The new Sony 16-35mm f/4 G PZ lens delivers outstanding performance and control in the world’s lightest full-frame wide-angle power-zoom lens with a constant f/4 aperture. First impressions of the new lens are rolling out and reviewers are talking about its evolved image quality, high performance AF and superior operability. See more of their thoughts in our review roundup below – pre-order for the new lens will be available HERE.

First impressions of the new Sony 16-35mm f/4 G PZ lens are rolling out and reviewers are talking about its evolved image quality, high performance AF and superior operability.

DPReview TV

“Regardless of where you shoot this lens in the focal length, it has very flat field focus, almost no field curvature here. So if I focus in the center wide open, the corners are still very sharp. I don’t necessarily need to focus there to get better results. So overall very pleased with the optical performance of this lens. So my final call on this lens is that it’s pretty excellent.” – Chris Niccolls

Gerald Undone

“Really for the size of this lens, it’s fully loaded with every sort of switch and lever and stuff you’d expect to have on it. I’m really surprised they were able to fit that power zoom XD floating rail gun zoom system in such a small lens.” – Gerald Undone

DSLR Video Shooter

"If you are a documentary filmmaker or a studio shooter who wants control wirelessly over those incredible smooth zooms that are only possible with this linear power zoom motor, I think going forward this is really going to be a sleeper for Sony full frame cameras." – Caleb Pike

Mark Galer

“We have the three rings – we have the focusing ring, the zoom ring and the aperture ring. Now obviously you don’t have to use one or all of these. You can of course use auto focus and you can use the auto aperture control to control the aperture from the camera side, but it does give flexibility for those photographers who need it. So it is certainly compact with that three-ring control for focus and it’s surprising how little weight this carries having all of those additional features.” – Mark Galer

Jeven Dovey

“If you’re someone who does vlog-style content where you’ll holding the camera out an arm-stretch away, this lens is probably the most ideal lens that you can get for something like the Alpha 7S III or Alpha 7C. It’s just such a good size because it’s not heavy and it feels just like I’m using my 20mm f/1.8 which is my go-to lens for when I’m doing vlog-style content. Personally, I’m going to order this lens as soon as it's available because this is going to be my go-to lens when I’m out filming for my YouTube Channel and it’s a lens I’m going to keep in my bag pretty much anywhere I go.” – Jeven Dovey

ZY Cheng

“For this lens to be able to offer the amount of value it does, it has to be an f/4. This lens is very much defined by its mobility, so as much as we’ve been spoiled by big, bright primes, there is no denying how useful a lens like this could be.” – ZY Cheng

Jessops

“One of the things I absolutely love about this lens is its focal length. You’ve got that 16mm super wide angle which is perfect for your landscapes, your architecture, your property types of shots and anything else you want to shoot with it. And then you can zoom all the way into 35mm for that really natural perspective. So that’s great for things like portraits, pictures of the family, pets and kind of other everyday stuff. And let’s not forget the other focal lengths in between. It’s also absolutely brilliant for video.” – Lizzie

Jacques Crafford

“One thing I immediately noticed was that the autofocus performs especially well on the zoom shots, where I usually struggle with lenses that zoom manually. That’s because the lens automatically compensates for the focus in relation to how much you zoom.” – Jacques Crafford

B&H Photo Video

“For such a small lens, the control of the zoom is quite impressive. You can use the normal zoom ring as you’d expect, an on-lens zoom lever and, when using a camera like the FX3, and on-camera zoom lever as well.” – Doug Guerra

“So while the new PZ 16-35mm produces fantastic images and video, perhaps what’s so fascinating about this lens is how versatile it is for such a small size. And the kinds of possibilities that this opens up for shooters who like to stick with as minimal a rig as possible. Coupled with pretty much any Sony mirrorless body, and thanks to the constant f/4 aperture, you’ve got the wide end covered better than ever.” – Doug Guerra

TheCameraStoreTV

"After using it for a while here, I’m really enjoying the size and weight of it first and foremost. It balances really well. Today I’m using the Alpha 7R IV which is a fantastic body for this because it really shows that resolution that this lens is capable of producing. And the edge-to-edge sharpness I’m getting with this lens is very pleasing, I’m very happy about that. Now the power zoom, I’m not really noticing it too much and that’s a big bonus because I think Sony has done a great job with implementing their power zoom to make it something that for even a guy like me, who’s more of a traditional manual zoom kind of guy, I can really appreciate the functionality of it.” – Dave Paul

Adorama

“Not only is it sharp, but Sony has done a ton of work to suppress focus breathing. It will even hold focus while zooming. It makes it great for trick shots like dolly zooms. Sony really nailed it with this lens. Between its compact form factor, power zoom and razor sharp optics, they’ve created a lens capable of tackling nearly anything you can throw at it.” – Cooper Naitove

Wilkinson Cameras

“When mounted on a gimbal, it will make videographers' workflow so much easier because you won’t need to re-balance your gimbal when you change focal lengths. It also means that city and street photographers can be more discreet with their presence with a smaller and more compact kit that isn’t too in your face.” – Olivia

Wex Photo Video 

“There are so many different ways to make use of this power zoom, even if it’s not something you use every day. Having it in your kit bag as your 16-35mm f/4 and being able to use it in maybe that event space when you’ve got it in on your second camera is really, really useful.” – Amy

ProAV TV

“This new 16-35mm f/4 is small and lightweight, so easy to put on a gimbal. It gives you manual aperture control with a dedicated IRIS ring, improved image quality over their previous option and it gives full power zoom functionality with very fast and responsive control, as well as those smooth slow movements when they’re needed. I think this lens has a lot going for it.” – Carl Yates

London Camera Exchange

“This is a smaller and lighter lens than the previous models. And with the latest autofocus system, edge-to-edge sharpness, and that XD linear power zoom, this is definitely something that hybrid, stills and video content creators should check out.”