# Sony E 11mm F1.8 APS-C Ultra-Wide-Angle Prime for APS-C Cameras Review
If you are looking for a compact, fast, and versatile ultra-wide-angle lens for your Sony APS-C camera, you might want to check out the Sony E 11mm F1.8. This lens offers a stunning 104-degree field of view, equivalent to 16.5mm on a full-frame sensor, making it ideal for capturing landscapes, interiors, architecture, astrophotography, and vlogging. In this article, we will review the features, benefits, performance, and user feedback of this lens, and compare it with some similar products on the market. We will also provide a purchase link at the end of the article for your convenience.
Features and Benefits
The Sony E 11mm F1.8 is designed to match the compact and lightweight body of Sony’s APS-C mirrorless cameras, such as the A6000 series and the A5000 series. It weighs only 181 grams and measures 66 x 58 mm, making it easy to carry around and use in various situations. The lens has a sleek and minimalist design, with a smooth focus ring, an AF/MF switch, and a customizable focus hold button. It also features multiple weather seals to protect it from dust and moisture.
The lens has a bright maximum aperture of f/1.8, which enables you to shoot in low-light conditions and create beautiful bokeh effects with out-of-focus highlights. The aperture has seven rounded blades for smooth and circular bokeh shapes. The lens also has a close minimum focusing distance of 0.15m in autofocus mode and 0.12m in manual focus mode, allowing you to get close to your subjects and create dramatic perspectives.
The lens has a sophisticated optical design that consists of 12 elements in 11 groups, including three aspherical elements and three extra-low dispersion elements. These elements help to reduce aberrations, distortions, flare, and ghosting, and enhance sharpness, contrast, and color accuracy across the entire image frame. The lens also has a Nano AR Coating II that minimizes reflections and glare.
The lens has a fast and quiet autofocus system that uses two linear motors to drive the focus group. The autofocus is accurate, responsive, and smooth, making it suitable for both stills and video shooting. The lens also supports Sony’s Eye AF and Real-time Tracking technologies for tracking moving subjects and human or animal eyes.
Performance and Sample Images
The Sony E 11mm F1.8 delivers impressive image quality that showcases the potential of Sony’s APS-C sensors. The lens is sharp from corner to corner even at wide-open aperture, with only minor softening at the extreme edges. The lens also exhibits minimal chromatic aberration, vignetting, and coma, especially when corrected in-camera or in post-processing. The lens has some noticeable barrel distortion that gives a fisheye-like effect, which can be appealing for some creative shots or corrected if desired.
The lens produces beautiful colors and contrast that are natural and pleasing to the eye. The lens also handles backlighting well, with minimal flare or loss of contrast. The lens renders smooth and creamy bokeh that isolates the subject from the background, especially when shooting close-ups or at wide apertures. The bokeh highlights have a distinctive shape that adds character to the images.
Here are some sample images taken with the Sony E 11mm F1.8 :
![Landscape]
![Interior]
![Bokeh]
User Feedback
The Sony E 11mm F1.8 has received mostly positive feedback from users who have praised its image quality, build quality, autofocus performance, versatility, and value for money. Here are some representative user reviews:
– “This is an amazing lens for Sony APS-C cameras. It is very sharp across the frame even at f/1.8, with minimal distortion and vignetting. The autofocus is fast and silent, and the manual focus ring is smooth and precise. The lens is also very compact and lightweight, making it easy to carry around. I use it mainly for landscapes, interiors, astrophotography, and vlogging, and I am very happy with the results.”
– “I love this lens for its wide-angle perspective and fast aperture. It gives me a lot of creative options for capturing dynamic scenes and creating beautiful bokeh effects. The lens is also very well built and weather-sealed, which is important for outdoor shooting. The only downside is that it does not have an aperture control ring or an image stabilization system.”
– “This is a good but not great lens for Sony APS-C cameras. It has a nice focal length and aperture combination that makes it useful for many situations, but it also has some flaws that prevent it from being excellent. The lens has noticeable barrel distortion that needs to be corrected, and the bokeh highlights have a weird shape that can be distracting. The lens is also a bit pricey for an APS-C lens, and it does not come with a lens hood or a pouch.”
Similar Products Comparison
The Sony E 11mm F1.8 is not the only ultra-wide-angle prime lens available for Sony APS-C cameras. There are also some third-party options that offer similar or different features and performance. Here is a comparison table of some of the similar products on the market:
| Lens | Focal Length (35mm Equivalent) | Maximum Aperture | Minimum Focusing Distance | Filter Size | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony E 11mm F1.8 | 16.5mm | f/1.8 | 0.15m (AF), 0.12m (MF) | 55mm | 181g | $548 |
| Viltrox AF 13mm F1.4 | 19.5mm | f/1.4 | 0.25m | 62mm | 375g | $399 |
| Samyang AF 12mm F2 E | 18mm | f/2 | 0.19m | 62mm | 213g | $399 |
| Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN C | 24mm | f/1.4 | 0.25m | 67mm | 405g | $449 |
As you can see, the Sony E 11mm F1.8 has the widest angle of view and the smallest size and weight among the four lenses, making it the most compact and portable option. It also has a fast aperture of f/1.8, which is only slightly slower than the Viltrox and Sigma lenses, but faster than the Samyang lens. The Sony lens also has the shortest minimum focusing distance, which enables you to get closer to your subjects and create more dramatic perspectives.
The Viltrox AF 13mm F1.4 is the closest competitor to the Sony lens in terms of focal length and aperture, but it is much larger and heavier, and it has a longer minimum focusing distance. The Viltrox lens also has more distortion and vignetting than the Sony lens, but it has an aperture control ring and a metal construction.
The Samyang AF 12mm F2 E is another ultra-wide-angle prime lens for Sony APS-C cameras, but it has a slower aperture of f/2, which limits its low-light performance and bokeh potential. The Samyang lens also has more chromatic aberration and coma than the Sony lens, but it has less distortion and vignetting, and it comes with a lens hood.
The Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN C is a popular wide-angle prime lens for Sony APS-C cameras, but it has a narrower angle of view than the Sony lens, equivalent to 24mm on a full-frame sensor. The Sigma lens has a very fast aperture of f/1.4, which makes it excellent for low-light shooting and bokeh effects, but it also makes it bigger and heavier than the Sony lens. The Sigma lens also has a longer minimum focusing distance and more flare than the Sony lens, but it has less distortion and vignetting, and it has an image stabilization system.
Verdict
The Sony E 11mm F1.8 is a highly desirable ultra-wide-angle prime lens for Sony APS-C cameras that offers dynamic perspectives, outstanding image quality, large f/1.8 aperture, fast and quiet autofocus, and compact and lightweight design. It is ideal for landscape, interior, architecture, astrophotography, and vlogging enthusiasts who want to capture stunning scenes with their Sony APS-C cameras.
The lens is not perfect, however, as it has some drawbacks such as no aperture control ring, no image stabilization system, hefty barrel distortion (uncorrected), noticeable vignetting (uncorrected), and weird bokeh highlight shape. The lens is also relatively expensive for an APS-C lens, and it does not come with any accessories such as a lens hood or a pouch.
If you are looking for an alternative ultra-wide-angle prime lens for your Sony APS-C camera, you might want to consider the Viltrox AF 13mm F1.4, the Samyang AF 12mm F2 E, or the Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN C, depending on your preferences and budget.
However, if you are looking for the widest angle of view, the smallest size and weight, the shortest minimum focusing distance, and the best overall performance among the four lenses, then the Sony E 11mm F1.8 is the clear winner.
If you are interested in buying this lens, you
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