Sony FE 28mm f/2 review – verdict

The compact, lightweight FE 28mm f/2 is a very capable little lens

I wasn’t expecting all that much from the little 28mm – with no Zeiss or G badge, it doesn’t overtly boast of its credentials. Yet the more I used it, the more I thought that it’s precisely the kind of FE lens Sony needs to be making for the Alpha 7 system. It offers a combination of decent image quality, relatively large maximum aperture, compact size and reasonably affordable price that hitherto has been lacking from the company’s full-frame E-mount range.

This 28mm lens may not be quite as optically stunning as the Zeiss-branded 55mm f/1.8 or 35mm f/2.8, but it’s still pretty sharp wide open, and once it’s stopped down to normal working apertures of, say, f/5.6 to f/11, it’s very good indeed. It’s also small and light enough to slip into your bag and carry around, where larger lenses may be left behind.

Sony’s matched adapters also work rather well with the 28mm f/2 lens, and when used with care they can give very good image quality. In terms of operation, there’s little compromise, either. For example, autofocus and metering are completely unaffected. Indeed, my main gripe is that you can’t use filters with the Ultra Wide Converter.

Despite this, though, if I were buying the 28mm lens, I’d probably get it in a kit with the Ultra Wide Converter, simply because it gives another useful focal length for not a lot extra money. I’m more ambivalent about the Fisheye Converter, because it’s distinctly bulky and I don’t have much use for fisheyes in general. Then again, it does give an inexpensive option for occasional use.

Score: 4 out of 5