Around 10 years ago, the Phoblographer reviewed the Sony 28mm f2 lens. “The color rendition from this lens is very true to life with a bit of both extra contrast and saturation,” we wrote at the time. “It works out quite well, but don’t expect the same color rendition that you’ll get from the company’s 35mm f1.4 Zeiss lens or even the Zeiss Loxia lenses themselves. Indeed, this is a Sony G lens and it surely shows.” One of my very best photographer friends loves the 28mm perspective — and the high-end Leica 28mm f2 Apochromatic is perhaps the favorite lens I own. But in 10 years, Sony hasn’t made a high end option and the entire camera market is seriously lacking on it. Why?
I think some folks would say that the 28mm lens isn’t all that popular. And truly that’s quite sad — I tend to shoot in the 28, 35, and 40mm ranges. Before they retired their DSLR lineup of lenses, I fondly remember the Nikon 28mm f1.4 being one of the most gorgeous lenses I’ve tested. For years, I stated that brands didn’t give enough love to 40mm lenses. And Sony surely made an attempt, though it’s nowhere as good as the Zeiss 40mm f2 Batis. What I don’t understand, though, is why Sony can’t make something that knocks it all out of the park. Instead, sometimes I feel like I’m forced to be a Mets fan when the Yankees are really where my heart has always been.
Lots of photographers we’ve interviewed over the years shoot with 28mm lenses: Eric Davidove, Lynsey Addario, Iris Muñoz, and several others all enjoy using a 28mm.
It seems these days that camera manufacturers tend to be focusing more on zoom lenses and going after the wildlife photography crowd. But the truth is that wildlife photographers aren’t the ones telling the important stories right now. Instead, those stories are being told by real journalists. They’re the ones who would need both solid zoom lenses and a host of good prime lenses.
So why go for a 28mm lens? Well, let’s look at the most successful one on the market: the 28mm f1.7 lens attached to the Leica Q2 and the Q3. This lens is a fixed option with a fast f1.7 aperture, a nice manual focus transition, and macro focusing abilities. It’s also built to have an IP durability standard — far above anything that other brands make. On top of that, it’s super small, has autofocus abilities, and is very lightweight. The Leica Q system of cameras is probably the company’s most successful of the bunch and folks can’t get enough of them. Attached to a camera, the package goes for nearly $6,000.
I find it very hard to believe that a Sony 28mm f1.2 or Sony 28mm f1.4 G Master lens wouldn’t sell all that well. But let’s not even try to aim that high. What about a better option for the Sony 28mm f2 that hasn’t been refreshed in 10 years?
