Sony E 15mm F1.4 G Review: A Fast Wide Prime for Sony APS-C
For years Sony’s APS-C shooters had few fast wide primes from Sony itself. That changed in June 2022, when Sony announced three APS-C lenses together: the E 15mm F1.4 G, the E 11mm F1.8 and the E PZ 10-20mm F4 G. The 15mm launched at about $750 and weighs just 219 grams.
On a Sony APS-C body, 15mm frames like a 22.5mm lens on full frame. That’s a classic wide view for street, travel and environmental portraits, and with f/1.4 it works well indoors and at night. It’s also a popular vlogging focal length on cameras like the ZV-E10 II.
A wide fast prime suits old town centers, where you want the whole street and the people in it, and where the light drops fast once the sun goes behind the buildings.
Photo: Media Instances
Gordon Laing’s review compares it directly with the Sigma 16mm f/1.4.
Video review: Gordon Laing
Design
The optical formula is 13 elements in 12 groups, with three aspherical, one ED and one Super ED element. The aperture has seven blades, and the filter thread is 55mm. Two linear motors handle autofocus.
It has the controls you’d expect on a full-frame G lens: an aperture ring with an A position and a switch to turn the clicks off, a focus-hold button, an AF/MF switch and a linear-response manual focus ring. Digital Camera World missed a lock for the aperture ring, which can get knocked out of A.
Close focus is 20cm with autofocus and 17cm in manual focus. The lens is sealed against dust and moisture. There’s no optical stabilization, and distortion correction is always on in camera.
How it performs
Camera Labs, Digital Camera World and Lenstip all found it very sharp, and Camera Labs found it ahead of the Sigma 16mm at f/1.4. Autofocus is fast and quiet, and focus breathing is low, which helps for video.
Without correction, barrel distortion is heavy, as Digital Camera World and Lenstip noted. Since the camera always corrects it, you’ll only see it in some raw converters. Lenstip also measured vignetting and some longitudinal color fringing wide open.
Who should buy it
APS-C Sony shooters on bodies like the A6700, ZV-E10 II or FX30 who want a small, sealed, fast wide prime. On the A6700, which has IBIS, it’s a great walk-around lens.
The main rival is the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN, which costs about half as much but weighs 405 grams and is bigger. Camera Labs and Lenstip both flagged the price gap. If you want wider, the Sony E 11mm F1.8 is cheaper and smaller. If you want a fast standard zoom instead, the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 is the APS-C favorite.