Sony FE 14mm 1.8 GM

The Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM has its flaws but within its category, it is an exceptional lens. The center performance is breathtaking and the outer image field is pretty good as well even at f/1.8 - quite an achievement. Technically, it is never really "tack sharp" in the corners (in high megapixel images) but no extreme ultra-wide angle lens is. There is a bit of field curvature so it's best to pull the focus a little in infinity depth-of-field scenes. Image distortion is low even in raw images. Unsurprisingly, the vignetting is quite extreme at f/1.8 so it's best to leave the image auto-correction activated. This also takes care of the moderate CAs. Positive aspects also include the smooth bokeh - unusual for such a lens - and the way sun stars are rendered at smaller aperture settings. The flare resistance is also better than usual but, of course, present when pushing it. The Sony lens offers a very high build quality in a compact, lightweight package. The lens body is made of some compound material but it feels solid and combined with the anti-dust- and moisture sealing, the lens should be good enough for professional abuse. The AF is super fast and silent. If you prefer setting the aperture on the lens you can do so with this lens. Video makers will also appreciate the clickless option for it. If you are an ultra-wide fanatic, the Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM is your ticket. Due to its fast max aperture, it is also more versatile than more conventional prime lenses in this range. And it's reasonably priced for what it is. Highly recommended!

Highly Recommended – a gorgeous ultra-wide lens of the highest quality, capable of truly dramatic results.

The Sony FE 14mm f1.8 G Master is a unique lens: their widest prime to date and sharing the honour of joint-brightest 14mm with the similarly-priced Sigma 14 1.8 Art. But unlike the Sigma, the Sony is a native mirrorless design that’s not only smaller, but less than half the weight, making it not just more portable but much more practical for shooting from a gimbal, drone or star tracker. The optical quality is excellent with sharp details across the frame and attractive rendering in blurred areas, while focusing is fast, smooth and silent. Geometric distortion and vignetting were both kept to a minimum even on uncorrected RAW files, and I saw little to no evidence of chromatic aberrations. You can boost the far corner sharpness by closing the aperture a stop or ideally two, and some focus breathing is visible as you rack from near to far, but otherwise this is a very well-corrected and high-performing lens. If you’re happy to sacrifice the bright aperture and light weight for the flexibility of a zoom, consider Sony’s FE 12-24mm f2.8 G Master (double the price), Sony’s FE 12-24mm f4G (a little pricier) or Sigma’s 14-24mm f2.8 DG DN (a little cheaper). Ultimately the Sony 14 1.8 will greatly appeal for traditional landscape, architecture and astro as well as low light and video work. Not only does it deliver the goods across the board, it’s considerably more portable than its only rival and roughly the same price too.