For years the Zeiss 35mm F1.4 has been the go-to Sony lens for fans of the versatility a moderately wide prime provides. It’s an angle that can handle everything from street and documentary shots to environmental portraits, candid snapshots, and everything in between. It’s a favorite focal length among photojournalists, event pros, and family photographers alike. Sony is back with an all new take, the FE 35mm F1.4 GM ($1,399.99). It’s a notable update, one that’s better optically and less expensive at introduction, factors that make it our new Editors’ Choice for Sony customers shopping for a 35mm F1.4.
G Master Supplants the Zeiss Line
The FE 35mm F1.4 GM occupies a place among Sony’s top tier of lenses, the G Master series. It’s supplanted Sony-made lenses with Zeiss branding at the top of the heap, though you can still buy the older Zeiss FE 35mm F1.4 ZA. It’s enjoyed a significant price cut, from $1,599.99 all the way down to $999.99.
The new lens is a bit smaller and lighter than the Zeiss, but it’s not a significant reduction. The FE 35mm F1.4 GM measures 3.8 by 3.0 inches (HD), weighs 1.2 pounds, and supports 67mm threaded filters. As you’d expect it’s heavier than the Sony FE 1.8 G (9.9 ounces) and lighter than Sigma’s exotic 35mm F1.2 DG DN Art (2.4 pounds).
It matches other GM primes in design language. The barrel is matte black polycarbonate and includes Sony’s signature orange-backed G badge—only GM glass gets the orange—along with an on-lens function button, aperture ring, and full dust, splash, and anti-smudge fluorine protection. A lens hood is included too.
On-lens controls are solid. The aperture ring can be set to turn freely and silently from f/1.4 through f/16, or to turn and click at third-stop settings. The former is a useful for keeping things quiet when recording in-camera audio, while the latter is preferable for photo work. A toggle switch engages or disengages the click stops.
There’s also an AF/MF switch, a programmable function button, and manual focus control ring. Autofocus is quick and reliable, and the manual focus experience is excellent too. Sony gets close to the feel of a mechanical focus system by way of a well-damped focus ring and immediate, linear response.
The only real downside is a visible breathing effect. The angle of view blooms and shrinks as you set focus, a distracting effect for video shots where the point of focus shifts. The FE 35mm F1.8 G is a stronger choice for video use, it shows almost no change in view when setting focus.
It can lock onto subjects as close as 9.8 inches, good enough for 1:3.8 life-size reproduction. It’s not quite a macro—you won’t be able to get close-up shots of insects and jewelry, but it’s very useful for less ambitious close-up work.
In the Lab
I paired the FE 35mm F1.4 GM with the 60MP a7R IV in the field and in the lab. Even shot wide open, the lens nets excellent clarity when shot wide open (4,600 lines according to Imatest), with only a slight drop in contrast at the edges of the frame, areas of a photo that are typically defocused out at wide apertures.
Detail remains in the excellent range at f/2 and f/2.8, and crosses over to outstanding at f/4. It’s just about as sharp as you can get with the a7R IV through f/8 (5,300 lines). It shows a moderate loss of clarity at f/11 and f/16, an unavoidable result caused by optical diffraction. Light particles scatter as they pass through the very small aperture. It’s something that happens with virtually every camera lens.
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Simply put, you can use this lens at any f-stop and enjoy clear results across the plane of focus, even on Sony’s highest resolution image sensor. You’ll get the shots with shallow depth of field and smoothly defocused backgrounds at wider apertures, and razor sharp results at moderate settings.
The rounded aperture blades do a good job creating circular highlights when the lens is stopped down a bit, and there’s only a slight cat’s eye bokeh effect toward the edges of photos shot with the aperture open at f/1.4.
The FE 35mm is also a good choice for landscape photographers who appreciate the sunstar look. You’ll notice some points around the sun in daytime landscapes and in street lamps of night scenes starting at f/4. They take a more defined shape at f/8 and f/11.
Distortion is controlled—there’s no measurable barrel or pincushion distortion effect evident in photos. There is a natural vignette, visible at images made at f/2 and wider settings. Your camera’s Peripheral Illumination Correction feature compensates for it when working in JPG mode—it brightens edges and corners to better match the central area of the frame.
The Best 35mm Prime for Sony Owners
Sony game consoles may be in short supply, but the opposite is true of 35mm prime lenses for the company’s camera system. It’s a focal length covered in all shapes, sizes, and price points from third parties like Rokinon, Sigma, Tamron, and Zeiss, and of course Sony itself.
The FE 35mm F1.4 GM stands above them all as the best choice for pros and serious hobbyists. It’s incredibly sharp, quick to focus, and delivers images with pleasingly blurred backgrounds. Its debut price is a couple hundred dollars less than Sony’s previous flagship 35mm, and while the older Sony Zeiss 35mm F1.4 ZA remains on sale (now for just $1,000), I’d recommend spending the extra money here if you can manage it. That’s especially true if you’re using an a1 or high resolution a7R model.
There are premium alternatives to consider. The Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG DN Art has an f-stop that opens even wider, for shallower focus. It’s twice as heavy, though, making it a better choice for use in the studio than in the field. It’s priced higher, around $1,500.
If you can’t manage spending $1,000 or more on a lens the Sony FE 35mm F1.8 G is an excellent alternative for $750, but it does omit the aperture ring. The Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN Contemporary is a good way to go if you prefer setting the f-stop via the lens. And if you’re on a tight budget, the $230 Rokinon 35mm F2.8 AF is worth a look, though it’s by no means a professional lens.
The FE 35mm F1.4 GM is absolutely suitable for working pros. It makes no compromises in image quality, autofocus performance, or construction. While it’s certainly an expensive prospect for hobbyists, the price is a couple hundred dollars than the older Zeiss 35mm F1.4 was at introduction, and it costs less than you’ll pay for top-end options for a Canon or Nikon system. If 35mm is your preferred focal length, the FE 35mm F1.4 GM is the lens to get, and earns our Editors’ Choice badge.
