The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Zeiss Otus 50mm f1.4 and the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS 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 50mm f1.4 is the longer of the two lenses at 100mm. The Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS with a length of 30mm, is 70mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Zeiss Otus 50mm f1.4 also has a larger diameter of 77mm compared to the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS'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 weighs 116g, 82% (561g) lighter than the Zeiss Otus 50mm f1.4's weight of 677g.
Filter Threads
The Zeiss Otus 50mm f1.4 has a filter size of 67mm whereas the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS 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 50mm f1.4:
And these are the 41mm filters that we recommend for the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS:
Lens Mounts
Both the Zeiss Otus 50mm f1.4 and the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS 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 50mm f1.4 is also available in the Canon RF and Nikon Z mounts.
Focal Range
Zeiss Otus 50mm f1.4 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 50mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
75mm.
On the other hand, the Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS 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.
