After months of rumors speculating a new ultra-wide, ultra-fast Sony lens, the details have finally been confirmed. The new Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G Lens is fast, compact, and lightweight. It delivers excellent optical quality and features for both filmmakers and photographers. Whether you’re looking for the latest and greatest lens to photograph the stars or you’re looking for a compact travel lens that is just as good for videos as it is for photos, this new lens comes in an announcement you won’t want to miss. Let’s dive into some of the details.
Key Features of the Sony 16mm f/1.8 G Lens
- Ultra-Wide 16mm Focal Length
- F/1.8 Aperture Ideal for Low-Light and Bokeh
- Compact and Lightweight at 304g
- Two XD Linear Motors Deliver Fast, Quiet AF
- Corner-to-Corner Sharpness with Minimal Distortion
- Focus Breathing Suppression
- 67mm Front Filter Size
What’s New About the Sony 16mm f/1.8 G Lens?
The new Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G lens is everything the landscape, astro, and cinema community needs from an ultra-wide angle lens. The 16mm focal length is perfect for capturing the whole scene. Additionally, an aperture of f/1.8 is ideal for low-light situations or times when you need maximum bokeh. Unlike many other f/1.8 prime lenses, the new Sony 16mm is both compact and lightweight, meaning you’ll barely feel it in your kit. For videographers, fast and quiet autofocus is combined with focus breathing suppression to make this lens a highly versatile piece of equipment for numerous types of creators.
Ultra-Wide Focal Length
16mm is widely used as one of the most popular ultra-wide focal lengths across travel, landscape, astro, and video creators. This is due to its ability to capture so much of the scene in front of you. With a lens this wide, it’s easy to create depth by moving close to your foreground while keeping background objects at a distance. When paired with the max aperture of f1.8, you expand the usage of this lens by offering both excellent bokeh and top-notch low-light performance. Finally, this focal length is one of the most popular amongst astrophotographers, and with a maximum aperture of F1.8, this lens is sure to be a hit for nightscapes as well.
Compact and Lightweight
Weighing in at just 304g/10.7oz and measuring 73.8mm x 75mm, this lens is both compact and lightweight. Considering the maximum aperture of F1.8, this is incredibly lightweight and compact. Indeed, this lens will fill a vital spot in your kit without taking up too much space. Lightweight gear is becoming more popular for all types of creators. However, travel and landscape photographers specifically will love the lightweight nature of this lens. This is mainly because those types of photographers generally travel more to their locations. When you need a lens that fills a crucial spot in your kit but doesn’t have a presence that your backpack feels, the Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G is a great choice.
Fast, Accurate, Quiet Autofocus
Both video and action photographers will love the fast, precise, and quiet autofocus delivered by two XD linear motors. The Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G can utilize some of the incredible tracking capabilities of many Sony Alpha cameras. Additionally, you can expect your images to stay in focus even at 120fps burst and 120p/240p movie shooting on some of the highest-end Sony video cameras.
Focus Breathing Suppression
Another great feature for video creators is focus breathing suppression, including support for in-body compensation with compatible Sony cameras. Many of today’s best video lenses are equipped with focus breathing suppression, and this lens is no different. Focus breathing suppression is crucial for cinematic quality filming. You can practically eliminate this unwanted effect for better-quality footage when paired with some of the higher-end Sony cameras. Additionally, for landscape and travel photographers utilizing focus stacking to ensure front-to-back sharpness in their images, this focus breathing suppression can make post-processing easier.
Who Should Buy the Sony 16mm f/1.8 G Lens?
First and foremost, the Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G lens is an excellent choice for astrophotographers due to its ultra-wide focal length and f/1.8 maximum aperture, giving creators more light and detail and less noise. Landscape and travel photographers will also benefit from the lens’s ultra-wide focal length and compact nature. Finally, even videographers can find great use in this lens due to the fast and quiet autofocus paired with focus breathing suppression, giving you access to cinema-quality ultra-wide footage in a lightweight and compact lens body.
Comparable Sony Lenses
The Sony 16-25mm f/2.8 G lens is another G-Series ultra-wide lens that may appeal to similar styles of creators as the new Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G. The 16-25mm is slightly heavier at 409g/14.5oz, but it does offer somewhat more versatility since it is a zoom lens. The maximum aperture of f/2.8 doesn’t quite afford you as much light as the new 16mm f/1.8. Still, landscape photographers may prefer the zoom lens’s versatility over the extra 1.3 stops of light. Additionally, due to the nature of the zoom, this lens can offer filmmakers a few extra added uses at the cost of light and a little bit of bokeh.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of what kind of ultra-wide scenes you must capture, the new Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G lens should be an instant hit with its compact nature and excellent optical quality. Sony has left no stone unturned regarding the features of this lens for photographers and videographers, and we expect this lens to be very well received by the community. If you’re looking for the perfect ultra-wide to add to your kit, the compact Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G lens is the product you’ve been waiting for.
All Images provided by Sal D’Alia
