Sony FE 28mm f/2 lens review with samples (Full-frame and APS-C) 

Really liking your reviews. Short, focussed and very informative.

Camera-Yoda: ”The barrel design force is strong in this one. Mmmh.“ Love your work man! Every lens I wonder about, I always check if you have any reviews on it before I do anything else. Much love from Norway!

Been waiting for this review for a few months :)

One of my favourite walk-around lenses. And 28mm isn’t boring to me.

I travelled with this lens on the A7ii and I found the focal length a bit strange but i kinda liked it seeing as 28 is a bit niche compared to 35mm and 50mm so i rolled with it. I was overseas for about a year and had a 50mm and a 85mm as well. Even though it took me a bit of warming up, when i looked back at all my photos i found that the ones i took with the 28 were my favourite. I'll admit, my attention is usually peaked towards wider angle photography but i found this lens so useful in the street which is where most of my shots were taken. It's small, light and cheap. Yes the distortion is the worst feature of this lens but i even managed to add a profile for it on my pirated Lightroom which fixes it easily, some photos i even kept the distortion cause i like the effect in some occasions if i want to exaggerate whats close to the camera. Street photography is a lot easier when you have a smaller lens like this one and i didn't draw attention in dangerous places with it. Sharpness is more than adequate and if you want better bokeh than go with a 35mm or longer for better potraits (obviously). Long winded thoughts on this lens but I can't understand the complaints when two faults are corrected with a click in LR and its great value. I find myself contemplating to sell it but there are no 35mm lenses that are small and around F2/F1.8 for sony which is baffling, so im keeping it for now. plus F2 at this price and size aren't that easy to find you know.

Thanks! Keep the Sony lens reviews coming! 🍄

Excellent review, thanks so much!

Brilliant review 🙌

this video is SPOT on! thank you

Amazing video, thank you sir!

My favorite reviewer!

i love this lens very much

I have this lens with the Sony A7R II. Everyone's need is different. To me this 28, or any 28, is best suited for street photography. When I use the monitor instead of the viewfinder to frame my subjects, I must say I become fairly invisible. The quality of the lens is, shall I say, excellent. Bottom line is unless you're a professional charging people $500 an hour, this is the one to have since you don't need to impress anyone. The A7RII also allows you to shot in APSC mode. It's like having two lenses, 28 and 40.

Great review Chris, as always! So, if we compare this lens mounted on a full frame camera with the Sigma 16mm 1.4 mounted on an APS-C, which one performs better? If we look at Chris's review of the Sigma 16mm 1.4, it appears that The Sigma will do better?

Great lens for both my a6000 and a7iii.

reviews progressing at 6 minutes long almost perfect never exude that limit:)

Very useful 👌

Can you make review video for Sony Zeiss 35mm f2.8 after this? Because I really2 need your review for this lens..

Would you be able to compare the new Sony 40mm f2.5 to the old 35mm f1.8?

Was waiting to hear your thoughts on this lens! I scored this on ebay used complete in box for $210 shipped. Probably the biggest deal in camera lens history for me, it lives on my sony body since its so small and light.

sigma art 24 1.4 or sigma art 35 1.4 for sony e-mount test please!!!

I was just about to buy this lens ( again), but at this time my finger is on the “preorder “button” for the tamron 17-28 2.8!

Hi great review! I can see now this is not the lens for me. Thanks for saving me the time and money. One question. You said that using this on a crop sensor camera would produce a little broader depth of field around F3. Why is that? Is it because a smaller area of the lens is being used so less light? thanks!

28mm is great for street and documental photography. And you can have emphasis on your subject if you get really close.

Does the in body lens correction eliminate distortion? I have Sony A7IV and am considering this lens. but want to know this before I buy it.

Hi! Will be reviewing 7artisans lenses for e mount any time soon?

Seems like it would be a nice little travel lens.

Quick tip: This lens focuses closer in manual mode than in auto focus. Also, I would love to see the review of this lens with 21mm converter.

I like the idea of them. But I have to weigh the slow response to the focus with simply setting a manual lense to f5.6 and have everything using the hfd in focus from seven ft to infinity.

Hi, can you please review speedbooster from either viltrox or metabones. thanks

Great videos, as usual... Could I just suggest one thing to make these reviews even better? Could you provide a link to the original images? It'd make a really amazing database for comparison. Thanks! I actually checked and you do have a Flickr account and you upload the pictures you took with each lens. Could you also upload the Sharpness tests?

Definitely time for a Sony 28mm video-focused lens. (28mm is one of the most used cinema focal lengths)

'shwmae pawb' you just gained a sub, nice

Has anyone used this and the tamron 24mm f2.8? What one should I get?

Considering that this lens goes for like $200 used, it's something that everyone should consider.

Hmmm. Mine seems weaker than that on apsc, even in the middle 2.8 and f4 improve things noticably. I avoid f2 on my apsc . Like it on my fullframe though.

Can you test the Voighylander 28mm f/2.0 Ultron Mk2 on the Sony with an adaptor ? I think it should be a better lens.

How do you rate this against the Samyang 18mm??

Hey Chris, what would be your best recommendation for a wide-angle prime lens for the Sony FE mount that wouldn't break the bank!

Mine is better in the corners. Did you check for tilt?

I have this lens and use it a lot for glidecaming, but i generally avoid using it wide open (f/2) because the corners get too dark and dull, but f/2.8 and on looks good.

You got some big hands man

This was the first lens I bought for Sony FF. I've since sold it, but it remains among my favorite lenses in the Sony lineup. I just don't shoot wide often enough to keep it.

I get what you say about the bokeh. It is strange. But at the same time, I think it looks magical at 4:42 and 5:54. So I guess it depends on the shot. Less busy backgrounds often benefit from harsh bokeh imo.

"The Bokeh seems to carry an edge of nervousness about it." ?? This kid's gettin' flamboyant on us. I'm grabbing a used one, mint, for $160 today later.

Are you planning to test the Tamron 28/75? Would be very interesting!

Thank you, does the camera correct distortion on video?

Really great video! If I may ask, where is the picture at 0:45 taken? thanks!

clear audio quality, what mic are you using?

if Christopher says the bokeh is nervous then i aint buyin!

Hello :) I hope to get your help making a decision again :) I just switched over to full frame sony from canon and got the sony 85 1.8 for subject isolation and portraits, aditionally i want to get a wide angle manual focus lens, like the samyang 14mm for landscapes and astrophotography and as a 3rd lens i wonder if i should get this sony 28 or the samyang af 35 f2.8. Which would you reckon is more useful as a general purpose lens? :) Thank you again with your help for choosing a vacation lens, the sigma contemporyry 30mm got me some amazing photos :)

I own this lens on my sony a7iii. Its really nice for travel and occasional portraits.. Quick autofoucs.. Images are not as sharp as zeiss 55mm 1.8 and contrast is definitely less. It could be jusy my copy..

0:02 "shemay palp"...? I've probably misheard but what is that greeting/language?

Between the sony 28mm f2.0 vs the samyang 24mm f2.8 which would you recommend?

Would be a good idea to do a second review of this lens including the add on Sony 21mm and 16mm adapters for wide angle photography fans :)

I own it great lens,)

You didn't mention that it is a great gimbal lens! Small and compact, and the focus is snappy! :) A friend of mine owns it so I get to borrow it from time to time, but I have the Sigma 24mm 1.4 already (which is too heavy for my gimbal). I'm not considering purchasing it, though.

Finally a great review for this lens. But what about the video quality of it.

28mm is no more boring than any other focal length.

28 is amazing. Way more useful than people give it credit for. And the take on difficulty composing a subject is also misdirected.

should I get this or the samyang 24mm 2.8? (resolution, color rendering and sharpness being the only thing that matters)

cool

Had it. Sold it. The distortion is really intense and the bokeh is meh. Like you said too, 28mm is kinda a boring focal length. It’s sharp and small though so... 🤷‍♂️

28mm is the same as pretty much all phone cameras. Just a very standard looking focal length that works. Nothing special but good for everything

I just got this lens but I was appalled to find out it doesn’t have a zoom on it. How do I zoom while using this lens?

i got this lens a few months back to replace my very poor & faulty emount Sigma 35mm F1.4 & I actually love the focal length for street fashion shoots... the AF & eye AF works very well unlike the sigma 35 art... highly recomended & it will not break the bank too...

the corner sharpness of the prime 28mm at f2.8 is worse than those standard zoom f2.8, not nice.

7 artisans 55 mm 1.4

Oh. Did I missed it?

DXOmark have this lens sharper than Zeiss 35mm f2.8 👍🏻

Why boring focal lens? the Amazing Leica Q2 is also with a 28mm fix lens...(perfect for street photography)

Boring is my mantra. jajajaja Thank you.

Samyang 24mm f2.8 or Sony 28mm f2?

1:04 How can the depth of field and rendering of a lens change if you change the camera? A 28/2 is a 28/2. It always draws like a 28/2. Regardless of the size of film behind it....

Apart from camera lenses , what else is in your house ? .

uuuuh, the amount of bokeh isnt going to change depending on your sensor size. bokeh is completely lens dependent. the reason people say you get less bokeh on a crop is that you need to use a shorter focal length to get the same field of view, which will decrease the amount of bokeh. but thats not really relevant if you are comparing a prime lense on a crop vs full frame.

Second :(

the samyang is probably the better 28 mm FE, still.

Why can't Sony make a decent 35mm lens. The distagon is too expensive for it's poor reviews, the sigma is way too large and heavy, and I don't even want to get started on the Sony 35 mm f2.8 for $900 smh IG: @sangotade.photo

The bokeh is horrible :(

not happy with those corners, ill pass.

It's a very good review of the lens but I don't agree with you that this is a boring focal length. Your images were anything but boring. Very nice.