There's long been a 35mm f/1.8-shaped hole in Sony's FE lens line up. But now finally, after plenty of speculation that it was about to do so, Sony has confirmed the optic's existence.
The FE 35mm F/1.8 is designed for Sony's full-frame Alpha models, which include the A7 III and A7R III. And with a weight of 280g, it's also said to be the lightest lens of its kind.
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Built around 11 elements spread across 9 groups, the lens includes a single aspherical element to help combat spherical aberration and distortion.
It arrives with a dust- and moisture-resistant build together with a useful close focusing distance of 22cm, as well as a nine-bladed diaphragm for smooth bokeh.
Sony claims the optic delivers outstanding corner-to-corner image quality, as well as quiet autofocus from its linear motor. Unusually for an optic of this sort, it's also been fashioned with a focus-hold button, in addition to its focus mode switch.
While intended for users of full-frame bodies, the optic can also be partnered with APS-C-format cameras such as the A6400, whereupon it delivers an effective focal length of 52.5mm. Sony APS-C camera owners do, however, already have the E 35mm F1.8 OSS lens designed for their cameras as an option.
The new arrival brings Sony's lens lineup to 52 offerings, with 34 of these producing an image circle wide enough to match full-frame sensors. It comes just weeks after the company announced the Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS and FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lenses.
The lens will be available from August, with an asking price of $750 in the US and £630 in the UK (around AU$1,080). That's not exactly cheap, but it is at least on a par with other 35mm f/1.8 lenses released for other full-frame mirrorless systems. Pricing for Australia is still to be confirmed.
