Gear Guide: Yongnuo Sony 16mm f/1.8 Lens 

Entry No. 43

Sharp. Quick. Snappy. All of these adjectives I would use to describe the Yongnuo Sony 16mm f/1.8 Lens. Thus far, it has been a joy to shoot with as it has been mounted to my {newly} acquired Sony a6400 camera body as this lens is meant for crop-sensor cameras.

Yongnuo, who sent me this lens to review, also makes this lens for the Nikon Z crop-sensor camera bodies.

Who is this lens for?

The Yongnuo Sony 16mm f/1.8 lens {20mm equivalent}is a wide-angle APSC camera lens. If you are someone who loves street photography, candid snapshots, scenic landscapes, or loves to get up close to subjects, this run & gun lens is a beast.

The Photos

Starting photography, I always {tried} to shoot wide open. If that is something you love to do, you'll appreciate the wide F-Stop of f/1.8. However, my photography style has evolved & I love stopping down to smaller F-Stops of f/4 & even f/8 in some cases. Most of the photos here were shot in very bright conditions, so, it made sense to shoot with a narrow stop. No-matter, the photos are very sharp at f/2.8 & f/4. Bokeh balls at wide open are bright & satisfying.

The colors, after an edit, are extortionary. The images are crisp & vibrant with little to moderate natural edits in Lightroom. You have to manually apply the lens corrections in Lightroom, which isn't a big deal.

The macro capabilities are lovely too, with a minimum focusing distance of 0.17m. I love having a lens that can shoot wide but get in tight for close-up photos.

The Lens Construction

I would say this is a very light & compact lens. The Yongnuo Sony 16mm f/1.8 lens weighs 310 grams & is the lens you always have on your camera body or always in your bag. The lens has custom function buttons with metal & weather-resistant construction. Holding the lens in the palm of your hand, the lens has a good solid feel to it. The lens comes with a lens hood {greatly appreciated!}

The Yongnuo Sony 16mm lens has a 58m filter thread. I added a Hoya UV filter to protect the glass.

The lens is listed on B&H Photo for $288.00.

Final Thoughts

This is my second Yonguo camera lens. I own the 35mm Full Frame lens for Sony Alpha Cameras. Both lenses are sticky with the auto-eye focus & produce beautiful images. I hope to own the full-frame 50mm lens one day. This brand is my new go-to lens brand of choice.

While I have this lens mounted to my camera to review, post-Journal review, I plan on keeping this lens as my go-to lens for my Sony a6400. The color rendering, as mentioned, is beautiful. I love shooting at the f/1.8 as well as f/4 and even higher. If you are looking for a do-all-pocket size lens, don't overlook the Yongnuo Sony 16mm f/1.8 lens.

Please see my gallery of images using the Yongnuo Sony 16mm f/1.8 lens. If you loved this post, you will love the review of the Full Frame Yongnuo f/2 35mm lens.

For additional photos featuring this wide-angle lens, view here.

For your new lens acquisitions, visit the Yongnuo Amazon Store.

I will continue to share images featuring this lens on my social media feeds @katelynchefphotography_ & @chef_katelyn on Twitter.