Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G: A Wide Wonderland

The Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G is nothing like what the company has so far offered in its prime lens lineup. Nilofer Khan puts it on BP’s test bench.

- Nilofer Khan

Since its establishment in 1946, Sony has been at the forefront of manufacturing innovative products. When the mirrorless camera system was introduced over a decade ago, the company dedicated a copious amount of time and resources to advancing its development. Today, they offer a choice of more than two dozen dedicated full frame E-Mount lenses and more than a dozen lenses to go along with its APS-C format. Last year, they announced the highly anticipated full frame ultra wide angle lens in their growing lineup, the Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G. This is the first ultra wide prime lens in the G series, which can be used for various genres.

Features

Designed using 14 elements in 12 groups, including two advanced aspherical (AA) and three extra-low dispersion (ED) elements, the lens comes with a Nano AR Coating to eliminate flare and ghosting. It has a 9 blade circular aperture that contributes to smooth, creamy bokeh, as well as a 67mm filter diameter. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.19m when used in AF mode, and 0.18m when focusing manually. The maximum magnification ratio is 0.20x when using autofocus, and 0.22x when using MF. It features a dual XD Linear Motor system for quick and quiet focusing, and is dust and moisture resistant. The lens is available for both full frame and APS-C cameras Sony cameras. On the 35mm sensor, it has a 94° angle of view, while on the APS-C, it is a 70° angle of view. It comes with a petal-shaped hood.

Handling