Samsung NX 16 50mm F2 0 2 8 S ED OIS Review | 54 Data compared

The ePHOTOzine review gives the Samsung S 16-50mm f/2-2.8 ED OIS lens a "Recommended" rating for its bright, unique aperture and excellent central sharpness, particularly at the wide end. Key pros include an effective 4-stop image stabilization, fast autofocus, and the useful iFunction button. However, the lens is noted for being quite large, heavy, and expensive, with noticeable sharpness drop-off at 50mm and high chromatic aberrations at 16mm/f2. A notable con is the lack of full-time manual focus override, requiring a physical switch toggle for adjustments.

The Samsung 16-50 mm f/2-2.8 ED OIS is an exceptionally bright, professional-grade zoom lens designed specifically for Samsung's NX mount, serving as a perfect companion for the high-end NX1 and mid-range NX30 cameras. Moving far beyond a standard 18-55 kit lens, it delivers outstanding optical and mechanical quality, exceptionally high resolution that reaches clearly into the corners, and beautiful bokeh suitable for portraits and product photography. It is equipped with advanced iFn technology—allowing users to repurpose the distance ring to adjust settings like ISO, aperture, or shutter speed—along alongside a rapid stepper focus motor and built-in image stabilization. The lens boasts several distinct pros, including its solid build quality, superb sharpness even at its widest apertures, and excellent control over vignetting and chromatic aberration across the zoom range. However, it does come with a few notable cons, such as its large 96 mm length, heavy 620-gram weight, and lack of a weather-sealing rubber ring on the lens mount. Optically, the most significant drawback is pronounced distortion and hula-hoop-like skewing at the 16 mm wide-angle setting, which requires in-camera or software...

On the downside, the lens struggles significantly with chromatic aberration, particularly in the corners at the 16mm focal length when shooting raw images without camera profile corrections. Corner sharpness is also somewhat soft at wider apertures, requiring the lens to be stopped down to f/4 or f/5.6 to achieve near tack-sharp results across the frame. Physical drawbacks include a bulky, heavy design weighing 622 grams—nearly triple the weight of the standard 18-55mm kit lens—and a complete lack of distance or depth-of-field scales. Finally, with a retail price of around $1,100 and a low 0.19x magnification ratio at a 30cm minimum focus distance, it is both an expensive investment and a poor choice for macro photography.

The Samsung 16-50mm F2-2.8 S ED OIS is a premium, dust- and weather-resistant zoom lens designed for Samsung's NX mount, often bundled with the NX1 or sold separately for 1299€. It stands out for its high-quality construction using metal and premium plastics, a rubber-sealed bayonet mount, and highly responsive zoom and focus rings. Performance-wise, it offers incredibly fast and quiet autofocus tracking suitable for action photography, alongside a robust optical image stabilisation (OIS) system that provides an advantage of two to three stops—allowing sharp handheld shots down to 0.3 seconds. Optically, the lens delivers strong contrast, excellent central sharpness between 16mm and 28mm, smoothly rendered "creamy" bokeh from its nine rounded blades, and minimal vignetting or longitudinal chromatic aberration. However, the lens has several distinct drawbacks, particularly regarding its physical footprint and long-focal-length performance. It is exceptionally bulky and heavy, being roughly three times the size and six times the weight of standard kit lenses, making it poorly balanced on smaller bodies like the NX500 and causing handling discomfort on the NX30. Sharpness drops off drastically from 35mm to 50mm,...

The Samsung 16-50mm f/2-2.8 S ED OIS is a premium, professional-grade lens for the NX mirrorless system, featuring a fast variable aperture, excellent center sharpness, effective optical image stabilization, and a rugged, weather-resistant build. It provides a superior, wide-aperture alternative to standard kit lenses, catering to high-end shooting requirements. However, the lens is notably large, heavy, and expensive ($1,299.99 MSRP), which can cause handling issues on smaller bodies. Performance compromises include reduced edge sharpness at the 50mm setting, significant barrel distortion at 16mm, and noticeable color fringing.

The PCMag review characterizes the Samsung 16-50mm f/2-2.8 S ED OIS as a premium, robust, and dust-resistant lens featuring an exceptionally bright f/2-2.8 aperture and sharp, stabilized performance. Despite its high-end optical quality and close-focus capability, the lens is described as a heavy, expensive option for the NX system. The review notes significant drawbacks, including visible barrel distortion at the 16mm setting, chromatic aberration, and a front-heavy design, resulting in an "excellent" rating tempered by its high cost.