Wide angle lenses are popular because of their versatility, but the right one needs to strike a balance between portability, sharpness, and performance. The Sony FE 16mm f/1.8 G promises just that, aiming to be the lens you take everywhere, from landscapes to city streets, even vlogging setups.
Coming to you from Stefan Malloch, this insightful video gets straight to the heart of how the Sony FE 16mm f/1.8 G performs in real-world scenarios. Malloch highlights its standout features, particularly the fast f/1.8 aperture that enables impressive low-light capability, a shallow depth of field for creative backgrounds, and compact dimensions making it perfect for travel photography or videography. One significant strength of this lens is its autofocus performance. Fast, precise, and consistent, the autofocus pairs seamlessly with the latest Sony cameras, meaning you can depend on it in most situations. Although it lacks built-in stabilization, Malloch explains that with the wide 16mm focal length, this feature isn’t missed much, as modern camera bodies typically cover stabilization adequately.
However, Malloch also points out some issues you’ll want to consider. The lens exhibits noticeable distortion and vignetting at its widest aperture, f/1.8. While distortion can easily be corrected with lens profiles in post-processing, it may matter more if your work involves precision, like architectural photography. Sharpness, on the other hand, is a strong suit. The lens delivers excellent center sharpness wide open, though stopping down slightly provides improvements in corner sharpness and reduces vignetting. The best sharpness, as Malloch demonstrates, lands around f/5.6. He notes chromatic aberration does appear occasionally in high-contrast scenes wide open, although it's minimal and manageable.
Key Specs
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Focal Length: 16mm
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Aperture Range: f/1.8 to f/22
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Lens Mount: Sony E (Full Frame)
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Angle of View: 107°
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Minimum Focus Distance: 5.9" / 15 cm
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Maximum Magnification: 0.25x (1:4 Macro)
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Optical Design: 15 Elements in 12 Groups
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Aperture Blades: 11
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Stabilization: None
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Filter Size: 67 mm
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Dimensions: ø 2.91 x L 3" (7.38 x 7.5 cm)
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Weight: 10.7 oz / 304 g
Malloch also explores the physical design and usability. Despite a plastic build, the lens feels robust and thoughtfully designed, featuring practical details such as a manual/autofocus switch, customizable focus hold button, and a de-clickable aperture ring for video work. Its weather-sealed metal mount offers extra confidence when shooting outdoors. He praises the tactile manual focus ring, though he notes autofocus is so reliable you may rarely need it.
One standout creative aspect Malloch covers is the close focusing ability, which allows for inventive perspectives uncommon with typical wide-angle lenses. He demonstrates how combining this with a wide aperture yields distinctive images, though he cautions about softness when getting too close. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Malloch.
