![]() I would say as decent as the kit lens, without the ability to zoom and without OSS. I don't want to lug around a one pound dedicated camera just to get images marginally better than the itsy-bitsy camera on my smartphone! In similar conditions, I can get as good a shot from my iPhone's camera, albeit upscaled slightly. but if you're used to the latter image clarity (even when wide open at f/2.8!), and you're willing to compromise a bit, down to the level that, say, the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 Art provides, the 20mm at f/2.8 is a step too far. and the setup weighs a couple pounds more. Obviously, it's an entirely different optical system. To give a more extreme point of comparison, here's the same FOV and 100% crop from my D750 and the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G lens: And I really don't want an f/4 or f/8 lens, I want f/2.8 so I can pocket the camera and get a decent shot in any condition! Coma is better controlled, and the general 'haziness' across the frame (and especially bad out from the center) goes away-but only beyond f/4. Not horrible, but you can really see the performance compromise Sony had to make for this lens when you drop down to f/8:Įverything's sharper, and not just from the smaller aperture. Let's zoom in and see where the problem lies-here's a 100% crop at f/2.8 (from the above picture) on the focal point-the chain on the right side of the swing: But I like to have more flexibility with my photos and if a lens doesn't do much better than my smartphone in common scenarios wide open, I don't see the value (again, for me-it may be different for you!). You're quite right-at least not when scaled down for web viewing or social media sharing. "But wait," you say, "that picture doesn't look so bad!" I could prattle on with words, but a picture speaks more eloquently: compactness tradeoff for my style of shooting. I'm glad I rented the lens, because after using it for a few days, I found it's just not the right performance vs. You may notice the Borrow Lenses sticker on the side of the lens I was a little leery of outright purchasing the 20mm, since it isn't a lens I could offload for a similar amount on Craigslist quickly, so I rented a copy for Labor Day weekend. But size isn't everything-otherwise nobody would carry around two pound 35mm f/1.4 prime lenses! That's definitely the best attribute of the lens, and probably the reason you're reading this review. This lens is seriously compact it's like Sony took the kit lens and sliced it cleanly in half. Speaking of thinness, how about a comparison to two other small E-mount lenses I have:įrom the left: The kit lens ( Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS), the 20mm f/2.8 being reviewed, and the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 Art. This might only be an issue for those with larger hands, though. The thinness of this lens is great for a compact walkaround camera setup, but it also makes getting it off the camera very slightly annoying, since you have to 'pinch' in around the free-spinning focus ring to get a grip on it. It's fly-by-wire, so the feedback is a little funky compared to lenses where focus is mechanically tied to the focus ring, but it works well enough with focus peaking when needed. The lens has a thin but usable manual focus control ring. It's a little expensive for what you get, but it does turn an NEX or a6xxx camera into a pocketable affair, at least if you have large pockets! The Lensįirst, an overview of what you're getting: Tl dr: The 20mm f/2.8 is a decent, extremely compact lens for Sony E-mount cameras, but it's performance is lackluster at best, and only marginally improved over the kit lens-but without zoom or stabilization. ![]() I was hoping the Sony 20mm f/2.8 pancake lens (SEL20F28) would hit that sweet spot for me on the Sony APS-C mirrorless system. performance on any kind of camera lens mount. The physics of light dictate that fast, good lenses will be pretty much the same size on whatever mount you use, and there are always some 'sweet spots' for compactness vs. ![]() ![]() In practice, you get what you pay for in terms of weight. And one of the major benefits (at least in my usage) is that if you choose an APS-C system like the Sony a6xxx series, you can (in theory) have a more compact camera system that performs as well as larger SLR brethren. I love Nikon glass, I love the ergonomics, and I am very used to SLR photography and all it entails.īut after witnessing the steady rise in mirrorless camera popularity, I decided to start testing the waters with a Sony a6000. I've been primarily a Nikon shooter for all my digital SLR life I started on film with some compact cameras and a Minolta X-700, but switched to Nikon starting with a D40, working my way up through the years to a D750 today.
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