Sony FE 35mm f/1.8
Announced July 9, 2019
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Strong
The Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 is a compact, lightweight prime that balances sharp center performance and fast, reliable autofocus in a portable design. Although it delivers impressive utility for travel and daily use, some users find its corner sharpness and chromatic aberration control fall short of premium alternatives.
Weighted from 31 reviewer scores
Pros
- Compact and lightweight design
- Fast, quiet, and reliable autofocus
- Versatile features including focus hold button and weather resistance
- Excellent center sharpness
- Minimal distortion and focus breathing
Cons
- Significant vignetting and corner softness
- Noticeable chromatic aberration and color fringing
- High price relative to performance
- Incomplete weather sealing at the mount
- Lack of optical image stabilization
- Launch price $748 (USD)
- Focal length & aperture 35mm f/1.8
- Mount & coverage Sony E Full-Frame
- Stabilization None
- Close focus 22.1 cm (0.24x)
- Filter thread 55mm
- Autofocus motor Linear motor
- Weight & size 280g (9.9 oz) · 65.6 x 73 mm (2.58 x 2.87 in)
What the Reviewers Say
All 31 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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- DPReview 88/100
The Sony FE 35mm F1.8 is one of Sony's most versatile primes, worthy of serious consideration by all Sony full-frame shooters who desire high quality in a small, lightweight package.
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The Sony FE 35mm f1.8 is a very good addition to Sony’s 35mm full-frame lenses: It surpasses both its 35mm ZA siblings in optical performance but stays small and light, and has a reasonable price tag.
- OpticalLimits 7.5/10
The Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 is well-corrected. Uncorrected images show a pincushion distortion of merely 0.3%. This is already negligible. Image auto-correct can, of course, reduce this easily down to 0%.
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My overall impression of the Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 is quite positive, even though I think there’s room for a second generation to improve upon various little things.
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The new FE 35mm F1.8 prime lens is a fixed-focal length lens that will be an asset to almost any Sony shooter.
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With the FE 35mm F1.8, Sony has made a fine little lens that’s a great match for its Alpha 7-series camera bodies.
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The 35mm focal length is useful and having that focal length in a prime lens often brings the benefit of a wide aperture.
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As we’ve worked through the various aspects of this lens and it’s performance, a clear picture has emerged of a very competent lens that manages to do a lot of things well in a fantastic package.
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[T]he Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 is a bit of a mixed bag. It's fairly sharp but not quite as good as the competition, especially at f/1.8.
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This lens physically feels more alike the now-legendary Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA, a $1K lens, than the $200 50mm f/1.8. …But, how do the images look?
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[T]he Sony 1.8/35 will easily keep up with most photographer’s expectations.
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The Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 is a very welcome addition to Sony's full-frame mirrorless camera lens range, offering a moderately wide-angle, fast prime lens for the first time.
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The Sony FE 35mm F1.8 is proof that you don't need an exotic f/1.4 lens to get crisp shots with blurred backgrounds.
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With fast autofocus, a great build and the ability to capture very sharp images at even its widest aperture, this is a stellar addition to the FE lineup.
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As standard-series lens with a normal focal-length and typical maximum aperture, the Sony FE 35mm F/1.8 surpasses expectations. Although it can be attributed to the simplicity of its design, it is hard to fault images captured by this lens.
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I would say the Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 lens is a good lens. It has good build quality. The image quality that comes off of it is pretty good. It's very lightweight and compact, which is a really key feature to this particular lens, is the lightweight and compact size.
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[I]’ll definitely be buying this lens for my kit. It is a phenomenal performer and a great value.
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If you're shooting on the street, if you're shooting mainly travel like daily stuff, that Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 is going to change the way you're shooting if you don't already own one, just because it's so small.
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The Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 is a great little lens. It's fast, focuses super-fast and is very sharp.
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All in all the Sony FE 35mm F1.8 is a pretty nice all-around performer (although it falls short of excellence) and possibly a little bit overpriced at $750.
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[T]he 35mm 1.8 is an impressive lens.
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[I]t's a really impressive lens and like I said, I'm definitely buying it.
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[...] I would highly recommend this lens for anyone that wants to travel or loves a 35mm focal length but also having a lens that's going to be great for different situations, like whether that be in low light or just bright daylight.
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The 35mm f/1.8 is doing okay.
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[B]ang for your buck, this is just the best lens I think that you can get if you're a hybrid shooter on the Sony system with its image quality, its sharpness, its ability to focus fast, the size and weight of this thing, which makes you want to use it [...]
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So wrapping up and really looking at this lens as a whole, I think this thing is an absolutely incredible performer. If you're looking for a 35mm and that's the focal length you need or you love, this is probably gonna be a great contender.
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Even when I need 35mm prime, I don't choose this Sony FE 35mm f/1.8, or Sigma 35mm f/1.4 is also good choice.
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[I]f you're looking for a 35 millimeter that can do 90% of what the G Master can do at about half the price, the Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 is a great lens for you.
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[...] I honestly believe that every single photographer that owns a Sony camera should also own this lens.
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[T]his is going to be the perfect choice for you.
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I highly recommend this lens, especially for video.
