Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM lens review with samples (Full-frame & APS-C)

Here it is, at last!

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[sushi_donut]

For a Christopher Frost review, there is no late. We wait! :)

[DustinFurlow]

Last photo of the shore and cliffs was lovely. Loving my 35mm GM. My go-to setup paired with the Sigma 85mm 1.4.

[CherryEXtended]

Just stumbled on this review searching for a good lens. I must say your review was overwhelmingly good. I learned a few things I didn't knew before, the review was super detailed and your voice is calm and heartwarming. Really enjoyed it. Good work!

[Bayonet]

While the focus breathing is extreme, the fact that it zooms in rather than out when focussed close is actually quite useful for getting a more normal field of view for close ups.

[networm]

Wow! What a great review! As a person who prefers 35mm focal length to all the other prime focals I'm just blown away by the performance of this lens considering it's weight. Sony has dropped the mic for it's recent GM primes indeed! 135, 24, 35 all been Great! Can't wait for your review on the new 14mm 1.8 GM!

[zenscape]

I fully agree when Christopher said he had reviewed 35 copies of 35mm and this is the sharpest. I traded my workhorse Batis 40 for the 35GM and am extremely happy with my decision. Right out of the gate, the 35GM gives you tack sharp and clean images with fabulous colour. Not much edit to do. It ticks all the boxes.

[peterlav]

Great review - I appreciate how you didn’t hold back on the 35 1.8 review and I noticed a lot of your reported problems when I had that lens. This gm is fantastic and is my go to lens. Thanks for all of the hard work - you and Gerald Undone are the best lens reviewers in my opinion.

[SunnySoCal]

i thought it would take years to see this review thanks chris that image quality & build quality is truly something i was caught in between this and the sigma 35mm f1.4 for a bit less money

[eagleeyephoto]

Lens is not de centered but soft at f1.4. De centering is never gone by stopping down aperture only.

[laukkanenesa]

I’ve been waiting for this review as I picked up a copy when it arrived. It’s a wonderful lens and the focus breathing haven’t been a big issue for me as I’m mostly taking stills. Great review as always!

[David-ilxw]

Beautiful shots in the intro, much like all your intros.

[JustAnAvgGuy]

Was just looking for a review on this lens and wouldn’t you know? Chris delivers again

[infinifiable]

Hi Christopher, loving your reviews. Would you ever review the 35mm 2.8 Zeiss? Thanks

[Tzadeck]

My favorite lenses are 35mm lenses, and I think this is by far the best one ever made.

A big problem with 35mm lenses is that they usually suffer from fairly ugly bokeh, but the bokeh on this lens is absolutely gorgeous. I'm planning to buy it for that reason alone.

[cameraprepper]

I had hoped that the Sony 35mm 1.4 GM would be more compact and lighter than the Sony 24mm 1.4 GM(which I have), so I chose the Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 35mm 2.0 which also have outstanding optical performance and I love to focus manual anyway ! But take a look around, there are at least 26 different 35mm Lenses for Sony E-mount !

[oscarshen]

What's briliant about Sony is they know how to make the right compromise. They no longer pursuing absolute optical perfection and make the it overly heavy and expensive. It's sharp, compact, has one of the best bokeh quality I have ever seen, and outside of UK the price is very reasonable for what you get. The Canon/Nikon counter parts are very big and heavy and cost more. Yes, it has the strongest focus breathing we have ever seen but it's only obvious when fouce within 1 meter, Sony also offer a more video focused 35mm F1.8 which has almost no focus breathing. I'm very happy with this lens, even in UK.

[fjp]

Now the only thing which is missing is the 20mm 1.8

[jukeboxjohnnie]

I think I'll wait for the 24-70mm update for my wide GM requirements, if its good enough

[vincenzodellama]

That focus breathing.... I guess this is a 35-50mm f1.4 zoom they just didn't marketed it properly.

[fjp]

Lol what a surprise. I just ordered 3 hours ago, cause i cant wait any longer🤣 I hope your review will be only good!