Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Images

I’ve been testing the Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens for Sony E-mount APS-C mirrorless cameras. Here are some high-resolution sample images I’ve shot with it.

Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 Sample Images
Text & Photos By David Coleman
Last Revised & Updated:
Filed Under: Lenses, Sample Images

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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).

Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 Wide-Angle Lens
  • 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.

Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens

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.

Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
It took this photo with a Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/4.5 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/6.3 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/14 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/4.5 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/3.5 on a Sony a6500.
Sony E 20mm f2.8 Wide-Angle Lens Sample Image
Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 wide-angle lens at ƒ/2.8 on a Sony a6500.

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:

Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 Wide-Angle Lens
  • Superior Image Quality
  • Minimum Focus Distance : 0.66 feet (0.2 m), Maximum Magnification ratio : 0.12x

It takes 49mm screw-in filters.

Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2023-12-01 at 13:38. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

Profile photo of David Coleman | Have Camera Will Travel | Washington DC-based Professional Photographer

Text & Photos by David Coleman

I'm a professional photographer based in Washington DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and a bunch of places in between. I've been shooting for 30+ years, and my my photos and time-lapse videos have appeared in a bunch of different publications from major newspapers to magazines and books, billboards, TV shows, professional sports stadiums, museums, and even massive architectural scrims covering world-famous buildings while they're being renovated. You can see some of my travel photography here and here.

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