Sony SEL35F14Z E Mount - Full Frame Distagon T* 35mm F1.4 Zeiss Lens

1) Poor quality control. I have tried 3 copies from amazon and one second hand - all exhibited unacceptable right sided softness. This is a know QC issue. This lense is made in Malaysia or another SE Asian country - not Japan.For the price this is unacceptable.2) Though this lens is known to be somewhat sharp in the centre at 1.4 (if you get a good copy), the Sigma is sharper. The "look" of photographs taken by this lens compared to the sigma is more pleasing. The canon 35mm 1.4 II is the best 35mm sharpness/QC/look wise.EDIT:Months later, I had the urge to purchase this lens again. On reflection, was it bad luck that I tried 4 lenses that were soft on the right side? I've come to the conclusion that this lens is made soft on the right side, as a side effect of having pretty good central sharpness and that zeiss look (excellent for portraits). It's pretty sharp at 1.4, very sharp after. The right side becomes sharp at over f2 or so. I've changed the rating fro 3 to 5 stars as in real world scenarios this lens shines. It produces photographs that are one step beyond the cheaper lenses I have used - because of the character. I picked up my last 35mm 1.4 on auction at £850, though. Not sure I'd purchase it new for £1250 which is what it seems to stay around.

I absolutely love this lens. Having been lent one a year or so ago, I was determined to buy my own copy but was somewhat deterred by the price at the time. In recent months the price has dropped by hundreds of and I count resit.I love the bokeh this lens gives, as well as the lightening fast auto focus when combined with my a7 iii. it is a little big and heavy compared with the new ( and now much more expensive) GM 1.4 35mm but the this is perfectly acceptable to carry around and is the perfect lens for environmental portraiture.I love the aperture ring, which can be set to clicker photographs Or to turn silently for video focus and depth of field effects.As you would expect the Zeiss 'pop' is great - the subject really stands out clearly in the photos which are very sharp even at F1.4.

Superb... build quality, optical quality surpass my expectations. Does it have a noticibly soft right side?? Not a clue, i aint goint to photograph under synthetic testing situations to find out, i never have with any lens, im not looking for fault. Shooting mainly environmental portraiture at f1.4 so much is out of focus i dont know id ever notice... ever!! What i do know, where i intentionally hit focus, whever it has been in the frame for the good 600-700 shots ive taken with this lens it is as sharp as i believe can be acheived given the scenario of the composure and my ability (or lack of).

Beyond expectations.

This is a good lens, if you can get a good copy. A reputable YouTube reviewer has suggested that only a third of these lenses are sharp. Whatever the percentage is, the lens should only be bought in a store that will let you try multiple copies until you are happy. It is should also be noted that the lens protection in the box from Sony is awful. Just some thin bubble wrap for a lens that is considered premium by any standards. By contrast in-box protection from Zeiss or Voigtlander is outstanding and made to fit snugly around the lens. It is not enough to design a great lens, it also needs to be manufactured, tested and packaged with the utmost care. At this price, that's what you are paying for. My copy had to be returned. I bought a manual focus 35mm Voigtlander instead and I am waiting for the Batis 40mm to be announced any day now.

I have this attached to my A7R and the news is good so far. I shoot landscape and portrait photography and in both areas with the A7R it is absolutely stunning The aperture ring is great and the A7R defaults to auto in most modes if you don't have much time. Its heavy and its large for a 35mm but its very versatile and I love using it. I am not going to get into the technicalities of other detractors comments I can only say if it wasn't so large and expensive it would get 5 stars.

As much as I like this lens' images - it has one serious issue which is that the autofocus seriously lumbers in low-light conditions when doing video. Only the f-stops 2.0 and 2.5 work somewhat, all others from f1.4 to f4.0 are literally unusable and your footage out of focus, and this is a real pain, because people buy lenses with low f-stops to use them in low light. So, if you want to shoot video in low light, decide for another lens. The Sigma 30mm with the MC11 might work - I haven't test it myself though.I use this lens with a Sony A6500, both have the latest firmware (lens: '02'; camera '1.04'). For taking pictures this lens is okay in low-light situations but I still believe that it is massively overpriced. If I could return it, I would! However, I found out too late.