Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G lens

Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G lens

Sony has had really good wide-angle lenses and this FE 16mm seems to continue the same success story and promises great image quality for landscape photography, stargazing with the northern lights, and thanks to the fast autofocus, also for video shooting.

In terms of focal length, this sits between the 14mm G Master and 20mm G primes, the size is closer to the 20mm version, but for such wide-angle lenses, the difference in focal length is still big!

In addition, the 16mm F1.8 includes a filter thread, which makes using filters easy compared to a 14mm lens. The size and weight are also surprisingly small, and the reasonable F1.8 aperture helps with this. According to preliminary tests, the image quality is also very good at full aperture, meaning the lens is at home when shooting night landscapes and, for example, the starry sky. The stars are sharp and point-like even in the peripheral areas, and the image sharpness is sufficient for today's high-resolution bodies.

The Sony FE 16mm features autofocus with fast XD focus motors. This is especially useful when shooting video. You can get very close to your subject, about 15cm away, and Sony's fast focusing keeps your subject sharp.

Thanks to its light weight (306g), this lens also works great with a lighter gimbal. Video shooting is also helped by the minimized focus breathing compensation of the new Sony bodies, i.e. the camera eliminates the disturbing change in image size that occurs when the focus changes.

The wide 16mm focal length works great for vloggers who also film themselves holding the camera. The focal length also allows for the use of active mode on stabilizers that digitally stabilize the image while maintaining an ultra-wide view.

On the side of the lens is the Focus Stop button familiar from the G Master professional series lenses, which you can use to stop autofocus. This button can also be programmed for other functions such as EyeAF eye focus. The aperture ring is lockable and the clicks can be turned off for video shooting.

The Sony FE 16mm F1.8 is weather-sealed and features a dirt-repellent coating on the outer lens surfaces.

Specifications:

• Compatibility: Sony FE
• Focal length: 16mm
• Aperture: f/1.8 (min. f/22)
• Closest focusing distance: 15cm (13cm with manual focus)
• Optical construction: 14 elements in 12 groups, 9 rounded diaphragm blades
• Autofocus
• Filter thread: 67mm
• Size: 73.8 x 75mm
• Weight: 304g

Sales package includes: Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G lens, ALC-SH184 lens hood