at the end either zooming in or out. And fine tuning focal length is not great because of zoom by wire. It's these handling issues which is why I'm about to trade for the GM2. If I shot video I'd stick with the PZ, but I do landscape and I really want the GM2 over the PZ. The GM2 is heavier, but not much heavier, and a decent weight saving from the GM1
I'm considering also Tamron 20-40mm F2.8. Have you got any comparison on field :)? It is also small and bright. I'm thinking about one lens for all :) for my A7C
unfortunately even if i could use that lens, 20mm is definitely not wide enough for me on the wider end, so honestly, i probably wouldn't give this lens the time of day
Have you used this lens street shooting around Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka at NIGHT hand held and if so was f4 adequate without excessive ISO above say up to 6400..? I should add that I have the Sony FE 20mm f1.8 and Tamron 20-40mm f2.8 just looking for something a wee bit wider of decent quality still usable in low light on a IBIS FF body. Focal length overlap is fine. Looking to pick up the A7CII later this year and compact low weight is a priority for me. For travel street use mainly. I'm mostly a stills shooter but may venture into video. The GM seems too heavy/pricey for my needs given other lenses I already own. I have been visiting Japan for thirty years. Great review. Thank you in advance.
I have unconciously been watching video about 16-35mm f4 for several months. Although i have 20-70mm f4 G lens, i realized that i keep coming to the 16-35mm. I don’t say 20-70mm is not good, it is a great do-it-all lens. But there is just 16-35mm that is just keep calling me.. finally i traded my 20-70mm for 16-35mm PZ.. really happy to own it. To my surprise with ZVE1 you can zoom it further to 52mm. This lens completes my need. I have Meike 85mm lens, if i have a craving for bokeh..
I ordered the 20-70mm lens but after reading your comment, cancelled it and I was thinking I would save some bucks if I go with this one, but in my mind, 16-35 was the choice. Thanks, I was initially going with the primes. But I guess I will use this one for travelling and for portraits I will get 50mm 2.5g later on.
Thank you! I’ve been using the Zeiss 16-35 which is ok (actually very good for what I paid for it). This looks like my next logical step - seems like it would be great for gimbal use too.
I had this lens and 2470 gm for a shoot with Sony a1. 95% of the shoot I completed with PZ didn’t even fell like reaching for the GM. It’s sharp and lightweight, magic in gimbal cause of the weight advantage lol.
first video I see from you and jus subscribed, is perhaps the most credible and practical review thet I've seen ib a while, I am buying the Sony A7CII and was looking for a good light lens to pair it, looks like this one may be the one
that's why i replaced it with my 16:35 f2.8 GM, main reason weight video and for portrait i use 24-70gm2 so 16 35gm is no longer good for me and when it goes for group portrait i shoot at f7
Thanks for a high quality video. Many reviewers have commented on the distortion at 16mm. How much of an issue is this? Can you comment on how easy is it to correct in post for video, eg Davinci Resolve? Many thanks
Thanks for your opinion! I currently have the 35mm GM and the 85mm 1.8 and I would love something wide. Would you recommend this lens to someone that already has a 35mm? I’m also considering the the 20mm G or the 24mm GM. Having the option to go as wide as 16mm sounds amazing though.
So lets sum up: Sony FE PZ 16-35mm F4 G better than Sony 16-35mm F2.8 GMaster? How is ur ranking already? 85mm GM, 16-35mm F4 G and 24-70 GM2? Regards!
I returned this lens. I tried using it for interior photography, hoping for a better coating. Turned out its flare resistance is worse than Zeiss 16-35’s. And operating the zoom was very annoying. It was sharper though, but it doesn’t matter that much in interior photography. So I’m waiting for the new 16-35GM II instead.
I've found flare resistance to be impressive. You are right about the handling though - terrible to handle. I am going to go for the GM2 and sell the PZ one just for improved handling, and going from 7 aperture blades to 11 for better sun stars.
Which ND filter size are you using on this? I'm asking since I want to find out whether a 82mm filter with step up ring will create a vignette. Thanks!
Heavily considering this lens but am also apprehensive as I wonder if or when the 16-35GM version 2 will be released? Wouldn't suppose you're at liberty to shine any light on this possibility, are you? Also, huge fan and I love your work.
I'm waiting on it as much as you are! I'm sure I'll like that one better than this if the weight and the size is right. Seeing as the last 16-35GM was released in 2017, hopefully they release a MKII soon.
GM I is 1500-1600 brand new, but it seems with the 16-35 PZ, 16-25 2.8, and 3rd part we have a bunch of options. Tough to decide for some of us. New ones are all 1/2 the price of the GM II.
Just my personal suggestion. The 24-70 2.8 (Sigma/Gmaster) should really be your first lens. It will give you a greater degree of versatility with great low light performance.
Is there any lens that is similar to this one just for the Canon EOS 700D Series? Im flying to Island and want to take some good pictures. Appreciate the advice
No idea about Canon cameras unfortunately! However from what I hear, this lens is a bit of an anomaly and doesn't really exist on the other systems (an F4 16-35 PZ)
Any chance you can tell what is the difference between this and the ZA OSS 16-35? I have the lattar at the moment and not really happy with the image quality, would this be a bump up?
This definitely seems like a great and useful lens but I'm really curious how your thoughts might have changed after the release of the smaller, lighter, brighter, and much cheaper Tamron 20-40 f/2.8
@@takoflame4948 How? While shooting RAW, the image correction seems to be turned off. Please tell me how to do it. It'll be of great help. Thanks lot in advance.
Are there any advantages this lens has over the 24-105 F4? Besides the up close shots at 16mm I would think the 24-105 should be able to achieve the same shots and more?
The difference in 16mm and 24mm is astronomical, no way possible could you achieve the same shots. However, the 24-105 (or 24-70) is the better focal range to purchase first, and then I would say this lens is a pretty close second if it suits your style
Wider angle, compact size, internal zoom, power zoom for video. Don't know how overall image quality stacks up but lots of usability differences for sure
Too bad, I wish you did photo shoots assign in China. There are so many amazing places for landscape photographers and so many people from different ethnical minorities communities for portrait photographers.
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I was pleasantly surprised by this lens, I bought it for a euro trip, I was a bit hesitant of the f4 and night shots, but mixed with the a7iv I got some of the best night shots ive ever gotten! the zoom is great to have as well both for video and photography... great lens !
My dream kit is:
16-35 PZ (light and small)
24mm f1.4 GM (sharp and bright aperture)
35-150 f2-2.8 Tamron (great all rounder)
85mm f1.4 Sigma art (great portrait)
300mm f2.8 (not super long telephoto but still f2.8)
200-600mm G (super tele zoom)
It’s an amazing set up. I’m using the following…
Sony
16-35PZ
24 1.4
Tamron
35-150
Sigma
85 1.4
Tamron
150-500
Everything is covered.
Keep shooting!
Great Video! I agree with you, I have given up on heavy fast glass and going with lenses like this that are small, versatile and high quality. After getting over my own snobbery of having f1.4 lenses that sit at home due to weight, I'm really pleased with this PZ16-35. Keeping my 35mm f1.8 for lowlight and when I want more background blur.
Great video, I was torn between the 20mm f1.8 and the 16-35mm f4 PZ and your video helped me make the move to the PZ. I shoot mostly street, travel, and landscape but want to start doing some video as well and this lens seems to handle both areas of shooting nicely. thanks
i have the 10-20mm pz (the apsc version) of this lens. it's served me really well. they say it doesn't do well at night, but shoot at night all the time and i find no issues
Do you use it on crop mode/super-35mm or on an APS-C camera? Thank you!
Excellent video! Thanks for sharing.
I recommend this lens over the 16-35/2.8 GM II. Why? Because it is A LOT SMALLER and you are unlikely to need a wide aperture in a wide angle zoom. You are unlikely to need or have the opportunity to blur the background at these angles. You are also likely to be able to use longer exposures for the landscapes you are shooting. Pack this along with the 20-70/4 G or 24-70/2.8 GM II, and an 85/1.8 Batis, 85/1.4 GM or 100/2.8 STF prime for portraits and you are generally set.
Could you elaborate more on the “likely to be able to use longer exposures” part please?
@@damiansealsUh, usually landscapes don't move, so even in low light or in darkness you can put your camera on a tripod and use exposures many seconds long. In less extreme scenarios, you can shoot a sharp landscape with 1/4 sec exposures hand held with in body Image stabilization because the focal length is short and because the subject is still. You can't really do that with portraits, animals, street photography, etc. One a bright day, you usually shoot landscapes at F8 or (F22 if you want the sunburst) anyway. Hence, a fast aperture for the purpose of low light performance is not anywhere near as important in a wide angle zoom than in a standatd or tele-zoom. For this reason I have always favored small aperture, compact, wide angles lenses over bulky, wide aperture ones. I care about optical performance but not aperture size when it comes to wide angle zooms and the PZ16-35/4 offers exactly that -- very high image quality, very compact size.
--
Even back in the days of manual focus primes on film SLRs, I have always complained about the Contax MM mount Zeiss 21/2.8 Distagon T* being too big and I'd have very much preferred a 21/4 that is half the size. Unfortunately, nobody made one that is high quality.
thank you so much, that helps a lot!
What about the 16-28 sigma? Is 16-35 f4 still good?
Disagree completely with OP. I own and shoot extensively with the lens being reviewed here. It's a deliciously sharp and high contrast lens, and internal zoom is great. The issue with it when shooting landscape is that the focus ring and zoom ring are super close together and it's easy to bump one when turning the other. Also it's a pain to look down at the zoom ring and have no idea what focal length you are at, and not get a hard stop at the end either zooming in or out. And fine tuning focal length is not great because of zoom by wire. It's these handling issues which is why I'm about to trade for the GM2. If I shot video I'd stick with the PZ, but I do landscape and I really want the GM2 over the PZ. The GM2 is heavier, but not much heavier, and a decent weight saving from the GM1
I'm considering also Tamron 20-40mm F2.8. Have you got any comparison on field :)? It is also small and bright. I'm thinking about one lens for all :) for my A7C
He's a sony ambassador and can only recommend Sony lenses lol
unfortunately even if i could use that lens, 20mm is definitely not wide enough for me on the wider end, so honestly, i probably wouldn't give this lens the time of day
@Pat Kay Try out the 12-24 GM lol!
thanks for a good and concise summary
What was the nd filter that you had on for this lens ?
Have you used this lens street shooting around Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka at NIGHT hand held and if so was f4 adequate without excessive ISO above say up to 6400..? I should add that I have the Sony FE 20mm f1.8 and Tamron 20-40mm f2.8 just looking for something a wee bit wider of decent quality still usable in low light on a IBIS FF body. Focal length overlap is fine. Looking to pick up the A7CII later this year and compact low weight is a priority for me. For travel street use mainly. I'm mostly a stills shooter but may venture into video. The GM seems too heavy/pricey for my needs given other lenses I already own. I have been visiting Japan for thirty years. Great review. Thank you in advance.
I have unconciously been watching video about 16-35mm f4 for several months. Although i have 20-70mm f4 G lens, i realized that i keep coming to the 16-35mm. I don’t say 20-70mm is not good, it is a great do-it-all lens. But there is just 16-35mm that is just keep calling me.. finally i traded my 20-70mm for 16-35mm PZ.. really happy to own it. To my surprise with ZVE1 you can zoom it further to 52mm. This lens completes my need. I have Meike 85mm lens, if i have a craving for bokeh..
I ordered the 20-70mm lens but after reading your comment, cancelled it and I was thinking I would save some bucks if I go with this one, but in my mind, 16-35 was the choice. Thanks, I was initially going with the primes. But I guess I will use this one for travelling and for portraits I will get 50mm 2.5g later on.
@@gauravmalhotra6628 wow great for you sir.. how is your experience with the lens.
Thank you! I’ve been using the Zeiss 16-35 which is ok (actually very good for what I paid for it). This looks like my next logical step - seems like it would be great for gimbal use too.
I had this lens and 2470 gm for a shoot with Sony a1. 95% of the shoot I completed with PZ didn’t even fell like reaching for the GM. It’s sharp and lightweight, magic in gimbal cause of the weight advantage lol.
Honestly, this lens plus the 24-70GMII has been my go-to combo all year.
@@patkay and I got it from Amazon for 950$ idk why, but rates are up now😂
@@justketh4298 24-70GMII?
@@takoflame4948 nah man still got the OG GM. Thinking of upgrading eventually, right now struck with a1 payments lol 😂
Is this lense compatible with the SC ronin gimble?
I love your hard case arrangement :)
first video I see from you and jus subscribed, is perhaps the most credible and practical review thet I've seen ib a while, I am buying the Sony A7CII and was looking for a good light lens to pair it, looks like this one may be the one
This one or the 16-25mm 2.8 lens? TIA
How does this compare to the Sigma 16-28 f2.8? Great video btw.
Been looking at this lens for long. Thanks for helping me make up my mind.
great video, thanks! are the colors from this lens that faded or it's your postproduction?
If you could only keep the 20mm or this one, which?
Thank you!
thanks for watching!
wow, this just convinced me to trade my 16-35GM for this lens. Especially for gimbal use. Thannk you!
that's why i replaced it with my 16:35 f2.8 GM, main reason weight video and for portrait i use 24-70gm2 so 16 35gm is no longer good for me and when it goes for group portrait i shoot at f7
May I know where you can get those lens cap labels?
Thanks for a high quality video. Many reviewers have commented on the distortion at 16mm. How much of an issue is this? Can you comment on how easy is it to correct in post for video, eg Davinci Resolve? Many thanks
Thanks for your opinion! I currently have the 35mm GM and the 85mm 1.8 and I would love something wide. Would you recommend this lens to someone that already has a 35mm? I’m also considering the the 20mm G or the 24mm GM. Having the option to go as wide as 16mm sounds amazing though.
Go with the 20m g. You won’t be disappointed.
Great video! I’d love to know your thoughts on the 16-35PZ vs 16-25G
So lets sum up: Sony FE PZ 16-35mm F4 G better than Sony 16-35mm F2.8 GMaster? How is ur ranking already? 85mm GM, 16-35mm F4 G and 24-70 GM2? Regards!
Right now: 24-70GMII, 16-35G, 24/35GM, then 85GM/70-200GMII
@@patkay Im very surprised by the first choice!
“Dang, this thing sharp”
That’s all you needed to say for most people 😂
😂 honestly, not even lying
Hey Pat thanks for the great video. I'm curious what your thoughts are on this lens vs the GM II 16-35?
I don’t even have Sony, and I was engaged the whole time! 😂
I returned this lens. I tried using it for interior photography, hoping for a better coating. Turned out its flare resistance is worse than Zeiss 16-35’s. And operating the zoom was very annoying. It was sharper though, but it doesn’t matter that much in interior photography. So I’m waiting for the new 16-35GM II instead.
I've found flare resistance to be impressive. You are right about the handling though - terrible to handle. I am going to go for the GM2 and sell the PZ one just for improved handling, and going from 7 aperture blades to 11 for better sun stars.
Which ND filter size are you using on this? I'm asking since I want to find out whether a 82mm filter with step up ring will create a vignette. Thanks!
Great lens,also love its bigger brother for video work on the FX6.Definitely price performance.
Heavily considering this lens but am also apprehensive as I wonder if or when the 16-35GM version 2 will be released? Wouldn't suppose you're at liberty to shine any light on this possibility, are you? Also, huge fan and I love your work.
I'm waiting on it as much as you are! I'm sure I'll like that one better than this if the weight and the size is right. Seeing as the last 16-35GM was released in 2017, hopefully they release a MKII soon.
A rumor was posted saying the 16-35 GMii could be coming next year. Possible announcement at CP+ in February. Hoping it’s true but time will tell
Which one lens do you prefer for travel 20-70 f4 or 16-35 f4 PZ with ZV E1?
I'm 90% convinced on getting the 20-70mm f/4 G, is there any reason to choose this instead?
If you want something wider than 20mm, otherwise the 20-70 is a lot more versatile if you are only having one lens
great review, thanks for comparing to the gmaster
Solid points as to why to choose this lens, but have you compared this lens to the Tamron 20-40 f2.8?
He is affiliated with Sony so he’s not gonna spotlight 3rd party lenses. A few other RUclipsrs did comparison videos though.
@@matthewriley3778 Mmm, thanks for that detail. Didn't know. Will look for comparisons here on RUclips.
20mm not wide enough and 40mm is just weird.
This lens, or a 16-35 GM version 1? Their used price is in a similar range.. what should I get?
GM I is 1500-1600 brand new, but it seems with the 16-35 PZ, 16-25 2.8, and 3rd part we have a bunch of options. Tough to decide for some of us. New ones are all 1/2 the price of the GM II.
Help my plane is delayed lol
lell at least you can delay your landing time then
Go home
guess I know what my first full frame lens will be. thanks for the not-a-review, dude!
what a very worthy first full frame lens
Just my personal suggestion. The 24-70 2.8 (Sigma/Gmaster) should really be your first lens. It will give you a greater degree of versatility with great low light performance.
@@Phoenixrider9241 I would second this, probably the most versatile lens out there. You can pick one up for about $1100 now that the V2 came out.
I always love your videos! I may consider the f4 RF version for my canon. The smaller size is appealing
can we use zoom function with gimbal ?
Yes. On dji you can
Oooft I think this will be my next purchase. Sounds really good
haha you've won enough lenses recently mate
@@patkay hey hey. One win isn't enough
Is there any lens that is similar to this one just for the Canon EOS 700D Series? Im flying to Island and want to take some good pictures. Appreciate the advice
No idea about Canon cameras unfortunately! However from what I hear, this lens is a bit of an anomaly and doesn't really exist on the other systems (an F4 16-35 PZ)
Helpppp!! 12-24 or 16-35pz???
My works is mainly on gimbal, more into sports.
Any chance you can tell what is the difference between this and the ZA OSS 16-35? I have the lattar at the moment and not really happy with the image quality, would this be a bump up?
this one is sharper, smaller/lighter and the power zoom is great
ZA a good lens. Maybe u had bad copy
This definitely seems like a great and useful lens but I'm really curious how your thoughts might have changed after the release of the smaller, lighter, brighter, and much cheaper Tamron 20-40 f/2.8
You can't compare 16mm to 20mm they are completely different.
Noiiiiice 🎉
you're noice
How are you dealing with the enormous amount of distortion this lens has, while shooting RAW?
it doesn't have very much distortion if you're using the inbuilt corrections.
@@patkay Can I use inbuilt correction while shooting RAW? As far as I know it only applies while shooting in JPEG format.
@@dattasagnik yes
@@takoflame4948 How? While shooting RAW, the image correction seems to be turned off.
Please tell me how to do it. It'll be of great help. Thanks lot in advance.
@@dattasagnik Shading comp is baked into the RAW. Other corrections are embedded into the EXIF headers and picked up in Lightroom.
Are there any advantages this lens has over the 24-105 F4? Besides the up close shots at 16mm I would think the 24-105 should be able to achieve the same shots and more?
The difference in 16mm and 24mm is astronomical, no way possible could you achieve the same shots.
However, the 24-105 (or 24-70) is the better focal range to purchase first, and then I would say this lens is a pretty close second if it suits your style
Wider angle, compact size, internal zoom, power zoom for video. Don't know how overall image quality stacks up but lots of usability differences for sure
If only it had a 67mm filter thread 😢
Too bad, I wish you did photo shoots assign in China. There are so many amazing places for landscape photographers and so many people from different ethnical minorities communities for portrait photographers.
No, its all YOU need. I dont.
love the friendship rep cap from @currentlyhannah 😄
gotta rep the homies