Sony FE 35mm F1.8

Andy Westlake examines a lightweight but high-quality prime that fills a gap in Sony’s lens range for its full-frame mirrorless cameras.

With a five-year head start over Canon and Nikon in building its full-frame mirrorless system, it’s no surprise that Sony has a significantly larger lens range than its two biggest competitors. But there’s one lens type that both it's rivals managed to bring out earlier – a 35mm f/1.8. Both introduced such a lens on day one of their systems, whereas Sony started out with a compact 35mm f/2.8 in 2013, then added a huge, premium 35mm f/1.4 in 2015, before revealing its f/1.8 optic in July.

Interestingly, the three firms have come up with somewhat different takes on the idea. Canon’s RF 35mm F1.8 IS STM Macro is an optically stabilised lens that uses an extending-barrel design to achieve half-lifesize magnification at the cost of outright focusing speed. In contrast, the Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S is a large optic that includes more exotic glass for premium performance.

Sony’s FE 35mm F1.8 is smaller than the Nikon and has a lower RRP, suggesting slightly lower aspirations. Indeed with a launch price of £630, the FE 35mm F1.8 sits alongside the FE 28mm F2 and FE 85mm F1.8 in Sony’s mid-range line-up. Tellingly, it’s cheaper than the 35mm f/2.8, and less than half the price of the 35mm f/1.4. Crucially, its relatively compact design makes for a nicely balanced match with the A7 camera bodies.

Features

Optically, the FE 35mm F1.8 employs 11 elements in 9 groups, including a single aspherical element to suppress aberrations and achieve higher sharpness towards the corners of the image. A 9-bladed diaphragm provides a circular aperture, with the aim of producing attractive out-of-focus highlights.