@@niceyesplease the two systems trade blows on 1.8 lenses, Nikon is better for some Sony on others. Definitely the Nikon 50mm needs a shout out. But if you need the lens not to focus breathe Nikon is the way to go
As somebody who does mostly astrophotography, I love this lens! I started out with the Rokinon/Samyang 18mm f/2.8, but this one is much brighter and has better image quality, in my experience. I don't have much of an issue with the corners, but I just may not be that much of a pixel peeper. I'm honestly more worried about the very little coma that is there than about the sharpness.
i agree it's an EPIC lens. corner performance is great. Only downside is....i've swtiched to Canon 6D modded for my main astrophotos so i picked up osome canon glass, notably the 14mm f1.8 ART lol. Still, I use this for vlog or timelapses on my A7S/A7R II
Picked up this lens about 6 months ago and it's great. Bought on a complete whim when I saw it on sale. It's so sharp in real world use. Great for astro photography too. It feels like a GM lens without the crazy price tag.
@@MeowHikes It was €849 on sale where I live but the new 20mm f2 from Sigma just released looks like a really good deal. Looks to have nearly the same performance, with a bit stronger vignetting and a slight drop in aperture for €200 less
Christopher as always a high quality video presentation! I bought this lens based on your review and I am pleasantly pleased . . .It is a wonderful walk around lens because it is compact lightweight! I have this on my (Sony A7r III A) camera and the results very accurate, clear and sharp! Thank you!!!
Nice review. I love this lens for its size, brightness and performance at mfd. Wide near shots can look pretty dramatic. The lack of fringing is real pretty. It reminds me in a friendly kind of way that if I get bad shots with it (because 20mm can be a challenge to shoot) then it isn't really its fault.
We'll probably see a fair bit more new lenses on Sony E that perform the same on full-frame as on APS-C. The reason being that cameras like the a7rIV or the a1 have such high resolutions that they get very close to or even surpass the pixel density of 24MP APS-C cameras (which all of Sony's currently are). These expensive lenses need to perform just as well on those expensive bodies so they need to perform really really well across the board. (Currently the a7 rIV has the highest sensor resolution of any sony camera, with pixel pitch of just 3.76 microns. The a6600 (and therefore all other APS-C cameras) has a pixel pitch of 3.92, the a7 rIII in this video comes in at 4.51, the a7 iii at 5.93. Higher means larger pixels, means demanding lens lens sharpness. Ie. the lens needs to resolve detail up to the lowest size possible, meaning that the lens should resolve detail at 0.0037mm)
@@bikingmoments that 24-105mm was my first too. The 55mm F1.8 is regarded as extremely good value for money. For my second, I opted for the also lovely 85mm F1.8. Both are great additions. I own the 50mm F1.2, and it's immaculate, but it's definitely investment glass, but since its release, you can score the amazing 50mm F1.4 for a pretty good discount too. It's a great time to be a Sony shooter.
This is my favorite lens in my kit. I have noticed the corner softness at f1.8 however its never bothered my time lapses. And its never a problem for portrait or landscape. The only time i noticed the corner softness is when capturing astro timelapse.
I've had the pleasure of using this lens for astrophotography and it's amazing. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be getting one for myself because the kit is already too large and heavy. Anyone that's on the fence, in my opinion this keeps up with the 24mm f/1.4 GM and is much smaller and lighter. Unless you're pixel peeping, you won't notice any differences. Love your reviews, Chris. Keep them coming!
I have the same Sony setup and it is fantastic! I really like the aprerature ring it makes photography really a lot of fun! Thanks Christoopher I always learn a lot from you and your videos. . . .
20f18g lens focus breathing (from the corrected Sony camera body) may be because the minimum focal length is very short, so the corrected angle of view is almost 24mm. It is a top mtf section with a slight disappointing depth expression and a slight crop, but satisfactory video shooting is possible
This lens came out of nowhere and stunned the hell out of me. it's 90% of a G Master lens. Like Chris, I just like taking photos with this thing and it almost never fails to impress.
Finally! I was waiting for that video, since the lens was anounced. I have ordered the lens, last week but it seems, availability is a bit low at the moment. I was told it wouldn't arrive before march. So here I am, waiting for the lens, looking forward to taking some nice images with it. Also, I need to say, that I feel like you love every focal length, while giving convincing reasoning on why you like it so much.
@ 1:35 The wobbling is the glass elements on the focusing rail moving back and forth freely. It seems like Sony's current XD Linear Focus Motors (of which this lens has 2 of them) let the focusing elements freely move back and forth when the lens is not powered up.
It’s not only the current system. This goes back to 18-205 PZ f.4 for the APS-C lineup. My lens’ elements keep bouncing up and down that rail, when I carry the lens 🤦🏻♂️ At first it worried me, but now I don’t care so much anymore.
I got this lens new for about $650 as someone was desperate for the cash and I didn’t realize how great it was, I just wanted a deal. It s one of the sharpest lens I have used for its price and so light/compact for travel.
I am using this lense for astro- and landscape photography. The pictures are pin sharp, the low weight is a plus. I would purchase this lense again! Personally I see only one downside. In darkness it is a bit hard to find the switch to turn off autofocus. I wish the switch would stick out just a little bit more. But this is moaning on very high level. :-)
Would you ever consider adding a part where you can show us the bokeh at on apsc mode? Big fan of have two primes in one and using the 20mm/30mm for this. Love your work!
Sir, your reviews are just wonderful! I was just about to get the new Sigma 24mm f2 after watching your review, but now I am a bit tempted on getting this instead. Which one would you say it is the best value for money? I know that 20mm is quite wider than 24mm, but regarding overall image quality, which would you say it is the best? The distortion on the Sigma seams way behind the Sony's but the build quality of the Sigma's seams very appealing. Thank you!!
I have this lens and it’s absolutely brilliant. I can’t imagine it getting any better than this. I wish other lenses were this good. Like the Sony 35 f1.8. It’s rather poor at minimum focus distance and could use an aperture ring and the same build quality as this. Makes me wonder if they took the 24mm gm lens and tweaked the prescription to get a 20mm f1.8. This thing performs like a gm lens just at f1.8 vs f1.4. Love it.
It definitely feels like it. Their new focusing motors + new algorithms + tweaked lens treatments = Boom, 20mm that's 97% of the 24mm. I agree with you entirely, it feels like an uncredited G Master lens.
Hi Chris. First, thanks a lot for your very useful reviews. For a long time I use them before buying new lenses. From your opinion what do you consider best option for astrophotography Sony 20mm f1.8 or Sigma 20mm f2 DG DN 'C'. Sony seems works better Chromatic aberration but corners seems better on Sigma although they are very dark... Thanks a lot in advance!
No doubt that this 20mm are good. I have had a 20mm Lens for many years, but only used it max 5 times a year, so nothing for me, I have the Sony 24mm 1.4 GM and the Sony 14mm 1.8 GM, so I do not miss any wide angle Lenses.
Hey Christopher, can you test the older Nikon F-mount AF-S 20mm f1.8 G lens? This lens is interesting for Nikon DSLR shooting landscapes and astrophotography.
The first time reviewing this Sony FE 20mm F1.8 lens, I thought it arrived broken. The internals were sliding freely upon tilting the lens, I was about to return it due to defect - noobie here
Depends on what you mean by “change the aperture” when it comes to light sensitivity f1.8 is also on APS-C f1.8 so the ISO levels will be the same. Otherwise it will bei something like a 30mm field of view and the bokeh will be around something like f2.7 on full frame yes.
My absolute favorite lens for the Sony system and most used lens. Sharp, light, lovely bokeh and excellent image renditions! Together with my A7C is a perfect travel gear. Wide angle lens is good for walkthrough shots using catalyst for image stabilization almost gimbal like. Feel free to watch my travel video here with this lens: ua-cam.com/video/n9wvrZ6Xv0o/v-deo.html And as always a brilliant review!! 👍
You mention astro-photography in this video and that the corners might be subpar. What lens(es) would you recommend for this particular type of photography? Have you done a video on that subject and I missed it? Thanks for the awesome content.
He hasn’t accounted for field curvature. The corners are actually very sharp wide open, but you need to refocus for the corners on a flat test subject, especially wide open
I own this lens. It's a steal at that price point. GM performance at a G price point
As a Canon RF user this lens makes me really jealous, 1.8, sharp, reasonably priced.
and quite light and small too!
@@kalef1234 and better than the Nikon Z although their lenses are top notch too
@@niceyesplease nikons are more corrected for breathing…maintaining a consistent 20mm fov unlike this sony
@@niceyesplease the two systems trade blows on 1.8 lenses, Nikon is better for some Sony on others. Definitely the Nikon 50mm needs a shout out. But if you need the lens not to focus breathe Nikon is the way to go
Wait & see. At some point Sony E was considered as useless as no glass was available.
As somebody who does mostly astrophotography, I love this lens! I started out with the Rokinon/Samyang 18mm f/2.8, but this one is much brighter and has better image quality, in my experience.
I don't have much of an issue with the corners, but I just may not be that much of a pixel peeper. I'm honestly more worried about the very little coma that is there than about the sharpness.
i agree it's an EPIC lens. corner performance is great. Only downside is....i've swtiched to Canon 6D modded for my main astrophotos so i picked up osome canon glass, notably the 14mm f1.8 ART lol. Still, I use this for vlog or timelapses on my A7S/A7R II
Picked up this lens about 6 months ago and it's great. Bought on a complete whim when I saw it on sale. It's so sharp in real world use. Great for astro photography too. It feels like a GM lens without the crazy price tag.
how much did it cost on sale?
@@MeowHikes It was €849 on sale where I live but the new 20mm f2 from Sigma just released looks like a really good deal. Looks to have nearly the same performance, with a bit stronger vignetting and a slight drop in aperture for €200 less
This is, by any means a G Master lens without the red G.
All these reviews has me wanting to pick up an A7 IV
i’m starting to think chris is a psychic everytime i’m eying a camera lens here comes a review of it 😵💫😅
You may want to wait for his review of the new Sigma 20mm f2 in the next few days before making a decision on this lens.
@@Bayonet1809 oh wow thanks i didn’t even know they had a 20mm coming out 😳 sigma really is crushing it lately
Christopher as always a high quality video presentation! I bought this lens based on your review and I am pleasantly pleased . . .It is a wonderful walk around lens because it is compact lightweight! I have this on my (Sony A7r III A) camera and the results very accurate, clear and sharp! Thank you!!!
Nice review. I love this lens for its size, brightness and performance at mfd. Wide near shots can look pretty dramatic. The lack of fringing is real pretty. It reminds me in a friendly kind of way that if I get bad shots with it (because 20mm can be a challenge to shoot) then it isn't really its fault.
We'll probably see a fair bit more new lenses on Sony E that perform the same on full-frame as on APS-C. The reason being that cameras like the a7rIV or the a1 have such high resolutions that they get very close to or even surpass the pixel density of 24MP APS-C cameras (which all of Sony's currently are). These expensive lenses need to perform just as well on those expensive bodies so they need to perform really really well across the board.
(Currently the a7 rIV has the highest sensor resolution of any sony camera, with pixel pitch of just 3.76 microns. The a6600 (and therefore all other APS-C cameras) has a pixel pitch of 3.92, the a7 rIII in this video comes in at 4.51, the a7 iii at 5.93. Higher means larger pixels, means demanding lens lens sharpness. Ie. the lens needs to resolve detail up to the lowest size possible, meaning that the lens should resolve detail at 0.0037mm)
Wow! Thanks!
I purchased this lens yesterday to go with the Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 Di III and my Sony 50mm F1.2 GM. This will be a good fit for me
I have it. A wonderful lens for both landscape and astrophotography. I also used it with an extension tube for ultra wide macro shots.
Awesome! This goes on my second lens list after having the 24-105 F4 G.
That's a great start. Consider the 55mm 1.8 for your third.
@@aliendroneservices6621 thanks! Too many choices at 50mm! Isn’t 55mm 1.8 too old? But the 1.2GM is toooo expensive…
@@bikingmoments that 24-105mm was my first too. The 55mm F1.8 is regarded as extremely good value for money. For my second, I opted for the also lovely 85mm F1.8. Both are great additions.
I own the 50mm F1.2, and it's immaculate, but it's definitely investment glass, but since its release, you can score the amazing 50mm F1.4 for a pretty good discount too. It's a great time to be a Sony shooter.
It is a brilliant lens, I use it on the A7siii.
@@bikingmoments The 55 f1.8 is a stellar lens. That's why it still commands a hefty price. "Newness" isn't necessarily a an indicator of 'better.'
This is my favorite lens in my kit. I have noticed the corner softness at f1.8 however its never bothered my time lapses. And its never a problem for portrait or landscape. The only time i noticed the corner softness is when capturing astro timelapse.
I've had the pleasure of using this lens for astrophotography and it's amazing. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be getting one for myself because the kit is already too large and heavy. Anyone that's on the fence, in my opinion this keeps up with the 24mm f/1.4 GM and is much smaller and lighter. Unless you're pixel peeping, you won't notice any differences.
Love your reviews, Chris. Keep them coming!
Very impressed with this lens lineup from sony. So glad they and Sigma brought back the aperture ring.
I have the same Sony setup and it is fantastic! I really like the aprerature ring it makes photography really a lot of fun! Thanks Christoopher I always learn a lot from you and your videos. . . .
Thanks Christopher for all the lens test videos. They are very good reference for me to purchase lenses.
Oh wow! I did not expect this lens to appear before your review of the 14mm GM :O
Have been waiting for this review for a while now. Great stuff!
20f18g lens focus breathing (from the corrected Sony camera body) may be because the minimum focal length is very short, so the corrected angle of view is almost 24mm. It is a top mtf section with a slight disappointing depth expression and a slight crop, but satisfactory video shooting is possible
I was waiting for this review since so long, thanks Christopher!
This lens came out of nowhere and stunned the hell out of me. it's 90% of a G Master lens. Like Chris, I just like taking photos with this thing and it almost never fails to impress.
In a parallel universe you’re a Blue Peter presenter! Excellent and wholesome :-)
Finally! I was waiting for that video, since the lens was anounced.
I have ordered the lens, last week but it seems, availability is a bit low at the moment. I was told it wouldn't arrive before march.
So here I am, waiting for the lens, looking forward to taking some nice images with it.
Also, I need to say, that I feel like you love every focal length, while giving convincing reasoning on why you like it so much.
Cheers! NOT a Sony fan, but thumbs up for your usually fine testing and review, and to help with the ole algorithms. 😉.
God Bless! 👍👍👍✌🏻😁🙏📷
Great review Christopher, thank you.
on the scale of 1 to "sneezing while simultaneously driving over a humpback bridge".... is another test to add. :)
@ 1:35 The wobbling is the glass elements on the focusing rail moving back and forth freely. It seems like Sony's current XD Linear Focus Motors (of which this lens has 2 of them) let the focusing elements freely move back and forth when the lens is not powered up.
It’s not only the current system.
This goes back to 18-205 PZ f.4 for the APS-C lineup.
My lens’ elements keep bouncing up and down that rail, when I carry the lens 🤦🏻♂️
At first it worried me, but now I don’t care so much anymore.
I was hoping for this review from you…thank you!
I own and love this lens, the price is steap, and sometimes wonder what good alternatives there might be for this lens
Look at his Samyang / Rokinon 20mm review.
I got this lens new for about $650 as someone was desperate for the cash and I didn’t realize how great it was, I just wanted a deal. It s one of the sharpest lens I have used for its price and so light/compact for travel.
You won me over with the 'sneeze over a humpback bridge"! Hahahahahaha
absolutely love my copy of this lens, also great for video work
I bought this lens in november and i really love it. Thanks to 10% off and cashback it wasn‘t that expensive.
I am using this lense for astro- and landscape photography. The pictures are pin sharp, the low weight is a plus. I would purchase this lense again! Personally I see only one downside. In darkness it is a bit hard to find the switch to turn off autofocus. I wish the switch would stick out just a little bit more. But this is moaning on very high level. :-)
Can’t you ser up the AEL/AFL button for that?
Or is there none, on the full frame Sony?
Great review🎉
please do the new Sony 70-200 f2.8 GM II next!!
Curious to see how the rumored Sigma 20mm f2 I-series will stack up in the future ;)
The corners are sharper then in your tests; you need to refocus the corners to account for field curvature
Would you ever consider adding a part where you can show us the bokeh at on apsc mode? Big fan of have two primes in one and using the 20mm/30mm for this. Love your work!
strange, my copy & other reviewers got sharper corners!!!
Sir, your reviews are just wonderful! I was just about to get the new Sigma 24mm f2 after watching your review, but now I am a bit tempted on getting this instead. Which one would you say it is the best value for money? I know that 20mm is quite wider than 24mm, but regarding overall image quality, which would you say it is the best? The distortion on the Sigma seams way behind the Sony's but the build quality of the Sigma's seams very appealing. Thank you!!
Get the Sony. Great lens.
I've been waiting for this video haha
I have this lens and it’s absolutely brilliant. I can’t imagine it getting any better than this. I wish other lenses were this good. Like the Sony 35 f1.8. It’s rather poor at minimum focus distance and could use an aperture ring and the same build quality as this. Makes me wonder if they took the 24mm gm lens and tweaked the prescription to get a 20mm f1.8. This thing performs like a gm lens just at f1.8 vs f1.4. Love it.
It definitely feels like it. Their new focusing motors + new algorithms + tweaked lens treatments = Boom, 20mm that's 97% of the 24mm. I agree with you entirely, it feels like an uncredited G Master lens.
If you could have the 16-35 GM instead of this, would you do get it?
Great review, as always! Can you do the new Samyang 24-70 f/2.8, which they claim to be parfocal?
Hi Chris. First, thanks a lot for your very useful reviews. For a long time I use them before buying new lenses. From your opinion what do you consider best option for astrophotography Sony 20mm f1.8 or Sigma 20mm f2 DG DN 'C'. Sony seems works better Chromatic aberration but corners seems better on Sigma although they are very dark... Thanks a lot in advance!
No doubt that this 20mm are good. I have had a 20mm Lens for many years, but only used it max 5 times a year, so nothing for me, I have the Sony 24mm 1.4 GM and the Sony 14mm 1.8 GM, so I do not miss any wide angle Lenses.
@christopherfrost new to lens, have you held the lens by itself and flip it upside down. Do feel a tube thats loose in there moving up and down?
Thanks!
Thanks so much for your support!
party time indeed
Thank you for this review :)
Hey Christopher, can you test the older Nikon F-mount AF-S 20mm f1.8 G lens? This lens is interesting for Nikon DSLR shooting landscapes and astrophotography.
So Sigma f2 is sharper in the corners?
The first time reviewing this Sony FE 20mm F1.8 lens, I thought it arrived broken. The internals were sliding freely upon tilting the lens, I was about to return it due to defect - noobie here
2:30 Does that focus breathing still happening at f1.8-2.8, or is it because you’re at a higher f stop?
Hi
Is it good for landscape...?
When we use the Sony FE 20mm f1.8 on a Sony A6000 APS-C camera, it will become a 30mm. will it also change the aperture into a f2.7 aperture?
Depends on what you mean by “change the aperture” when it comes to light sensitivity f1.8 is also on APS-C f1.8 so the ISO levels will be the same. Otherwise it will bei something like a 30mm field of view and the bokeh will be around something like f2.7 on full frame yes.
Please try a new APS-C Kamera. I am shure your sensor is not aligned right.
i just shot a video on this lens. i love it
Looks better than the Samyang at wider apertures. But it is worth the ~2.5x price?
Yes it is.
Hmmm.. this or Samyangs 24mm f1.8?
Wish 1.4 version of this and with close to no f breathin
There will be a review SAMYANG AF 24-70mm F2.8 FE ????
Not too long to wait now :-)
My absolute favorite lens for the Sony system and most used lens. Sharp, light, lovely bokeh and excellent image renditions! Together with my A7C is a perfect travel gear. Wide angle lens is good for walkthrough shots using catalyst for image stabilization almost gimbal like. Feel free to watch my travel video here with this lens: ua-cam.com/video/n9wvrZ6Xv0o/v-deo.html And as always a brilliant review!! 👍
You mention astro-photography in this video and that the corners might be subpar. What lens(es) would you recommend for this particular type of photography? Have you done a video on that subject and I missed it? Thanks for the awesome content.
This lens is perfect for astro landscape photography.
👏🏻👏🏻
They ruined this lens with the focus breathing. It should have been like 35mm 1.8.
It seems to do other things extremely well. I'd love it, if I used full frame.
It is a tradeoff if size vs focus breathing. I pick the small size here, it is incredibly light!
I recently purchased a Sony A74, and the A74 can eliminate focus breathing for this lens and some other Sony lenses.
@@davidgatzen1543 well then it is not a 20 mm lens with that correction anymore.
love you
It's party time! Haha
overall its better than the Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM, cheaper and no contrast problems like the GM
I think you should try Fujifilm 14mm f/2.8 for comparison.
Fujinon is always copying Sony.
@@djstuc Check out the Fujinon 8-16mm f/2.8. It's a copy of the Sony 12-24mm f/4. Same with this lens, respectively.
@@djstuc Sony bought Minolta 15 years ago.
@@djstuc Sony has 3x the market share, so of course Fujinon is forced to copy Sony.
Those corners look particularly bad, far worse than the Nikon Z 20/1.8, and yet I had heard they were very similar from other users. Bad sample?
He hasn’t accounted for field curvature. The corners are actually very sharp wide open, but you need to refocus for the corners on a flat test subject, especially wide open
Who uses pounds anymore! LoL
@@djstuc I meant pound as in weight!