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Sony announces full frame 20mm wide angle lens

Sony has announced their FE 20mm f/1.8 G full-frame wide angle lens. It has a minimum focus distance of 0.19m (0.63 ft), 5 optical elements and Sony’s Nano AR coating.

Performance behind a dome port is as yet unknown but the FE 20mm F1.8 G will be available in March 2020 for $899.99.

Press release

New Sony lens features technology found in the highly-touted Sony G Master line in a compact and lightweight design at less than $1000.

SAN DIEGO – February 25, 2020 – Adding to its extensive range of native mirrorless full-frame lenses, Sony Electronics today announced the launch of the new G Lens™ series FE 20mm F1.8 G (model name SEL20F18G), perfect for a variety of creative needs including portraits, astrophotography, landscape and street photography, as well as capturing impressive video. Ensuring exceptional G Lens resolution and bokeh, the FE 20mm F1.8 G is a compact, lightweight, ultra-wide prime lens – the widest full-frame prime lens in Sony’s E-mount lineup – giving users a new resource for stretching the boundaries of their artistic imaginations.

The impressive lens design features two advanced aspherical (AA) elements and three extra-low dispersion (ED) glass elements to suppress chromatic aberration and delivers high corner-to-corner image quality with minimal distortion, even at the maximum F1.8 aperture. It has excellent close-up performance, with a minimum focus distance of 7.5 inches (max. magnification: 0.2 times), and delivers beautifully de-focused backgrounds (bokeh). For challenging subjects like night scenes or starry skies, the FE 20mm F1.8 G delivers crisp and clear images thanks to its advanced optical design that accurately reproduces point light sources with high contrast and minimum sagittal flare.

The compact design and versatility of the FE 20mm F1.8 G makes it the perfect all-inclusive lens for photographers and videographers. Weighing only 13.2 oz (373g), its small size and light weight make it truly mobile when used with compact E-mount bodies as part of a well-balanced system that is ideal for use on gimbals or accessory grips.

In addition, the use of two extreme dynamic (XD) Linear Motors delivers fast, precise and quiet autofocus for both stills and video shooting.

Designed to be dust and moisture resistant and having a fluorine front element coating, the FE 20mm F1.8 G is highly reliable and easy to operate. It also features a customizable focus-hold button and aperture ring with a click on/off switch and is compatible with a variety of 67mm filters for extra creative control.

We’re driven by the needs of our customers and will continue developing the best tools to meet their creative ambitions,” said Neal Manowitz, deputy president of Imaging Products and Solutions Americas, Sony Electronics. “Our 56th E-mount lens, the new FE 20mm F1.8 G, is fast, lightweight and extremely versatile, giving creators yet another compelling tool to help realize their vision.”

Pricing & Availability

The FE 20mm F1.8 G will be available in March 2020 for a suggested retail price of $899.99 USD and $1,199.99 CAD.