Sony 20mm f/1.8 Review by Ken Rockwell 

What??!!?.? You are THE Ken Rockwell!??? The guy that does written reviews online? Wow!!! I started reading your stuff back in the canon 40D days! You are a legend!! Say no more. Sub and liked. Because of you it made purchasing decisions easier and learning about cameras easier too!!! Appreciate your work. I just started my own channel about film photography. Please come by and say hi when you have time!!!!!! Omg!!!! You have a great day sir! With love. Cheers!

Thank you for this video Ken! I purchased the 20mm a few months back based upon your review and I wanted to let you know I appreciate your website and i'm glad to see you breaking into RU-vid!

I’ve had your website bookmarked as long as I can remember. From the Nikon Fe, to the Fuji x100s, your honest take has helped me with this hobby. I’m glad I found your RU-vid channel. #Subscribed

Nice review. If you change the AEL button on the rear of the camera to manual focus, you can hold that button and use manual focus, then release and it'll go back to AF. It helps me alot cuz I never have to actually switch focus modes in camera.

4:50 => if you want the lens to react when you turn the focus ring, then use DMF mode, it's AF-S + manual focus override. It would be nice to have an option to have the AF-C being overridden, but most people don't want the focus ring to override anything as they could touch it by accident ... there's another option: use a recall custom hold button, so when you push this, the lens goes to DMF which lets you focus manually, and that way, you're not wasting any time switching anything.

Funny how many are fans of Ken. Haha I have been reading his site for a very long time too when I had very bad Gas on film cameras. Nice to see you here in youtube.

Ken, I know you have your standard complaint about focus-by-wire and "not having time to play with your settings". I have figured out a setting that resolves this, giving you the best of both worlds. Simply set your camera defaults (once and for all) to Manual Focus, and engage AF through back-buttons (I have three programmed, so that depending on which button I press I choose Wide, Zone or Flexible Spot area modes based on target size and background focus static. This settings stance has the property that when you grab the manual focus wheel, you are in manual focus mode, so the camera ALWAYS responds to manual control. Need AF, demand it instantly by one of your back-button focus engagement buttons. Using the "Recall Custom Holds" those can be setup at button press to morph settings to AF-C, a selected AF Area zone, and any other settings you want. Its like having a 4 cameras in your hand, that morphs from one to another at the press of a button.

Lens hoods are not just for preventing lens flaring. They protect the front element and filter thread against minor hits. Also they reduce the unavoidable dust on the front element of the lens too. No need for very frequent cleaning. A lens hood with a very good filter are a great protection against accidents that soon or later happen to everyone.

Ken is one of the best camera reviewers, I have ever known .

Just ordered one Open Box to pair with A7C with Warranty! Thanks for reviews on this and Canon R6.

With the Sony 61 MP a7R IV all new Sony full frame e-mount lenses have to be very sharp and adequate for the future e-mount cameras of very high resolution. Lenses aren't designed just for the present cameras but for the future ones too.

great review and awesome tips and tricks from an experienced photographer. you totally got my sub and i like to see more of my 20mm :D

Thanks For the excellent review.

What great narration for an enjoyable review. Thanks.

This sounds like a little gem of a lens indeed. I was going to break the bank to buy the 24 1.4 for astrophotography but this new one could be a fantastic alternative.

20:10 lol i sometimes do that XD and i use hoya too woooho! those filter are good front cap. I mean I am sometimes so much rushing that this saves time but usually i use cap because those filters are ain't cheap. But hardly comparable to lens price

Great review Ken ! Just ordered an A7C and brought this as my first lens to go along with the A7C. Mostly plan to take it along when I travel and have my picture clicked with the landscapes in the background . Did I make the right choice Ken ? Kindly advise.

Excellent review Ken, informative and thorough. I bought this lens a short time ago (before watching your review) and love it. Light weight, easy to use, and very very sharp images.

Not a photographer. Still found myself riveted. Well done. Learnt a lot that I will probably never use, but that's ok.

Wait the Ken Rockwell has a RU-vid Channel?! Immediate sub!

Good review. Would like to see a low light comparison of both lenses - 20mm/1.8 vs 24mm/1.4. Just do it Ken...that will be truly AMAZING.

Like your reviews, as they are no nonsense. As in 'takes same pictures but get the pricier one if you want to show off'. 'In the lab this is better, in the real world, they are the same'. I agree. I bought the Sony 24mm 1.4 gm here just because I wanted the lower light, and can then skip the sony 35mm 1.4 gm by just cropping in post.

I'd love to see a side by side image comparison between this lens and the 16-35GM zoom at 20mm. Of course this is faster but at the same aperture how would the stack up? As for your sentiments on 24 vs 20 I couldn't agree more and for that reason didn't purchase the 24, to me a very "meh" focal length. Thanks for the review Ken, your delivery is always clear and concise without distracting music or unnecessary frills.

Excellent review!

How do you make stills look so good in video?

You had me at smooth trigger pull. Maybe people can learn another life skill through photography. 🇺🇸 🦅 🇺🇸

Ken, why can't Nikon get their act together on lens design? The Sony 20 1.8 is 3.33" length at 373g the Nikon Z 20 1.8 is 4.27" and 505g. Will the Nikon have better image quality commensurate with its extra size / weight?

Very good review. Thank you

What do you think of this one vs a 14mm ? Have you reviewed the laowa 14mm? Thanks

Is iso 50 ok on my A7R2? Will it improve blacks on that camera too?

I so wish that SONY would put out an APS-C version of this lens with OSS. 20 mm on APS-C is an extremely useful focal length,

Very thorough and informative review! Thanks Ken! Should be receiving mine tomorrow and then selling my Zeiss Loxia 21mm. 😊

Seems the Hoya HMC UV 0 is no longer available. Has Hoya replaced it with an updated version?

On my Nikon Z6 the manual ring immediately overrides the auto focus for me. The lenses I know this works on are the 50 f1.8, 24-70 f4, and 70-300 f4-5.6 with the FTZ

I currently have the manual focus Tokina FiRN 20mm/2.0 and it does decent but I'm sure this would beat it for Astrophotography. I'd really like to know if Sony is going to release something in this line even wider. Since I have the Tokina I'd love to have the 24mm/1.4 and a 12-14mm range/1.8, but if this is the widest they are releasing I'll buy this over the 24mm. I'd really like to see astrophoto comparisons of this 20mm vs the 24mm/1.4 when you do your review, thanks in advance. Cheers.

Great review Ken. I love your attitude to photography.

The best! Just dont forget to manual focus!

I wish Sony will make a serie of lenses for very high resolution for landscape photography, compact, rugged, with aperture ring, the 20mm 1.8 G lens looks ok, I wish for macro lenses, manual focusing, with aperture and NO stabilizer, I wish for compact and light 300mm 3.0, 400 4.5 and 500mm 5.6, off course only primes ! Thank you very much Sony, oh I forgot, please upgrade the 55mm 1.8 with a AF on/on button (or make it in a manual focus version) plus aperture ring, a 60mm FF allround macro lens will be great ;)

Wow , zooming in really shows amazing detail. Does that have anything to do with the 60 mega pixel sensor on the Sony A7 Riv or is it as you implied, that its the lens.?

Hey Ken! Would you recommend this as a travel lens . Going to a Europe trip and just wanted to carry one or two primes.

No Ken! You're not converting to Sony right?!

Are those shots in Palm Springs Ken? Reminded me of home..

Hi Ken, thanks for posting this. Can I use the aperture priority from in body camera rather than from the lens? Thanks

I'm still using the Sony A7. Would this lens perform well on that body? Thank you!

Hello Is it good wih a7c for low light video indoor !? Thx

The Z 20mm F1.8s?

Will they ever make a 16mm f1.8?

Hi there, Ken! I've been watching your reviews here on youtube for a while now but I'm wondering, when will you start posting Canon content? I've read your mirrorless camera review comparing the 3 biggest brands right now though I'm still quite torn between Canon and Nikon -- I'd love to start seeing some canon reviews soon! Love your reviews. Keep em up

Hey Ken! Great review. For those of us on APSC, if we are looking for that 30-35 look, would you recommend the 20 1.8 on the a6600?

Will you compare this with the Nikkor Z 20 1.8 S?

Professional :)

Nice review. Please do some for Fuji lenses and cameras. Thx

Hi Ken! I am a long time reader of your website and happy to see you on RU-vid. How about a video review on the Nikon 14-24 f2.8?

📝

Well plastic will save us money and will feel light, but as long as it does a great job, I’m ok with plastic

Hi Ken.. I am getting into low light nightclub photography.. can you recommend a good not expensive nikon camera for it? (old second hand ok!) only requirement is 2 card slots... and probably full frame due to the light..Is D3 a good one or is there anything else you recommend?

Nice

You’re the best Ken

This is dope

16:30 - green dot matrix around the sun... crap

Super excellent review, thank you

Other Sony users are asking the question......Why? I'll keep buying Sigma, thank you!

Dear Ken, your reviews are so good, and practical, and you are clearly an accomplished photographer. But why do you use such ridiculous colours? Do you live in a kind of kaleidoscopic world that no-one else sees? Your photos are so technically good, and sharp. Why do you need to ramp up the saturation to beyond any perception of good taste? Is it because you think this is a way of appearing original, or is it for some other reason? Are you so dissatisfied with the real world that you need fantasy colours to make it more tolerable? This is an honest question.

... yes, great! the next boring review here. 😄