Review by Klaus Schroiff, published August 2022
Introduction
At the time Sony announced their set (11mm f/1.8, 15mm f/1.4G, 10-20mm f/4G) of new ultrawide APS-C lenses back in June (2022), it caused quite a stir in the Sony community. Given the fact that all the rage was about full-format gear in recent years, such a visible commitment to the format was certainly a relief. In this review, we’ll have a look at the lens that is probably the most interesting of the bunch – the Sony E 11mm f/1.8. Unlike its two cousins, it is both wide AND fast, and, surprisingly, it is also the most affordable at “just” $550 USD (600EUR) – that’s quite a bargain for such a lens … assuming that it can deliver.
The first thing that you notice when picking up the lens is its almost feather-like weight of just 181g. While it is no pancake lens, it is also tiny despite the high speed. However, this doesn’t compromise the build quality. The lens body is made of good quality plastics based on a metal mount, and it is sealed against dust and moisture. The physical length remains constant throughout the focus range thanks to an inner focusing system The focus ring operates smoothly. Sony even implemented a focus-hold button alongside the usual AF-MF switch. A petal-shaped hood is part of the package.
The lens uses two linear motors for auto-focusing. It’s both fast and silent. Manual focusing works, of course, by wire, but it’s still very precise. Focus breathing has also been reduced to a minimum.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Equivalent focal length (full-format) | “17mm” |
| Equivalent aperture (depth-of-field, full-format) | “f/2.8” |
| Optical construction | 12 elements in 11 groups inc. 3x ED, 3x Aspherical elements |
| Number of aperture blades | 7 |
| min. focus distance | 0.12m (max. magnification 1:5) |
| Dimensions | 66×58mm |
| Weight | 181g |
| Filter size | 55mm |
| Hood | petal-shaped (bayonet mount, supplied) |
| Other features | – |
Distortions
Let’s start with a (usually hidden) Achilles heel of the lens – image distortions. It produces a native barrel distortion of a WHOPPING 8%. That’s about as extreme as it gets short of a fisheye lens.
However, Sony doesn’t even allow you to shoot JPEGs without applied auto-correction, in which case the distortions are negligible. Please note that this is a lossy procedure, though.
Vignetting
Extreme image distortions are also an indicator for heavy vignetting in RAW images – and yes, it shows. In fully uncorrected images, the light falloff is extreme (3EV) at f/1.8. At f/5.6, it’s still more than 1EV (f-stop).
While this wouldn’t be all that unusual … if it was a full format rather than an APS-C lens … it’s another indication that the lens just isn’t meant to be used without auto-correction.
Even with activated auto-correction, the vignetting is visible at 1.45EV @ f/1.8. However, the issue is mostly gone from f/2.8 onward.
MTF (resolution)
For the MTFs analysis, we didn’t bother with RAW files this time but used corrected JPEGs instead. It’s just not realistic to assume that many users will use the lens without distortion correction. However, despite the lossy correction, the results are actually pretty good for a lens this wide. The center quality is great straight at f/1.8, and the near-center performance is still very good to excellent. The outer image field takes a hit, of course, but it still manages to reach good to very good results. Stopping down improves the center a bit until f/4, whereas the improvement is fairly negligible in the image borders/corners. Diffraction effects set in from about f/8. f/11 should be avoided for this reason.
The field curvature is marginal. The centering quality of the tested sample was good.
Please note that the MTF results are not directly comparable across the different systems!
Below is a simplified summary of the formal findings. The chart shows line widths per picture height (LW/PH) can be taken to measure sharpness. If you want to know more about the MTF50 figures, you may check out the corresponding Imatest Explanations.
Chromatic Aberrations (CAs)
Lateral CA (color shadows at the image borders) are well controlled, with an average pixel width of around 0.6px at the image borders. Remember that lateral CAs can be corrected without side effects, so there’s little to worry about in real life.
Sun Stars
Sun stars are an aperture effect when shooting strong light sources. Fully open, the aperture is circular, and spotlights are just rendered as a bright blob. The more you stop down, the aperture shape is getting edgier – and sun stars are getting more pronounced as well.
The example below shows an extreme scene (heavily process. Normally, you wouldn’t take such a shot anyway) illustrating the effect at f/8. You can count 14 rays – which relates to the seven aperture blades used in the lens. In this case, they have a fan-like structure. While not ideal, this is still pleasing here. You may also notice that there is comparatively little flare in the scene.
Sample Images
Competition
The Sony E 11mm f/1.8 (shown to the left below) may be quite fancy, but it is not unique within its focal length class. There’s the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 (2nd left, reviewed in X-mount), probably the most well-known of the fully manual gang. Obviously, it’s a slower lens with a similar price tag. It doesn’t have this crazy amount of native distortion, but it’s not really better. Then there’s the Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 (2nd right). In terms of sharpness, it is comparable, but the Zeiss privilege comes at double the costs. Then there’s the Samyang AF 12mm f/2 (far right). We haven’t reviewed this one yet. It’s a little bit more affordable, but it is slightly longer and slower, so on paper, it’s still not a better value at least.
If you believe the hype around the Sony E 11mm f/1.8 over on YouTube, it has to be the best lens ever since sliced bread. Well, YouTube videos tend to be a little -say- overenthusiastic at times. The Sony lens is undoubtedly very good, but there are reasons why Sony didn't classify this lens with a "G" in the name. In terms of sharpness, the E 11mm f/1.8 leaves little to be desired. It produces a very consistent performance from f/1.8 all the way up to f/8. The center quality is generally excellent, combined with a good to very good outer image field. You can't expect much more from a lens of this focal length class, but it's not standing out either except for its speed. The lens relies heavily on image auto-correction, especially to handle the massive native barrel distortions. These are tamed down nicely, but it is a lossy correction that also costs a bit of sharpness potential. The original vignetting is also heavy. Once again, auto-correction comes to the rescue, although some vignetting remains at large aperture settings. Flare is well controlled for such a lens. We haven't formally tested the bokeh but based on the sample images that we have taken, it is surprisingly smooth for an ultra-wide lens.
It may not be a designated professional lens, but the mechanical quality is actually pretty solid despite the extremely low weight. Sony incorporated decent-quality plastics into the barrel based on a metal mount. Nothing wobbles, and the focus ring operates smoothly. Sealing against dust and moisture as well as an inner focusing system provides reasonable protection against the elements. The dual linear AF motor is fast and silent. If you are into vlogging, the lens is certainly capable of keeping you in focus while moving around. The minimal focus breathing is also a plus when it comes to videos.
One of the most surprising aspects of the lens is certainly its price tag. At "just" $550/550EUR, it's nothing short of a bargain in this class. Third-party options aren't really any cheaper, and the Sony E 11mm f/1.8 is the obvious choice if you are in the market for an APS-C ultra-wide prime lens.
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Optical Quality
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Build Quality
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Price / Performance