Distagon T* Fe 35 Mm F14 Za Review

Richard Sibley tries out Sony's fastest Atomic number 26 lens for the Alpha seven-series full-frame compact organisation cameras

Sony Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4 ZA review

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Over a year and a half since the original Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.viii ZA lens was released aslope Sony's Alpha 7 cameras, another 35mm focal-length lens has arrived for the Sony Iron organization. The new Zeiss Distagon T* FE 35mm f/i.4 ZA has a larger maximum aperture, enabling faster shutter speeds and lower sensitivity settings in depression low-cal, too equally a shallower depth of field. However, the new lens is significantly larger than the f/2.eight version, so just how well does it pair with the relatively modest full-frame Sony Blastoff 7 cameras?

Features

The aperture ring operates in 1/3 stop increments, with an A position allowing control from the photographic camera

There are a couple of notable features on what is otherwise a fairly straightforward lens. The main 1 is that the Zeiss 35mm f/1.iv lens features a manual discontinuity ring on the lens butt, which is a first for the Sony FE mountain. This allows all the apertures between f/1.4 and f/16 to exist selected in 0.3EV intervals. There is also an Automatic (A) setting that switches aperture control back to the photographic camera body.

Of course, the clicking discontinuity ring doesn't lend itself to video, where a videographer may wish to alter the depth of field during recording. To combat this, Sony has introduced a switch that turns the click on or off. Although this is another first for the Sony Atomic number 26 mount, it is something nosotros have previously seen in the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 span camera.

Build and treatment

The Sony Zeiss Distagon T* Fe 35mm f/i.4 ZA is a large, chunky lens, hither seen on the 36MP A7R

In that location is no escaping the size of the 35mm f/1.iv lens – the large f/i.4 aperture and full-frame coverage hateful that it uses some large, heavy elements. Weighing 630g and measuring 78 x 112mm, it is one of the largest lenses we have seen for the Sony Alpha 7 cameras, and it is certainly large when compared to its full-frame DSLR equivalents. It'due south also significantly bigger than similar lenses for other CSCs (for example, it'due south near twice the size and weight of the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/1.4R, which is designed for APS-C sensors).

Is the size and weight a problem? It depends. In terms of treatment, no information technology is not. The discontinuity band around the lens barrel means you tin can hands support the lens and change aperture with your left hand, while the correct hand balances the photographic camera and fires the shutter. It is ane of those cases where yous concord the lens, not the photographic camera.

Those who travel light may adopt the 35mm f/2.8 lens, simply if you are taking out numerous lenses the extra weight of the f/ane.4 over the f/2.eight lens will make very little noticeable difference once your kit is in a bag on your back.

The 35mm f/ane.4 accepts 72mm filters, and has a bayonet attachment for the supplied hood

The add-on of an aperture ring to the lens adds something to the Sony Blastoff 7 organization as a whole. It is like the missing piece of the puzzle that gives the Blastoff 7 the feel of using a traditional SLR, which is something Sony hasn't quite managed to capture compared to the likes of Fujifilm with its XT-1. I really hope that Sony and Zeiss produce more lenses for the FE mountain with aperture rings.

The selection to turn the aperture click on or off is very neat, and something that those shooting video volition really appreciate. I institute the aperture ring to have just enough resistance when turned that it didn't slip out of position, but information technology was nonetheless easily manoeuvrable. With the live view on the screen, you can lookout man the depth of field modify with the smooth turn of the discontinuity ring, and again, I'm sure many videographers would like to see this feature included across the Atomic number 26 lens range.

A switch on the butt allows the aperture click stops to be turned off, for silent stepless control during video recording

As with other lenses in the FE range, the 35mm f/1.four has electronic wing-by-wire focusing, pregnant that turning the focus ring signals for the electronic motors to adapt focus of the lens. The manual-focus band itself is very wide, and turns smoothly nonetheless precisely. Combined with the 100% manual-focus magnification through the viewfinder, it was fairly fast to get the focus bespeak I wanted.

Overall, I am very impressed with how the lens handles, and it has the solid build quality and fashion one would expect from a lens that bears the Zeiss bluecoat.

Image quality

It is difficult to fault the image quality of the 35mm f/1.four lens. In the centre it is extremely sharp, with only a slight drop-off at the very edges when shooting at f/8. The corners aren't as abrupt when shooting broad open up. However, at this maximum f/1.four aperture the shallow depth of field is lovely, with smooth out-of-focus areas that blend into one some other.

Shot with the Sony Blastoff 7R with the Sony Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm lens at f/1.4

A 100% pull-up of the centre of an epitome shot at f/1.4 with the Sony Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.four lens

Shot with the Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/ane.iv lens, at f/1.4

Zeiss Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.iv shot at f/11

100% ingather from Zeiss Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 shot at f/11

Vignetting is noticeable at most aperture settings, but at f/ane.iv it is very prominent, with very dark corners to images. Withal, vignetting doesn't business concern me, and I am actually drawn to the vignetting on the f/i.four aperture because, when combined with shallow depth of field and the level of contrast that the lens offers, images take on a very cinematic quality. If vignetting isn't your thing, the camera does a good chore of correcting JPEG images, or it is easily removed when converting raw files.

Shot at f/1.4 with the Zeiss Distagon T* FE 35mm lens, the vignetting at the corners is quite astringent

In that location is some carmine/cyan chromatic aberration visible when shooting at f/1.4, merely past the time the lens is at f/iv it is significantly reduced, and it has gone by f/8. Again, I found that information technology is easily cleared upward when editing raw images.

Scarlet/Cyan Chromatic aberration is in out of focus highlight areas when shooting at f/1.four

Test results: MTF (Sharpness), baloney and vignetting

Our MTF tests are conducted using Practical Imaging charts and software. Nosotros've tested the Sony Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/one.iv ZA on the Sony Alpha 7R, which has a 36MP full frame sensor and no optical low-pass filter.

Our tests reveal a lens that is impressively sharp in the center wide open, however the corners are somewhat soft. Stop down to f/2.8 and the centre sharpness up a lilliputian, but the edges stay much the same. Much bigger improvements follow, though, with the very best results from f/5.6 to f/11. At the minimum aperture of f/xvi, diffraction slightly softens the image.

Key sharpness is high at f/1.4, simply the edges lag some way behind

Cease down to f/2.8 and the middle sharpens up farther, simply edges are all the same soft

Very best results are obtained at f/viii (and a finish either side)

Diffraction slightly softens the image at the lens's minimum discontinuity of f/sixteen

Baloney

Distortion is very depression indeed; our tests show a trivial barrel-type in the images, but you'll exist hard pushed to spot information technology in real-world use.

Distortion is well-controlled, with just the merest hint of barrel-type visible (TV SMIA = -0.4%)

Vignetting

As is typical of a fast prime for full-frame cameras, vignetting is rather pronounced, reaching a maximum of about 2 stops wide open up. The falloff contour is also somewhat abrupt into the corners of the frame, making it very visible in real-world shots.  Stopping down to f/two.8 reduces the effect significantly.

Vignetting is very pronounced at f/ane.4

Vignetting is reduced at f/2. but even so very abrupt in the corners

Stopping down to f/2.8 removes most of the vignetting

At f/four vignetting has generally gone; stopping down further has little extra upshot

Determination

Sony Zeiss Distagon T* Fe 35mm f/1.iv ZA

Having used the Zeiss Distagon T* Atomic number 26 35mm f/1.4 ZA lens for a few days, I am left with the impression that this is a lens with character. From the resolution and bokeh to the build quality and discontinuity ring, this lens has a certain something about it that makes information technology stand out from the generic 35mm lenses that ringlet off production lines.

Aye, information technology may be expensive, large and a counterbalance a bit, but it is the closest feel I take had to shooting with a transmission DSLR that I accept had with the Alpha 7R. It is astonishing what something as unproblematic as adding an discontinuity ring can exercise.

Optically it isn't perfect, just the chromatic aberration is slight and I would actually charge per unit the vignetting equally a nice feature. In terms of resolution this lens is difficult to fault, and it is certainly 1 of the sharpness lenses we have tested for the Alpha seven series, although the 90mm f/ii.8 macro lens looks like it may well offer some competition on that forepart.

Overall, if you are wait for a expert general lens, specially for landscape and travel images, I wholeheartedly recommend the Zeiss Distagon T* FE 35mm f/one.iv ZA lens – if your bank director and chiropractor will allow information technology.

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Source: https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/reviews/compacts/sony-zeiss-distagon-t-35mm-f1-4-za-review

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