Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM
Full-Frame (2021-)
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Performance
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM (67mm filters, 18.4 oz./523g, 0.9'/0.27m close focus, $1,398). bigger. I'd get mine at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
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May 2021 Better Pictures Sony Sony Lenses Canon Nikon Fuji LEICA Zeiss All Reviews
Sony vs. Nikon vs. Canon Full-Frame
Why Fixed Lenses Take Better Pictures
Old Zeiss FE 35/1.4 (2014)
Sample Images top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Performance
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
These are just snapshots; my real work is in my Gallery.
These are all shot hand-held as LIGHT JPGs; no tripods, no Standard, Fine or Extra Fine JPGs or RAW files were used or needed.
A first in a Sony high-resolution camera, the Saturation settings at MENU > Exposure/Color > 6 Color/Tone > Creative Look now go to +9, which seem to be more vivid than ever. These are JPGs mostly right as they came out of the camera, no editing needed:
Orange Swirl McLaren, 9:55 AM, 01 May 2021. Sony A1, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/5.6 at 1/800 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.6), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © LIGHT JPG file.
Orange Thai, 1:01 PM, 28 April 2021. Sony A1, VV2 Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/11 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.6), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © LIGHT JPG file.
There Is No Substitute, 10:04 AM, 29 April 2021. Sony A1, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/8 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.3), Perfectly Clear, perspective correction Photoshop CS6, in-camera distortion control OFF and not needed. bigger or full-resolution.
Orange McLaren, 9:54 AM, 01 May 2021. Sony A1, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/11 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © LIGHT JPG file.
Scuderia Ferrari, 9:58 AM, 01 May 2021. Slight crop from Sony A1, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/8 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.6), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © LIGHT JPG file.
Giallo Ferrari, 10:06 AM, 01 May 2021. Slight crop from Sony A1, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/8 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 100, +0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.0), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © LIGHT JPG file.
Blue Cadillac, 10:25 AM, 01 May 2021. Slight crop from Sony A1, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/8 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.3), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © LIGHT JPG file.
H4 Headlight Lens, Guards Red Porsche 911, 10:32 AM, 01 May 2021. Slight crop from Sony A1 in square crop mode, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/4 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 100, +0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 12.3), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © LIGHT JPG file.
Seared Ahi Salad with Freshly Shaved Parmesan, 2:25 PM, 01 May 2021. Slight crop from Sony A1, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/11 at 1/40 hand-held with stabilization at Auto ISO 4,000 (LV 6.9), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © LIGHT JPG file.
It's super sharp and vivid, even shot on my Sony A1 at ISO 4,000. Of course this close very little is in focus because of limited depth-of-field.
My lunch looks fresh and delicious. Mangia bene!
Todessturm (Death Storm), 6:17 PM, 27 April 2021. Sony A1 in square crop mode, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/9 at 1/640 at Auto ISO 100, -1.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 15⅔), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © LIGHT JPG file.
Evil looks like evil.
Dark Harvest, 7:22 PM, 27 April 2021. Cropped from Sony A1, VV2 Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/5.6 at 1/80 at ISO 50, -1.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 12.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © LIGHT JPG file.
I deliberately underexposed to keep the bright orange from clipping to yellow or white.
The Power of Stone, Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal, México, 11:57 AM, 24 April 2021. Sony A1, VV2 Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/8 at 1/640 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 15.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution.
Deliveries Only, 11:41 AM, 29 April 2021. Sony A1, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/8 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 15.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution.
While it's so sharp you can see every pore in the wood and each paint molecule in the wall, of course the brushy plant in front of the wall is closer and out of focus.
Hawaii, 10:18 AM, 03 May 2021. Sony A1 in 4:3 crop mode, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/5.6 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution.
Of course it's sharp — but only the palms are in focus; the background is not.
Introduction top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Performance
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
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This new Sony FE 35/1.4 GM in an improved, smaller replacement for 2014's Zeiss FE 35/1.4.
This tough Sony FE 35/1.4 GM is ultrasharp, especially corner-to-corner wide-open at f/1.4, and handles very well as a native Sony E lens. It's a fantastic lens for those who demand, and whose work deserves, an ultrafast wide-to-normal lens, as well as a great carry-everywhere lens for everything.
For many full-time career pros, 35mm f/1.4 lenses have been the "standard" lens since the 1960s, with LEICA's first 35/1.4 of 1961 and Nikon's 35/1.4 of 1969 — which Nikon still sells new today with exactly the same optical design as 1969! 35mm f/1.4s have always been universal lenses that never leave some seasoned photographer's cameras. They're not just for low light, action or astronomy; they're ideal for everything if you don't need no stinking zoom.
I'd get my 35/1.4 GM at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. bigger.
New since 2014's Zeiss FE 35/1.4 intro top
Sharper in the corners wide-open.
Smaller.
Lighter.
11-bladed diaphragm.
Plastic filter thread rather than metal.
Much nicer padded case.
Tougher locking hood with bumper.
$200 less expensive, although the old Zeiss FE 35/1.4 is on closeout sale now for just $998. The Zeiss used to sell for $1,598.
Good intro top
Sharp.
No visible distortion.
Tough.
Programmable focus-lock button.
Bad intro top
Offshored to Thailand; not made domestically in Japan.
Plastic filter threads.
Missing intro top
No Image Stabilization. No other 35mm f/1.4 is stabilized, either.
That's it; comes with a nice case, caps & hood.
Compatibility top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Performance
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
I'd get my 35/1.4 GM at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This works on all Sony E-mount cameras, full-frame and crop-sensor APS-C. This includes all the variations of NEX, A1, A9-, A7-, A6xxx and A5xxx series cameras.
This is a full frame lens and I'm reviewing it as such.
While it works fine on APS-C cameras, you're paying a premium price for the privilege of covering full frame. Using it on an APS-C camera throws away more than half of the image from this lens. Ideally use this lens on full-frame cameras (the A1, A9x and A7x series) for the results you deserve.
It will not work on any Sony A-mount DSLR or any Minolta MAXXUM 35mm SLR of any kind. Those use the old A mount which was actually the Minolta MAXXUM mount from 1987.
Specifications top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Performance
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
I'd get my 35/1.4 GM at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Name specifications top
Sony calls this the FE 35mm f/1.4 GM:
FE: Full-frame coverage, E-mount.
GM: "Good Master," which means Sony's best.
Sony's model number: SEL35F14GM.
Optics specifications top
Sony 35/1.4 GM internal optical construction. Extreme Aspherical and ED elements.
14 elements in 10 groups.
1 ED extra-low dispersion element, which helps reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration.
2 Extreme Aspherical elements. Extreme Aspherical is Sony's secret manufacturing process that yields uncommonly super-accurate and smooth surfaces to 10 nanometers precision; it's not that these elements have crazy shapes.
Internal focussing with two "XD Linear" motors moving one AF group.
Fluorine front coating to resist dirt and smudges.
Diaphragm specifications top
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. bigger.
11 rounded blades.
Electronically actuated.
Stops down to f/16.
Filters specifications top
Plastic 67mm filter thread.
Coverage specifications top
Full-Frame (24 × 36mm) and APS-C (16 × 24mm).
Focal Length specifications top
35mm.
When used on an APS-C camera, it sees the same angle of view as a 50 mm lens sees when used on a full-frame or 35mm camera.
See also Crop Factor.
Angle of View specifications top
63º diagonal on full frame.
44º diagonal on APS-C.
Autofocus specifications top
No external movement as focussed, so no air or dust is sucked in.
Focus Scale specifications top
No.
Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Infinity Focus Stop specifications top
No.
You have to focus somehow to get precise focus at infinity, just like at every other distance.
Depth of Field Scale specifications top
No.
Infrared Focus Index specifications top
No.
Close Focus (distance from subject to image plane) specifications top
0.89 feet (0.27 meters), auto focus.
0.82 feet (0.25 meters), manual focus.
Maximum Reproduction Ratio specifications top
1:4.3 (0.23 ×), auto focus.
1:3.8 (0.26 ×), manual focus.
Reproduction Ratio Scale specifications top
No.
Image Stabilizer specifications top
NONE.
Caps specifications top
ALC-F67S front and ALC-R1EM rear cap included.
Hood specifications top
Included Sony ALC-SH164 Hood. bigger.
It's a sturdy plastic hood with a rubber bumper up front and a locking pawl.
Case specifications top
|
|
Included Case. bigger. |
Included case (back). bigger. |
The Chinese-made padded nylon case is nice and sturdy, with zippers and velcro.
Size specifications top
2.99" ø maximum diameter × 3.78" extension from flange.
76 mm ø maximum diameter × 96 mm extension from flange.
Weight specifications top
18.445 oz. (523.0 g), actual measured weight.
Rated 18.5 oz. (524 g).
Quality specifications top
Lens made in Thailand.
Case made in China.
Announced specifications top
10 AM Wednesday, 13 January 2021 NYC time.
Promised for specifications top
Mid-February 2021.
Included specifications top
ALC-F67S front and ALC-R1EM rear cap.
ALC-SH164 hood.
Sony's Model Number specifications top
SEL35F14GM.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
January ~ May 2021
$1,398 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.
Performance top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Performance
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
Overall Autofocus Manual Focus Breathing Bokeh
Distortion Ergonomics Falloff Filters Flare & Ghosts
Lateral Color Fringes Lens Corrections Macro
Mechanics Sharpness Spherochromatism
Stabilization Sunstars Teleconverters
I'd get my 35/1.4 GM at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Overall performance top
This Sony FE 35/1.4 GM is an optically superb and reasonably tough lens for any application For many people this can be an everyday normal lens, as well as one for everything from action to astronomy.
Autofocus performance top
Autofocus is fast and sure; never any problems here.
Manual Focus performance top
Manual focusing is entirely electronic; the manual focus ring isn't connected to anything other than a digital encoder.
Focus Breathing performance top
Focus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers that the image not breathe because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth.
The image from this lens grows as focussed more closely.
Bokeh performance top
Bokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is neutral. It's not very exciting. Yes, things can get out of focus, but the out-of-focusness isn't that particularly soft.
Here are photos from headshot distance. I'm focused on the DAVIS logo. Click any for the © camera-original 50MP, 11 MB JPG LIGHT files:
Made-in-U. S. A. Davis 6250 weather station, 25 April 2021. Sony A1, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/1.4, 2.8, 5.6 and f/11 at 1/5,000, 1/1,250, 1/250 and 1/80 at Auto ISO 100 with +1 stop exposure compensation (LV 13¼, 13¼, 12.9 & 13¼).
As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at f/1.4 and get as close as possible.
Distortion performance top
This Sony 35/1.4 has no visible distortion:
There Is No Substitute, 10:04 AM, 29 April 2021. Sony A1, VV Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM at f/8 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.3), Perfectly Clear, perspective (but not distortion) correction Photoshop CS6 and in-camera distortion control is OFF. bigger or full-resolution.
This Sony 35/1.4 has no visible distortion, but what little it does have is of relatively high order and difficult to correct fully unless you use in-camera correction.
If you shoot raw and use non-manufacturer software to process the raw data into images, that software is unlikely to be able to correct the distortion as is done in-camera as JPGs with distortion correction ON.
For more critical scientific use, use a factor of -0.2 in Photoshop's lens correction filter to images shot without correction, or a factor of +0.5 to images shot with correction at 30 feet (10 meters). If you start with images shot without correction, the basic correction inside Photoshop's lens correction filter leaves some waviness in the corrected image.
Turn correction ON if you worry, but the photo above looks pretty good with no distortion correction at all. There's no visible distortion unless you start magnifying it and using rulers.
These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data.
Ergonomics performance top
|
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Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. bigger. |
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. bigger. |
No mysteries here, the front rubber ring is an electronic focus control that works some of the time. There is no always-active instant override as there is with most mechanical focus rings.
There's a programmable button, which is focus-lock by default:
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. bigger.
The aperture ring has strong detents at each third of a stop. Sadly the full stops aren't any stiffer than the thirds, making it difficult to set by feel. It's stiff enough with the clicks to want to use two fingers at the same time to move it.
There is a switch to disable the clicks:
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. bigger.
Falloff performance top
There's no visible falloff on full frame with the correction left at its default of ON, except maybe a little at f/1.4.
I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:
Falloff on full-frame, correction at its default of ON:
© 2021 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
If you go out of your way to turn correction OFF and then go looking for it, of course there's more:
Falloff on full-frame, correction deliberately turned OFF:
© 2021 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Filters, use with performance top
There's no need for thin filters.
I can stack several standard 67mm screw-in filters on the front with no vignetting on full-frame.
Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters.
Flare & Ghosts performance top
Flare and ghosts are minimal.
See examples at Sunstars.
Lateral Color Fringes performance top
There are no color fringes when shot as JPG with the default Chromatic Aberration Correction left ON.
If you go out of your way to turn this OFF (or shoot raw and then use non-manufacturer software to process that data into images) then there is the slightest bit of pink/blue lateral color on my 50 MP Sony A1.
There is spherochromatism, which can cause color fringes on things that aren't in perfect focus. Spherochromatism is a completely different aberration in a different dimension than lateral color fringes.
Lens Corrections performance top
My Sony A1 corrects for any or all of Falloff ("Shading"), Lateral Color ("Chromatic Aberratio…") and Distortion.
By default, Falloff ("Shading"), Lateral Color ("Chromatic Aberratio…") corrections are ON and Distortion correction is OFF.
At least on my Sony A1, I can turn any of these ON or OFF individually.
Macro Performance performance top
Macro isn't that exciting, which it never is with wide lenses. It gets to a quarter life-size, which is pretty good as 35mm lenses go.
f/1.4
It's pretty sharp, limited by focus and spherochromatism:
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, 25 April 2021, Sony A1. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (7.2× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same large magnification would be about 15 × 22" (1.2 × 1.8 feet or 38 × 55 cm).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 29 × 43" (2.4 × 3.6 feet or 0.75 × 1.1 meters).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same insanely high magnification would be about 58 × 87" (4.8 × 7.2 feet or 1.5 × 2.2 meters).
f/8
As expected, it's super sharp, as are most lenses, at f/8:
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, 25 April 2021, Sony A1. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (7.2× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same large magnification would be about 15 × 22" (1.2 × 1.8 feet or 38 × 55 cm).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 29 × 43" (2.4 × 3.6 feet or 0.75 × 1.1 meters).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same insanely high magnification would be about 58 × 87" (4.8 × 7.2 feet or 1.5 × 2.2 meters).
Mechanical Quality performance top
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. bigger.
It's mostly tough plastic, with some metal here or there.
Hood
Plastic bayonet.
Front Bumper
None on lens, but rubber bumper on hood.
Identity Ring Between Front Element and Filter Threads
Metal.
Filter Threads
Plastic.
Hood Bayonet Mount
Plastic.
Front Barrel Exterior
Metal trim.
Focus Ring
Rubber-covered plastic.
Mid Barrel Exterior
Plastic.
Slide Switches
Plastic.
Aperture Ring
Metal.
Rear Barrel Exterior
Plastic.
Identity
Laser engraved into metal ring between front element and filter threads.
Metal-like plate glued on top of barrel.
Internals
Plastic and metal.
Dust Gasket at Mount
Yes.
Mount
Chromed metal.
Markings
Mostly engraved.
Serial Number
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. bigger.
Laser engraved in black-on-black on bottom of barrel.
Date Code
None found.
Noises When Shaken
Moderate clunking from an uncaged focus system.
Made in
Lens made in Thailand.
Case made in China.
Sharpness performance top
Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.
If you're not getting ultra-sharp pictures with this, be sure not to shoot at f/11 or smaller where all lenses are softer due to diffraction, always shoot at ISO 100 or below because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, avoid shooting across long distances over land which can lead to atmospheric heat shimmer, be sure everything is in perfect focus, set your camera's sharpening as you want it and be sure nothing is moving, either camera or subject. If you want to ensure a soft image with any lens, shoot at f/16 at ISO 1,600 or above in daylight of subjects at differing distances in the same image.
People worry waaaaay too much about sharpness. It's not 1968 anymore when lenses often weren't that sharp and there could be significant differences among them; today they are all pretty much equally fantastic.
This all said, this lens is ultrasharp at every setting, limited only by diffraction and your vision as an artist. If you're not getting ultrasharp results, something isn't in focus; it's not the lens.
Here are Sony's claimed MTF charts at 10 cyc/mm and 30 cyc/mm, radial (solid) and tangential (dotted). I don't believe these. They look calculated, not measured, and appear to ignore diffraction entirely, meaning I consider these as fairy tales:
Claimed MTF at f/1.4. |
Claimed MTF at f/8. |
Spherochromatism performance top
Spherochromatism, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration or "color bokeh," is an advanced form of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral chromatic aberration. It happens mostly in fast normal and tele lenses when spherical aberration at the ends of the color spectrum are corrected differently than in the middle of the spectrum. Spherochromatism can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at full aperture. It goes away as stopped down.
It has a typical amount of spherochromatism:
Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance at f/1.4, 25 April 2021. Sony A1. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (7.2× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same large magnification would be about 15 × 22" (1.2 × 1.8 feet or 38 × 55 cm).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 29 × 43" (2.4 × 3.6 feet or 0.75 × 1.1 meters).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same insanely high magnification would be about 58 × 87" (4.8 × 7.2 feet or 1.5 × 2.2 meters).
Image Stabilization performance top
This lens has no optical Image Stabilization.
In-camera sensor shift Image Stabilization can works somewhat with this lens.
"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness I get when I'm shooting hand-held while free-standing with no support or bracing. This is a very strict test; in actual shooting at typical print sizes I get acceptable sharpness at much slower speeds, but for the purposes of seeing how much improvement an IS system gives, this is the most precise method.
Hand tremor is a random occurrence, so at marginal speeds some frames will be perfectly sharp while others will be in various stages of blur — all at the same shutter speed. This rates what percentage of shots are perfectly sharp, not how sharp are all the frames.
Shot with Sony A1
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 1 |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
1/250 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
50 |
50 |
50 |
100 |
33 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
33 |
33 |
50 |
100 |
100 |
I see about a three-stop real-world improvement. Sadly it never works so well that it can lock-down shots all the time at reasonable speeds like 1/8; all it does it improve the hit rate but never really locks down the image for consistent results.
So, yes, the in-camera stabilization does help, but it's far from a 5.5 stop cure-all as claimed for the Sony A1.
Sunstars performance top
With an 11-bladed diaphragm, I can get 22-point sunstars on brilliant points of light mostly at the smallest apertures.
Ignore the the vertical smear at the largest apertures, this is is a sensor artifact called interline transfer smear and not a lens defect.
Likewise ignore the crazy rainbow dot effects at small apertures; these are sensor artifacts caused by taking a picture directly of the sun and exposing for the dark underside of a huge palm tree, and using that same palm tree to hide the sky to accentuate the stars.
Click any to enlarge:
Click any to enlarge.
Teleconverters performance top
It doesn't work with any teleconverters.
Compared top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Performance
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
I'd get my 35/1.4 GM at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This new Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM is smaller, lighter, sharper and less expensive than the old Zeiss FE 35mm f/1.4. Specifically, all lenses today are super-sharp stopped-down and in the center at all apertures, but the Zeiss FE 35mm f/1.4 was less sharp in the corners at larger apertures.
This new Sony 35/1.4 is now sharp in the corners at f/1.4, as well as focussing closer and being smaller and lighter. Progress marches on.
Announced |
January 2021 |
September 2014 |
Filter Threads |
67mm, Plastic |
72mm, Metal |
Sharpness, Center |
Excellent |
|
Sharpness, Corners |
Excellent |
|
Diaphragm blades |
11 |
9 |
Close Focus |
0.9' (0.27m) |
1' (0.3m) |
Max. Repro Ratio |
1:4 (0.25 x) |
1:5.6 (0.18 x) |
Elements/Groups |
14/10 2 ASPH 1 ED |
12/8 2 ASPH No ED |
Diameter |
3.0" (76mm) |
3.09" (78.5mm) |
Length (extension from flange) |
3.8" (96mm) |
4.41" (112mm) |
Weight (actual measured) |
18.4 oz. 523 g |
22.2 oz. 630 g |
Price, 01/2021 |
||
Price, 05/2021 |
$998 on closeout |
User's Guide top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Performance
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
I'd get my 35/1.4 GM at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. bigger.
Unmarked Button user's guide top
By default this is a focus lock button.
You can reprogram it in your camera to do other things.
AF - MF Switch user's guide top
AF: Auto Focus. You may have manual focus override if you shoot in the DMF focus mode.
MF: Manual Focus only.
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. bigger.
Click Switch user's guide top
ON: Normal operation. There are clicks at A and every third stop.
OFF: For movies where you want to glide among aperture settings while rolling. There are no aperture clicks, but there is a soft stop at f/16 and a click at A.
Recommendations top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Performance
Compared User's Guide Recommendations
I'd get my 35/1.4 GM at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
For many full-time career pros, 35mm f/1.4 lenses have been the "standard" lens since the 1960s, with LEICA's first 35/1.4 of 1961 and Nikon's 35/1.4 of 1969 — which Nikon still sells new today with exactly the same optical design as 1969! 35mm f/1.4s have always been universal lenses that never leave some seasoned photographer's cameras. They're not just for low light, action or astronomy; they're ideal for everything if you don't need no stinking zoom.
I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either.
The very best protective filter is the Hoya multicoated HD3 67mm UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.
For less money, the B+W 67mm 010 is an excellent filter, as are the multicoated version and the basic multicoated Hoya filters, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.
If I was working in nasty, dirty areas, I'd forget the cap, and use an uncoated 67mm Tiffen UV filter instead. Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, but more prone to ghosting.
Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.
All these filters are just as sharp and take the same pictures, the difference is how much abuse they'll take and stay clean and stay in one piece. Since filters last a lifetime or more, there's no reason not to buy the best as it will last you for the next 40 years. Filters aren't throwaways like digital cameras which we replace every few years, like it or not. I'm still using filters I bought back in the 1970s!
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Sony does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, dropped, incomplete, gray market, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new camera. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken.
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Thanks for reading!
Ken.