Conclusion
Pros
- Extremely solidly constructed with excellent haptics
- Very sharp wide open with outstanding cross-frame sharpness stopped down
- Smooth and pleasing bokeh
- Excellent contrast and rich color reproduction
- Controls lateral chromatic aberration extremely well and longitudinal CA is only a minor issue
- Minimal and non-obtrusive flare
- Fast and accurate autofocus in most lighting situations
- Aperture ring has wonderfully firm detents that can be removed entirely for video work
Cons
- Very large and heavy for a mirrorless lens – Even larger than many 35mm f/1.4s for DSLRs
- Autofocus can hunt a bit in low light
- Some purple fringing in certain situations
- Some barrel distortion
- Expensive
Sony and Zeiss pulled out all the stops with regards to the 35mm f/1.4 Distagon ZA, and they created an exceptional lens. The 35mm f/1.4 is very sharp at f/1.4 and tack sharp to the corners stopped down, while featuring the signature Zeiss color and contrast. Somehow, they also managed to do this while keeping the background blur very pleasing overall. The lens has a bit of distortion and some longitudinal CA and fringing, while the autofocus motor can hunt some in low light situations. However, in general use these are fairly minor points, as the overall image quality and usability is outstanding.
The one thing that may stop people from snatching the lens up, however, is the large and heavy size. Those two extra stops of light over the compact and excellent FE 35mm f/2.8 Sonnar cost you quintuple the weight and three times the length. The 35mm f/1.4 is not a small nor a discreet lens. It’s a lens for when you want the best native optical performance you can get and you don’t care about an extra pound of weight and a larger bag. The lens also isn’t for the budget conscious, with a high price of nearly $1600 US. However, given the stellar optical performance and fast aperture, I actually think the lens is well worth the cost if you’re in the market for a lens this speed and the size doesn’t deter you.
Overall, it’s probably the finest moderate wide-angle lens I’ve ever used and a gem in the FE lineup.
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Sample Images
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Good morning from Spain.
Congratulations on the review, high quality, as all you do.
Many doubts plague me.
I am a lover of old objectives with the corresponding adapter.
In these objectives I have the problem of infinity focus and loss of sharpness.
I understand that I may not be a native objective.
Loxia thought when I saw that wonderful,, fully manual focus omenaje old school.
Happy and saving money Loxia vine and on the market for 35 f1.4 mounts E.
Smoke made my head literally.
The party continues and appears BATIS.
I am a sea of doubt.
I want the maximum image quality.
I can not get to OTUS
Within this range below 2000 euros.
What do you recommend me?
batis 25f2
35 f 1.4
Loxia 35 F 2
Thank you very much for your work
greetings from Spain
It’s really hard for me to comment on this, as I haven’t used the Loxia 35mm (I hope to shortly), and the Batis 25mm is not out yet. I do think the Batis 25 and the 35s are different lenses, and I wouldn’t consider them as for the same types of shooting. Between the two 35s, provided the Loxia is similar in optical quality (again, I haven’t used it), I’d lean towards that simply for size. However, if you’re after simply the best optical quality, I don’t think you can go wrong with the FE 35/1.4. I can’t imagine the Loxia would actually outperform it, and even if there was a very slight edge, you’re splitting hairs that would be essentially impossible to distinguish in a final image.
This exchange is particularly helpful. One, perhaps, dumb question: Which is better for landscapes – the 25 or 35 framing? In other words, the Batis 25 or the Sony Zeiss 35?
Well, it’s going to depend on the scene and your desired framing. I’ve used lenses as wide as a fisheye and as long as 300mm equivalent for landscapes.
Jordan thank you very much for your comment, I decided to go to the 35 f1.4 🙂
Thank their stories so well made.
Good afternoon from Spain
Freddy
Thanks for the great review.your findings are almost same as mines…im using this lens for a few months and i can easily say this is the best lens i ever used (be sure used many glasses)…i just bought 2nd A7body to weld this glass on it…i also recommed 55 zeiss which is an another mind blowing glass.
Thank you for taking time to test this great lens and write this informative review. I have to agree with all you wrote. For past 3 months I was jumping between CV 35/1.2, FE 35/2.8 and Loxia 35/2. I couldn’t justify keeping them all, but each one has some great advantages: CV has very unique bokeh, FE got AF and nice colors and Loxia has a great separation of subjects and nice contrast. I just got FE 35/1.4 and this is all 3 lenses in one: great bokeh, AF and nice contrast. I am still getting used to the size and weight, but so far this lens let me sell other three with no regrets! Thanks you again.
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