7Artisans Debuts Affordable AF 35mm f/1.8 for Full-Frame Sony Cameras

Sep 04, 2025

Kate Garibaldi

Three-panel image: a woman smiling and holding a book, a close-up of a 35mm F1.9 camera lens, and a woman holding an ace of hearts card near her face, looking towards the camera.

A new budget-friendly prime lens has arrived for Sony full-frame shooters, adding another option to the growing third-party market. 7Artisans’ new AF 35mm f/1.8 prime is compact and designed for both photography and video.

7Artisans’ new AF 35mm f/1.8 for Sony full-frame E-mount expands its growing lineup of autofocus lenses. Priced at $299, the lens aims to deliver a balance of fast aperture performance, compact design, and affordability, positioning it as a versatile prime for photographers and hybrid creators alike.

Designed for Hybrid Creators

The 35mm focal length is often described as the “golden humanist perspective” for its ability to capture scenes with a natural field of view. It remains one of the most popular choices for street and lifestyle photography, environmental portraits, and documentary-style work. By combining this perspective with an f/1.8 aperture, the new lens offers a shallow depth of field and soft background blur, as well as strong low-light performance for handheld shooting in low-light conditions.

One of the most significant developments in this release is the autofocus system, which 7Artisans describes as fast, silent, and precise. The company emphasizes its ability to maintain smooth subject tracking, which makes it well-suited not only for photography but also for video production, where seamless focus transitions are essential to create a natural and unobtrusive effect. This emphasis on autofocus performance marks a clear step forward for 7Artisans, a brand that has historically been known more for its manual focus designs.

A close-up view of a Sony Alpha mirrorless digital camera with a large interchangeable lens, set against a dark background.

Build and Handling

The AF 35mm f/1.8 weighs approximately 15 ounces (426 grams), making it compact enough to balance comfortably on full-frame Sony bodies without feeling front-heavy. It features a minimum focusing distance of 1.3 feet (0.4 meters), allowing for tighter framing in close-up shots, and accepts 62mm filters. While it is not the lightest 35mm prime available, its weight and proportions strike a practical middle ground between portability and solid construction.

A young woman stands indoors, gazing thoughtfully through window blinds as sunlight filters in, illuminating her face and hand. She wears a short-sleeved shirt and appears calm and contemplative.

A woman with long brown hair and a white off-shoulder top poses with her hand on her head. A yellow box highlights her left eye, and an enlarged inset shows a close-up of that eye and eyebrow.

A young woman with light eyes and glossy lips gazes softly at the camera, her face framed by fairy lights in the background. She rests her chin on two colorful sweaters, one yellow and one light pink.

A young woman with brown hair holds playing cards, focusing intently while showing the ace of hearts. She sits indoors, with a lamp and a blurred background visible behind her.

A young woman in a white dress sits on a couch, smiling and holding a clipboard. Sunlight streams through a window, and a plush toy is beside her. The room appears bright and cozy with soft, warm colors.

7Artisans describes the AF 35mm f/1.8 as a lens designed for a wide range of photographic applications. Its combination of focal length, aperture speed, and compactness makes it appealing for portraits, food photography, video production, and night shooting, while also serving as a practical everyday lens for street and travel photography. For many Sony full-frame users, it could easily fill the role of a do-it-all prime without breaking the budget.