In this Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens review I will go over real world hands-on experience plus lab testing!
The FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens is not exactly cheap, small, or lightweight. However, it’s output quality and build quality are killer as you will see below in the highly detailed review and sample photos. I had this lens for a while and used my Sony A7r for the review.
The Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens goes for $1598 US, and that is a lot of money to shell out by anybody’s standard. It really does provide top quality optics however, and the build is also excellent with features such as a manual aperture ring, an aperture de-click feature, and direct drive super sonic af motor. It also features a minimum focus distance of 12 inches, so you can get fairly close to your subjects for close-up photography and maximum background separation potential.
Sample photos are all Raw Quality and processed using Capture One 9. A killer image editing software solution for those wondering.
FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens – Key Features:
A few key features you must know about on this lens:
- E-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
- Aperture Range: f/1.4 to 16
- One AA & Three Aspherical Elements
- Zeiss T* Anti-Reflective Coating
- Direct Drive Super Sonic Wave AF System
- Physical Aperture Ring Can Be De-Clicked
- Minimum Focus Distance: 12″
- Dust and Moisture Resistant
- Filter Diameter: 72mm
- Circular 9-Blade Diaphragm
- $1598 US
Build quality and design
The Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens comes in at a hefty 1.39 lb (630 g), and with the following dimensions: Approx. 3.09 x 4.41″ (78.5 x 112.0 mm)
Here she is mounted up top my Sony A7r:
A closer look at the manual Aperture ring
Aperture Ring in Auto Mode, so you don’t have to physically turn it to change.
And here is the back side of the lens where it mounts to the camera.
As you can see the build quality and design are excellent, although physically large and quite heavy.
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 Lens – Youtube Review
Everything you need to know is my youtube review here, and sample photos plus detailed conclusions are below.
Sample Photos
I have a ton of sample photos to show you and will start of with the lab testing below first.
Lab Sample Photos
Some noticeable vignetting @ f/1.4
Click Photos for High Res ~1200px Version
Minimum Focus Distance Test:
Real World Sample Photos
First a quick flower test using a few different apertures for haha’s…
I am loving the creamy bokeh effect this lens pumps out @ f/1.4!
Here is one of Brody @ f/1.4. He has since moved on from this dimension 🙁
A lawn ornament with a high contrast background.
Bones Jones:
A few snapshots from Layla’s Christmas themed Birthday Party:
And a few more from around the house.
Conclusions
Although the Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens is expensive @ $1598 US, it does delivers in all regards of optical and build quality. In other words, you do get what you pay for with this product. The reality of the 18mm flange distance requires a lot of optical engineering and also results in a larger than ideal lens one can certainly argue. The sharpness and creamy bokeh rendering @ f/1.4 make this a lens a desirable addition to anybodies arsenal in my opinion. That look is amazing and I really think I illustrated what the lens can do for you with the sample photos provided above. Let me know!
The depth of field is super narrow and the f/1.4 lab test photos were not as sharp as I would have liked. Perhaps my Sony A7r camera was not perfectly level as intended and may have been the cause, because even f/2 is not that great. In the real world however, the lens is crazy sharp, even at f/1.4, therefore the Lab Test photos must have some degree of user error involved. I’m very sorry about that and will make sure to do a better job next time I get this lens! I wanted to do a direct comparison with the Zeiss Loxia F/2 (reviewed here), and possible the Sigma A-Mount 35mm f/1.4 Art Lens as a more affordable AF alternative via the LA-EA3 lens adapter… In the end I do highly recommend this lens if you have the cash and want a direct connect native e-mount.
However, for the money I would certainly consider looking at the Sigma FE 35mm f/1.4 Art Lens which goes for $899 US. Being roughly the same size, weight, and optical performance… Minus the manual aperture ring, de-click aperture feature, and top quality build though of course 😉
I really hope you all got what you were looking for in this Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens review and please feel free to ask questions and comment below as always! Do you already own this lens? Please let us know what you think of it in the comments below!
Thanks again and Happy Holidays, Jay
Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens for $1598 US @ BHPhoto (Click Here)
