New Sony Lens Targets Photogs Who Want Affordable, Bright Prime
Sony's latest lens—the FE 50mm F1.4 GM—joins its highest end line, the G Master series. It's considered a standard angle, a design that gets its moniker from mimicking the typical human field of vision. The F1.4 optical formula is ideal for capturing subjects in sharp detail, but blurring background, netting pleasing portraits.
The design is a popular one, and there are already a bunch of 50mm primes on sale in E-mount. The 50mm F1.4 is a little smaller, and less costly, than the exotic FE 50mm F1.2 GM. It's also a lighter weight option (1.1 pounds) versus the recently released, budget-minded Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art (1.5 pounds).
Instead, the FE 50mm F1.4 matches up more closely with the FE 24mm and 35mm F1.4 GM primes. The three share the same 67mm filter size and have a similar mass and center of gravity, a plus for use on gimbals.
Despite a relatively slim form, Sony works on-barrel aperture control into the design. You can set f-stops at third-stop increments, or swap the ring to de-clicked operation for smoother, quieter results for video. It also incorporates dust and splash protection into the barrel, and covers the front glass with both anti-smudge fluorine and flare-reducing Nano AR II coatings.
Inside a 14-element/11-group optical formula includes an ED element to suppress false color, and two extreme aspheric (XA) elements that help the lens realize its promised high-resolution performance. We've not tried the lens yet ourselves, but were impressed by sample photos showed us, as well as the MTF charts for the optical formula. They show it to be a sharp performer across the frame.
Other highlights include dual linear XD motors, a design that's proven to deliver quick focus in other lenses, as well as a 0.16x
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