Sony launches G-Master quality 35mm lens
13.1.2021
Translation: Eva Francis
Making the most of a 60-megapixel camera requires outstanding lenses. The new G-Master quality 35mm lens meets these requirements and is available soon.
Today, Sony announced the FE 35mm F1.4 GM, which is expected to be available from February 2021. As the name suggests, it’s a full-frame lens with a focal length of 35 mm and a speed of f/1.4.
There are already several 35mm high-speed lenses for the Sony system, including one by Sony itself that boast the same speed. What does the new lens have that the others don't?
This lens is part of the G-Master line – it stands for high-quality workmanship and a correspondingly high price. The anti-reflective coating «Nano AR Coating II» is designed to eliminate flare and ghosting. The 11 aperture blades form a circular shape, which provides appropriate bokeh at large apertures. I tried it myself by taking the following picture with f/2.2.
The focus motors also set this lens apart from other 35mm lenses. This GM lens is equipped with two XD-linear motors. In case you're wondering if they're fast enough, it’s the same type of motor used in the FE 400mm F2.8 GM, which costs CHF 13,500.– and, as Sony claims, is made to be used in Formula 1 racing, among other things.
The lens is supposed to be just as suitable for video recordings. Sony promises hardly any focus breathing. This means the image section remains constant when you change the focus.
And of course, the lens needs to deliver razor-sharp images – even at the corners of the image. I took very few photos, but at f/8, the lens delivered. Even when zooming into a corner at a resolution of 60 megapixels.
Even with this, however, the sharpness at the edge decreases at open aperture. I'd like to see a lens that doesn't have this flaw. And then keep it. Without paying for it, that is.
The size of the lens is 96 millimetres and its weight 524 grams. That's significantly less than Sony's previous top 35mm model and also less than Sigma's comparable 35mm lens.
Like all GM lenses, this model has a button that can be customised. The aperture can be adjusted directly on the ring and comes with or without a grid. According to Sony, the lens is dust and moisture resistant.
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
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