Sony Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II Specs & DoF

16–35 mm

Focal length

f/2.8

Maximum aperture

107°–63°

Diagonal angle of view (Full frame)

Full frame

Designed for

2.2×

Zoom ratio

Specifications#

Brand: Sony
Model: Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II
Lens type: Wide-angle zoom
Focal length: 16–35 mm
Maximum aperture: f/2.8
Image circle: Full frame (36×24 mm)
Mount(s): Sony / Minolta A-mount
Projection: Rectilinear
Autofocus motor: SuperSonic (SSM)
Lensfun correction profile: Yes — distortion/vignetting/TCA

Equivalent focal length on different cameras#

Field of view and depth-of-field equivalence when this lens is used on bodies with different sensor sizes (natively or via an adapter).

Camera format	At 16 mm	At 24 mm	At 35 mm	Equiv. aperture (DoF)
Full frame	16 mm · 107°	24 mm · 84°	35 mm · 63°	f/2.8
APS-C	24 mm · 83°	36 mm · 61°	52 mm · 44°	f/4.2
APS-C (Canon)	26 mm · 80°	38 mm · 58°	56 mm · 42°	f/4.5
Micro Four Thirds	32 mm · 68°	48 mm · 49°	70 mm · 34°	f/5.6

Depth of field & background blur#

Computed on its native Full frame format (CoC 30 µm). “Blur @2 m” is the size of an out-of-focus point at infinity, as a percentage of frame width, with the subject at 2 m — a simple bokeh index. Full table: 16 mm f/2.8 on full frame.

Focal	Aperture	at 1 m	at 2 m	at 5 m	at 10 m	Hyperfocal	Blur @2 m
16 mm	f/2.8	72.1 cm	4.52 m	∞	∞	3.06 m	0.1%
16 mm	f/4	1.17 m	27.5 m	∞	∞	2.15 m	0.1%
16 mm	f/8	12.4 m	∞	∞	∞	1.08 m	0.0%
24 mm	f/2.8	29.1 cm	1.26 m	15.3 m	∞	6.88 m	0.3%
24 mm	f/4	42.4 cm	1.98 m	∞	∞	4.82 m	0.2%
24 mm	f/8	97.4 cm	10.2 m	∞	∞	2.42 m	0.1%
35 mm	f/2.8	13.3 cm	54.9 cm	3.85 m	25.6 m	14.6 m	0.6%
35 mm	f/4	19.1 cm	80.0 cm	6.37 m	414 m	10.2 m	0.4%
35 mm	f/8	39.2 cm	1.81 m	181 m	∞	5.14 m	0.2%

Handheld & night-sky limits#

NPF assumes typical 20–24 MP sensors (≈6 µm pixels on full frame, ≈3.9 µm on APS-C, ≈3.3 µm on Micro Four Thirds).

Body	Min. handheld shutter (longest focal)	500 rule at 16 mm	NPF at 16 mm, f/2.8
Full frame	1/40 s	31 s	17 s
APS-C	1/50 s	21 s	13 s
APS-C (Canon)	1/60 s	20 s	13 s
Micro Four Thirds	1/80 s	16 s	12 s

Compatible cameras#

Bodies in our database with a native Sony / Minolta A-mount mount.

Adapt it to other systems#

Sony E-mount Canon RF Nikon Z Fujifilm X-mount Micro Four Thirds L-Mount Canon EF-M Fujifilm G-mount Hasselblad XCD Nikon 1 (CX)Pentax Q Samsung NX Canon EF Nikon F

Similar lenses#

Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX DG Aspherical HSM f/2.8–4
Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG f/2.8–4
Sigma 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX DG Aspherical f/3.5–4.5
Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD f/2.8
Tokina 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-235 II f/3.5–4.5
Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM f/4.5–5.6
Tamron SP AF 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) f/4.5–5.6
Tokina AF 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX f/2.8
Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II (11-16mm f/2.8) f/2.8
Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM f/3.5
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC f/4–5.6
Tamron SP AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) f/3.5–4.5

Frequently asked questions#

Is the Sony Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II full frame?

Yes — it covers the full 36 × 24 mm frame.

What is the Sony Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II equivalent to on APS-C?

On a 1.5× APS-C body it frames like 24–52 mm, and like 26–56 mm on Canon APS-C.

What is the Sony Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II good for?

As a wide-angle zoom it suits landscapes, architecture, interiors and astrophotography.

Sources & licences#

Lensfun lens database — CC BY-SA 3.0