We always enjoy hearing about new lenses on the horizon, but this latest rumor about an upcoming Sony lens is particularly interesting. According to a new leak, we could be seeing a new Sony 16mm f/1.8 GM lens being announced in early 2021. If you're wondering why this is significant, a 16mm f/1.8 would apparently end up being the world's fastest 16mm lens for full frame cameras.
While it wouldn't quite end up being the fastest wide angle lens ever (that accolade goes to the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 FE), it would be the fastest wide angle lens from Sony. At present, this title is held by the Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G.
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As reported by rumor website Sony Alpha Rumors, this new Sony 16mm f/1.8 lens is said to be around the same size as the Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM lens, which measures in at 75.4 x 92.4 mm and weighs 445g. Apparently this upcoming 16mm f/1.8 will also have similar build quality to the 24mm f/1.4.
With this in mind, this new potential lens from Sony could be great for landscape photographers. However, it'll also be perfect for astro photographers, with the super wide focal length and fast aperture enabling astro shooters to capture as much light as possible with as short a shutter speed as possible (as overly long shutter speeds can introduce noise into images).
With the Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM hovering around the $1,400 mark, we'd reckon this upcoming 16mm f/1.8 will be fairly expensive. However, we wouldn't exactly expect a fast wide angle prime to be super affordable, due to the complexity of the optics technology inside.
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