Sony - 20mm f/2.8 E-Mount Wide-Angle Lens - Black

I've been a hobbyist photographer for 20+ years & after lugging my big (but great) Nikon D800 overseas last summer, I decided that I wanted to travel light for my next trip & picked up a Sony mirrorless NEX camera. That camera came with the collapsible 16-50 zoom lens that (in my opinion) is a decent lens but I feel like it's designed for video (which it's great for). The second Sony lens I bought was the great 35mm f/1.8 OSS, but I wanted something wider. I couldn't justify paying $1k for the Sony CZ 24/1.8 so I went with the Sony 20mm f/2.8 instead. I completely expected to be let down by mediocre performance, but you know what? I was blown away by this tiny lens. It's waaay underrated & I couldn't be happier. I even like it better than the 16-50. The lens is incredibly small, has snappy focus, sharp, contrasty, punchy colors. And if you turn off the in-camera anti-vignette setting, the jpeg output almost reminds me of shooting with an old 35mm film Olympus XA. I took it (along with the 35/1.8) to the rainy Northwest of the US & performed like a little champ. It's not rainproof but I had no problems after getting caught in the rain with it (as long as I used common sense). Also, it pairs great with the Sony 35/1.8. They both take the same filter thread & both can use the 35's lens hood(!). The focal lengths work well together for a 'walking around kit' too. You have the 20mm for the wider angle stuff, & the 35 for picking out the detail stuff. *My only issue I had (at first) was what I thought was a little high price, but if you look at the only other APS-C mirrorless 'pancake' lens, the Fuji XF 27/2.8, you'll see that the Sony 20/2.8 is actually a bargain.

This is a very good pancake lens for Sony and should have been released originally instead of the 16mm. This is much sharper than the 16mm. Originally due to cost, you are usually better off going with the Sigma 30mm. However, now that this lens is being marked down for clearance, its value is second to none. Once the lens hood is removed, the lens become super portable and make the overall camera (5R for me) almost pocketable. There's not much to complain about the image quality on this camera as the pictures taken came out very sharp. The main complain was always the original price, but now that's a mood point considering the price cut from Sony and BB in general. Overall a definite must buy, especially if you want a sharp, reasonable fast pancake lens and cannot stand the 16mm.

This lens is quite a bit faster than the 18-55mm kit lens that comes with the lower-end Sony mirrorless cameras. At an affordable price, this wide-angle lens makes a very sharp image and is much better suited for landscapes and low-light scenes than the kit lens. I was also surprised at how well it performs for close-ups and portraits, although this is decidedly not a macro lens. The small and light package is arguably the best reason to buy this lens as most any other lens will take up much more space and weigh a lot more. There is some distortion, but it is very subtle. At f2.8, you can easily take indoor pictures without a flash.

Though neither the sharpest nor most contrasty lens that I've encountered, the SEL20F28 is more than adequate considering its size. Images captured with this lens show a significant improvement over Sony's other pancake lens, the SEL16F28. Corners are no longer blurry, and the SEL20F28 is actually usable below f/4. It's great for turning the NEX into a more pocket-friendly camera. Lens correction support (in-camera with most E-mount cameras for JPEGs or in RAW editors) is a must. Sony's UWA adapter seems to work well with my copy of the 20mm, which turns it into a 15mm.

Bought this lens for a NEX 6. I shot equivalent photos with it and the kit lens. About as soft at the same focal length as the kit lens. The only benefit is a bit smaller than the power zoom but then you lose the zoom capability and the f stop is only a 2.8 versus 3.5. So a bit faster and better low light performance. Not worth the price. Get a 50mm f1.8 and that is tack sharp.

After ordering this online it came to me with the focus completely non-functional. It would not focus manually, or with autofocus. I'd hoped I could exchange it, but was told they didn't have anymore.

This lens is really nice for taking pictures inside or outdoors. It lets in more light and the quality is so clear. I love it! I really enjoy using this lens for any setting.

If you're looking to travel light (one lens), want a bit of speed ƒ2.8 (although ƒ2.0 or faster is preferred), this is a great lens! However if you're on a budget, the new Sigma 19mm ƒ2.8 at $199 USD is hard to ignore.