Sony 35mm F2.8 Sonnar T FE ZA Full Frame Prime Fixed Lens

I have the Sony a7ii E-mount Camera with Full Frame Sensor and the Sonnar® T* FE 55 mm F1.8 ZA lens. I LOVE the camera and the lens. I take mostly portraits or people shots of some sort so it's a perfect combination. I sometimes need a little wider angle for a picture so I debated over the Sony 35mm F2.8 Sonnar T* FE ZA and the newer, much more expensive, Distagon T* FE 35 mm F1.4 ZA. I read SO many reviews about both. I am not a pro or a perfectionist, but I take lots of photos and I want great quality and beautiful results. I finally decided on the 2.8 because of price (I got it brand new for $698 when it was on sale recently) and size. I am so happy with this lens!! It is small and light. I drag my camera around with me everywhere and I get GREAT photos with it. I capture natural, everyday human shots with it. I don't know if the lens is perfect or not. I don't care. When I look out into the world, I don't check to see if it's the absolute perfect time of day for a photo or the child's clothes match or the fence post is straight or the sky is the perfect color blue. In the real world, when I'm just looking, my eyes don't search for perfection so I don't examine my photos for technical perfection. This is a very nice lens. I will never know how much better the 1.4 is or how it compares to the 2.8 because I am completely satisfied with the beautiful photos I get with this lens.

I bought a used copy of this lens from KEH here on Amazon and have been very happy with it. When mounted on my Sony a7R II, it's a discreet camera+lens combo that's small and easy to carry and use for street photography and more. I used this lens on the A7RM2 almost exclusively on a recent trip; I also took a 24-70mm lens but rarely bothered to use it.I really like this focal length, and had no focusing issues with this lens. It focused quickly, and my photos were sharp. I'm uploading a few shots taken with this lens on the A7RM2, not as great art but to show the versatility of this lens and the good results it gives me. Obviously, the camera is always part of the equation - and the A7RM2 is a really good camera. But I'm sure that I could mount this lens on my Sony a6000 and within the limits of that camera's abilities, get equally good performance.I'm using it with the lens hood in place, which I'm OK with. It protects the lens. However, I'm finding the lens cap to be a little touchy, sometimes hard to get solidly in place. Also, because it's so small I kept misplacing it. I intend to buy a pack of off-brand 40.5 mm lens caps and carry a spare cap.

Not the fastest lens for low-light, but still performs spectacular! I had the Sony 35 1.4 too, but it was such a special case usage for me so I sold/traded it. This gem is super light and gets the job done. Paired with the latest sensors, low-light is also not a big issue anymore.

The more I use this lens the more I really appreciate the compactness and the sharpness, not to mention the wonderful Zeiss color. I keep considering the Sony 28mm FE lens as I think it would be more suited for Astrophotography because it is just Little faster. I realize the 28mm has better reviews and is a bit cheaper, however, it is a bit larger as well. I sometimes wish this lens was just a little bit wider. In the end, I think I will stick with this wonderful little lens and keep hoping that Sony will wise up and come out with a 20mm prime and fast lens more suitable for Astrophotography. For all the above mentioned; size, sharpness, and color I give this lens five stars. I refuse to take a star away for the price, after all, you get what you pay for and this lens is no exception. If you need something wider I'm sure the 28mm will be perfect. Until Sony listens to their customers I will continue to put this little lens to great use and get more practice with my panorama skills.

I'll keep this one short and sweet: Great lens, worth every penny, I recommend it and consider it a MUST if you own the a7/r.Why?+Great build quality, weather sealed, durable, I like the lens hood/cap and it has a great look and feel. A pleasure to use.+Smooth focus ring, just the exact amount of resistance+Very portable, matches perfectly with the a7/r+Fast focus+Great for all around photography, street photography, hanging out, etc. Very versatile+Sharp throughout most of the frame+It's not a 1.8F (I wish), but because you are shooting with the a7, the full-frame allows you to get some nice bokeh if you isolate your subject with a distant background.Last but not least: It is a Zeiss! the elegant colors it produces can not be matched (in my opinion) by other lenses. I have gotten some really unique images with this lens. The way a lens "feels" is a very important characteristic for me, this lens feels spectacular and it has just the right size and weight to match the a7, this makes me want to grab the camera and frame something in an artistic way, the results have been awesome! I highly recommend it!

This is a wonderful sharp lens and a good start to the E-mount lenses that Sony is making for full frame cameras. It has an odd hood on it and I observed vignetting with it when the hood is on but no vignetting was noted with the hood off. The hood protects the lens quite nicely but it is inverted inward. The lens is made of a high quality plastic. I am a Canon user and at first the plastic was hard to get used to but it is very light weight (which I love) and the lens is smooth to use. The lens hood has a perfect fit and is locked on solidly when it is put on. With this lens on, my camera fits neatly into my purse and makes the Sony A7R easy to carry as a pocket camera.I am not seeing any chromatic aberrations but am still in the process of testing the lens. I have the Sony RX1 and feel that this lens is comparable to the lens on the RX1. I am hoping that Sony comes out with an ultra wide angle lens soon…..but for now, this is a good start……..