The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake and the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Sony 500mm F4 G SSM is the longer of the two lenses at 368mm. The Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake with a length of 23mm, is 345mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM also has a larger diameter of 140mm compared to the Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake's 62mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake weighs 74g, which means it is 3386g (97%) lighter than the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM which has a weight of 3460g.
Filter Threads
The Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake has a filter size of 49mm whereas the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM has a 42mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 49mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake:
And these are the 42mm filters that we recommend for the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM:
Lens Mounts
The Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake has the Sony E lens mount whereas the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM has the Sony Alpha lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Sony ZV-E10 II, Sony A6700 and Sony FX30 for the Sony E Mount and Sony A99 II, Sony A68 and Sony A77 II for the Sony Alpha Mount.
Focal Range
Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 16mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
24mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Sony 500mm F4 G SSM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 500mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 750mm.
