There is an almost mad amount of 35mm full format lenses available in Sony E-mount. As of the time of this review, we can count no less than 13x 35mm lenses with an AF motor, 15x when including 40mm variants plus several more with manual focusing only.

Still, apart from fully expectable disadvantages, you get also a long list of significant assets. Overall, when it comes to the performance of the lens, there are practically no serious reservations. If I wanted to complain a bit, I would carp only and solely about the price.

solid and sealed mechanical construction,; excellent image quality in the frame centre,; sensible image quality on the edge of the APS-C sensor,; moderate lateral chromatic aberration,; lack of problems with spherical aberration,; negligible distortion,; very low astigmatism,; good performance...

image quality near the maximum relative aperture on the edge of full frame could have been a tad better,; huge vignetting that reacts weakly on stopping down,; significant coma,; noticeable longitudinal chromatic aberration.

The 35mm focal length is very useful and having that focal length in a prime lens often brings the benefit of a wide aperture. While not an f/1.4 lens, this lens' f/1.8 aperture is still wide and the moderately wide aperture size enables a compact, lightweight design that has its own obvious...

Sony FE 35mm F1.8 is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF) Wideangle Prime lens with 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with E Mount cameras. What type of photography is the Sony FE 35mm F1.8 lens good for?

Weather-sealed, Autofocus, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, Minimum focus distance of, 0.22m / 8.7 inch

Weather-sealed, Autofocus, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, Minimum focus distance of, 0.22m / 8.7 inch

The Sony FE 35mm F1.8 is proof that you don't need an exotic f/1.4 lens to get crisp shots with blurred backgrounds.

Good wide-open resolution; Excellent when stopped down; Light, compact build; Dust and splash protection.

Pricey.

The 35mm focal length is a popular one, and owners of Sony full-frame camera systems have no shortage of options when shopping for a lens. There are numerous first- and third-party 35mm primes available, but the Sony FE 35mm F1.8 ($749.99) may do the best job of balancing size, optical performance, and f-stop. It costs more than some budget alternatives, like Tamron's promising 35mm F2.8 ($349), but backs it up with solid construction and optics that capture more light. Not Quite Pancake The FE 35mm is a small prime, but not quite a pancake lens. It measures 2.9 by 2.6 inches (HD) and weighs 9.9 ounces, so it won't add that much bulk to your camera. There are other small 35mm lenses available for the Sony system, like the older FE 35mm F2.8 ZA—one of first lenses released with the system in 2013—and the brand new Tamron 35mm F2.8, which we've only just received for evaluation. But an f/1.8 lens captures more than twice the light of an f/2.8 when shot at its maximum aperture. It'...

The Sony FE 35mm F1.8 is proof that you don't need an exotic f/1.4 lens to get crisp shots with blurred backgrounds.

Good wide-open resolution; Excellent when stopped down; Light, compact build; Dust and splash protection

Pricey

There is no perfect lens. If you want good and small this is your lens. But if you want great and character I prefer the sigma 35 1.4 art (rented recently). Of course the sigma has the heft. But it's also more than $100 less than the Sony.

With fast autofocus, a great build and the ability to capture very sharp images at even its widest aperture, this is a stellar addition to the FE lineup.

Very fast autofocus; Excellent sharpness – even at f/1.8; Generally pleasing defocused areas

Some longitudinal chromatic aberration; Vignetting at wider apertures; Not cheap for such a lens

With fast autofocus, a great build and the ability to capture very sharp images at even its widest aperture, this is a stellar addition to the FE lineup.

Very fast autofocus; Excellent sharpness – even at f/1.8; Generally pleasing defocused areas;

Some longitudinal chromatic aberration; Vignetting at wider apertures; Not cheap for such a lens

Andy Westlake examines a lightweight prime that fills a gap in Sony’s lens range for full-frame mirrorless, in our Sony FE 35mm F1.8 review

Compact and lightweight, Excellent optics, Fast and accurate autofocus, Splash-proof construction

Occasionally 'busy' bokeh