Sony FE 35mm F1.8 is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF) Wideangle Prime lens with 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with E Mount cameras. What type of photography is the Sony FE 35mm F1.8 lens good for?

Weather-sealed, Autofocus, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, Minimum focus distance of, 0.22m / 8.7 inch

Weather-sealed, Autofocus, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, Minimum focus distance of, 0.22m / 8.7 inch

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.

Good wide-open resolution; Excellent when stopped down; Light, compact build; Dust and splash protection.

Pricey.

The 35mm focal length is a popular one, and owners of Sony full-frame camera systems have no shortage of options when shopping for a lens. There are numerous first- and third-party 35mm primes available, but the Sony FE 35mm F1.8 ($749.99) may do the best job of balancing size, optical performance, and f-stop. It costs more than some budget alternatives, like Tamron's promising 35mm F2.8 ($349), but backs it up with solid construction and optics that capture more light. Not Quite Pancake The FE 35mm is a small prime, but not quite a pancake lens. It measures 2.9 by 2.6 inches (HD) and weighs 9.9 ounces, so it won't add that much bulk to your camera. There are other small 35mm lenses available for the Sony system, like the older FE 35mm F2.8 ZA—one of first lenses released with the system in 2013—and the brand new Tamron 35mm F2.8, which we've only just received for evaluation. But an f/1.8 lens captures more than twice the light of an f/2.8 when shot at its maximum aperture. It'...

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.

Good wide-open resolution; Excellent when stopped down; Light, compact build; Dust and splash protection

Pricey

There is no perfect lens. If you want good and small this is your lens. But if you want great and character I prefer the sigma 35 1.4 art (rented recently). Of course the sigma has the heft. But it's also more than $100 less than the Sony.

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.

Very fast autofocus; Excellent sharpness – even at f/1.8; Generally pleasing defocused areas

Some longitudinal chromatic aberration; Vignetting at wider apertures; Not cheap for such a lens

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.

Very fast autofocus; Excellent sharpness – even at f/1.8; Generally pleasing defocused areas;

Some longitudinal chromatic aberration; Vignetting at wider apertures; Not cheap for such a lens

Andy Westlake examines a lightweight prime that fills a gap in Sony’s lens range for full-frame mirrorless, in our Sony FE 35mm F1.8 review

Compact and lightweight, Excellent optics, Fast and accurate autofocus, Splash-proof construction

Occasionally 'busy' bokeh

What it all boils down to is this lens’ potential to offer name-brand reliability versus its competition, in a portable package. While I was doing initial testing with this lens at Sony’s 2019 Kando Trip event, the thing that stuck out to me the most was indeed not flawless GM-class image quality,...

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. Autofocus is swift, and it's extremely sharp wide open.

Portrait and low light shooters that need tack sharp images wide open; videographers; and those that require fast autofocus

Portrait photographers shooting in high contrast light where chromatic aberration may be distracting; and astrophotographers

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. Autofocus is swift, and it's extremely sharp wide open. The lens renders out-of-focus areas very smoothly, but purple and green fringing can be an issue in high contrast situations.

Portrait and low light shooters that need tack sharp images wide open, videographers, and those that require fast autofocus;

Portrait photographers shooting in high contrast light where chromatic aberration may be distracting, and astrophotographers;