Hey guys, thank you for this thread and mostly for the sony/loxia comparison.
I am now in the process of selling my Zeiss 16-35 Vario Tessar for its poor job in situations where the sun enters the lens. There are flares everywhere and I thought going to prime lens would significantly improve this.
I was going to grab the Loxia 21mm until I found out about the new Sony 20mm. I really loved the idea of Sony as it is cheaper, smaller, lighter and faster than Loxia. But seeing the images of Sony with flares all over the picture makes me cry.
My main purpose for this wide angle lens would be landscape photography. Can you give an advice?
Extreme corner resolution comparison between Sony 20mm f/1.8 G vs Sony FE 24/1.4 GM:
Extreme corner at f/1.8: Vignetting is high for the 20/1.8 G and the 24/1.4 GM performs slightly better in resolution and contrast
Extreme corner at f/2.8: Big improvement for the 20/1.8G which pretty much matches the GM
Extreme corners at f/4: The FE 20/1.8 G jumped ahead and it's noticeably better now. It's incredible but the 20/1.8 performs just as good as the Loxia 21 now.
Extreme corner at f/5.6: The Sony 20/1.8 G improves further and it's still better than the GM
Extreme corner at f/8: Similar to f/5.6 for both lenses
The Loxia is slightly smaller but slightly heavier. There isn't an order of magnitude difference.
-Tim
djursik wrote:
Hey guys, thank you for this thread and mostly for the sony/loxia comparison.
I am now in the process of selling my Zeiss 16-35 Vario Tessar for its poor job in situations where the sun enters the lens. There are flares everywhere and I thought going to prime lens would significantly improve this.
I was going to grab the Loxia 21mm until I found out about the new Sony 20mm. I really loved the idea of Sony as it is cheaper, smaller, lighter and faster than Loxia. But seeing the images of Sony with flares all over the picture makes me cry.
My main purpose for this wide angle lens would be landscape photography. Can you give an advice?
Very interesting results when comparing the FE 20/1.8 G to the FE 24/1.4 GM.
For the price difference, I was expecting the GM to perform better at infinity distance but it's not the case, especially at wider apertures.
From testing the FE 24/1.4 GM's corners + mid-field against other lenses, I knew that astigmatism was an issue but starting at f/2.8, this wasn't an issue for the FE 20/1.8 G,. At f/4 and smaller apertures, it performed noticeably better than the GM across the entire image field.
As a matter of fact, at f/4 and smaller apertures, there 20/1.8's performs at Loxia 21/2.8 level in regards to resolution and contrast but without any field curvature and with better CA correction.
The Sigma 14-24/2.8 competed neck and neck with the Sony 20/1.8 G with perhaps only slight better corners at f/5.6 but it could not keep up with the amazing FE 20/1.8 center resolution at larger apertures.
One point always in favor of Loxia lenses (for me) is the manual focus is always predictable in incremental control and buttery smoothness. This is why I have a lot of redundancy in my collection of the same focal lengths in both AF and MF primes.
Loxia 21 is still my go-to in this focal length, but I might have to consider the Sony 20/1.8G eventually -- it sure looks great in these comparisons.
Gunzorro wrote:
One point always in favor of Loxia lenses (for me) is the manual focus is always predictable in incremental control and buttery smoothness. This is why I have a lot of redundancy in my collection of the same focal lengths in both AF and MF primes.
Loxia 21 is still my go-to in this focal length, but I might have to consider the Sony 20/1.8G eventually -- it sure looks great in these comparisons.
Thanks Fred!
Good point.
I still prefer the helicoid mechanical focus from the Loxia and Voigtlander lines but focus-by-wire came a long way and the FE 20/1.8 manual focus is linear, well-damped and feels almost like the real thing.
p.4 #10 · Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Versus Other Lenses
Fred Miranda wrote:
Very interesting results when comparing the FE 20/1.8 G to the FE 24/1.4 GM.
For the price difference, I was expecting the GM to perform better at infinity distance but it's not the case, especially at wider apertures.
From testing the FE 24/1.4 GM's corners + mid-field to other lenses, I knew that astigmatism was an issue but this wasn't an issue for the FE 20/1.8 G, especially starting at f/4, performing noticeably better than the GM across the entire image field.
As a matter of fact, at f/4 and smaller apertures, FE 20/1.8's performs at Loxia 21/2.8 level in regards to resolution and contrast but without any field curvature and with better CA correction.
The Sigma 14-24/2.8 competed neck and neck with perhaps only slight better corners at f/5.6 but it could not keep up with the amazing FE 20/1.8 center resolution at larger apertures.
I highly recommend the FE 20/1.8 G prime! ...Show more →
Thanks Fred! Great news especially since I sold the 24 and bought the 20. Unfortunately it is crappy weather here in NH and can't get out to test it out for myself. Suppose to be a nice weekend though
p.4 #13 · Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Versus Other Lenses
My Batis 25 is better than my GM 24 in the corners. But the GM is better just about everywhere else.
vdo1 wrote:
In the "extreme corner at f/8 G vs GM" I still see a difference in clarity, plus the G produces way less purple fringing on the white chimney.
p.4 #14 · Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Versus Other Lenses
Fred,
Really appreciate all the comparisons you've done. Hopefully there will be good weather hear in Maine so I can get out and use it. So far I've been happy with my new FE 20mm f/18 even though I have the Loxia 21/2.8 and the Batis 18/2.8. Do I need them all, of course not. That doesn't mean I won't keep them all if I can. We will see.
p.4 #15 · Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Versus Other Lenses
I’m still hoping to see more comparisons with the flare/ghosting. I don’t recall my Loxia 21 or Batis 18 being nearly this ghosts-prone, especially when sun is just outside the center. Here’s another from today in a typical usage landscape photo for me. And yes, my sensor is nasty...
Anyway, I just thought others might like to know this even this. Thanks for the testing Fred 👍🏻
p.4 #16 · Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Versus Other Lenses
nehemiahphoto wrote:
I’m still hoping to see more comparisons with the flare/ghosting. I don’t recall my Loxia 21 or Batis 18 being nearly this ghosts-prone, especially when sun is just outside the center. Here’s another from today in a typical usage landscape photo for me. And yes, my sensor is nasty...
Anyway, I just thought others might like to know this even this. Thanks for the testing Fred 👍🏻
Maybe the gritty dust all over your sensor is partly to blame?
p.4 #17 · Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Versus Other Lenses
Gunzorro wrote:
Maybe the gritty dust all over your sensor is partly to blame?
I don’t think so—the two photos on the previous page don’t show dust but lots of ghosting. The sensor isn’t scratched or anything, just dirty. And I have other lenses that perform with superlative flare resistance on this same camera, like my CV 35 1.7
I thought it was an end-of-times locust storm!