We have a triple review of the new 28mm lens. The lens is already shipping in Asia (Digitalrev) and [shoplink 34726 ebay]Germany (eBay)[/shoplink]. Preorders at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto. And Sony Germany, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, FI, NO, PT. So let’s take a look at how good the lens is:
DSLRmagazine (google translation here) posted the full FE 28mm lens review:
– There is significant Vignetting and Distortion on RAW files. JPG files are very well corrected.
– Reliable and relatively fast autofocusing
– Extraordinary anti flare resistance
– Tonal range and detail are excellent
– High resolution in the center. It’s ok in the corner
– Overall this is a very good lens for the price even if relies heavily on in camera correction fo Vignetting and Distortion.
DR.F0x posted a lens review on Deviantart. And in very short these are his key findings:
This build of this lens is great with full metal. At minimum focus distance and wide open (F2), the sharpness is acceptable, which is not as sharp as the SEL 50mm f/1.8. Quite strong CA at wide open and it’s gone completely at f/4. At closest focus distance, the bokeh is smooth, but at longer distance, it’s not very great.
Sony FE 28/2 First Impressions Review at BackgroundandBlur:
At 200 grams this lens is half the weight and a fraction of the bulk of the equivalent Nikon 28mm f/1.8G. Sony has really pulled something off here. At the price it should be a no brainer for most A7 users. Together with the Sony Zeiss FE 55/1.8, A7 users now have two fast and high quality autofocus primes for the system. An in-depth review is coming soon, after I spend some more time with this lens.
All new FE lens preorder links:
In USA at:
Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 FE at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, FocusCamera, Sony US.
Sony 90mm f/2.8 FE at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, FocusCamera, Sony US.
Sony 24-240mm FE at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, FocusCamera, Sony US.
Sony 28mm f/2.0 FE at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, FocusCamera, Sony US.
Sony Fisheye Conversion Lens for FE 28mm F/2 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony Ultra-Wide Conversion Lens for FE 28mm F/2 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony Fisheye Converter for E 16mm F/2.8 and E 20mm F/2.8 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony Ultra-Wide Converter for E 16mm F2.8 and E 20mm F2.8 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
In Europe at:
Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 FE at Sony Germany, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, FI, NO, PT.
Sony 90mm f/2.8 FE at Sony Germany, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, FI, NO, PT.
Sony 24-240mm FE at Sony Germany, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, FI, NO, PT.
Sony 28mm f/2.0 FE at Sony Germany, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, FI, NO, PT.
Wide Angle converter at Sony Germany, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, FI, NO, PT.
Fisheye converter at Sony Germany, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, FI, NO, PT.
Wide angle converter for 16 and 20mm lenses at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, FI, NO, PT.
Fisheye converter for 16 and 20mm lenses at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, FI, NO, PT.
In Asia/Australia at:
Sony 24-240mm FE lens at Digitalrev, CameraPRO, Sony Australia.
Sony 28mm FE lens at Digitalrev, Sony Australia.
Sony 90mm FE lens at Digitalrev, Sony Australia.
Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 FE lens at Digitalrev, Sony Australia.
Wide angle converter for 16 and 20mm lenses at Digitalrev, Sony Australia.
Fisheye converter for 16 and 20mm lenses at Digitalrev, Sony Australia.
61 Responses
I’m not sure I agree with background blur’s comment that the 35/2.8 needs significant distortion correction when shooting raw. That’s certainly not been my experience.
Yeah, I mentioned that to Mike the reviewer the other day, as that is certainly not my experience either. The DSLRmagazine review suggests that distortion is greater on the 28/2.
Something is amiss with his 35/2.8 sample shot, as it doesn’t appear very sharp. That lens should be very sharp at f/5.6, especially in the center.
I will retake those shots for my full review, after I spend some more time with the 28/2 to form a complete opinion on it. Lets see if I can get sharper shots out of the 35/2.8.
The 35/2.8 is a bad lens. It’s overpriced and does not have any Zeiss pop.
You clearly have never used that lens.
Agreed as well. The 35/2.8 is fine and it doesn’t seem to required a ton of correction. The 28 seems to be a different story.
The 2/28 looks great. One of the best consumer-grade lenses available, it seems. The compact size and nice build make it all the better. My only concern is about corner sharpness, considering the 21mm converter.
Terrible for video.
it is purposely made for video lol.
fast autofocus prime! No caninok can do autofocus LOL
wide open at f/2 with autofocus will be super sweet! slap in the wide angle converter and simply fly away <3
The IQ of the wide angle adapter is pretty bad…
No serious cinematographer uses auto-focus. Cinematographers are concerned with things like distortion, flaring. The latter being the only area where this lens seems to excel. Being a cinematographer, I was hoping to purchase this lens for use with my A7s and three-axis-gimbal (mainly due to it’s light weight), however, I think I’ll be sticking with my Nikon 28mm f2.8 AIS. Quite possibly the best 28mm lens ever made. Definitely far, far superior to this Sony.
But videographers do.
I use autofocus as a videographer.
I’m like 10 times more productive after discovering all these AF sony lenses! It makes my job so easy!
I want an AF 16mm zeiss prime now! I don’t care what aperture as long it retains that same color and contrast across the zeiss lens lineup for consistency.
Sony please make 16mm
Looks like just what I wanted! It’s small..much more than the Nikon. The price is distortion which when autocorrected by LR still gives good corners, and in images where that doesn’t matter you can turn off the distortion part of the profile. I wonder what the I corrected field of view is? Like a 26mm lens?
It will be interesting to know if the corners are actually underwhelming or if it depends on field curvature.
Good question.
Though if the reviewer’s claim that the corners are great before distortion correction and simply good afterwards then it likely has a pretty flat field.
i would imagine it has curvature and dark corners more so because it was tested on a crop sensor camera
wow the cat pictures are so amazing!
I’m definitely buying the full frame Sony a9 camera with all the Zeiss lenses so I can take a better picture of my own cat! When is it coming out? Please let me know!
Thank you so much for those cute cat pictures! I wonder how my cat will look with a pro camera with a zeiss lens! Really can’t wait!
You think the review is about the content of the pictures?
Bwahahahahahahahahaha… go home and practice!
YOU ARE NEXT FAGGET. M43 and Sony users on their way to Canon
reeducation camp, not many will come back. Punishment is a$$rape with
the heredic lenses they used.Sony users will suffer more,M43 benefit
from puny lenses:). Nikon
users will be next. Last chance,repent and join Canon!
WORSHIP THE MIRROR………..
I’d like to see it compared to the Canon FD 28/2.8, which is maybe $50.
Why? can you fit the canon on your sony camera? will it make you decide whether to buy a canon mounted lenses or the sony lens for your sony only mountable camera ?
Of course you can mount Canon (or almost any brand lens) on the Sony, with an adapter.
I am not sure what you’re asking. I currently use the Canon lens on my A7 with an adapter. I do not get AF with this lens, but for wide angle stopped down shots, that has never seemed like a benefit. But for wide open shots in low light (e.g., street shooting) then the AF would be nice to have. I was merely suggesting that I’d like to see a comparison of the new FE 28 against my current Canon FD 28 to better determine whether the upgrade is worth the $$$.
I use a Canon FD 28/2.8 for a trip on my a7s. WOWWW this lens is so sharp for the price
I’d rather wait for the Loxia Wide Angel lens to come… one filter size and the quality will be (a lot) better I think
But the price will be twice as much and you won’t have AF 😉
AF on a wide angle lens matters for some shots. For many other shots, you really benefit the image quality by using manual focus.
I completely agree. I don’t think this is the best wide-angle available, but rather a very good compromise between different aspects, not least size and price.
A possible Zeiss Loxia 28/2 would be more than twice the price. $1300 is my guess.
More than twice…more like 1300.00. When they say go wide they’re refering to opening up your wallet.
I’ll be sticking with my old Nikon 28/2.8 AIS that I got relatively cheaply. Handles great, good size, and the IQ is top notch. I’m tired of Sony delivering mediocre lenses, even if the price reflects it.
I got the nikon a few months ago for 150.00 I love it but I would need AF sometimes. I hope someone does a comparison btwn the two. I really want to get this 28 to pair with my 55
Unfortunately, that is hardly limited to Sony. We are getting heavily overpriced gear nowadays.
That is great if you like MF. For those who need AF there aren’t too many options other than the above lens.
In the begining of the Dr FOx review, he say’s, “I know Deviant art is not a great place for reviewing camera gears since
people here focus more on the final products, but anyway, I like doing
this and want to do it a bit more seriously, without going anywhere
else”
At the end, he say’s, “In conclusion, even though I was a bit disappointed with this lens,
based on what I’ve read, but it’s still a good choice for wide angle
with Alpha E-mount users. Currently I don’t have a full frame E-mount
camera to test this lens but I hope I will get it soon”
Perhaps this is why I don’t read Deviant Art?
I think that lenses designed for FF are best evaluated on FF. He tried it on a crop and found the lens to be less amazing than what he was expecting. That’s at least how I interpreted the review 😉
Yes, a bad review of a new product, based on a terrible effort. For someone claiming to want to “be more serious”, he provides an injustice to a possibly good product. At least the other reviewers used the appropriate equipment 🙂
One of the most stupid “reviews” ever.
YOU ARE NEXT FAGGET. M43 and Sony users on their way to Canon
reeducation camp, not many will come back. Punishment is a$$rape with
the heredic lenses they used.Sony users will suffer more,M43 benefit
from puny lenses:). Nikon
users will be next. Last chance,repent and join Canon!
WORSHIP THE MIRROR.
SS
This lens is NOT full metal. It’s plastic at the top and so is the focus ring.
Plastic just like my girlfriend. Works for me.
You can’t compare silicone with sturdy polycarbonate. Feels totally different in the hand.
Plastic is fantastic.
That’s fine that you like using lenses made out of cheap plastic that feels like a kids toys, but don’t claim it’s all full metal when it’s obviously not.
Where did I say in that statement that is was full metal. Facepalm.
I can’t detect the mentioned strong CA, but the distortion looks pretty bad for a prime lens. Seems that the lens is well priced (but not a bargain like I thought earlier). So, it’s still on my wishlist.
Hmmm….a shame….
I really don´t like the direction Sony is going in recent years regarding lenses, who depends heavily on in-camera jpeg-corrections of distortion, croma etc.
My first experiences with this is the A16-50/f.2.8, which i find bad in this respect.
Wrong direction…
a shame? if you want best results and more control about the output shoot raw. very simple.
The problem is the raw file doesn’t give you the best result and in-camera correction illustrate the issues in this lens.
You didn’t think much before you wrote that.
All these bastards are doing the same thing in camera. It’s easy to fix so I don’t get the issue. They pass the savings on to you!!!
So “cheap” means YOU have to PAY afterwards by more computer power, more time in post processing.
In my ears cheap means cheap, not that i have to pay excessive for the same job done.
Not previously on my wish list, but the more I read, the more I consider buying it !
I am very happy Sony came out with a heavily uncorrected lens. Well Ok not so happy but I think this is the primary reason its so affordable.
As long as Adobe comes out with a profile for this lens I am buying it.
I just wish Sony RAW files were more like the Panasonic and Olympus RAW files that are already pre-corrected even in RAW and only a few RAW converters show the RAW as true RAW without the corrections.
How can you be happy about Sony not doing their job ?
Now YOU have to do their job in every and any single photo.
We are speaking about a prime lens and we are speaking out of 2015. How hard can it be to make lenses for our raw-shooting cameras ?
First off digital corrections aren’t new. ALL m43 lenses are heavily corrected lenses with distortion readings that are off the charts ! Literally !
But the final image is what counts and that is pretty well corrected.
The advantage is that designing a not so well corrected lens is more cost effective and that is why Olympus lenses are cheaper than what Sony offers.
So if I would have to choose a well corrected lens at a higher price to a not so well corrected lens but having a well corrected final image at a lower price I would choose the second option every time.
There is no problem with having lenses relying on distortion correction if they are cheap budget consumer lenses. Idiot.
People seem to forget that while this is a prime lens, it is designed to be used with the converters. This makes the element formula very different from a regular prime. The 28mm is also considered budget friendly; something will have to give.
Got one last week for the A7r. This thing is mad sharp. Way sharper than my Pentax FA 31mm Limited, not compared yet but I think not far off as sharp as my FE 55/1.8. Great focal length for both street and landscape. Presently using an LR profile for a Sony 28mm f/2.8, seems to work, but Adobe will no doubt update soon.
Focus is quick, even on the laggy A7r.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with this lens for the A7 series and when considering the price it truly is a no brainer. The new 35/1.4 not so sure, it’s big, heavy and pricey. Not tried it. Yet.