It uses a Sony E-mount and is designed for the interchangeable-lens cropped-sensor Alpha mirrorless APS-C range. So cameras like the a6000, a6400, and a6600. (There’s also a 20mm ƒ/1.8 designed for Sony’s full-frame cameras; I have sample images with that lens here.)
The 20mm focal length on the APS-C sensor is the equivalent of a 30mm perspective on a full-frame sensor. So it’s a moderately wide-angle perspective that makes for a versatile travel and street photography lens (helped by its fast maximum aperture).
- Superior Image Quality
- Minimum Focus Distance : 0.66 feet (0.2 m), Maximum Magnification ratio : 0.12x
But among its defining features are that it is so tiny and light. It weighs in at only 2.4 ounces (69 grams) and has a physical depth of less than an inch.
The angle of view is 70 degrees. It has a maximum aperture of ƒ/2.8 and a minimum aperture of ƒ/16. And its optical design consists of six elements in six groups and seven rounded diaphragm blades. It takes 49mm screw-in filters. And it has aspherical lens elements; you can see the effects of that in some of the photos below, where straight lines are kept straight rather than getting the kind of distortion that you get with lenses that don’t use aspherical elements.
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Images
Most of these were shot wide open at ƒ/2.8. They were all shot on a Sony a6500.
You can click on each photo to open a full-size version if you’d like a closer look.
Optical Correction Tools
I deliberately haven’t applied extensive corrections to these images. And the general rule of thumb in photography is that it’s better to get the shot right at the time of capture rather than trying to fix it after. That’s a great aspiration, but it’s not always possible to do if you’re bumping up against limitations or flaws in gear, conditions, or technique.
But it’s worth mentioning that there are some excellent tools available to help address common issues with lenses, such as distortion, chromatic aberration, and lens vignetting when editing the images. All-round image processing apps like Lightroom Classic and Capture One have solid tools built in already that often cater to specific lens profiles (or you can make your own).
Some more specialized tools can take it even further. DxO, in particular, sets the gold standard. Their software is built on the foundation of their incredibly deep archive of data from their extensive lab testing of the optical performance of lenses and cameras. But there are some other excellent specialized tools available. These are well worth a look (and have free trials):
- DxO Pure RAW (for a suite of automatic RAW file corrections enhancement)
- DxO ViewPoint (correcting for distortion and geometry)
- Topaz Labs Sharpen AI (in addition to standard unsharp tools, includes focus correction and shake reduction)
- On1 NoNoise (includes Tack Sharp AI, which applies sharpening)
Price & Availability
The technical product number is SEL20F28.
Sony has set the MSRP for this lens at $349.99. Check the current price and availability at:
- Superior Image Quality
- Minimum Focus Distance : 0.66 feet (0.2 m), Maximum Magnification ratio : 0.12x
It takes 49mm screw-in filters.
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