The year is 2022 and it’s time for APS-C to shine. With Canon showing off what they’ve cooked and Fujifilm announcing a big one of their own, today Sony is bringing three more wide-angle APS-C lens options: 10-20mm f / 4 PZ G, 15mm f / 1.4 G, and 11mm f. /1.8.
Sony E 10-20mm f / 4 PZ G
Construction standards
In appearance, the Sony 10-20mm f / 4 PZ G certainly gives the impression that this is the new Sony lens. For its stubby size – about 2.5 inches wide (64 millimeters) by 2.16 inches long (54 millimeters) – there are many extras on the side, including a power zoom rocker, a programmable button and a focus mode switch. The tiny plastic focus and zoom rings have an infinite spin and feel fairly nice in speed, but adding some rubber can go a long way in making them feel more premium. Fortunately, the lens does not expand in size as it zooms in.
Sony claims that not only is the 10-20mm f / 4 PZ G the smallest ultra-wide APS-C zoom lens, it is 46% lighter than its competitors. It weighs 6.2 ounces (175 grams) and comes with a compact camera Sony ZV-E10, The overall package is extremely travel-friendly. When traveling around with this kit, I would often leave the camera in my hand for miles because it seemed more annoying to store it in my pack than just holding it.
Although the front component is bulb-sized, the lens still receives a 62mm filter. The mounting point has a thin rubber gasket on the back for some protection from dust and moisture.
Image quality
Inside, the 10-20mm f / 4 PZ G uses two extra-low dispersion components and one extra-low dispersion aspherical component. Of the three new lenses announced today, this seems to be the best performance as far as backlit shots go. Lens flooring is clean, although colored blobs can still pop up. It retains its contrast well and has no apparent apparent color fringing on the high-contrast edge.
Checking the sharpness of 10mm in the center, I found that the wide open was fine at f / 4, stopping at f / 6.3 was showing its best, and at f / 9 when the picture was clearly starting to lose sharpness. At the corner, it was one-stop down at f / 5.6 which looked sharp.
Looking at the sharpness of 20mm in the center, f / 4 was an improvement over what was seen at 10mm, f / 6.3 was still the best and down f / 13 when the image started to soften. The angles were interesting because it seemed that the closer the aperture was, the softer it became. Unlike the other two new lenses that only stop at f / 16, they can stop at 10-20mm f / 22.
The minimum focusing distance measures just a few inches from the front of the lens and 5.11 inches (.12 millimeters) at 10mm and 6.69 inches (.16 millimeters) at 20mm. This can create some interesting looks due to the super-wide angle of view while holding the focus on the up-close object. Thus when shot extensively at f / 4, there is some possibility of separating the subject from the depth of field.
Sony E 15mm f / 1.4 G
Construction standards
If I had to choose which of these new lenses looks the most premium, the Sony E 15mm f / 1.4 G would be my choice. It is about 2.5 inches in diameter and 2.73 inches long. It is a tight little prime lens that still boasts an f / 1.4 aperture.
In addition to the plastic focus ring, the lens has an aperture ring, an aperture D-click switch, a programmable button, and a focus mode switch. The focus ring felt fine when bending but was enhanced by a rubber ring instead of plastic. The aperture ring glides better than the focus ring when de-clicking.
The lens weighs 7.7 ounces (218 grams) which is a bit heavier than 10-20mm but is going to be much better when working in low-light conditions with a maximum aperture of f / 1.4. When paired with Sony ZV-E10The kit fits well in size and is easy to carry for a long time.
The front component is slightly stuck, yet the lens filters 55 millimeters. The mounting point has a thin rubber gasket on the back for some protection from dust and moisture.
Image quality
Within 15mm f / 1.4 G, three aspherical components are used in the optical formula to maintain sharpness throughout the image. In my experiments with the sharpness of the center, I found that the wide open was good at f / 1.4, the best at f / 3.5, and finally at f / 11 when the image from the scattering was clearly softer. Looking at the angles, it was f / 5.6 which looks the sharpest.
One downside of 15mm f / 1.4 G is how much lens flare there is with bright light source. I’m guessing that not much is going on in the optics to prevent this, as it seems to appear across almost every shape and color frame. For landscape photography, I’m not sure if this is the lens I would like to buy because there would be a lot of different exposure to control it and then compose it together. On the plus side, color fringing lenses at high-contrast edges don’t seem to be a problem.
This lens has a seven-blade aperture and looks fairly busy by examining the defocused areas of an image. The barrel distortion of this wide-angle lens also produces cat-eye-shaped bokeh balls that circle the center of the frame. It’s a look that I personally enjoy somewhat more sterile, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
The minimum focal length of this lens is 7.87 inches (0.2 m) in autofocus or 6.69 inches (0.17 m) in manual focus. Either way, this end of thing will allow for some good separation when used in conjunction with a faster f / 1.4 aperture and still provide a wider angle.
Sony E 11mm f / 1.8
Construction standards
Finally 11mm f / 1.8 which is the only lens of the trio that does not get the title of Sony G.
Compared to the top 15mm f / 1.4 G, it basically loses only the aperture ring and the aperture D-click switch, otherwise it holds everything on the outside. Still has a useful programmable button and focus mode switch. The focus ring is plastic and has an OK glide, but it has a more pathetic feel than the 15mm, especially the start and stop.
This lens is about 2.5 inches in diameter and 2.26 inches long. Considering the wide-angle of view and fast f / 1.8 aperture, it is impressively compact. At 6.3 ounces (178 grams), it weighs about the same as the 10-20mm f / 4 featured above. The compact nature of these makes it easy for me to carry them in my hiking bag or to carry them over long distances.
The front component bulbs in shape, but the 55mm filter will still be able to be attached. The mounting side of the lens has a rubber gasket to protect it from some of the dust and moisture that enters it.
Image quality
Just like the 15mm f / 1.4 G lens, it also has three aspherical components in the optical formula that help to extend the sharpness from angle to angle. Examining 11mm f / 1.8 for center sharpness, I noticed that f / 1.8 may be a bit softer but is showing good improvement at f / 2.5. Stopping at f / 5 was the sharpest and at f / 9 where the lens would start to soften. In the corner, I noticed that the closer the aperture closes, the softer it will be. Again, as a reminder, this lens and 15mm f / 1.4 G can only stop at f / 16.
This lens seems to enjoy the fair part of the flair. I don’t believe there’s much inside the lens to prevent this from happening and in some cases it can take absolutely a picture focus. Landscape photographers who shoot a lot more in the sun want to be aware of this problem because it will be considered to overcome.
The 11mm f / 1.8 has a seven-blade aperture, but with such a wide-angle view I think it’s less of a problem here than the 15mm f / 1.4. Defocused areas are moderately busy but it is difficult to notice unless shooting too close to get depth of field effect.
With a minimum focusing distance of 4.72 inches (0.12 m), this allows for attractive close-up images with a super-wide-angle look. The f / 1.8 aperture is good for exposing more light to the sensor, but again, the depth of the field effect it creates will not be as pronounced.
The future is wide
The world of APS-C has been moving slowly for some time now, so it’s a little funny that when the action started for Sony it was in the form of three fairly similar lenses. I’m not sure why the company chose to release all three right now, but I have to admit it’s not bad to have alternatives. The overall image quality of the 15mm f / 1.4G was optimal, the 10-20mm has all the versatility and the 11mm is going to be either relatively cheap or wide.
Have options?
Before the announcement of Sony 10-20mm f / 4 PZ G, the company also has 10-18mm f / 4 OSS In lineup and for almost a decade now. A bright spot of this lens above 10-20 mm will be optical studded image stabilization, otherwise it is an easy choice to be new.
Sony will have the option of 15mm f / 1.4 G Sigma 16mm f / 1.4 DC DN contemporary. It cuts out all the extras seen on Sony, but it takes you to f / 1.4 with almost the same focal length. Removing extra features will also make it a decent amount cheaper.
Compared to the new Sony 11mm f / 1.8 Rokinon 12mm f / 2 AF lens. It’s still an ultra-wide-angle lens that has a fast aperture, but it does take away some of Sony’s external features.
Will you buy them?
Yes. Considering the price of these lenses, I’d expect better flare suppression, but overall I can’t say it’s a deal-breaker. These are acceptable sharp lenses that are wide but not wildly distorted. After all, these are true APS-C designs that do as much in terms of portability as they do with image quality.
