This really does not look or feel like a full frame lens. It weighs 175g and has a plastic barrel and a plastic mount. I had to try it on the A900 just to make sure it wasn't designed just for APS-C. When on the camera it makes so little difference to the over all weight that you might need to constantly check you have a lens attached at all. Built to a Sonnar-style design it features just six elements in five groups, and uses Sony's SAM (Smooth Autofocus Motor) to drive the AF.



To be honest I didn't expect it to be much good. It feels like a cheap kit lens, and a maximum aperture of f/2.8 – slow for this focal length – suggests some stopping-down to mask optical problems. The 85mm portrait lens is still very much in fashion, but most feature an aperture wider than f/2 – f/1.2 being the ultimate and f/1.8 the norm. F/2.8 seems somewhat staid in comparison.

In use it actually performs very well. The unit I was using was not completely finished, but it didn't show. The AF is quick and the pictures are sharp. Although f/2.8 doesn't allow the low-light working that wider apertures do, it is still respectable, and in fact most ultra-wide aperture 85mm lenses do not perform at their best wide open. In practical terms too, for a headshot f/1.4 presents depth of field a little too shallow - except for showing off shallow depth of field.

Working wide-open and at a distance of just a few feet, I found depth of field just about shallow enough without feeling I wanted to open the aperture any more. A diffused desk lamp allowed a hand-hold-able shutter speed of 1/50sec at ISO 1600 – so I didn't feel deprived at all.

The resulting images are sharp and crisp, with attractive out of focus areas. In all, I am very pleased with the results.

Sony has yet to announce a price for this lens, but a spokesperson has indicated to me that we should expect it to cost in the region of £175. To be frank, in the hand the lens feels like a £175 lens, but the results demonstrate that it really will be excellent value for money. The existing 85mm option for Sony users is the Carl Zeiss T* 85mm f/1.4 ZA (SAL85F14Z), which will set you back a more full-frame-price of £1200.

The new lens is due to go on sale in September.


more poisons 

finch!: I am liking your movie-like green processing.

Mikeshashimi: Eh? Hmmm I might've read somebody else saying 23 inches, my bad.

Now it would be nice if Sony would acknowledge the efforts and bring out their 500mm F4G SSM already! The Minolta 400mm F4.5G HS APO was a hidden gem, a lightweight telephoto (lightweight compared to similiar lenses in the same range.)

Zicron: The Minolta 600mm F4G HS APO looks different, more skinny and Star Trek-like.

zstan: Sounds like the salesgirl had a gentle face.

You could sue them for dissatisfactory results.

Uzumaki NaruTo: I sniped my sister's graduation from HELP with the Zeiss 135mm from a few rows back. Had to crop a bit, but it worked.

eugenechiuu: The 18-55mm is a lot better at closeups than the 16mm is. However when you're in a tight space, the 16mm will let you shoot a wider angle than the 18-55mm (e.g. your friend sitting right next to you.)

lwliam: Awesome pans, I like how streaked out the background is, compared to the regular sunny-day exposures.

kevinwcw: I think you missed my earlier posting - previously the UK always, always gets overpriced retail prices. Something that goes for 599 Pounds will go for 599 USD. This has always been the case with Sony.

zstan: You really should ask your cousin - there are a lot of things that you would not suspect about how the law works. There are other ways besides suing as well.

I have to admit though, graduation/scroll shots are not easy, having shot them - there will always be some stray person in the background.

wingster: Yes indeed - it also helps that the Zeiss/Minolta 85mm F1.4 extend when focusing. While it does sound like a downside because the lens sticks out, the upside is that the focal length does not change much (internal focusing lenses tend to widen, reducing magnification significantly.)

I suspect that the Sony 35mm F1.8 DT SAM and Sony 85mm F2.8 SAM will be external focusing as well. That makes the Sony 28-75mm F2.8 SAM the only SAM lens that does not extend when focusing!

ahpingko: Maximum Magnification is the ratio of sensor to image.

For full-frame, the sensor is 36x24mm. So if the lens can focus onto a surface that is 144x96mm, then the maximum magnification is 36:144 = 1:4x. 1:4x = 1/4 = 0.25x also.

A true macro lens will do 1:1x or 1x. Most zoom lenses with "Macro" in their name, like the kit lens, only do 1:4x (or also spelled as) 0.25x.

Gouki: Newer designs pretty much guarantee it. The 50mm F1.8 DT SAM has a MFD to be proud of.

Also here's a revised version with the Sigma 24mm F1.8 and Sigma 30mm F1.4.