LensSony88% by Neofiliac Team81% by External Reviewers

Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G

Full-Frame Lens

Product Gallery

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Product Overview

Sony FE 20mm F1.8G is an ultra wide-angle prime lens for Sony E-mount. It covers the full-frame image circle. Introduced by Sony in 2020, it has 14 elements in 12 groups.
For incremental weathers, Sony is kind enough to include weather sealing. On the lens barrel, one can find a physical aperture ring. Those who wish to focus manually can have the best of both worlds (with the usual caveats).
The bright maximum aperture for an ultra wide-angle lens is appreciated for night and astro photography. Even though the lens is not stabilized, at this focal range it does not usually matter. In fact, some may be able to get cleaner corners without image stabilization.

Ratings

What we found

Neofiliac score 88%
Pros
  • Weather-sealed
  • Declickable aperture ring
  • Very sharp corner to corner
  • Low distortion
Cons
  • Not the most solidly-built
  • f/1.8 limiting for night photography

What external reviewers found

External score 81%
Pros
  • Excellent sharpness
  • Excellent optical performance
  • Impressive sharpness at f/1.8
  • Bright f/1.8 aperture
  • Fast,silent and accurate AF Linear response in MF Very small and light
  • Compatible with all Sony E-mount cameras
Cons
  • No image stabilization
  • No weather sealing
  • No autofocus
  • No threaded front filters
  • No aperture ring
  • Small aperture blades

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Price Comparison

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Specifications

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External Reviews

cameralabs[1]

Reviewer score 85% (normalized by Neofiliac)
Reviewers from cameralabs have found:
Focus accuracy and repeatability is critical to consistently produce sharp shots especially with large aperture lenses. The Sony FE 24mm f1.4 GM focuses in around 0.7 sec from infinity to 0.28m (1:10 magnification), which is pretty fast. If you use the aperture ring in de-clicked mode it works smoothly and without noise. Sony assures me that this floating construction does not incur a higher risk of damage from impact.
Pros
  • Wide field of view
  • Sharpness and repeatability
  • Compact design
Cons
  • No aperture ring
  • No weather sealing

digitalpicture[2]

Reviewer score 72% (normalized by Neofiliac)
Reviewers from digitalpicture have found:
The Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 GM Lens is compatible with all Sony E-mount cameras. The 24mm lens has modestly less vignetting and shows fewer flare effects at narrow apertures. The Sony lens, especially assisted from being stopped down, turns in sharper results at f/2.8.
Pros
  • F/2.8 maximum aperture
  • Low distortion
  • Compatible with all Sony E-mount cameras
  • 1-year limited warranty
Cons
  • Small aperture blades
  • No threaded front filters

digitaltrends[3]

Reviewer score 83% (normalized by Neofiliac)
Reviewers from digitaltrends have found:
The Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G is excellent for astrophotography, landscapes, and any other shot that needs a wide perspective. Sharpness was excellent at the center, even wide open, and really helped show what the 61-megapixel A7R IV can do. Vignetting is also a common problem with wide-angle lenses, particularly with such large apertures, but the Sony 20mm had only a very slight darkening in the corners.
Pros
  • Bright f/1.8 aperture
  • Excellent sharpness
  • High-end build
Cons
  • Barely noticeable barrel distortion

pcmag[4]

Reviewer score 84% (normalized by Neofiliac)
Reviewers from pcmag have found:
At $900 it's not the least expensive lens around, but there are few caveats to consider. Focus is faster and quieter than the $350 Tamron 20mm f/2.8. At f/4 and beyond you don't need to fret about edge quality. The lens leverages some software corrections to control distortion and vignette.
Pros
  • Excellent optical performance
  • Wide angle of view
  • Dust and splash protection
Cons
  • No autofocus
  • No image stabilization

sonyalpha[5]

Reviewer score 82% (normalized by Neofiliac)
Reviewers from sonyalpha have found:
The Sony 20mm F1.8 G is a new masterpiece from Sony and could deserve the GM label. With the field of view larger than the 24mm you get a better framing for vloggers and Youtubers in selfie mode. This lens will be ideal for landscape, astrophotography, indoor / outdoor architecture, night scene and it is a must have if you like wide angle primes.
Pros
  • Excellent sharpness wide open in the centre and up to F8
  • Fast,silent and accurate AF Linear response in MF Very small and light
  • Very good bokeh and smooth background blur Excellent contrast Low distorsion / Lightroom lens profile available Very Low CA ...
Cons
  • Sharpness corners is only “very good” wide open and become excellent as of F2.8 (suited for Astrophotography)
  • Vignetting is quite present

techradar[6]

Reviewer score 80% (normalized by Neofiliac)
Reviewers from techradar have found:
The Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G is a lens that clearly fills a hole in the Sony FE lineup. It has broad appeal across a wide range of photographic genres, with the most impressive performance towards the first half of the aperture range. Focus is fast and quiet, while the manual focus is smooth and provides a comfortable amount of resistance that holds focus once found. It's small and lightweight, and most importantly it's very sharp, turning out to be desirable to many photographers.
Pros
  • Impressive sharpness at f/1.8
  • Autofocus is fast and quiet
Cons
  • Vignetting when shooting wide open

References

  1. ^ Sony FE 20mm f1.8 G review. [cameralabs].
  2. ^ Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G Lens Review. [digitalpicture].
  3. ^ Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G lens review: A superb landscape lens. [digitaltrends].
  4. ^ Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G Review. [pcmag].
  5. ^ Sony 20mm F1.8 G. [sonyalpha].
  6. ^ Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G review. [techradar].

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