gemlenz Loc: Gilbert Arizona

Ok.. I need you guys to judge these 2 shots in terms of sharpness. Both taken with A6300, iso 100, F/8, @ 1/100. Both hand held. I moved closer for the 16mm shot to have a better comparison.
1. Taken with 50mm w/optical steady shot.
2. Take with Sigma 16mm (no optical steady shot).

Trying to determine if optical steady shot matters.

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Charlie'smom

I see a bit more sharpness in the first shot.

That said, I don’t think either is very sharp. Others may disagree. I look forward to their opinions.

traveler90712 Loc: Lake Worth, Fl.

Should have been in the same position, same settings and mounted on a tripod for a honest comparison, that is in my humble opinion.

gemlenz Loc: Gilbert Arizona

I wanted to simulate without a tripod. Not looking for a perfect image, just a comparison. Staying in the same position with 2 different lenses like that would not work because of the wide angel lens. thx for commenting...

Bipod

You'll never figure it out from just two shots, because hand shake comes and goes,
and also depends on exactly how you stand and grip the camera.

I can't think of a good methology for testing electronic image stabilization--
except maybe to put a tripod on one of those "magic fingers" beds they
used to have in sex motels. :-)

If you try a few hand-held close-up shots, I think'll find EIS makes a big difference.
Close up will make the effects of hand shake much more visible.

If you really want to test this:
1. Make sure your subject has one single high-contrast straight edge in it
for autofocus to find (black electrical tape works great).
2. First sure your sharp shot is really sharp before beginning
the test run.
3. Shoot a dozen hand-held close-up shots, six with and
six without EIS. Alternate on and off. Don't change anything else
(e.g., distance to subject).
3. Ask someone who doesn't know which is which to sort
them into "sharp" and "not sharp".

I know this isn't what you wanted to hear---sorry.
Hope you get an answer.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Another point is that the images have to be high quality JPEGs or TIFF.

Your images are limited by JPEG compression. Enlarge them enough and you can see the stairsteps in every diagonal line, known as the "jaggies". That limits how sharp the image is, but it has nothing to do with focus, hardware, or the sensor.