When I went home to Aomori in August, and when I traveled around Taiwan with my twin sister in September, the lens on my α7C II was the SIGMA 20-60mm F2.8-4 DG | Contemporary. It rained almost the whole time we were in Taiwan. With an umbrella in one hand, I would pull the camera out of my bag to shoot, then walk on through the city, shielding it with my clothes so it wouldn’t get wet.
About 375 g, and only about 889 g even with the α7C II
The biggest appeal is how light it is. It weighs about 375 g (Sony E-mount), and about 889 g together with the α7C II. A full-frame setup that covers wide-angle to standard comes in under 1 kg. I could carry it all day without getting tired, and it fit in my bag with room to spare while we went sightseeing, ate, and shopped.
Another zoom that starts at 20mm is the SIGMA 20-200mm F3.5-6.3 DG | Contemporary. I took it on a trip to London and Paris, and I like that lens too. But it weighs about 540 g, and about 1,054 g together with the α7C II. If I had brought the 20-200mm to rainy Taiwan, I think it would have stuck out from under the umbrella and gotten much wetter. With my build, that difference matters.
Starting at 20mm, with my favorite 35mm and 50mm in between
Between 20mm and 60mm sit the 35mm and 50mm ranges I like to use day to day. Being able to go a little further, to 60mm, is a nice bonus.
20mm is the angle of view for when I want to keep as much of the scene in front of me as possible. Whether it is a place I am seeing for the first time on a trip or the scenery of my hometown after a long time away, a zoom that starts at 20mm lets me fit in what I want. For views from a mountaintop or snapshots in town, I set it around 35mm or 50mm.
Switching the α7C II to Super 35mm mode extends it to about 90mm in full-frame terms. At the summer festival back home, I could take in a huge float looking up at it at 20mm, and also pick out just its fine painted details.
Shooting at 20mm with one hand: photos of my sister and me
In Taiwan, it was just my twin sister and me. I wanted photos of the two of us, not only of the scenery and the food. Because it goes as wide as 20mm, both of us fit in the frame when I hold the camera at arm’s length. The light lens keeps it steady even in one hand. Without asking anyone, I could just turn the camera around and take the shot.
It is light enough to sit easily on a small travel tripod, so I can also set up the tripod and photograph the two of us from a little way off. My sister, who rarely uses a mirrorless camera, seemed to find it easy to handle at this weight, and she took photos of me more often than usual.
Looking back through the photos after we got home, there are photos of the two of us between the scenery and the meals. I don’t often photograph myself, so looking back at them really does bring the memories back.
Focusing as close as 15.8 cm at 28mm: food on the table and flowers by the road
The minimum focusing distance is 15.8 cm at 28mm. It focuses even when the lens hood is almost touching the subject. It also gets as close as 20 cm at 20mm and 25 cm at 60mm, so even in a restaurant with tables packed close together, I can take the camera out and capture the food on the table right away.
Dust and drip resistant, with a water- and oil-repellent coating, so it can come out on rainy days
In Taiwan, there were times when I was shooting in quite heavy rain. Even with the umbrella shielding the camera and lens, they got a little wet. I wiped them dry carefully after shooting, and they have worked without any problems since.
The 20-60mm is dust and drip resistant, and the lens has a water- and oil-repellent coating. It is not waterproof, so you cannot use it soaking wet in a downpour. Even so, it is reassuring when you get caught in a sudden shower on a trip. And because the 20-60mm is shorter than the 20-200mm, it stays under the umbrella while I shoot.
A full-frame standard zoom that carries lightly from wide-angle to standard
The maximum aperture is F2.8 at 20mm and becomes F4 from around 37mm. In more detail, it is F3.2 at 21mm, F3.5 at 28mm, and F4 at 37mm. At the night festival I raised the ISO, but for street snapshots and food, this brightness is enough for the way I shoot. Noise reduction is very good these days, so I don’t need to worry about it much, which is another thing I like. There is no aperture ring and there are no physical buttons; the aperture is set on the camera. The simple barrel makes it a lens that balances brightness with portability.
For a trip where you want one lens that reaches all the way to telephoto, the 20-200mm is the better fit. If you don’t use telephoto that much and would rather keep things light, the 20-60mm. Until now, there have been very few lenses that start at 20mm, include my favorite 35mm and 50mm, and still carry this lightly as a standard zoom.
Sample Photos: a summer festival and the coast in Aomori, streets in Taiwan
A summer festival night in Aomori
Coastal roads in Aomori
Taipei and Jiufen
A rainy lake and sunny morning streets in Kaohsiung
All sample photos: Sony α7C II / SIGMA 20-60mm F2.8-4 DG | Contemporary
The width of starting at 20mm, and light enough to keep the α7C II under 1 kg. Being able to shoot with an umbrella in hand in rainy Taiwan, and even coming home with photos of my sister and me, came down to having both. For me, the 20-60mm is a standard zoom that keeps my travel bag light and lets me capture ourselves along with the scenery.
