Sony E 11mm F1.8 Review: A Tiny Ultra-Wide for Sony APS-C and Vlogging
The Sony E 11mm F1.8 is the widest and cheapest of the three APS-C lenses Sony announced in June 2022. It launched at about $550, weighs 181 grams and is about as small as interchangeable lenses get.
On an APS-C body it gives the view of a 16.5mm lens on full frame. That’s wide enough to vlog at arm’s length with room around you, even with the extra crop some cameras add for stabilization or 4K. It’s also wide enough for interiors, night skies and tall buildings.
Ultra-wide lenses come into their own in dense, busy places where you want to show everything at once: the signs, the crowd and the street all in one frame.
Photo: Pixel Effects
Gordon Laing’s review tests it as a stills and vlogging lens.
Video review: Gordon Laing
Design
The lens uses three aspherical and three ED elements, with a seven-blade aperture and a 55mm filter thread, the same as the E 15mm F1.4 G. Two linear motors drive the focus.
Close focus is a strong point: 15cm with autofocus and 12cm in manual focus, for up to 0.2x magnification. You can get very close to a subject and still show plenty of background, a look that works well in product and food videos.
It’s sealed against dust and moisture, with a gasket at the mount. There’s a focus-hold button and an AF/MF switch, but no aperture ring, which Digital Camera World missed. There’s no optical stabilization, and distortion correction is always on.
How it performs
Camera Labs and Digital Camera World both found it sharp wide open, and Digital Camera World found the edges good too. Camera Labs saw some corner softness at f/1.8, which clears when you stop down. Autofocus is fast and quiet, which matters most for vlogging, where the lens has to follow your face as you move.
Without the camera’s correction, distortion and vignetting are heavy. Camera Labs also found the manual focus ring less refined than on Sony’s G lenses. Those are small complaints for the price.
Who should buy it
APS-C Sony owners who vlog, shoot interiors or want an ultra-wide that doesn’t add bulk. It’s a natural match for the ZV-E10 II and A6700, and a good wide option for the FX30 on a gimbal. Digital Camera World called it good value for a Sony-made lens.
The Samyang AF 12mm f/2 costs a little less. Viltrox’s 13mm f/1.4 is brighter and heavier. If you’d rather have a zoom, the Sony E PZ 10-20mm F4 G has power zoom for smooth video. For complete vlogging kits across brands, see our best vlogging camera and lens combos.