Sony FE 35mm F1.8 E-mount lens reviews
reviews found: 4
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.9 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Sigma Art 35/1.4 HSM (Sony A and Canon EF-mount) Sony FE 28/2 Sony/Zeiss FE 55/1.8 Sony E 35/1.8 OSS |
price paid: | €399,- used |
positive: | Versatile lens without major flaws |
negative: | Lacking character |
comment: | I got a nice deal because the lens had some wear on the outside. If you're looking for a affordable FE-mount 35mm lens, this is a good option. For APS-C I feel the E 35/1.8 OSS is the better option. This lens is noticeably better then the Sony FE 28/2 - but that one is cheaper. I think both are about equally bang for your buck. Build is similar to the Sony/Zeiss FE 55/1.8 with an AF/MF switch and focus-hold button. The Sony/Zeiss is a special lens, the 35/1.8 is not that special but still capable. |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.2 | tested on:
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ownership: | I used to own this lens |
compared to: | Sigma 30 F1.4 DC DN C & EX DC Sigma 30 F2.8 DN Art Sony DT 30 F2.8 Macro SAM Neewer 32 F1.6 Zeiss 32 F1.8 Touit Rokinon 35 F1.2 Neewer 35 F1.2 Sony FE 35 F1.4 Distagon Fotasy 35 F1.6 APS-C & Mini Kaxinda 35 F1.7 Rokinon 35 F1.8 Tamron SP 35 F1.8 USD Minolta MD 35 F1.8 Sony E 35 F1.8 OSS Sony DT 35 F1.8 SAM Yongnuo EF 35 F2 7Artisans 35 F2 Minolta AF 35 F2 Tamron 35 F2.8 OSD Rokinon AF 35 F2.8 Sony FE 35 F2.8 Sonnar Minolta MC 35 F2.8 Vivitar 35 F2.8 Minolta 40 F1.7 Konica AR 40 F1.8 Sony FE 40 F2.5 G Canon EF 40 F2.8 STM Pentax-M 40 F2.8 Pentax-DA 40 F2.8 XS Pentax-FA 43 F1.8 Limited |
price paid: | 525 USD (used) |
positive: | Bright Flat field Petzval swirl Very little breathing Very quick AF Close focusing 30 FPS tracking Aperture Drive in AF Dust and moisture-resistant Lens Compensation |
negative: | Price Alignment/variation High mechanical vignette Chromatic aberration Complex distortion Metal surfaces Plastic filter threads Weight |
comment: | Purchased through a winning bid on an individual eBay seller listing. Very minor disclosed cosmetic wear. Full retail packaging. At the time of purchase this was Sony's fifth least expensive FE prime lens sitting between the 85 F1.8 and the 20 F1.8 G. The old 35 F2.8 and 55 F1.8 ZA primes are generally less expensive used. Many erroneously refer to this as a G lens. It is less than half the price of the original A-mount 35 F1.4 G prime and currently half the price of the newer 35 F1.4 GM. It is styled very similarly to the older 28 F2 and 55 F1.8 ZA with the additions of an AF/MF switch and a focus hold button. It looks like a 25% enlarged version of the 28 F2. It feels substantially heavier than the Rokinon 35 F1.8. "Made in China" This lens is a bit brighter wide-open in the center than the Rokinon or Tamron SP 35 F1.8 primes with better contrast than either of them. It is sharp wide-open across the frame, but it has more lateral chromatic aberration. The corners also brighten less than the other 35's when stopped down. There is a lot of mechanical vignetting and bokeh swirl. The older 2/28 has smoother rendering. The corner shading looks very neutral--perhaps Sony is adjusting the raw to correct color shifts. It has more distortion than the other native 35's, mostly noticeable as pincushion in the extreme corners. The distortion shifts with focus, which is about the extent of its breathing. It focuses very quickly especially off center. The 2.5/40 G may have faster motors, but this lens hunts much less. Video recording is the strongest use case for this lens--though it lacks an additional aperture control. The corner shading, lateral CA, and pincushion distortion make it less suited for stills use. Though those can qualify as character. The Sigma and Samyang primes produce more natural looking images. |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Sony 35 1.4 (A mount) Sigma 35 1.4 (A mount) Sony 35 2.8 (FE mount) |
price paid: | £530 new at release |
positive: | Small and light Sharp Lovely bokeh Fast AF |
negative: | None |
comment: | Another fantastic little lens that makes me question how good a lens needs to be to get the GM moniker. Similar size to the Sony 35 1.4 on A mount, but that was screw driven versus this with SSM. The Sigma had HSM, but was significantly larger (though definitely preferable to the Sony on a-mount). Picked this up at a good price pre-ordered on Amazon and very pleased I did. Takes great pics and is a length I really appreciate, especially alongside the similar sized (and similarly wonderful performing) 85 1.8. Both this and the 85 1.8 show the benefits of mirrorless and ability to create such compact lenses. I did briefly have the Sony 35 2.8 but at this focal length and while it is an even more compact lens (possibly half if not a 3rd of the size) I prefer the wider aperture of f1.8 for the narrower depth of field at this relatively wide angle length. Can't find anything to fault here, a really really great lens. |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Sony E 10-18mm. Voigtlander FE 15mm. Batis 18mm. Batis 25mm. Zeiss 16-35mm f4. 16-35mm GM. Sony FE 28mm. Zeiss FE 35mm. Batis 40mm. Samyang FE AF 45mm. Sony FE 50mm. Sony FE 50mm macro. Zeiss FE 55. Sony FE 85. Sigma A FE 135mm. Sony 70-200 GM. Sony 100-400mm GM. |
price paid: | £625.00 |
positive: | Build. Image quality. Size. Form factor. |
negative: | Cheap hood which will be ridiculously expensive to replace as with all Sony hoods. |
comment: | At long last the FE lens that should have been released with the launch of the 7 series cameras. It's top notch optically but lacks weather sealing between lens and body. This is IMHO the ultimate street and feature shot lens. It will focus very closely indeed with beautiful out of focus rendering. Very highly recommended. |
reviews found: 4
rating summary

- total reviews: 4
- sharpness: 4.63
- color: 5.00
- build: 4.75
- distortion: 4.75
- flare control: 4.75
- overall: 4.77
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