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Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G: two-minute review
Every lens comes with some kind of compromise, but Sony’s done well to disguise it on the FE 16mm F1.8 G. Yes, it lacks the versatility of a wide-angle zoom like the FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM II. But if you’re in the market for a super wide-angle prime with plenty of creative potential, it’s a real box-ticker.
You’ve got the 16mm focal length favored by architecture and landscape fans, plus a fast f/1.8 aperture to satisfy night-sky enthusiasts. You’ve got speedy autofocus and a good set of manual controls. Then you’ve got the dimensions: Sony has cleverly packaged the FE 16mm F1.8 G to make it a lens that’s easy to travel with. All at a price that’s firmly in the reasonable bracket.
Sony might be marketing its 16mm prime at your traditional wide-angle users, but that list makes it a compelling proposition for anyone keen to experiment with a wider field of view. So where’s the catch?
In the minor category, there are a couple of marks against the FE 16mm F1.8 G. To achieve its low weight and matching price, Sony has used a fair amount of plastic in the build. And while it’s a moisture-resistant lens, it doesn’t have full weather seals. But this isn’t a G Master lens. For the money, neither one of those factors should be a dealbreaker.
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What could be is the barrel distortion. While prime optics mean the FE 16mm F1.8 G can shoot sharp in the center at its widest aperture, detail drops off to softness in the corners. This is because of how much correction is taking place at the very edges of the frame. Shoot in RAW and you’ll need to compensate quite heavily, costing you sharpness in the stretched pixels.
While this reliance on lens corrections might not sit well with purists, Sony is not alone in leaving software to address optical imperfections. Nor is it an issue which only affects prime glass. It’s a growing trend among wide-angle lenses as a whole, as we found in our review of the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM. Sony’s own FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM II is guilty of it, too.
In reality, if you’re willing to live with some corner softness, the FE 16mm F1.8 G is an excellent super wide-angle prime for the price. Shooting at f/1.8 not only lets you make the most of the available light, but also allows you to play with defocused backgrounds when your subject is close to the lens.
It’s true that videographers and travel photographers will probably be better served by a 16-35mm zoom, even if that means accepting a slower maximum aperture. The Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM II has the versatility to cover both wide angles and tighter 35mm street shots with edge-to-edge detail. For those who want get creative at 16mm, though, the FE 16mm F1.8 G isn’t far off the sweet spot.
Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G specs
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Type: |
Super wide-angle prime |
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Mount: |
Sony E-mount |
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Sensor: |
Full-frame |
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Focal length: |
16mm |
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Max aperture: |
f/1.8 |
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Minimum focus: |
0.13m |
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Filter size: |
67mm |
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Dimensions: |
73.8 x 75mm |
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Weight: |
304g |
Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G: Design
- Compact and lightweight for a wide-angle prime
- Protected against dust and moisture
- Tactile focus and aperture control rings
It’s not a pancake prime, but Sony’s done some very clever packaging to keep the FE 16mm F1.8 G compact. By super wide-angle standards, this is about as small as they come with an f/1.8 aperture. It weighs in at a very manageable 10.7oz / 304g and measures just 73.8 x 75 mm (or roughly 3 inches on each axis). That makes it almost 10mm shorter than the Sony FE 20mm F1.8G.
Its lean build is achieved in part by use of plastic in the construction. The result is a barrel that doesn’t feel especially premium, but Sony hasn’t done a cheap job either. There’s no sense that corners have been cut here: the body is creak-free and the controls are nicely tactile. While you don’t get the weather seals of the G Master series, resistance against dust and moisture also adds to the sense of robustness.
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The overall impression is one of functionality. That extends to the controls, most of which are thoughtfully placed within a finger’s reach. This is an easy lens to feel your way around one-handed. A few touches help to elevate the user experience above that of a basic prime, too: you’ve got a switch which gives you the option of clicked or smooth aperture ring rotation, for example, plus a programmable function button.
Some users might like a little more weight to the manual focus ring, but the resistance of the aperture ring feels perfectly judged. Together with switches for focus mode and Iris Lock, the FE 16mm F1.8 G is a lovely lens to use. It paired neatly with a Sony A7C II body in testing for a convenient wide-angle shooting setup.
Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G: Performance
- Fixed ultra-wide 16mm focal length
- Fast f/1.8 maximum aperture
- Rapid autofocus with two linear motors
Frame up with the FE 16mm F1.8 G and you’ll instantly see just how wide a 16mm focal length really is. Whether you’re shooting buildings, interiors or landscapes, this is a lens designed to give you dramatic perspectives. And thanks to its wide maximum aperture, you can shoot those perspectives in a range of scenarios.
At f/1.8, this is pretty fast glass. Fast enough to capture sharp results in low lighting, whether that’s an evening street scene or a starry sky. Sony reckons the FE 16mm F1.8 G is a good option for astrophotography. Paired with a full-frame Sony E-mount camera, the 16mm’s light-gathering abilities certainly mean you can make the most of any available lumens.
The wide aperture also means you can play with a very shallow depth of field. The effect is strongest when shooting close-ups: with the right composition, you can draw a near subject into clear focus against a striking defocused background. This impression is enhanced by the fact that the wide field of view includes more of the backdrop than a standard macro lens.
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 Sony’s super wide-angle prime. It’s not a macro lens, but with a minimum focus distance of just 0.15m, the FE 16mm F1.8 G lets you get very close.
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It helps that the autofocus system is rapid in all conditions. Driven by dual linear motors, focusing response is pretty much instant. That’s just as true up close and in low light as it is when shooting big subjects in broad daylight. Paired with a Sony A7C II, the lens demonstrated a commendable hit rate, giving no reason to doubt that it would find its target.
All of that translates to video, too. It’s easy to see why Sony touts the FE 16mm F1.8 G as a lens with vlogging potential. Its ultra-wide focal length and close-focusing abilities are both well-suited to self-shot videography, allowing users to comfortably record themselves at arm’s length. The proportions of the lens itself also make it easy to wield when paired with a vlogging-first camera like the Sony ZV-E1.
Focus breathing is kept to a minimum: shift focus while recording and the field of view stays consistent enough for most eyes. If you have a compatible Sony body, you can use the breathing compensation function to eradicate it entirely by applying a slight crop. Shooting video with a 16:9 aspect ratio also crops out any softness in the corners from the application of distortion correction (see below).
Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G: sample images
Images shot with the Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G are broadly superb. As with most prime lenses, there’s a sweet spot in the aperture range that nets you edge-to-edge sharpness with no vignetting. That’s exactly what you’ll find at f/4.
Wide open at f/1.8, the story is a little bit different. There’s some minor vignetting evident in RAW stills, which can be addressed in post or reduced significantly by stopping down to f/2.8. That’s unless you want the effect to complement the wide-angle look, leading the eye to the center of the frame.
More problematic is barrel distortion. This isn’t a surprise for such a wide-angle prime, but the result is a loss of detail where correction stretches pixels in the corners. Whether this is applied in-camera to JPEG stills or in the edit for RAW files, the result is the same: softness at the far reaches of the frame.
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How much this loss of corner clarity is an issue will often come down to the composition. Naturally, the results of distortion correction are less noticeable when the area is defocused. In any case, you still get excellent center sharpness at f/1.8 and resolution remains decent across the frame up to f/11. Venture beyond that and you’ll find that sharpness drops off significantly, particularly as you approach f/22.
In stills captured facing into the sun, the FE 16mm F1.8 G displays a strong ability to deal with backlighting. There can be some washout at the widest apertures, but contrast is retained at f/4. 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?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
How I tested the Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G
- Tested comprehensively for a week
- Paired with a Sony A7C II body
- Used in a range of conditions
Sony was only able to loan the FE 16mm F1.8 G to me for a seven-day period, during which time I shot with it extensively. Thankfully the weather was good during my time with it, so I was able to fully assess how it handles different lighting conditions, from bright backlighting to dimmer evening scenes.
As a 16mm would traditionally be considered a lens for shooting landscapes and architecture, I did both of those. But because Sony’s super wide-angle prime also boasts the defocusing potential of a fast maximum aperture, I also made sure to shoot up close with a range of subjects.
I used the lens with a Sony A7C II body. By shooting with it heavily over the course of a week, I was able to get a good understanding of the build quality and usability of the lens, particularly the feel of its focus and aperture rings.
- First reviewed March 2025
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christian.rowlands@me.com (Chris Rowlands)
