Sony 10-20mm f/4 G, 15mm f/1.4 G, and 11mm f/1.8 Review: All Good Here. Sony 11mm f1 8
Sony 10-20mm f/4 G, 15mm f/1.4 G, and 11mm f/1.8 Review: All Good Here
The year is 2022 and it’s apparently APS-C’s time to shine. With Canon showing off what they’ve cooked up and Fujifilm making a big announcement of their own, today Sony is bringing out three more wide-angle APS-C lens options: 10-20mm f/4 PZ, 15mm f/1.4, and 11mm f/1.8.
Sony E 10-20mm f/4 PZ G
Build Quality
In appearance, the Sony 10-20mm f/4 PZ G certainly gives the impression that it is newer Sony lens. For its stubby size — about 2.5 inches wide (64 millimeters) by 2.16 inches long (54 millimeters) — there are a lot of extras on the side including a power zoom rocker, a programmable button, and FOCUS mode switch. The miniature plastic FOCUS and zoom rings have an infinite spin to them and feel fairly nice in motion, but adding some rubber would have gone a long way to making them feel more premium. Fortunately, the lens does not expand in size as it zooms.
Sony claims that not only is the 10-20mm f/4 PZ G the smallest ultra-wide APS-C zoom lens but it’s also 46% lighter than competitors. It weighs 6.2 ounces (175 grams) and paired with a compact camera like the Sony ZV-E10, the total package is extremely travel-friendly. While hiking around with this kit, I would often just leave the camera in my hand for miles at a time because it felt like more of a bother to store it away in my pack than to just simply keep holding it.
While the front element is bulbous in shape, the lens still accepts 62 millimeters filters. At the rear is a thin rubber gasket for some protection against dust and moisture getting at the mounting point.
Image Quality
Inside, the 10-20mm f/4 PZ G uses two extra-low dispersion elements and one extra-low dispersion aspherical element. Out of the three new lenses announced today, this one seemed to have the best performance as far as backlit shots go. The lens flaring is clean, although blobs of color can still pop up. It holds its contrast well and there’s no easily apparent color fringing at the high-contrast edges.
Testing the sharpness of 10mm at the center, I found that wide open at f/4 was OK, stopping down to f/6.3 was showing its best, and at f/9 is when the picture clearly started to lose sharpness. At the corners, it was one-stop down at f/5.6 which looked sharpest.
Looking at the sharpness of 20mm at the center, f/4 was an improvement over what was seen at 10mm, f/6.3 was still the best, and down at f/13 is when the image began to soften. The corners were interesting because it seems like the more closed down the aperture was, the softer it got. Unlike the other two new lenses today which only stop down to f/16, the 10-20mm can stop down to f/22.
The minimum focusing distance is just a few inches from the front of the lens and measures out to be 5.11 inches (.12 millimeters) at 10mm and 6.69 inches (.16 millimeters) at 20mm. This can create some interesting looks due to the super-wide angle of view while retaining FOCUS on up-close objects. When shot wide open at f/4 like this, there’s even some possibility of subject separation from the depth of field.
Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G
Build Quality
If I had to pick which of these new lenses looks the most premium, the Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G would be my choice. It measures about 2.5 inches in diameter and is 2.73 inches long. It’s a tight little prime lens while still boasting an f/1.4 aperture.
In addition to the plastic FOCUS ring, the lens also features an aperture ring, an aperture de-click switch, a programmable button, and a FOCUS mode switch. The FOCUS ring feels OK while turning but would have been improved by a rubber ring instead of plastic. The aperture ring while de-clicked has a better glide than the FOCUS ring does.
The lens weighs 7.7 ounces (218 grams) which is a little heavier than the 10-20mm but is going to be much better at working in low-light scenarios given the f/1.4 maximum aperture. When paired with the Sony ZV-E10, the kit matches up well in size and is easy to carry around for long periods of time.
The front element does stick out a little bit, yet the lens does 55 millimeters filters. At the rear is a thin rubber gasket for some protection against dust and moisture getting at the mounting point.
Image Quality
Inside the 15mm f/1.4 G, three aspherical elements are used within the optical formula to help retain sharpness across the image. In my testing of the center sharpness, I saw that wide open at f/1.4 was good, down at f/3.5 was the best, and finally at f/11 is when there was apparent softening to the image from diffraction. Looking at the corners, it was f/5.6 that looked the sharpest.
One of the downsides to the 15mm f/1.4 G is how much lens flare there is with bright light sources. I’m guessing there’s not a lot going on in the optics to prevent this, since it seems like just about every shape and color shows up across the frame. For landscape photography, I’m not sure this is the lens I’d want to buy because there will be a lot of separate exposures happening to control this and then composite together. On the plus side, color fringing on high-contrast edges doesn’t seem to trouble the lens much at all.
This lens features a seven-bladed aperture and examining the defocused areas of an image it can look fairly busy. The barrel distortion of this wide-angle lens also produces cat-eye-shaped bokeh balls which circle the center of the frame. That’s a look that I personally enjoy over something more sterile, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
The minimum FOCUS distance of this lens is 7.87 inches (0.2 meters) in autofocus or 6.69 inches (0.17 meters) in manual FOCUS. Either way, at this end of things it’s going to allow for some good separation when used in conjunction with that fast f/1.4 aperture and still provide a wide angle of view.
Sony E 11mm f/1.8
Build Quality
Last up is the 11mm f/1.8 which is the only lens of the trio which does not get the Sony G designation.
Compared to the 15mm f/1.4 G above, it’s essentially just missing the aperture ring and aperture de-click switch, otherwise retains everything else on the outside. There’s still a useful programmable button and the FOCUS mode switch. The FOCUS ring is plastic and has an OK glide, but compared to the 15mm it is more gritty feeling, especially on the starts and stops.
This lens measures about 2.5 inches in diameter by 2.26 inches long. It’s impressively compact considering the wide-angle of view and fast f/1.8 aperture. At 6.3 ounces (178 grams), it’s nearly the same weight as the 10-20mm f/4 featured above. These have all been easy to get along with in my hiking bag or being carried for long distances due to the compact nature of them.
The front element is bulbous in shape, but 55mm filters will still be able to be attached. The mount side of the lens does have a rubber gasket for some level of dust and moisture protection from the elements getting in there.
Image Quality
Just like the 15mm f/1.4 G lens, this one also has three aspherical elements within the optical formula to help extend the sharpness from corner to corner. Testing out the 11mm f/1.8 for center sharpness, I found that f/1.8 can be a little bit soft but sees good improvement at f/2.5. Stopping down to f/5 was the sharpest and at f/9 is where the lens would begin to soften. At the corner, I saw that the more closed down the aperture was, the softer it would get. Again, as a reminder, this lens and the 15mm f/1.4 G can only stop down to f/16.
This lens seems to enjoy its fair share of flare as well. I don’t believe there’s much inside the lens to prevent this from happening, and in some cases it can absolutely take over the attention of a photo. Landscape photographers who shoot into the sun a lot will want to be aware of this problem because it will take consideration to overcome.
The 11mm f/1.8 has a seven-bladed aperture, but with such a wide-angle of view I feel it’s less of an issue here than with the 15mm f/1.4. Defocused areas are moderately busy but it’s harder to notice unless shooting very close up to get that kind of depth of field effect.
With a minimum focusing distance of 4.72 inches (0.12 meters), this does allow for interesting close-up images with a super-wide-angle look. The f/1.8 aperture is good for exposing more light onto the sensor, but again, the depth of field effect it creates isn’t going to be as pronounced.
The Future Is Wide
The world of APS-C has been moving slowly for some time now, so it’s a little bit funny that when the action picks up for Sony it’s in the form of three fairly similar lenses. I’m not sure why the company would choose to release all three of these right now, but I have to admit it’s not bad to have options. The 15mm f/1.4 G had the best overall image quality, the 10-20mm has all the versatility, and the 11mm is either going to be cheaper or wider in comparison.
Are There Alternatives?
Previous to the Sony 10-20mm f/4 PZ G announcement, the company also has the 10-18mm f/4 OSS in the lineup and has for nearly a decade now. The one bright spot of this lens over the 10-20mm would be the Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, otherwise it’s an easy choice to go new.
An alternative to the Sony 15mm f/1.4 G would be the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary. It cuts away all of the extras seen on the Sony, but it gets you to f/1.4 at nearly the same focal length. Stripping away the extra features is also going to make it a decent amount cheaper as well.
The new Sony 11mm f/1.8 could be compared against the Rokinon 12mm f/2 AF lens. It’s still an ultra-wide-angle lens with a faster aperture, but it takes away a couple exterior features of the Sony.
Should You Buy Them?
Yes. Considering the of these lenses, I would have expected better flare suppression, but overall I can’t say it’s a deal-breaker. These are acceptably sharp lenses that go wide but aren’t wildly distorted. Best of all, they are true APS-C designs that factor in portability as much as they do image quality.
Sony E 11mm f/1.8 Lens
With a 16.5mm equivalent focal length and a brilliant f/1.8 design, the Sony E 11mm f/1.8 is one of the widest APS-C lenses available. The lightweight, portable form of this lens makes it a go-to pick for travel and walkaround recording applications, as well as selfie-style vlogging, architectural themes, and landscape filming.
Optical Design
Ultra-wide-angle prime offers a 16.5mm equivalent focal length, making it a versatile option for subjects ranging from architecture to landscapes, as well as handheld vlogging needs
Bright f/1.8 maximum aperture is ideal for shallow depth of field shooting and also excels in low-light conditions
Optical design offers impressive sharpness across the frame and also contributes to high clarity by reducing color fringing and a variety fo aberrations
Rounded 7-blade diaphragm contributes a smooth and natural bokeh quality
Refined Focusing Performance
Linear Motor system uses two separate motors to provide quick, quiet, and precise autofocus and tracking performance. This design also contributes to more natural, intuitive Linear Response manual FOCUS control and an AF/MF switch is located on the lens barrel for quick FOCUS mode switching.
Internal focusing design offers more responsive focusing performance and maintains a consistent overall lens length during operation
Suitable for close-up shooting, the minimum focusing distance is 4.7″ with a 0.2x maximum magnification when using manual FOCUS, or 5.9″ with a 0.13x magnification when using autofocus
Smooth Motion Optics (SMO) suppresses FOCUS breathing to help maintain compositional accuracy when changing FOCUS. This lens is also compatible with the Breathing Compensation function in select Alpha cameras
Petite Design and Intuitive Handling
Dust- and moisture-resistant design suits working in inclement conditions
Customizable FOCUS hold button on the lens barrel for intuitive tactile control and Rapid access to select settings
When paired with a camera featuring Active Mode stabilization, the ultra-wide focal length works perfectly to produce stable shots while walking, along with a pleasing balance of subject and background in the frame when used at arm’s length
Lens measures 2.3″ long and weighs 6.4 oz, making it a great portable choice that’s well-suited to the sleeker size of APS-C bodies
| Focal Length | 11mm (35mm Equivalent Focal Length: 16.5mm) |
| Maximum Aperture | f/1.8 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/16 |
| Lens Mount | Sony E |
| Lens Format Coverage | APS-C |
| Angle of View | 104° |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 4.7″/ 12 cm |
| Maximum Magnification | 0.2x |
| Optical Design | 12 Elements in 11 Groups |
| Diaphragm Blades | 7, Rounded |
| Focus Type | Autofocus |
| Image Stabilization | No |
| Filter Size | 55 mm (Front) |
| Dimensions (ø x L) | 6.60 x 5.84mm / 66 x 57.5 mm |
| Weight | 6.4 oz / 181 g |
Specifications subject to change by the manufacturer without notice
What’s in the box
- Sony E 11mm f/1.8 Lens
- Sony ALC-F55S 55mm Front Lens Cap
- Sony ALC-R1EM Rear Lens Cap
- ALC-SH170 Lens Hood
Manufacturer Warranty
This product comes with a
12month Australian warranty
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Sony E 11mm F1.8 Lens
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£449.00 inc £50 Cashback from Sony
- Sony E Mount APS-C prime lens
- Ultra Wide Angle
- Beautifully Smooth Backgrounds
- Fast and Precise Autofocus
- Ideal for Content Creation
Get 3 years’ protection including accidental damage cover for::Learn £53.00
- FREE Jessops mini football stress ball added to your order. While stocks last.
- Claim £50 cashback on this Sony product. Click here to submit your claim after purchase. Offer ends 31/07/2023.
Get 3 years’ protection including accidental damage cover forLearn £53.00
- FREE Jessops mini football stress ball added to your order. While stocks last.
- Claim £50 cashback on this Sony product. Click here to submit your claim after purchase. Offer ends 31/07/2023.
Price Match Promise
Click on the Price Match Promise link below or call us on 020 3322 3387.
Description
The Sony E 11mm F1.8 is a compact and lightweight APS-C format, wide-angle (16.5mm equivalent) prime lens for stills and video. It featutes a large F1.8 aperture for deep bokeh, plus two linear motors for fast, precise AF that supports both stills and movies. It’s ideal for Landscapes, architecture, interiors and vlogging. Compact and lightweight This compact, lightweight lens is a perfect match for APS-C camera bodies, providing easy handling that is great for long handheld or grip-mounted shooting sessions. Spherical and aspherical elements combine to achieve stunning optical performance in a lens that is only 66 x 57.5mm and weighs only 181g. Deep bokeh A large F1.8 max. aperture delivers expressive bokeh in deep, impressive images. 0.12 metre minimum FOCUS and 0.2x maximum magnification let you get close to the subject while producing beautifully defocused backgrounds. Precisely controlled spherical aberration and a 7-blade circular aperture contribute significantly to this lens’s sensational bokeh. Advanced AF Two linear motors give this large-aperture lens impressively fast, precise autofocus and tracking performance for both stills and movies. AF and tracking are so responsive that the full speed potential of the body used can be fully realized so that even fast or erratically moving subjects can be reliably captured. Linear Response Manual FOCUS For professional manual focusing feel and response, Linear Response MF ensures that the FOCUS ring responds directly and linearly to subtle manual control. Focus ring rotation translates directly to a corresponding change in FOCUS, so control feels immediate and precise when shooting stills and movies. A versatile lens for movie shooters An 11 mm field of view and large F1.8 aperture make it easy to shoot subjects against sweeping backgrounds with beautiful bokeh. That also makes this lens ideal for vlogging. Unlike many large-aperture ultra-wide designs, this unique design allows the use of front filters for extra creative flexibility in a wide range of shooting situations. Minimal FOCUS breathing State-of-the-art lens technology packed into this remarkable large-aperture ultra-wide lens reduces unwanted FOCUS breathing and angle of view shifts when focusing to facilitate high-quality movie recording and smooth, refined expression. Consistent balance for easy handling Thanks to a refined internal FOCUS mechanism, the lens’s length remains constant while focusing for ideal balance and handling. You can move in close to the subject, right down to the lens’s minimum focusing distance, and shoot movies or stills without being restricted by changing lens length. Dust and moisture resistant design A dust and moisture resistant design provides extra reliability for outdoor use in challenging conditions. This video also features the Sony E PZ 10-20mm F4 G Lens and Sony E 15mm F1.4 G Prime Lens MFR ref: SEL11F18. SEL11F18.SYX
Specifications
| 181g |
| 66 x 57.5 mm |
| Wide Angle, Fixed Focal Length |
| Sony E-mount |
| 55mm |
Sony SEL 11mm F1.8 Lens
With an 11 mm (35mm full-frame equivalent: 16.5 mm) focal length for dynamic ultra-wide images and a large F1.8 max. aperture for deep bokeh, this lens weighs just 181 g (6.4 oz.). It is a perfect match for compact APS-C bodies, letting you capture stunning stills and movies anywhere. It also features two linear motors for fast, precise AF that supports both stills and movies.
Deep, expressive bokeh
A large F1.8 maximum aperture makes it easy to achieve exquisitely expressive bokeh in deep, impressive images. 0.12 meter (0.4 ft) minimum FOCUS and 0.2x maximum magnification let you shoot close-ups with wide, smoothly defocused backgrounds. Precisely controlled spherical aberration and a 7-blade circular aperture contribute significantly to the beautiful bokeh this lens can deliver.
High resolution throughout an ultra-wide 11 mm field of view
State-of-the-art optics deliver consistently high resolution right out to the image edges. Optimal placement of three aspherical elements ideally corrects field curvature, ensuring that excellent resolution is maintained throughout the image area, even at maximum aperture. Three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements effectively suppress chromatic aberration and colour fringing for superb image quality.
Compact and lightweight for extraordinary shooting freedom
The compact size and low weight of this fine lens make it a perfect match for APS-C camera bodies. Outstanding mobility and easy handling are great for long handheld or grip-mounted shooting sessions. An innovative combination of spherical and aspherical elements achieves stunning optical performance in a lens that is only 66 x 57.5 mm (2-5/8 x 2-3/8 in.) and weighs only 181 g (6.4 oz.)
Advanced AF maximises body speed potential
Two linear motors give this large-aperture lens impressively fast, precise autofocus and tracking performance for both stills and movies. AF and tracking are so responsive that the full speed potential of the body used can be fully realised so that even fast or erratically moving subjects can be captured quietly and reliably.
A versatile tool for movie shooters
With an 11 mm angle of view and large F1.8 aperture, it is easy to capture dynamic subject perspectives against sweeping backgrounds with beautiful bokeh. Advanced optical design minimises FOCUS breathing and reduces unwanted angle-of-view shifts in movies. This unique ultra-wide lens also allows the use of front filters for extra creative flexibility in a wide range of shooting situations.
Superb operability and reliability
It may be small, but this impressive lens offers outstanding control and reliability. Linear Response MF provides instantaneous manual focusing with a natural feel, while a FOCUS hold button and FOCUS mode switch offer extra focusing control versatility. And to ensure maximum reliability in challenging outdoor conditions it features effective dust and moisture resistance throughout.
Advantages of Sony’s lenses for video shooting
Learn the four unique advantages of using Sony’s E-mount lens for video shooting. The combination of Sony’s lenses and cameras will enhance your video creation experience.
| Sony E-mount |
| APS-C |
| 11 |
| 16.5 |
| 11-12 |
| 104 |
| 1.8 |
| 16 |
| 7 |
| Yes |
| 0.15 m(AF), 0.12 m(MF) (0.5 ft(AF), 0.4 ft(MF)) |
| 0.13(AF), 0.20(MF) |
| 55 |
| – (body-integrated) |
| – |
| – |
| Petal shape, bayonet type |
| 66 x 57.5 mm (2-5/8 x 2-3/8 in.) |
| 181 g (6.4 oz.) |
| Lens front cap:ALC-F55S |
| Case:- |
This promotion is strictly subject to availability, and cannot be applied to orders or layaways which are not collected during the promotional period.
NB. Claims may only be submitted 30 days after the date of purchase. Claims submitted before the relevant date will be rejected by Sony.
Claim Up To €100 off Your Next Lens or Accessory Purchase When You Register Your New Camera On ‘My Sony’
Purchase any eligible Sony camera and register it on “My Sony” to receive an email containing THREE voucher codes (per camera body). Each code entitles you to claim up to €100 cashback from Sony when you register the purchase of a qualifying new lens or accessory!
This promotion CAN be combined with other Sony promotions including Welcome to Alpha, seasonal cashback promotions, or any special discounts. Camera to be bought between 1st April 2023 and 30th June 2024. Offer available on selected Sony cameras purchased prior to or together with participating Sony lenses and/or accessories.
This promotion is strictly subject to availability, and cannot be applied to orders or layaways which are not collected during the promotional period.
