Most of the 16mm’s barrel is occupied by the large fly-by-wire focus ring. The deep ridges give you a good grip on the ring and the fact that it is made of rubber means it is comfortable to grasp even in cold temperatures.

Holding the camera and hanging out over the edge of the pier, there was a starburst effect from the sun that was just disappearing behind a cloud. What I Liked and What Could Be Improved With This Lens This is awesome to see with a mid-budget APS-C lens, as usually full sealing is reserved for higher-end full frame glass. Otherwise, using the lens with a Nikon camera is pretty much identical in experience to using it with one of the other mounts. Focusing is fast, accurate and quiet, making it well-suited to a range of different subjects. Focusing is down to 0.25m, or 0.82 feet. This gives a maximum magnification of 1:9.9, which is about what would be expected of a traditional 35mm or so wide standard lens.The Sony 15mm f/1.4 G is a welcome addition to Sony’s APS-C lens lineup. With an equivalent focal length of 22.5mm, this lens will give photographers and videographers who like to keep things wide a nice option. However, it’s clear that Sony is going after Sigma’s 16mm f/1.4 Contemporary. It’s also worth noting that although these lenses are designed for APS-C cameras, you can also use them with full-frame bodies, like the Nikon Z6 II, with the camera automatically switching to crop mode if you do. You might therefore consider it a good alternative to the Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8 S lens, which costs more than twice that of the Sigma. Edge sharpness is also creditable, being very good from f/1.4 to f/2.8, excellent at f/4 and f/5.6 and then very good at f/8 and f/11. Results are softer at the edges at f/16, but can still be described as good. Sharpness remains very good across the whole image frame, right into the corners (Image credit: Matthew Richards) Like the 30mm, it has a close minimum focusing distance. With that wide f/1.4 aperture, it is possible to get an excellent shallow depth of field.

Chromatic aberration (CA) is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software. Like the 30mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary, the 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary features SIGMA's latest design technologies to offer F1.4 brightness while minimizing optical aberrations. Mylio Photos – Access your photos from anywhere, without the cloud! Easily showcase your photos on-the-go, resolve duplicates, find faces and look for those stunning locations. MPB puts photo and video kit into more hands, more sustainably. Every month, visual storytellers sell more than 20,000 cameras and lenses to MPB. Choose used and get affordable access to kit that doesn’t cost the earth.The lens looks very nice and has a sleek, smooth design and finish. It pairs quite well with a Sony camera and doesn't look dissimilar from some of Sony's own lenses. The large focus ring has a rubberized finish and feels very nice to use, plus it's wide at just under a couple inches (around 50 millimeters). The lens looks good and balances well with the A6500. The SIGMA 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary features SIGMA's inner focus technologies, while lighter lens elements in the focus lens group make possible a more compact actuator. Moreover, this lens offers outstanding stability whether the photographer is shooting handheld or has the camera placed on a surface. Structurally, the lens features materials and parts that contribute to its compact, lightweight structure. In summary, this is an unprecedented lens that combines outstanding optical performance with exceptional portability and usability. Speaking of protecting the lens, the petal-shaped lens hood is massive (as I mentioned earlier) and also does its job quite well at protecting the front element against both bumps and flaring. Weather Sealing?