Another great video. Thank you very much. I'm glad that Sony has started sending you lenses. I would love to see you compare Sony FE 70-200 F4 G and Sony E 70-350 mm F4.5-6.3 G.
Nice review. I would still buy this lens for an APCS. I have an A6600 and have been having the most difficult time finding an adequate lens for street photography and this seems to fit the bill. I did just order the Sigma 30mm f1.4 but I may be returning it for the Sony 20mm as it is better fit for street and more equivalent to 30mm full frame. Sadly there is no Sony 18mm, 20mm or even 23mm APC lens other wise I would buy it.
You're my first stop when it comes to lens revues, a tonne of info, great content and a gorgeous wife! You have helped me step into the world of Sony digital, so thank you Mr & Mrs R :)
Hey Arthur, you talk about sharpness but looking at the images, side by side @00:08:28 it immediately jumps out at you the incredible and immense difference in contrast and saturation of the Sony 20mm compared to the Sigma 16mm! I'd go so far as to say even if the Sigma had been a little sharper, that difference alone is well worth the Sony; it just looks gorgeous while the Sigma looks washed out, but that's maybe me? I love punchy colour and I hate flares and images that look like they are taken through nylons.
Some 3 years later....but an excellent, practical and informative review with impressive sample pics. I only use FF so this lens seems the real deal for me. I've not got either a 20 or 24 mm lens. This might be the answer. Thanks.
On my shopping list. I wish all lens had an aperture ring like all my Nikons of old. It is of the size that will satisfy my craving for an ultrawide for my A7R3 and a 30mm for my a6500 camera.
I have the Sony 16-35/2.8 G and it’s fantastic. I couldn’t justify buying this 20mm when I have the 20mm focal length covered. I guess there’s advantages to the faster prime but it’s trivial to me. Thanks to you and your wife for these great videos.
If you test your (or my) ultra-wide angle zoom against a fixed focal length wide angle lens, the fixed lens (of similar quality of course) will always exhibit much less barrel/pincushion distortion, higher contrast, less flare, and less chromatic aberrations. Optical law is a cruel thing. As I zoom my lens thru it's focal lengths and focus distances, the barrel or pincushion distortion changes. Aperture affects it too. If it's a hobby, you can "justify" a purchase much easier than me. If it won't make me more money than it costs, I CAN NOT buy it. I would spend $155,000 tomorrow if I had a job were I needed a "widget" to make $220,000. That's a big investment for a "MARGINAL" return (less than 100% mark-up). I don't have to answer to stockholders.
@@Walkercolt1Interesting. Gives more credibility to my idea. I’m looking into getting this Sony 20mm G and using clear image zoom to get me to 24mm and 28mm instead of picking up a Sigma 16-28. Do you think that would work? Yes I crop on but sounds like it’ll be sharper, faster focus, and have less distortion. And I’m getting a Sony a7iv so I don’t think I’ll be losing image quality. This is for videos. Close up product reviews.
Interesting to see side by side pics of 6100&sigma 16 vs a7III&sony 20. In my opinion the results are super close with basically no noticeable difference. At least at this light conditions..
Christian Kaufmann That’s not true. Aperture is a physical characteristic of the lens. 1.8 is 1.8. If you are talking about equivalent depth of field, that’s another conversation.
@@ArthurR Yes but the same can be said for focal length. Focal length is also a physical characteristic of a lens. But to compare different sensor sizes the crop factor has to be applied to both focal length and aperture to get the same result.
@@willmannering Correct! Arthur's 13mm 1.8 dream lens on APS-C would equate to 20mm 2.8 on the A7III in terms of field of view, depth of field as well as ISO performance. Interestingly, Viltrox just announced a 13mm 1.4 AF "APS-C lens". Now, that would more likely fit the bill - at least spec-wise.
You stated that this lens would be 13.5mm equivalent on an APS camera? I think you went the wrong direction. I 20mm full frame lens on an APS camera is equivalent to a 30mm.
Solid review Arthur. I am glad that you put the lens on you a6100. Images look good but you are right $900 is too much to pay when the Sigma 16mm is there.
I bought this lens for my a6400. and the result always amazing.... just like he said. bc of this channel i bought the lens. close up or wide angle all good.
It is hard to make a bright ultra wide lens. The full frame prime autofocus 20mm lenses from canon, Nikon or even Sony a-mount are traditionally f/2.8. The f/1.8 from Sony is a huge step forward. Sigma has a full frame autofocus 20mm f/1.4 lens but this is huge, heavy with a bulbous front element that doesn't accept filters. In the case of e-mount users this lens is designed for dSLR cameras and the autofocus isn't ideal. Additionally the integrated adapter makes this lens even larger and heavier. Tokina indeed has a full frame e-mount autofocus 20mm f/2 but the difference between f/2 and f/1.8 isn't negligible. Tokina is a black horse for most amateurs but it offers many great lenses. With manual focus lenses things are easier and the full frame e-mount Voightländer 21mm f/1.4 is exceptional and accepts filters too. With ultra wide lenses the depth of field even with f/1.4 is deep and manual focusing is really easy.
Maybe the same folks who sent him the lens sent him the FF camera to test it on. Both going back. Then Arthur pucks up a first gen A7 in his next video?
Fantastic review. Sample photos are straight out of the cameras in jpg form for users to look at. That is what the viewers want to see the true form of the lens. Thank you very much and keep up the good work.
I think this lens definitely deserves the price! Compare this with 24GM, this lens is at least $600 cheaper than 24GM but they got the similar effects!
It's also slower than the 24 GM. Unfortunately there's not much between the pancake lenses (16 and 20, both 2.8) and the expensive stuff (Sony Zeiss 24/1.4 (
Planing to buy this for my a6300 as a wedding combo with my a7ii with 85mm. Then save so that I can buy the a7riii for this and buy a 28mm f2 for my a6300 so I can use my a6300 with 42mm equivalent for street and everyday camera.
How would you compare it to Viltrox 20mm F/1.8 you reviewed another time? Both are full frame lenses. Viltrox costs only $450 but is manual focus and heavier.
I found it used for 500 bucks, is it worth it? I still consider myself a beginner in photography, and idk whether I should go for this or for a zoom like the 20-40mm from tamron
Would be great if you can compare it to Tamron 17-28 F2.8, as it has same price, variable zoom and even wider FOV. Also, as it's a landscape lens, compare on F4.0,F8. Another interesting lens is Tamron prime 2.8, its almost third of the price, and even lighter. Thanks!
Even good I would not spent so much money for a wideband lens, many mobile phones have good wideband stuff too. Together with panorama feature..money saved. I think mobile phones are the correct competitors..
He Arthur great vid as usual... it would be really good comparing the crop mode on the A7 iii with APSC images of your A6100 when you review full frame lenses.. maybe a crop mode series of vid I think there would be a big demand for that
I want this lens for my a6600 so bad because I love the 30mm range and I miss the aperture ring on my old RX1 so much. But I already have the 20mm APSC pancake so this price really can’t be justified if I’m only using the 6600. Thanks for the samples, it looks amazing!
I was close to buy the Sigma 16mm, but now i am confused. The only reason i did not changed completely from Samsung to Sony is the wide angel fotografy. With the NX1 I have a nice 12-24mm (not so fast) and a great 10mm fisheye. Please Sony make a fisheye or a 10/12mm 1,8 wide angel lens. By the way, my 6400 + sigma 56mm is a dream for portrait fotography...
Not sure if I should get Sigma 16-28 or the Sony 20 G. I don’t need wider than 20 a c I’m wondering if clear image zoom can get me to 28mm with the Sony lens anyway. Unless I’m just cropping in on some distortion. This is for video for close up product reviews. I need best sharpness and fastest autofocus.
@@CarlBergsdorf The Tamron 20/2.8 has a very noisy AF motor, so if you're a video shooter that could be a deal breaker. The Sigma 20/1.4 is a great lens but its 950 grams, so double the weight of the Sony 20/1.8, for video shooters using a gimbal, that extra weight can be a deal breaker. I have the Sony 20/1.8 and love it, but whatever works for you, there are lots of options available now which is great.
Paul Fairchild those are very important things to consider when getting a lens, no doubt. Lenses, as with cameras, are of course tools with different strenghts and weaknesses. The price is the biggest ”weakness” of the G, compared to the others :P
@@paulfairchild8942 That's why Samyang is the winner here, lol!. It's cheap ($300) and the lightest of the 4 of them (only 145 grams!). Heck, my Samyang combos is lighter and smaller than my APSC combos!
I've seen many reviews of APSC pairing with FF lenses, but no one has discussed their weaknesses. always praising the quality of photos .. it turns out that they want people to think so. you show the truth and I like it. Ps. you have a hell of a wife for a photo model.
Awesome! Do you think you can do a video about the new Tamron Prime Trio's performance on APS-C, please? They're full frame lenses, but at crop sensor prices ($300 each) and I can't find anyone testing them out yet! I'm especially interested in the 24mm, but the 20 and 35 seem like they'd do well, too!
The VILTROX AF 13mm 1.4 is half the price, for APS-C, and probably almost as sharp. I expect FF to cost more, but twice? Sony prices are always too high.
Another great review. I purchased one and took some shots yesterday. But, in the night sky shot at 10:07 in your video it has circular bands of color and shading. Mine does too - sometimes very distinct - almost like an eye iris.
You are mis-using a terrestrial lens for astronomical purposes. Try a $35,000 (you build-it) telescope kit. At an f8 aperture, it will do what you want. Nothing less will. A $63,000 14 inch Celestron might be of interest to you. It's an f11. Order one today, expect delivery in two years, maybe.
If you put the lens on an apsc camera, it’s a 35mm 2.8 not 1.8. One always forgets to multiply apperture as well with the crop factor. Nice video btw.! Regards Dirk
I mean, I understand why you're saying it wouldn't be worth the 900$ for an APS-C, but I have the a6000, and I'm thinking of buying a full frame Sony camera. In this case, wouldn't it be a better investment over the sigma 16mm? Cause when my full frame arrives, the sigma wouldn't be very useful... What do you think?
Hi Arthur, Thank you for you great review. I have a question, I do want to start focus stacking for Marco and landscape photography on my Sony A7RV. Which lens would you suggest for my type of photography. (I am concern about focus breathing). Your feed back is greatly appreciated.
Similar to what you're talking about with the 20mm, I have lens elements moving into my 18-105 F4 (only with camera shut down) and I can't remember if it was there just after I bought it, did you have the same thing?
Probably the OSS elements. They are kept in place with small electro magnets when the camera is turned on, but when you turn off the camera the magnets power down and the elements can move a little bit.
@@ArthurR I think so haha the most recent version is still 04 though(launched on late 2017).. but please Sony, for the sake of all gorgeous G lenses, give the 18-105 a whole new upgrade or even update and make it more expensive! idc! just make it a perfect all-rounder lens and I´m good to go... then you can take my hard earned money:))
