Nikon Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR Specs & DoF

16–50 mm

Focal length

f/3.5–6.3

Maximum aperture

83°–32°

Diagonal angle of view (APS-C)

APS-C

Designed for

3.1×

Zoom ratio

Specifications#

Brand: Nikon
Model: Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR
Lens type: Standard zoom
Focal length: 16–50 mm
Maximum aperture: f/3.5–6.3
Image circle: APS-C (23.5×15.6 mm)
Mount(s): Nikon Z
Projection: Rectilinear
Stabilisation: Yes (optical)
Lensfun correction profile: Yes — distortion/vignetting/TCA

Equivalent focal length on different cameras#

Field of view and depth-of-field equivalence when this lens is used on bodies with different sensor sizes (natively or via an adapter).

Camera format	At 16 mm	At 28 mm	At 50 mm	Equiv. aperture (DoF)
APS-C	24 mm · 83°	42 mm · 53°	75 mm · 32°	f/5.2
APS-C (Canon)	26 mm · 80°	45 mm · 51°	80 mm · 30°	f/5.6
Micro Four Thirds	32 mm · 68°	56 mm · 42°	100 mm · 24°	f/7.0

Depth of field & background blur#

Computed on its native APS-C format (CoC 20 µm). “Blur @2 m” is the size of an out-of-focus point at infinity, as a percentage of frame width, with the subject at 2 m — a simple bokeh index. Full table: 16 mm f/4 on aps-c.

Focal	Aperture	at 1 m	at 2 m	at 5 m	at 10 m	Hyperfocal	Blur @2 m
16 mm	f/3.5	56.5 cm	2.95 m	∞	∞	3.76 m	0.2%
16 mm	f/4	66.1 cm	3.83 m	∞	∞	3.29 m	0.1%
16 mm	f/8	1.88 m	∞	∞	∞	1.65 m	0.1%
28 mm	f/3.5	17.1 cm	71.0 cm	5.35 m	72.0 m	11.5 m	0.5%
28 mm	f/4	19.6 cm	81.9 cm	6.58 m	2.0 km	10.0 m	0.4%
28 mm	f/8	40.3 cm	1.86 m	643 m	∞	5.04 m	0.2%
50 mm	f/3.5	5.2 cm	21.4 cm	1.38 m	5.89 m	36.6 m	1.6%
50 mm	f/4	6.0 cm	24.5 cm	1.59 m	6.90 m	32.0 m	1.4%
50 mm	f/8	11.9 cm	49.6 cm	3.43 m	20.3 m	16.0 m	0.7%

Handheld & night-sky limits#

NPF assumes typical 20–24 MP sensors (≈6 µm pixels on full frame, ≈3.9 µm on APS-C, ≈3.3 µm on Micro Four Thirds).

Body	Min. handheld shutter (longest focal)	500 rule at 16 mm	NPF at 16 mm, f/3.5
APS-C	1/80 s	21 s	15 s
APS-C (Canon)	1/80 s	20 s	15 s
Micro Four Thirds	1/100 s	16 s	14 s

Compatible cameras#

Bodies in our database with a native Nikon Z mount. Full-frame bodies switch to an APS-C crop with this lens.

Nikon Z5II crop mode
Nikon ZR crop mode
Nikon Z50II 2024
Nikon Z6III crop mode
Nikon Z8 crop mode
Nikon Zf crop mode
Nikon Z30 2022
Nikon Z9 crop mode
Nikon Zfc 2021
Nikon Z5 crop mode
Nikon Z7II crop mode
Nikon Z6II crop mode
Nikon Z50 2019
Nikon Z6 crop mode
Nikon Z7 crop mode
Nikon Z5IIC crop mode

Adapt it to other systems#

Pentax Q

Similar lenses#

Nikon Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR f/2.8
Tamron 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD f/2.8
Nikon Nikkor Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR f/3.5–5.6
Nikon Nikkor Z 24-105mm f/4-7.1 f/4–7.1
Nikon Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S f/4
Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S f/2.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S f/4
Nikon Nikkor Z 28-75mm f/2.8 f/2.8
Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2 (A063) f/2.8
Tamron 35-100mm F2.8 Di III VXD f/2.8
Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD f/2–2.8

Frequently asked questions#

Is the Nikon Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR full frame?

No — it is designed for APS-C sensors. On a full-frame body it vignettes or triggers crop mode.

What is the Nikon Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR equivalent to on APS-C?

Its focal length is already the real value for APS-C: 16–50 mm frames like 25–77 mm on full frame.

What is the Nikon Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR good for?

As a standard zoom it suits everyday shooting, travel, events and walkaround use.

Sources & licences#

Lensfun lens database — CC BY-SA 3.0

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources