REVIEWS | WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY WITH THE SONY FE 20mm F1.8
In this blog post, I discuss using the stunning Sony FE 20mm F1.8 lens on a wedding day.
In February 2020, Sony announced the Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G lens. At the time, the only wide prime in Sony’s lineup was the 24mm F1.4 G Master — there was nothing wider. Zeiss offered the well-regarded 18mm Batis, but with its F2.8 aperture, noticeable distortion, and significant purple fringing, it was never an option for me.
I placed my pre-order for the 20mm F1.8 G through Wex straight away. A few days after it arrived, the UK went into lockdown and all weddings were banned. It wasn’t until July 2020 that I finally had the chance to use it at a wedding — but from that day onwards, it’s been with me at every single one.
Since that first outing, I’ve delivered over 7,000 images taken with the Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G paired with the Sony A9 II (and now the Sony A1). It was outstanding at that very first wedding, and it’s still outstanding today.
The 20mm F1.8 G, alongside the Sony FE 50mm F1.2 G Master and the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 G Master, has become my go-to wedding photography setup.
CAN YOU REALLY USE A 20mm LENS ON A WEDDING DAY?
If you were to Google “most popular wedding lens combination,” I doubt the 20mm focal length would appear on many lists. It’s not considered a standard wedding lens, and for most photographers who want something wide, 24mm is about as far as they’ll go.
On a wedding day, I work with three cameras: one Sony A1 paired with the Sony 35mm GM, another Sony A1 paired with the 50mm GM, and a Sony A9 II paired with the Sony 20mm F1.8 G (pictured at the top of this blog post).
While the 35mm and 50mm are my main lenses for most of the day, the 20mm is, without question, my favourite to use at a wedding. Looking back at the last 10 weddings of my 2021 season, around 20% of my delivered images — roughly 100 shots per wedding — were taken with the Sony FE 20mm.
WHY A 20mm LENS ON A WEDDING DAY?
The 20mm focal length gives images a real impact. You have to get close — really close — and because it’s so wide, you need to fill the frame. Used well, it can turn ordinary moments into something that feels epic.
SONY 20 mm F1.8 Lens Handling Overview
HOW I USE A 20mm LENS ON A WEDDING DAY
As mentioned above, the Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G never leaves my Sony A9 II. It lives in my hip bag, ready to grab at a moment’s notice whenever the situation calls for it.
For me, there’s never a time on a wedding day when the 20mm isn’t an option. From the getting-ready shots in the morning to the dancing and celebrations late into the night, it’s a lens that works from start to finish.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The 20mm focal length isn’t for everyone — and I mean that from both a photographer’s and a client’s perspective.
I’ve had 20mm images in my portfolio since my very first wedding with this lens in July 2020, so couples can see exactly what to expect. Even so, the 20mm isn’t for every client. All 20mm lenses have distortion — some worse than others — and while the Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G is one of the best in its class for controlling it, you still need to be careful about how you compose your shots. Place something too close to the edge of the frame and it can end up stretched or appear much larger than it actually is.
As you’ll see in the images below, I try to keep key subjects as close to the centre of the frame as possible. Of course, there are times when the composition means something important ends up at the edge, and yes, those images will have distortion — but I’d rather accept that than miss the shot entirely.
Right, let’s take a look at some images!