Sigma 60mm F28 Dn art Series Lens Silver Sony Emount

2 wide-angle primes Sony APS-C E-mount users will exist familiar with are the Sigma 19mm f/2.viii DN Art and the Sony E 20mm f/2.8. Both offer an bending of view that isn't far off the 28mm equivalent, making them a popular option amongst photographers who mostly shoot street with broad bending lenses, as well every bit those who enjoy landscape and cityscapes.

Because the two lenses are very similar on paper, nosotros decided to conduct this side-past-side comparing to see how they actually perform out in the field on our a6300. We hope it helps yous come to a decision almost which one to buy!

Ethics statement: We bought the Sony 20mm f/2.eight for our own personal utilize whereas the Sigma 19mm f/two.8 was loaned to the states for two weeks. We were non asked to write anything most these products, nor were we provided with any sort of bounty. Within the article, there are chapter links. If yous buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission. To know more about our ideals, yous can visit our full disclosure page. Thank you!

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Main Specifications

Sigma 19mm f/2.8 DN Art

Mountain: Sony E-mount
Format: APS-C
Focal length: 19mm (28.5mm in 35mm equivalent terms)
Lens configuration: viii elements in 6 groups
Lens blanket: Super Multi-Layer Coating
Angle of view: 59.3°
Minimum focusing distance: 20cm
Magnification: 0.135x
Aperture blades: vii round blades
Aperture range: two.eight to 22
Filter diameter: 46mm
Weather-sealing: N/A
Optical stabilisation: N/A
Dimensions: 60.8 x 45.7mm
Weight: 150g

Sony E 20mm f/ii.8

Mount: Sony East-mount
Format: APS-C
Focal length: 20mm (30mm in 35mm equivalent terms)
Lens configuration: 6 elements in 6 groups
Lens coating: N/A
Angle of view: 70°
Minimum focusing altitude: 20cm
Magnification: 0.12x
Discontinuity blades: 7 round blades
Aperture range: ii.8 to 16
Filter bore:49mm
Weather-sealing: N/A
Optical stabilisation: N/A
Dimensions: 62.6 10 twenty.4mm
Weight: 69g

Design and ease of utilize

Despite having more than or less the same circumference, the Sigma 19mm is approximately twice the top and weight of the Sony 20mm pancake lens. That being said, both lenses are very calorie-free and meaty and accommodate all cameras in the a5000/a6000 series perfectly.

The Sigma is generally made of high quality plastics with a brass bayonet mountain whereas the latter has an aluminium shell with a moulded plastic interior and a metal mount. Sadly neither lens features weatherproofing, so take care when using them outdoors in inclement conditions.

In terms of physical features, there isn't all that much to talk about. Both take a wing-by-wire focus ring just that of the Sony is thin and ridged while the Sigma'south is fairly large and smooth. Other features they take in common are a filter thread, clip-on lens cap and twist-on lens plastic hood. Somewhat annoyingly, y'all can't attach the hood and cap to the Sony lens at the same fourth dimension.

The two lenses apply different motor types – a stepper motor on the Sony and a linear AF motor on the Sigma – but both are capable of precise and placidity autofocusing.

The samples yous meet here both have a black cease but for those who ain a silver APS-C body, it's worth keeping in mind that at that place is too a silverish version of the Sigma lens.

Optical quality – Through the lens

Important note: Sony RAW files aren't automatically corrected when y'all import them into an imaging software such as Adobe Lightroom. To obtain the best results, you have to apply the correct lens profile in the Lens Corrections section, which is what I've done for all the images in this section. If y'all mostly utilise SOOC JPGs, you tin can set the lens corrections (shading, chromatic aberration and distortion) in the Lens Comp. menu to Auto.

Sharpness

Showtime let'south take a look at the sharpness of these two lenses taken at a distance of effectually 5m.

At the centre, you'll notice that the Sigma 19mm is visibly sharper than the Sony 20mm at their shared fastest aperture of f/ii.8.

One time yous cease downwardly to f/iv and f/5.half dozen however, the differences are and then small that it becomes hard to tell the two lenses apart. That said, I would still say the Sigma retains a very small advantage over the Sony. These are also the values at which both lenses display the best performance.

Both lenses start to lose some sharpness from f/viii onwards just only become unusably soft at f/xvi. Once once again, it is very hard to tell the two apart if we look at sharpness alone.

Turning to the corner performance, there are fifty-fifty fewer differences to mention. Perhaps the only thing worth pointing out is that the Sony – in the absolute extreme corners – is softer than the Sigma upward until f/8. Below you can see some examples taken at f/2.8, f/v.six and f/11.

Peak functioning is found at effectually f/5.6 in the example of both lenses but all values up to f/xi are fairly good.

Bokeh / Minimum focus altitude

Few people would buy a broad-angle prime primarily for its bokeh qualities but since both the Sigma 19mm and Sony 20mm share a reasonably fast maximum discontinuity of f/2.eight, it'due south worth taking a quick expect at how the background blur compares.

a6300, 1/4000, f/ii.eight, ISO 200 – Sigma 19mm f/two.viii

a6300, 1/4000, f/2.8, ISO 200 – Sony 20mm f/2.8

a6300, 1/800, f/2.viii, ISO 200 – Sigma 19mm f/2.viii

a6300, 1/1250, f/two.viii, ISO 200 – Sony 20mm f/two.viii

As you tin see from the two examples above, the rendering is extremely similar with the exception of the bokeh assurance which are rounder in images taken with the Sony lens. I wouldn't call the bokeh especially pleasant but if you employ the lenses at their shared minimum focus distance of 20cm, you can get decent results.

Sony 20mm f/2.eight (minimum focus distance)

Sigma 19mm f/2.eight (minimum focus altitude)

Flare

Although the Sigma benefits from Super Multi-Layer Coating to reduce flare and ghosting, we institute in our tests that the two lenses actually perform in a very similar manner in terms of flare resistance. If the sun is in your frame, you can expect a greenish orb of some shape or form to appear in your image as you can run across in the examples below.

If the light source is outside your frame, yous should have fewer bug with flare if you lot attach the provided lens hoods.

Chromatic aberration

Both lenses suffer from some lateral chromatic aberration in areas of high contrast simply in the instance of the Sigma, it is much more than notable fifty-fifty at f/5.six. With the Sony, it unremarkably disappears by f/4. Every bit always, you can clean it upwards quite nicely in post-production software applications such equally Lightroom, so I don't consider information technology a huge concern.

Distortion and Vignetting

As with any wide-angle lens, moderate barrel baloney is a given. If you brand sure to apply the correct lens profile either in-camera or in a post-production software to the two lenses, information technology shouldn't pose a problem in whatsoever of your images. Beneath you tin can see the difference between images that have been corrected with the profile and those that take not.

Sigma 19mm with lens profile

Sigma 19mm without lens contour

Sony 20mm with lens profile

Sony 20mm without lens profile

Happily neither lens shows any strong vignetting – not even at f/two.viii – and so that'due south i less thing to worry virtually!

Field of view

The departure in field of view is exactly what y'all'd expect from these 2 lenses: the Sigma is marginally wider than the Sony merely not and then much that it would make a big difference to how or what you shoot. Yous tin can encounter the divergence past toggling back and forth between the two images below.

Autofocus operation

To examination the autofocus of the 2 lenses, I used the Sony a6300. Information technology has a hybrid autofocus system which comprises 425 phase detection AF (PDAF) points and 169 contrast detection points.

At that place is very little to say confronting the autofocus mechanism of the Sony lens. Despite being a fairly old production, it is quick in good lite in both single AF and continuous AF, specially when combined with the phase detection autofocus organization (PDAF) of the latest Sony bodies, and but slows downwards a fiddling in poor light conditions or scenes with niggling dissimilarity.

The Sigma, on the other hand, is fast in South-AF mode but somewhat more sluggish in C-AF because the PDAF squares only piece of work at the very centre in Broad, Zone or Expand Flexible Spot mode. In any of the other modes and anywhere else across the frame, the lens relies on contrast detection autofocus. That said, the 19mm is a wide angle lens, so you'll rarely demand it for moving subjects anyway.

The AF mechanism of both lenses is very quiet, making them useful for stills and video work.

Manual focusing

The fly-past-wire manual focusing experience of both lenses is fine simply between the two, we tend to prefer the Sony'south focus ring because it has a ribbed design that'south easier to grab onto.

The fourth dimension it takes to travel from infinity to the minimum focus altitude on the Sony depends on the speed at which you turn the ring: turning it quickly takes 1/four of a plow whereas turning it slowly requires nearly 3/4 of a turn. The Sigma requires a 3/4 turn regardless of how fast or boring you turn the ring.

Conclusion

Unlike another lenses I've compared, I find that overall the Sony 19mm and Sony 20mm provide a very similar user feel, so much that I'd sometimes even forgot that I was using one instead of the other. Yes, the Sony is physically a smaller lens to be certain, but y'all don't actually perceive the added weight of the Sigma once information technology's fastened to the photographic camera body.

The simply real difference that could have an impact on your decision is the cost. As of today, a brand new copy of the Sigma 19mm will set you lot back approximately $170, which is a steal considering that the Sony 20mm is around twice the price. Cistron into this the fact that the Sigma is sharper than the Sony at f/2.viii and in the corners, and information technology soon becomes clear which is the improve deal.

The sole advantage the Sony retains over the Sigma is its compatibility with PDAF but since we are dealing with wide-angle lenses, there isn't much to be gained from having fast C-AF functioning unless you need it for specific action shots.

Choose the Sigma 19mm f/2.eight if you:

desire to spend every bit little as possible on a broad-angle lens for your Sony APS-C camera
want the best sharpness
don't care about phase detection AF

Cull the Sony 20mm f/2.8 if you: