Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens
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A fantastic lens for your kit, not perfect
This lens is an awesomely fast 1.4 which is perfect for my Sony A7s II. There are plenty of highlights, like the declick aperture ring option, coloring, and BEAUTIFUL bokeh. It is not a perfect lens though, there are several cons to be aware of. 1) The glass is not ED glass. Nowhere is it said and it would sure drive up the price if it was. Not having ED glass is like having a permanently attached UV Haze filter that doesnt help your camera. Your... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
An Excellent Lens That Takes Some Getting Used To.
The copy of the Sony Distagon I received, after examining numerous, brick wall and other images at f/1.4 and other apertures at various distances showed no evidence of the right-side lens tilt or decentering that this lens is often accused of. Of course, I don't own an optical bench; who knows what that might reveal, but to my eyes, the lens' characteristics appeared to conform pretty closely to the DXOMark test measurements. This is not a perfec... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great, not amazing...
Okay, only had this lens a few days but here are a few comparisons I can make. Head to head with my Sony 85mm f/1.8, this thing is not as sharp. And that really threw me when I first started looking at 100% crops; I thought for sure the $1600 lens would beat the $600 one in terms of sharpness. But digging a little further, it turns out the 85mm f/1.8 sony is one the sharpest lenses that they produce, so I guess that's part of the reason. ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Beautiful construction but short on performance
The predominately metal build on this lens is to the highest standards and reminds me of a 1cm longer version of the Sony FE 16-35 f4. Even the lens hoods are similar. Yes, it is a bit heavy to carry around all day compared to a Loxia 35/2, but manageable given the promised performance of an auto-focus f/1.4. The FE 35mm f/1.4 had a snappy focus and tracked well except in low-light situations, and then it was not lumbering, just slower with a bit... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
MY DREAM LENS.
I was shooting with Canon for a decade before switching to Sony and never got to experience the joy of having a flagship 35mm lens in my arsenal during the time. This lens has simply been lens GOALS. I now own a Sony Alpha a9 and the Sony Alpha a7R III as my duo. I am a photographer that shoots portraits for MANY different applications and genres, from fashion, to beauty, to commercial, to editorial, lifestyle, art, everything. I like to have a ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Superb Quality
I have wanted to show more dimension in my images so I have been investing in fast primes to help with that effect. Originally I purchased the 55mm 1.8 lens but have since discovered that my preferred focal length is 35mm hence my search for the best 1.4 35mm lens for the Sony A7rII. I compared the Sony/Zeiss lens to the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 but because of the lack of weather sealing on the Sigma product, I felt it worth the extra money to stick with... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Oh so soft...
I preordered this FE 35 1.4 on the very day it was available, thinking that it would combine the amazing contrast and sharpness of the FE 55 1.8 with a wide FOV and 1.4 aperture. As it turns out, I was very wrong. The first field use of this lens yielded very mediocre photos. They were all so extremely soft, of which reminded me of my Nikon APS-C days. Initially, I attributed the softness to handshake, as I am not used to the sheer size and weigh... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4...Great, but...
The Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA is a good lens, but it's a soft lens. Colors are beautiful, the bokeh is stunning, and the overall sharpness is great in the center, but it quickly fades out heading to the corners in shallow f-stops, which is counterproductive because it's why you would by this lens to begin with, the wide open F1.4. I noticed it mostly when using Eye Focus mode on the A7R II...the eye was sharp as ever when I had it centered in m... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A fantastic lens for your kit, not perfect
This is a fantastic lens, amazingly fast and cinematic, good focal length and great de-clicked aperture. Amazing bokeh, good cinematic shots, perfect for cinematographers like me looking to make music videos. Great colors. Here are the cons. 1) Chromatic aberration. I do not see anywhere that Sony advertises this lens having mostly ED glass. Non ED glass means there will be chromatic aberration, especially noticeable with digitally zooming in the... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
True Beast.
At first i was super concerned, because i was reading all these horror stories online about poor QC with these lenses, And when i finally got the lens i couldn't stop taking pictures of walls and textures and looking for issues while pixel peeping. After a while i was bored of this idea, and was just enjoying the incredible contract, sharpness and unbelievable auto focus speed (focus is completely silent). The lens is beautiful, the aperture rin... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not sharp wide open
When it comes to lenses attached to Sony's 42mp sensor, there's no room for imperfection, which on one hand is good as they make good glass shine, creating beautiful results, on the other hand they cause headaches since many lenses can't live up to those highly demanding sensors. Distagon (at least the copy I have) disappoints. And I'm not talking about issues with decentering, the unit I have seems to be OK. The lens is just soft at f1.4. I tr... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Only negative is price, size, and af speed in low light.
I do not care how big the lens is if it provides optical quality. What every one else has said is accurate. It is enormous, very expensive, and has slow af in low light. But in my use, I care mostly about optical quality and it is one of the best lenses I have ever used at any price. 35mm 1.4 lenses are generally expensive when compared to other pro mounts such as Canon's L 35mm. But the way the lens handles and feels is unbelievable. I got it du... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Amazing lens for both photo and video
I've had this lens for about 6 months now. I work as a videographer and the colors and sharpness I get with this lens are amazing. I use it on a Sony A7S II and it's a great lens for any situation, specially low light moments like weddings. I love its sharpness because I can zoom with Clear Image Zoom or even a little bit of digital zoom in post and it's barely noticeable. I love the colors in this thing. Compared to what I used before (Sony 24-2... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Second time was a charm...
I originally purchased this lens in Sept. 2016 to replace my Loxia 35mm, but found the right side too soft until stopped down to f/8 and returned it. However, in the six months since that time, I had missed sharp focus on a couple location portrait shots with the manual focus Loxia and decided to try the Sony Zeiss FE 35mm f/1.4 again. Very glad I did, as my second copy of this lens was excellent. Yes, there is some vignetting and distortion when... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Best 35 I have ever used, period.
This lens is a masterpiece. Whoever gave it 3 stars and said it was soft had to have a serious issue with their camera or the lens as this lens is nothing short of astonishing. I have owned and used almost every 35mm ever made for full frame. The Leica 35 Summilux FLE at $ The Nikon 35 1.4, the Canon 35 1.4L, the Sigma Art 35 1.4, the Zeiss 35 1.4 for Nikon..and so on. NONE OF THEM touch this one for IQ. Period. This lens is a combo of superb col... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Lens
I bought this lens as an everyday walk-around lens for my A7R. I couldn't be happier with my choice. It is tack sharp, it has beautiful color rendering and contrast, which fits my photographic style perfectly. I walk miles and miles to capture city scenes in New York with my A7r and Distagon 35mm combo wrapped around my wrist and I have small hands, but still this lens doesn't feel too heavy to me. It focuses fast. I can spot something and shoot ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
This is a fantastic lens
Since I bought this lens, I haven't taken it off my Sony A7rII. But I did rate it four stars because a five star rating would be a perfect lens in my opinion, but this lens isn't quite perfect. There isn't a way to turn off auto focus on the lens (no ON/OFF switch) like most any other AF lens. Now, as this is my only Zeiss/Sony AF-E mount lens, I can't be sure if this is a problem with the lens or the camera, but the eye af feature of the A7RII d... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not made for video in low light situations - avoid.
As much as I like this lens' images - it has one serious issue which is that the autofocus seriously lumbers in low-light conditions when doing video. Only the f-stops 2.0 and 2.5 work somewhat, all others from f1.4 to f4.0 are literally unusable and your footage out of focus, and this is a real pain, because people buy lenses with low f-stops to use them in low light. So, if you want to shoot video in low light, decide for another lens. The Sigm... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Serious Issues....
I didn't want to believe the forums. Owners complained that the lens was tilted, so that one side of the image (about 30% of the image surface) was significantly out of focus. I purchased it new and tested it carefully right away. Sure enough, the entire right side was out of focus. The stories were true. I switched to a Sigma 35 1.4 art with the MC-11. I'm very happy with the Sigma, except that the MC-11 doesn't focus in AF-C, which is disappoin... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Quality Lens
Im just an enthusiast who appreciates quality equipment. I recently added a Sony 35mm f1.4 lens for my Sony a6500 and I love it! Its proving to be an excellent match for that camera in every respect. However you do need a camera with in-camera stabilization because this lens doesnt have it. This E-mount lens is popular on the a9 & a7 series full frames, but I can personally attest to the fact that the 35mm f1.4 also works great on the a6500 APS-C... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Unfortunate Defect
I wish that I'd gotten one of the good copies of this lens but unfortunately the one I received was poorly focused on the right edge. I had known that some of these lenses had this issue so I was careful to test for it right out of the box. The lens is so nice I was tempted to keep it even with the focus issue but realized it would bother me as long as I had the lens. So, I returned it to B&H, which by the way was completely hassle free - thanks ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Only Prime I Use
For me, 35mm is just a great general-purpose focal length that's great for travel, street photography and portraits. The image quality I get from this lens is excellent, with very good sharpness throughout the frame even when shot wide-open. CA and distortion are controlled well, and while there is obvious vignetting at /1.4, it become less of an issue at smaller apertures. The build quality is amazing. The aperture control ring is a nice touch a... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Super Sharp, lots of light
I was debating between the F2.8 35mm and this F1.4. I am very happy with my purchase. I've had the lens for about two weeks and since then I've shot some great portraits, food pics, macro-like photos, and of course the obligatory pictures of our dog. They all look professional. I'm really looking forward to scenery shots. Of course the only downside is the weight and size of the lens...if that matters to you. To me, quality of the image is what m... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not Disappointed
I switched to Sony in part because Canon was so disappointing. I owned multiples of Canon's fastest lenses and without fail they were pretty much useless wide open. The softness and the color fringing saw me selling them after a few months and then rebuying them when the newer versions came out only to sell them again. What's the point of a f1.4 lens that isn't sharp at 1.4? There is none. This lens is sharp. It's usable and crisp at 1.4 and I ke... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
