The wide-angle lens you take with you always

AF 18mm 2.8 FE

This lens is another one of the ultra-compact and lightweight AF series of Samyang for Sony full-frame cameras.

The body of the lens is out of plastic, something that doesn’t influence the quality of the picture, so it is no problem for me. Because of its plastic body the lens is ultra-lightweight – 145g – the lightest autofocus (ultra) wide angle lens for Sony full-frame cameras. The 58mm filter thread lets you use even small filters easily, an advantage for landscape photographers.

AF 18mm 2.8 FE | Sony a7rii | f/5.6 | 1/100 sec | ISO 100 + polarization filter | Böse Nase, Austria.

Its autofocus is fast and silent, it works really good during daylight. At blue hour you can still shoot handheld, when you open the aperture.

AF 18mm 2.8 FE | Sony a7rii | f/5 | 1/160 sec | ISO 640 | Mangart, Slovenia.

I wanted to push the limit of the autofocus and tried it during blue hour. While shooting the pictures I thought it worked, but after looking at the pictures at the computer, it failed most of the time. So better use the manual focus in low light conditions.

AF 18mm 2.8 FE | Sony a7rii | f/2.8 | 1/30 sec | ISO 1600 | Mangart, Slovenia.

A fast wide-angle lens is great to shoot the milky way. Therefore, I waited for a new moon phase and shot it. With the demanding 42 megapixel sensor of my Sony a7rii I knew it would be even more difficult for this lens. This lens is sharp at the center of the image at f/2.8 and starts to be perfectly sharp at f/5.6. As I already mentioned, on my demanding 42 megapixel Sony a7rii the extreme edges of the image are quite soft at f/2.8, better at f/5.6 and good at f/8.

AF 18mm 2.8 FE | Sony a7rii | f/2.8 | 13 sec | ISO 6400

1 exposure for the sky: AF 18mm 2.8 FE | Sony a7rii | f/2.8 | 13 sec | ISO 6400 | Laghi di Fusine, Italy.

1 exposure for the foreground: AF 18mm 2.8 FE | Sony a7rii | f/2.8 | 30 sec | ISO 6400 | Laghi di Fusine, Italy.

Next to its compact size and weight another highlight for me is the sun star of this lens. At f/16 it looks fantastic and the sharpness is very good across the frame.

AF 18mm 2.8 FE | Sony a7rii | f/16 | 1/125 sec | ISO 200 | Böse Nase, Austria.

On the APS-C sensor of the Sony a6000 you get a 27mm field of view. The camera is even smaller and you get an even smaller and lighter, but still, high quality combination.

AF 18mm 2.8 FE | Sony a6000 | f/8 | 1/100 sec | ISO 100 | Triglav, Slovenia.

AF 18mm 2.8 FE | Sony a7rii | f/8 | 1/160 sec | ISO 100 | Triglav, Slovenia.

When you are hiking in high mountains, you notice every gram in your backpack. You must carry clothes, climbing gear, safety gear, food and water – and your camera gear.

This is where the Samyang AF 18mm 2.8 FE shines.

AF 18mm 2.8 FE | Sony a7rii | f/6,3 | 1/250 sec | ISO 100 | Triglav, Slovenia.

Overall, I recommend this lens especially to people who do outdoor sports, but also to families who just go for a walk outside or to travelers, who count on lightweight and quality gear. The reason is simple – on Sony’s mirrorless cameras it fits in every pocket of your jacket – you have a quality combination always with you. In photography this is important and with this lens you are always ready for the magic to happen.