New ultra-wide choice Sony G lens SEL20F18G review

　　 On February 25, 2020, Sony launched a G series E-mount lens, FE 20mm F1.8 G. This ultra-wide-angle fixed-focus lens is the one with the widest focal length among 36 Sony E-mount full-frame lenses.

　　Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G with Sony full-frame mirrorless Alpha 7R IV

　　 Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G uses F1.8 large aperture, which combines high image quality, light weight, and ultra-wide viewing angle. The lens is only It weighs 373g, is small in size and light in weight. With a lightweight and portable full-frame mirrorless body, it can achieve better system balance. In addition, the FE 20mm F1.8 G also uses the same XD linear motor as the G master lens, which can achieve fast, precise and quiet autofocus, which can be handled freely in both photo and video shooting.

　　Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G

　　In terms of optical design, the FE 20mm F1.8 G adopts an optimized optical structure design, with 2 AA lenses and 3 ED lenses, which can effectively suppress chromatic aberration. At F1.8 large aperture It can achieve excellent resolution performance from center to edge. The lens has excellent close-up ability, the closest focusing distance is 0.19m, the maximum magnification can reach 0.2x, and it can achieve a soft defocusing effect.

　　Sony FE 20mm Schematic diagram of F1.8 G lens structure

　　 MTF curve of Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G lens

　　Appearance introduction

　　Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G lens body

　　 The overall design of Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G is light and compact, The lens size is 73.5*84.7mm, while the weight is only 373g, and the filter diameter is 67mm, which is very harmonious with Sony’s full-frame mirrorless use.

　　 Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G coating

　　The optical design structure of Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G consists of 14 lenses in 12 groups, including 2 AA lenses and 3 ED lenses, which can greatly reduce radial glare. So as to accurately display the point light source, the color is clear. The lens aperture is composed of 9 aperture blades, which can easily obtain a soft background blur effect. In addition, the FE 20mm F1.8 G has a minimum focusing distance of 0.19m and a maximum magnification of 0.2 times, which can take a certain macro shot and expand the applicability of the lens.

　　 Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G bayonet

　　 Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G uses a metal bayonet, which is sturdy and durable. And the lens body also adopts a dust-proof and drip-proof design, which is capable of daily shooting in harsh environments.

　　 Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G lens body buttons and switches

　　 There is a button and a switch on the left side of the Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G lens body, which are the focus hold button and the AF/MF switch. The focus hold button also supports custom functions, which can be set to some operations supported by the body such as “eye-controlled focus”, which further facilitates user manipulation.

　　 Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G aperture ring mode switch

　　 The aperture ring mode switch on the right side of the lens body allows the aperture ring to switch between engraved and non-engraved rotation. The non-rotation mode is suitable for use when shooting videos. With the XD linear motor, it can achieve fast, accurate and quiet autofocus, which better meets the user’s operational needs during video shooting.

　　Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G lens hood

　　 Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G is equipped with a lens hood model ALC-SH162, which can prevent stray light from entering the lens, and also protect the camera and lens from damage The role of accidental collisions.

　　Resolution test

　　 Next we will test the resolution of Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G in actual scenes. The entire scene has a rich level of detail, and the frontal composition is also used to ensure that the edge of the picture can also be in focus, so that the resolution of the edge can be better reflected and be relatively objective.

　　 Schematic diagram of interception area

　　 resolution test Comparison table

　　 Through the comparison, we can see that the FE 20mm F1.8 G central resolution is very good at all apertures, and the performance when the aperture is fully opened is also very good. The picture details are full. The picture quality is best when the aperture is F4. The resolution of the edges is equally good, but there is a slight drop relative to the center, and the best aperture is also at F4.

　　dispersion test

　　 In addition to the resolution performance, the anti-dispersion ability of the lens, that is, the suppression of the “purple fringe”, is also a very important quality of a lens. In the face of backlighting, high-contrast and landscape shooting, the impact of dispersion on the picture can also not be ignored. Next, we also use real shots to understand the anti-dispersion performance of Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G.

　　 Dispersion test comparison Table

　　After passing the 100% screenshot of the test sample, we can see that the Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G performs very well in controlling dispersion, except for slight dispersion at F1.8 and F2 apertures. In addition to the occurrence of purple fringing, there is no very obvious dispersion and purple fringing under other apertures.

　　 Aperture Test

　　 Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G uses a circular aperture composed of 9 blades. With F1.8 large aperture, it can create a soft background blur effect and Achieve the same excellent out-of-focus performance under different aperture settings. Let’s take a look at it through test samples.

　　 aperture blur Test table

　　 From the test chart, you can clearly see the difference in the background blur effect under different apertures. When the Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G is fully opened at F1.8, the background blur is very soft and beautiful.

　　Vignette test

　　 vignetting test table

　　 Through the real shot test, we can see that the FE 20mm F1.8 G only has a very slight vignetting under F1.8 and F2 apertures, starting from F2 At the beginning of .8 there was no vignetting. Overall, the FE 20mm F1.8 G does a very good job of vignetting control, and if the vignetting correction function is turned on in the camera, the vignetting of this degree can be easily removed.

　　 distortion test

　　distortion test sample

　　In terms of distortion, the wide-angle lens generally pays attention to the appearance of barrel distortion, but it can be seen from the distortion test sample of Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G that FE 20mm The barrel-shaped distortion of the F1.8 G shooting picture is very, very slight, basically negligible, which is enough to prove its excellent optical performance.

　　 Samples appreciation

　　 Focal length: 20mm ISO: 100 Aperture: F1.8 Shutter: 1/2000s

　　 Focal length: 20mm ISO: 100 Aperture: F1.8 Shutter: 1/4000s

　　 Focal length: 20mm ISO: 100 Aperture: F1.8 Shutter: 1/5000s

　　 Focal length: 20mm ISO: 100 aperture: F4 shutter: 1/500s

　　 Focal length: 20mm ISO: 100 Aperture: F1.8 Shutter: 1/1250s

　　 Focal length: 20mm ISO: 100 Aperture: F1.8 Shutter: 1/500s

　　More proofs

　　 Focal length: 20mm ISO: 100 Aperture: F1.8 Shutter: 1/6400s

　　 Focal length: 20mm ISO: 100 Aperture: F1.8 Shutter: 1/8000s

Focal length: 20mm ISO: 100 Aperture: F1.8 Shutter: 1/3200s

　　 Focal length: 20mm ISO: 100 Aperture: F1.8 Shutter: 1/6400s

　　 Focal length: 20mm ISO: 200 Aperture: F1.8 Shutter: 1/30s

　　 Focal length: 20mm ISO: 100 Aperture: F1.8 Shutter: 1/80s

　　Editor’s summary

　　 From the overall trial results, although the FE 20mm F1.8 G is only a G series lens, it still has extremely high optics The quality and performance are no less than the G master series. At the same time, its light and compact lens body, the widest fixed focus 20mm focal length of the E-mount and the large aperture of F1.8, are also very suitable when paired with the Alpha 7 or Alpha 9 series, even if it is used to carry the Sony APS-C. The specs of the micro-single are also very fit. In addition, in view of the focal length of the lens and its performance characteristics, FE 20mm F1.8 G is very suitable for shooting Vlog, especially for selfies. The price of 7499 matches the unique focal length, making it a great choice for wide-angle enthusiasts and Vloggers.

　　Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G with Sony full-frame mirrorless Alpha 7R IV