Sony 20mm f/1.8 Review by Ken Rockwell
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- Sony 20mm f/1.8 Review by Ken Rockwell
Full Review & Sample Images www.kenrockwel...
I'd get my 20/1.8 at www.bhphotovid...
or www.adorama.com...
A7R IV Review & Samples www.kenrockwel...
Examples of why I love ISO 50 www.kenrockwel...
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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!
THANKS!!!!!!!!
Ditto!
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 TH-cam!
Love the lens? A 20/1.8!is ultra useful. Canon doesn’t make one, and Nikon can’t ship theirs.
Thanks!!!!!! Love it? 20/1.8 is ultra useful.
@@KenRockwellTV Oh man I adore it! I just jumped back into photography/videography after years away. I used to use Nikon DX cameras but I am currently using a Sony A7iii so it is quite the improvement over what I was familiar with. I got all this gear with the intent of capturing some footage to use with the music I post on my yt channel. Your review also helped me decide to get the 2.8 opposed to the f4 70-200 and I've been nothing but elated with all the lenses I've purchased after reading your reviews. Thanks again!
Oh and the 20mm is genuinely mind-blowing especially close up and in low light focusing. Nice it stops all the way to f22 as well
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 TH-cam channel. #Subscribed
Thank you!!!
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.
Yip. Thanks!
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.
Yes, but the fact that you have to mess with mode settings makes it far less useful. DMF is usually pretty block and only applies to one AF mode anyway. Thanks!
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.
Thank you!
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.
Perhaps in light of this ability, rather than fault Sony for not working as it should, you might acknowledge it working in a way few other cameras have ever offered that much versatility in configuring.
Thanks!
Only DSLRs and Nikon Mirrorless have proper instant manual override. Thanks!
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.
Thanks! They’re mostly for keeping my fingers off the lens.
Ken is one of the best camera reviewers, I have ever known .
Thank you!!!!!!
Just ordered one Open Box to pair with A7C
with Warranty! Thanks for reviews on this and Canon R6.
Yes! Thanks!!!
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.
Exactly. Thanks!
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
You got it! Thanks!
Thanks For the excellent review.
Thank YOU!!!
What great narration for an enjoyable review. Thanks.
Thank you!
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.
Hmm, similar. Depends which you prefer and if you’re on a clock drive.
What about Sony 24 2.8 , Ken ? Thanks
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
Thanks!
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.
Great choice. That and the 24-240 and your set for anything.
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.
Perfect!! Thanks!
Not a photographer. Still found myself riveted. Well done. Learnt a lot that I will probably never use, but that's ok.
Thanks!
Wait the Ken Rockwell has a TH-cam Channel?! Immediate sub!
Thank you!
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.
Pretty much the same. These are very different focal lengths that tell very different stories.
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.
Exactly. I do thank goodness that we have so many choices. Thanks!
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.
The same sharpness. All as good as you can see on 60 MP.
@@KenRockwellTV Nice, I don't even have 60 mpixels but even at 42 I notice some lenses render things better, I think my 135 and 90mm macro are my faves. I'm a bit like you with expecting my stuff to last 20+ years, not a fan of throw-away mentality. I'm guessing the GM might be a bit better build but then again more stuff to go wrong in a zoom.
Excellent review!
Excellent comment!!! Thanks!
How do you make stills look so good in video?
Not to be a wise guy, but it comes down to over 50 years of experience learning how to make good-looking stills. Once you have one, I simply drop my JPGs onto iMovie and have at it. Thanks!
@@KenRockwellTV Thanks! I use Adobe Premiere and stills look like garbage. I’ll give iMovie a try. Appreciate the response.
@@KenRockwellTV F-me! You ROCK! IMovie is totally the way to go to make stills look great! Much appreciated amigo!!!
You had me at smooth trigger pull. Maybe people can learn another life skill through photography.
🇺🇸 🦅 🇺🇸
Thanks!
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?
We’ll see. The Sony is pretty close to perfect.
Very good review. Thank you
Thank you, David.
What do you think of this one vs a 14mm ? Have you reviewed the laowa 14mm? Thanks
This Sony is superb. Laowa is mostly very primitive (think 1970s) all manual lenses, in no way comparable to Sony. 14mm is a very difficult focal length to use well, much less useful than 20mm. See also www.kenrockwell.com/tech/how-to-use-ultra-wide-lenses.htm
@@KenRockwellTV great article thanks a lot!
Is iso 50 ok on my A7R2? Will it improve blacks on that camera too?
Black is black. ISO 50 will make it cleaner but watch your highlights. See
www.kenrockwell.com/sony/a7r-ii.htm#perf
for examples
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,
Agreed. Thanks!
gabithemagyar ... the 20/f1.8 G-lens is very sharp on my a6600. 👍🏻
@@TW-iu9zy I'm sure it is but my cameras (a6000, a6300) do not have IBIS so the lack of OSS is an issue for me. I shoot hand held in dim light (museums, galleries, cathedrals etc) quite often. I also prefer to buy APS-C lenses for these cameras, I have no intention of switching to full frame.
gabithemagyar ... year, you are right. The lack of OSS is a big problem, especially if the lenses are expensive like the Sonys. But it is a really nice „30 mm“ lens on the a6600.
@@TW-iu9zy Yes. I love that focal length on APS-C ! I have the 20mm f2.8 pancake which is OK for street photography in daylight but is not great for indoors hand held.
Very thorough and informative review! Thanks Ken! Should be receiving mine tomorrow and then selling my Zeiss Loxia 21mm. 😊
Good by ZEISS! They were hot back in the 1950s and 1990s.
Seems the Hoya HMC UV 0 is no longer available. Has Hoya replaced it with an updated version?
Hoya keeps changing things. They always have a lot of different models of the same thing. Here’s the best bulletproof filter www.adorama.com/HY67UVHD3.html?kbid=21866
@@KenRockwellTV I have a 67mm B&W coming for my copy of this lens. Hope it's close to being as good as a similarly priced Hoya. So difficult to get good intel on filters. Thanks for this video on the 20mm G. I just got mine and look forward to using it. Your review gave me a lot of confidence in it. Before buying anything, I usually look to see if you have a review of it.
@@reddavis1877 B+W is awesome. Almost every B&W, Hoya, Heliopan and Tiffen filter is great; this is the last thing about which you need to worry.
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
Yes, but sadly not with Sony. Thanks!
@@KenRockwellTVWorks with Sony when using most of the Sigma Art lenses.
@@KenRockwellTV Ahh I misheard you in the video!
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.
We never know. Thanks!
Great review Ken. I love your attitude to photography.
Thanks Paul!
The best! Just dont forget to manual focus!
Thanks!
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 ;)
Just a matter of time. Leica been at photography over 100 years, Canon and FujiFilm have been at it since the 1930s, Nikons been making cameras since the 1940s, but SONY only got serious a decade ago.
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.?
It’s definitely the high megapixel count of the Sony body and the clarity of the lens
Is the megapixels the more you have the more detail is able to capture watch some videos on some 100 megapixel cameras and watch how much detail they capture... Also the sharpness of the lens adds more details of course
Both. Mostly the sensor; 20mm lenses have been this sharp stopped sown for decades. At f/1.8 you need one of the newest lenses to be sharp wide-open. Thanks!
Hey Ken! Would you recommend this as a travel lens . Going to a Europe trip and just wanted to carry one or two primes.
I was thinking of gettng this or the old minolta 20mm which seems to have good reviews on dyxum
Yes, great lens for travel; so much smaller than 16-35. MAXXUM 20/1.8 and Sony's version of the A-mount lens are the same, primitive 1980s design nowhere near as good as this new 20/1.8.
@@KenRockwellTV Thank so much Ken you are a legend. Im off saving $$ for that new 20mm prime. Seems like a great choice overall.
No Ken! You're not converting to Sony right?!
No! Canon is my favorite if I have something serious to shoot. Sony has awful ergonomics and Sony’s Vivid JPG colors aren’t as good as Nikon or Canon’s. But SONY is popular and you people always want to know what I think, so there you go.
Are those shots in Palm Springs Ken? Reminded me of home..
Some are close; I love it out there. Thanks!
Hi Ken, thanks for posting this. Can I use the aperture priority from in body camera rather than from the lens? Thanks
Yes! Set the lens ring to A and do it. See www.kenrockwell.com/sony/lenses/20mm-f18.htm#usage where I explain “While the A setting of the aperture ring implies that you'll get Program or Shutter-preferred exposure mode at that setting, what it really does is move the aperture setting to the camera's front control ring rather than at the lens.”
@@KenRockwellTV You great man, thanks for the tip.
I'm still using the Sony A7. Would this lens perform well on that body? Thank you!
Will work AWESOMELY! Lenses are always a great investment, cameras are not. www.kenrockwell.com/tech/lens-or-camera.htm
Hello
Is it good wih a7c for low light video indoor !?
Thx
Yes, but a 20mm lens is a very special effect in video. You wouldn’t want to use it for more than a few seconds as an establishing shot or otherwise only for raising tension for other weird shots.
@@KenRockwellTV thank you for replay
What is best lens with sony a7c for low light video please !?
Thank you for help
The Z 20mm F1.8s?
See kenrockwell.com/nikon/z/20mm-f18.htm
Will they ever make a 16mm f1.8?
Never say never; who knows? Thanks!
Still no 16mm f1.8 XD
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
And Canon is what I love and shoot the most because they're the best brand and the number-one selling brand, too. It's just a matter of time.
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?
No; just use a kit or APS-C lens that covers that that focal length. I don’t recommend mixing lens formats.
Will you compare this with the Nikkor Z 20 1.8 S?
Totally different camera systems so what’s to compare? Sony has less distortion but only Nikon 20/1.8 has full-time instant manual focus override. Both are ultra sharp wide open.
@@KenRockwellTV in the nikon body you can also adept the Sony lens
Professional :)
Thanks!
Nice review. Please do some for Fuji lenses and cameras. Thx
Detailed reviews for every Fuji lens are at www.kenrockwell.com/fuji/index.htm#xf. I just got my 16-80 so look for that review soon; every other Fuji lens is reviewed in full there.
Hi Ken! I am a long time reader of your website and happy to see you on TH-cam. How about a video review on the Nikon 14-24 f2.8?
Some day when all this new stuff isn’t coming out as fast as I can tan about each new thing. Whew, the Japanese never stop!
📝
Thanks!
Well plastic will save us money and will feel light, but as long as it does a great job, I’m ok with plastic
Superb. Thanks!
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?
I LOVE my D3 and shoot it every day in my studio. Go for it!
Nice
Thanks!
You’re the best Ken
YOU’RE the best!
This is dope
Thanks!
16:30 - green dot matrix around the sun... crap
Normal with digital cameras. Don’t point it at the sun if you don’t want these, or use different apertures. Thanks!
Super excellent review, thank you
Thank YOU!
Other Sony users are asking the question......Why? I'll keep buying Sigma, thank you!
Why? Possibly because SONY may have better service after 7 years go by and Sigma tends to walk away. I’ll admit that’s a long shot and that there’s so much coming out so fast I haven’t looked at the Sigmas lately. I prefer to use camera brand lenses as long term when new bodies come out I have much better luck with compatibility in the future, and again that’s a minor point if Sigma only costs half as much. Thanks for being out there for all of us!
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.
This is how I see the world. My world is brilliant, fresh and vivid. We all see differently; when I use color I want it strong, or I shoot black and white. Thanks!
@@KenRockwellTV I'll just call you, "Mr. Velvia!"
... yes, great! the next boring review here. 😄
Thanks!