Introduction
The Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM is a brand new ultra-wide-angle prime lens for the Sony Alpha full-frame mirrorless digital camera system. It may also be used on Sony APS-C cameras the place it gives a 21mm equal focal size.
It options 14 parts in 11 teams together with two XA (excessive aspherical) parts and one customary aspherical ingredient to assist management spherical aberrations, and one Tremendous ED ingredient and two extra-low dispersion parts to assist cut back chromatic aberrations and shade fringing.
It presents a minimal focusing distance of 25cm / 9.8in with a most magnification of 0.1x, has a 9-blade round aperture which creates a lovely blur to the out-of-focus areas of the picture, and options an built-in petal-shaped lens hood.
There’s additionally a guide aperture ring that may be de-clicked for silent video taking pictures, a customisable Focus Maintain button, up to date Nano AR Coating II to get rid of flare and ghosting that’s higher fitted to bigger, curved parts, and built-in mud and moisture resistance.
As a result of its bulbous entrance ingredient, this lens features a rear filter holder inside the lens mount that accepts customary sheet-type filters for ND, color correction, comfortable filter, and so forth, somewhat than utilizing filters mounted on the entrance of the lens.
The Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM lens is accessible now priced at round £1400 / $1600 within the UK and the US, respectively. This lens is made in China.
Ease of Use
Weighing in at 460g / 16.3 oz, the Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM could be very mild for an ultra-wide-angle full-frame lens that provides such a quick most aperture, and it is also fairly compact too, measuring 83 x 99.8mm / 3⅜ in x 4 in.
It is total dimension and weight actually enhances a digital camera physique just like the Sony A7R IV that we examined it with, as proven within the photographs under.
There’s actually just one most important rival for the brand new FE 14mm F1.8 lens – the equally priced Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art that was launched again in 2017.
The Sigma 14mm F1.8 is a a lot bigger lens than the Sony 14mm F1.8, although, principally as a result of it is a DSLR lens that has been repurposed for mirrorless cameras.
The Sony weighs nearly 1/third of its most important rival – 460g vs 1230g – and is a whopping 35% shorter than the Sigma, which measures 152mm in size.
If dimension and weight are your main concern, then the Sony is clearly the 14mm lens to decide on between the 2.
Sony have completed so nicely at making a small, light-weight 14mm lens that it even beats some 14mm F2.8 lenses in each of those features – the Samyang AF 14mm F2.8, for instance, is barely shorter but in addition barely heavier than the Sony FE 14mm F1.8 by 40g, regardless of being a a lot slower lens.
Construct high quality is great, actually as much as the usual of the remainder of the flagship GM lens vary. The Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM has a sealed mud and moisture resistant design, though Sony cease in need of saying that it is 100% weather-proof.
The Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM lens has a metallic lens mount. It accepts customary sheet-type filters for ND, color correction and comfortable filters through a rear filter holder, with a chopping template included within the field.
The lens has a reasonably huge, ridged focus ring. Handbook focusing is feasible through the use of the main target mode swap to toggle between AF and MF.
There are not any onerous stops at both finish of the vary, making it a bit of tougher to set focus at infinity.
The lens makes use of not one, however two XD Linear Motors to offer quiet and clean auto-focusing, making it very well-suited to taking pictures video, with the general lens size remaining fixed throughout focusing because of an inside design.
Relating to auto-focusing, the Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM proved to be an nearly silent, very fast performer on the Sony A7R IV digital camera that we examined it with. We did not expertise very a lot “searching”, both in good or unhealthy mild, with the lens precisely focusing nearly the entire time.
Sony’s close to flawless Eye AF labored completely with this lens, rapidly locking onto and monitoring the topic’s eye regardless of the ultra-wide-angle of view.
The Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM lens options an aperture ring that has 1/3EV stops starting from f/1.8 to f/16 and an Auto setting.
The Click on swap on the bottom-right of the lens barrel lets you choose whether or not the aperture ring clicks into place at every aperture cease or rotates easily for silent operation throughout film recording.
The lens additionally has a customisable focus maintain button which retains the lens locked to the present focusing distance, helpful for those who’re auto-focusing and don’t desire the lens to try to discover focus once more. It will probably additionally, amongst different issues, be usefully set to Eye AF.
The lens does not function built-in optical picture stabilisation, relying as a substitute on the digital camera physique’s stabilisation system.
The Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM lens is commendably equipped with each a comfortable case and a non-removable, good high quality plastic petal-shaped lens hood that is built-in into the design of the lens.
Focal Vary
The 14mm focal size gives an angle of view of 114 levels.
Chromatic Aberrations
Chromatic aberrations, usually seen as blue or purple fringes alongside contrasty edges, have been probably not obvious in our check photographs, solely showing in very excessive distinction areas.
Distortion
Barrel distortion could be very nicely managed for such a wide-angle lens, commendably for each JPEG and Uncooked recordsdata.
Gentle Fall-off
With the lens set to its most aperture of F1.8, there’s some noticeable mild fall-off within the corners, requiring you to cease down by no less than 3 f-stops to fully stop it.
Macro
The Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM actually is not claimed to be a macro lens, however you may no less than get fairly near your topic because of a minimal focusing distance of 25cm / 9.8in, with a most magnification of 0.1x.
Sunstars and Flare
The Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM produces very good sunstars when stopped-down to f/16, as proven under.
The lens is kind of vulnerable to flare when taking pictures instantly into the solar, although, regardless of the built-in lens hood.
Bokeh
Bokeh is a phrase used for the out-of-focus areas of {a photograph}, and is often described in qualitative phrases, similar to clean / creamy / harsh and so forth.
Within the FE 14mm F1.8 GM lens, Sony have employed an iris diaphragm with 9 rounded blades, which has resulted in interesting bokeh for such a wide-angle lens.
We do realise, nonetheless, that bokeh analysis is subjective, so we have included a number of examples in your perusal.
Sharpness
With a purpose to present you the way sharp this lens is, we’re offering 100% crops on the next web page.
