Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G E-mount lens review by adrichardson
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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: | Zeiss Batis 40mm f2 Sony FE 35mm f1.4 GM Sony FE 35mm f1.8 Sigma 35mm f2 Sony FE 50mm f2.5 G |
price paid: | 500 GBP (new) |
positive: | Sharpness (especially wide open) Neutral colour Size and weight Good close focus performance AF performance |
negative: | Slow max aperture |
comment: | This is now my go-to lens for travel and street photography. The size and weight make it a great choice for situations where you want to capture natural moments or just don't want to attract too much attention. The AF performance is outstanding - it's actually a tad faster than the 35mm f1.4 GM and is incredibly accurate. Sharpness is excellent in the centre wide open, with very good corners (improving to excellent around f2.8 on my copy). Colours are neutral, without feeling sterile. It's huge upgrade from the Batis in terms of AF performance, but is also sharper, especially at the MFD. The GM just beats it in terms of sharpness across the frame wide open and has more pleasing rendering, which comes at the expense of size, weight and price. I found it sharper than the Sony 35mm f1.8 and Sigma 35mm f2, with more pleasing rendering than the Sony. It's fully weather-sealed, which is a big plus compared to the Sigma. It's superficially similar to the 50mm f2.5 G, with similarly neutral colours, but is noticeably faster and more accurate on the AF front. I found my 40mm G sharper wide open, with the 50mm G having a slight edge in terms of rendering due to the longer focal length. |
rating summary

- total reviews: 5
- sharpness: 4.80
- color: 4.80
- build: 4.60
- distortion: 4.80
- flare control: 4.80
- overall: 4.76