Sony announced the 59th addition to the E-Mount lens line, the 35mm f / 1.4 GM. Built “in the same spirit” as the 24mm f / 1.4 GM, Sony claims that this lens is capable of doing everything from portraits to landscapes.
With the 35 mm f / 1.4 GM, there are now 39 full frame lenses and 20 APS-C E-mount in the Sony lineup, 12 of them classified as G-Master.
Weighing 524 grams (~ 18.4 ounces) and relatively compact in design, the 35mm f / 1.4 GM promises corner-to-corner sharpness, excellent blur area rendering, fast and quiet autofocus and resistance to dust and moisture.
Sony says the lens was designed to be sharp at any aperture, including fully open at f / 1.4, and says the focus plane is perfectly rendered with natural highlights in the foreground and background. The 35mm f / 1.4 uses two XA (extreme aspherical) elements to contribute to overall image quality and resolution, along with an ED (extra-low dispersion) element along with other optical refinements to effectively suppress chromatic aberration and purple fringes for one looking for images that, according to Sony, will contribute to a quick and easy post-shot workflow.
Speaking of internal elements, the lens is made up of 14 elements in 10 groups and has an 11-blade diaphragm, a feature that Sony says is extremely rare in 35mm lenses and the 35mm f / 1.4 GM is believed to be the first or among the first to offer.
Although it is not a macro lens, Sony says it is useful for close applications. It has a focusing distance of around 10.5 inches (27 cm) and a maximum magnification of 0.23x in auto focus. In manual focus, it can get a little closer with a focus distance of around 9.8 inches (25 cm) and a maximum magnification of 0.26x. In manual focus, the lens has a linear response mechanism which, although still focused by wire, must provide a quality response thanks to its fine linear focus control.
The 35mm f / 1.4 GM has a 67mm filter thread, a non-clickable aperture, focus mode selector, an assignable focus hold button and Sony’s famous linear XD autofocus system that – combined with control algorithms from Sony – allows for speed, silence and precise autofocus.
Below are some examples of images taken with the lens:
The Sony 35mm f / 1.4 GM will be available from late February to early March this year for $ 1,400.