Youve got speedy autofocus and a good set of manual controls.
All at a price thats firmly in the reasonable bracket.
So wheres the catch?
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
And while its a moisture-resistant lens, it doesnt have full weather seals.
But this isnt a G Master lens.
For the money, neither one of those factors should be a dealbreaker.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
What could be is the barrel distortion.
This is because of how much correction is taking place at the very edges of the frame.
Shoot in RAW and youll need to compensate quite heavily, costing you sharpness in the stretched pixels.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
Nor is it an issue which only affects prime glass.
Sonys own FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM II is guilty of it, too.
By super wide-angle standards, this is about as small as they come with an f/1.8 aperture.
That makes it almost 10mm shorter than theSony FE 20mm F1.8G.
Its lean build is achieved in part by use of plastic in the construction.
The result is a barrel that doesnt feel especially premium, but Sony hasnt done a cheap job either.
The overall impression is one of functionality.
That extends to the controls, most of which are thoughtfully placed within a fingers reach.
This is an easy lens to feel your way around one-handed.
It paired neatly with aSony A7C IIbody in testing for a convenient wide-angle shooting setup.
Whether youre shooting buildings, interiors or landscapes, this is a lens designed to give you dramatic perspectives.
At f/1.8, this is pretty fast glass.
Sony reckons the FE 16mm F1.8 G is a good option for astrophotography.
The wide aperture also means you could play with a very shallow depth of field.
Bokeh could be smoother and we did encounter some false color in blurred backgrounds.
All the same, its close-focusing abilities add an additional string to the bow of Sonys super wide-angle prime.
It helps that the autofocus system is rapid in all conditions.
Driven by dual linear motors, focusing response is pretty much instant.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
All of that translates to video, too.
Its easy to see why Sony touts the FE 16mm F1.8 G as a lens with vlogging potential.
Thats exactly what youll find at f/4.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
Wide open at f/1.8, the story is a little bit different.
More problematic is barrel distortion.
How much this loss of corner clarity is an issue will often come down to the composition.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
Naturally, the results of distortion correction are less noticeable when the area is defocused.
Venture beyond that and youll find that sharpness drops off significantly, particularly as you approach f/22.
There can be some washout at the widest apertures, but contrast is retained at f/4.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
The lens also keeps flaring under tight control and renders soft but attractive sunstars at narrower apertures.
Should you buy the Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G?
It can handle the bright stuff too, with attractive sunstars and decent flaring control.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
You want perfection out of the camera
Substantial barrel distortion is the trade-off for a compact design.
I used the lens with aSony A7C IIbody.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
