APS-C WA Lens Shootout: Sony E16/2.8 Vs Pentax DA16-45/4 @16mm

Look at the following large sized pictures (Click to Enlarge in a New Tab/Window; EXIF remains intact):-

Scene 1:-

Aperture	E16 on NEX-3	DA16-45 on K-r
f/4
f/5.6
f/8
f/11

Scene 2:-

Aperture	E16 on NEX-3	DA16-45 on K-r
f/4
f/5.6
f/8
f/11

Some observations:-

For the DA16-45..

1. Optimal centre resolution achieved near f/5.6 and up to f/8 (far objects are resolved better than closer objects for smaller apertures). And, f/11 is worse than f/4 owing to diffraction, possibly;

2. Corner sharpness is not good for all apertures. In general, with the increased DoF, the corner sharpness could be improved somehow and resolution is more in line with the centre at f/8 and f/11.

For the E16..

3. Optimal centre resolution achieved near f/5.6 and up to f/8 (far objects are resolved better than closer objects for smaller apertures). And, f/11 is much worse than f/4 owing to diffraction, possibly and for some other factors as well;

4. Corner sharpness is fairly good for all apertures. In general, with the increased DoF, the corner sharpness could be improved somehow and resolution is more in line with the centre at f/8 and f/11.

In Comparison..

5. The optimal centre resolutions of the DA16-45 and the E16 are pretty close, close to f/5.6 and up to f/8;

6. The corner sharpness of the E16 is better than that of the DA16-45 regardless of aperture used;

7. The f/11 of the E16 could be worse than the f/11 of the DA16-45, whereas the f/4 of the E16 is similar to the f/4 of the DA16-45 (putting aside the inferior corner sharpness of the DA lens);

8. The E16 has even more noticeable CAs than the already famous-for-the-CA DA16-45 lens! :-o (This is possibly caused by the high incident angle of light falling onto the sensor of the NEX (of which the back register distance of the E-mount is very short in 18mm);

9. The colour rendition of the Pentax system is somehow more faithful and pleasing as a whole package! (No matter how I tuned the NEX, I could NOT get better colours than what I can get from the Pentax system! :-( And, I should crank up the saturation of the K-r for one step for a closer match, though.)


Previous Related:-

NEX-3 Vs K-x Full ISO Shootout (Controlled Test)

My Ten Reasons to Buy the NEX-3 Over the NEX-5! :-)

Sony NEX-5 VS Pentax K-x ISO/IQ Shootout (Dual Scenes)

Sony NEX-5 and NEX-3 Hands-on Impressions / Quick Review