SELP1650
2.8
5
4
4
"Good" lens for everyday shooter
I bought a NEX-6 that came with this lens. I LOVE the NEX-6, but only like this lens. I never use it unless I want a camera and have no room for a camera bag. It is convenient at best... and frustrating at worst. Distortion correction is ALWAYS ON with this lens... that alone should tell you something. I like it for photography and hate it for video. I get strange lookin pincushion distortion that ruins my panning shots when in video mode. It operates reasonably distortion-free once you zoom to 22mm or further. Having the wide end of this lens to use is nice when you can't take a step back, but anything beyond 22mm should be ok if you have any straight lines to keep straight. Like most E-Mount lenses, you are paying for compactness and convenience, if you want high-quality optics for your NEX, get the LA-EA1 for photo or the LA-EA2 for video.
March 12, 2013
Don't bother if you have an original NEX5
I preordered it a couple of months ago and it just arrived from Sony.ca this week. The images produced by the lens (except when zoomed in all the way) have some of the worst distortion and barreling I have seen. All of the newer NEX cameras have had firmware updates adding in body distortion correction to JPEG images so this is really only a problem for those of us that adopted early and don?t want to spend $700 on a new camera. While there are sel1650 profiles to correct RAW images in lightroom, that is not really a solution to the problem (especially if you want to snap jpegs).
It takes digging through several layers of the support website (and not on the sales part of the website) to find out that the SEL1650 may result in ?Shading in the corners or distortion may be visible at the lens' widest position? on the original NEX. What an understatement. This Information was nowhere to be found when I ordered the lens. Absolutely shocking that Sony could not build this lens to support a camera (the original NEX5) that is less than 3 years old. Sony supported the original NEX5 for 18 months of firmware updates and then simply stopped. They left out the feature that is now available in all of the newer cameras that make this lens passable (in camera distortion correction for JPEG images). They should at least offer a very good trade-in program for those that own the earliest NEX models want to be able to use the newest lenses - but they don't.
February 15, 2013
Excellent travel lens
Bought this with a 5r body to replace a canon dslr camera mostly because its easy to carry and a slimmer profile. The photographs i have taken with the sony camera are exceptional...I'm an amateur photographer but demand superior results...and a forgiving camera that can decide what settings are appropriate. I have shot over 3000 pics with this lens and am extremely satisfied with what I see and its the easiest camera/lens combo I've ever travelled with. One disappointment was when the camera was accidentally knocked off a low shelf and it dropped perhaps 18" onto a carpeted floor. The lens is now unusable, and yes, it did fall, but this happens, has happened with other cameras and they were banged up...but still worked. That said, as soon as I can get a replacement I will definitely buy it again, no question.
January 21, 2013
Got 2 versions 1 silver 1 black SELP1650
I tried both lens on both the NEX-5N and my NEX-5R and it works, but the quality control will be an issue, the silver one was not as sharp nor is the OSS working properly with either camera. Compared to the black version it is a noticeable difference in that the OSS works and it is sharper than the silver one. However, compared to my SEL1855 I will have to disagree with the reviews that are currently out stating that the SELP1650 is a sharper better picture taking lens than my SEL1855 it is not, at lease my copies of the SELP1650s. You will have to be careful and hope your version that you get is better than your SEL1855. I kept the black one and sold the silver version already, until I come across another silver version that is equal or better than my black SELP1650 as my NEX 5R and 5N is silver..
December 17, 2012
