The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sony E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS and the Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake 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 E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS is the longer of the two lenses at 60mm. The Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake with a length of 23mm, is 37mm shorter. On the other hand, there is no difference between the max diameters of these lenses, both coming at 62mm.
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, 65% (140g) lighter than the Sony E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS's weight of 214g.
Filter Threads
Both the Sony E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS and the Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake have the same Filter thread size of 49mm.
Below are links to the 49mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
Both the Sony E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS and the Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake has the same Sony E lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony A6700, Sony FX30 and Sony ZV-E10.
Focal Range
Sony E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS has a focal range of 18-55mm and
3.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
27-82.5mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the 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.