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Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 - Review / Test Report |
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Lens Reviews -
Sony Alpha (Full Format)
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Page 1 of 3
Review by Klaus Schroiff, published June 2021
Introduction
There is an almost mad amount of 35mm full format lenses available in Sony E-mount. As of the time of this review, we can count no less than 13x 35mm lenses with an AF motor, 15x when including 40mm variants plus several more with manual focusing only. Makes you wonder whether there's a different one for every buyer? Jokes aside, it just shows that the lens class is obviously popular enough to sustain such a variety. Of course, Sony has a bunch of these lenses in their lineup as well. One of them is the Sony FE 35mm f/1.8. Priced at $700 / 550EUR, it is a middle-of-the-road offering.
Unlike cousins of similar speed, it is not a G-class lens but "plainly" labeled. The used materials also follow a somewhat older Sony design philosophy. Rather than using a slightly textured plastic finish, the lens has a smooth, thin metal body. The physical length remains the same throughout the focus range and combined with dust- and moisture-resistant sealing, it should be able to stand the elements. The broad, rubberized focus ring operates smoothly. A petal-shaped lens hood is part of the package albeit it isn't shown below (it was missing in the rental package).
The autofocus motor and internal focus design provide quick and silent autofocus performance. The linear AF motor can also come in handy for videos where you prefer to have a predictable manual focus action. An optical image stabilizer has not been implemented.
| Specifications |
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| Optical construction | 11 elements in 9 groups inc. 1x aspherical element |
| Number of aperture blades | 9 (rounded) |
| min. focus distance | 0.22m (max. magnification 1:4.2) |
| Dimensions | 65.6x73mmm |
| Weight | 280g |
| Filter size | 55mm |
| Hood | petal-shaped (bayonet mount, supplied) |
| Other features | dust & moisture resistant, focus-stop button |
| Mount | Sony FE |
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