The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Zeiss Otus 35mm f1.4 and the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS II 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. Zeiss Otus 35mm f1.4 is the longer of the two lenses at 101mm. The Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS II with a length of 30mm, is 71mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Zeiss Otus 35mm f1.4 also has a larger diameter of 77mm compared to the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS II's 65mm 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 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS II weighs 107g, 84% (591g) lighter than the Zeiss Otus 35mm f1.4's weight of 698g.
Filter Threads
The Zeiss Otus 35mm f1.4 has a filter size of 67mm whereas the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS II has a 41mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 67mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Zeiss Otus 35mm f1.4:
And these are the 41mm filters that we recommend for the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS II:
Lens Mounts
Both the Zeiss Otus 35mm f1.4 and the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS II has the same Sony E lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony FX5, Sony A7R VI and Sony A7 V.
Zeiss Otus 35mm f1.4 is also available in the Nikon Z and Canon RF mounts.
Focal Range
Zeiss Otus 35mm f1.4 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 35mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
52.5mm.
On the other hand, the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS II has a focal range of 16-50mm and 3.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 24-75mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
