Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA Lens
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You will not regret buying this!
I didn't buy this lens from B&H since I'm not in the USA. I have been in confusion, a 50 ish mm lens with 1.8 aperture for just under $1000, the previous price, then I was like WHAAAAT???. I kind of had to buy it since the EF lenses line wasn't that much. This is one of the best lenses I've ever had. I mainly shoot videos with a7s ii, and AF in the video this lens provides is something cool, smooth and silent. I attached a video that 95% of it wa... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Incredible performance in a small package
I purchased this lens from B&H in February 2016 and have never looked back. It's frequently used in my portrait and event projects and consistently renders amazing results that clients love. DXOMARK shares my assessment, giving it the excellent score of 48, three more points than the more recently released FE 50mm f/1.4. Subject isolation and resolution are superb with the FE 55 at f/1.8 wide open with that signature Zeiss color contrast. The aut... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A GREAT PIECE OF GLASS
I'm a retired, or tired, professional photographer. In my working life, before the L lenses I saw only 3 super sharp lenses, one in a thousand kind of lenses; one was a screw-in 50mm f 1.8 Super Takumar (?), a Canon 50mm f 1.4 and a Rolli Planar f2.8. Every other lens I've owned for 4x5, 21/4x31/4 35mm were just lenses; good but not great. Now comes the 55mm Sonnar T FE f1.8! This thing is scary sharp! It is probably the sharpest 35mm normal lens... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sharpest lens, super fast, and a joy to shoot with
I recently switched over to a Sony A7ii with the desire to have a smaller camera that I could take with me everywhere and pair it with a nifty fifty. I tried this lens out along with the Zeiss Loxia 50mm Planar. Both of them are knife sharp and produce gorgeous images, but considering that they're the same size and this one has a couple more elements plus an amazingly fast AF, the Sony Sonnar just pulled ahead. It produces STUNNING images, it's b... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A lazymans's lens
I used to shoot with zooms (Canon and Sony}. They were pretty heavy. I use this 35mm Sony with a Sony a7r 2, It is really easy to carry around. The resolution that this lens provides allows me to crop down to as much as a 20th (in this range) of the original image and still get really clear shots. This style of shooting is not for everyone, obviously, but since I used to shoot in the 200mm+ range with the Canon 5d 3, I am very satisfied with the ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sony a7rii with 55mm f/1.8 ZA For Studio Session
I recently completed a studio session for Erin Brady (2013's Miss USA) and her husband Tony Capasso who are both starring in the ABC reality show Startup U. During the session, I switched over from a medium format camera to a Sony a7rii mounted with a 135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss T* and the Sony 55mm 1.8 lens (all purchased from B&H). The 55mm lens was superb with fast focusing, extreme sharpness and the color rendition that was very good. Really happy with it and consider it a must have if you have a full frame Sony E mount camera. Would strongly recommend purchasing it. @
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Fast and sharp
I just got a Sony A7Rii and needed a lens capable of handling the resolution of this camera body. I chose a fast prime to really test the camera to the max and I have been delighted. The focus is fast and it is as sharp as any lens I have ever used, the f/1.8 really helps capture low light images and matches the camera performance perfectly. I am very critical of all of my images and the 55mm f/1.8 has exceeded my high expectations. The lens is a little bigger than I had envisioned on the small Sony body but it wakes a great walk-around for low light city shots.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not Only Sharp...
I had been using the Sony/Zeiss 16-40 f/4 to take pictures of my grandson for the past year, mostly because of the convenience. I had the 55 f/1.8 and used it primarily for landscape work because it is so sharp. But shooting portraits with this lens on my a6000 was a revelation! Not only sharp, but the colors and the separation from the background are incredible. Although the zoom was pretty good, but difference with this lens is like night and day. Can't say enough good things about it. I'm looking forward to using on my soon-to-be acquired full-frame Sony.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent Lens
This lens is fantastic in every way! As a professional, I am extremely about optics. This lens is one of the best Ive ever used. It is stunningly tack sharp! When pared with a good camera like the A7iii, its autofocus is superbly fast and accurate! The color rendering and bokeh is beautiful! NOTE: If you like perfectly round bokeh, you will not like this lens. The bokeh has a lot of character and looks more like an oval with pointy ends as opposed to a circle. However, I love it. This lens is an absolute steal for just $1000! Performs like a $2500 lens.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Amazing normal lens
This is my everyday lens on my Sony A7R II and it works well as a normal perspective lens. I find I don't miss having an f1.4 maximum aperture. The images are amazingly sharp where focused and have a beautiful bokeh in the unfocused areas. Since my other cameras have micro 4/3s sensors and lenses with half the focal length, I'm having to adjust my thinking to the narrower depth of field of the longer, full frame lenses. As to the price, good glass has always been expensive, and this is definitely good glass. This is a lens I look forward to using.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
SHARP...I'm bankin' on it.
Just began using this with just-acquired Sony A7rii and hoping the lens's sharpness and the cameras hi-MP count will enable me to travel light...and do some creative cropping rather than schlepping a big zoom. So far so good...a couple of amazing photos with sharp sharp corners and edges viewed at 100%. Though I haven't made any very large prints yet, it looks like about 60 in the long dimension will be quite sharp. This is a serious lens...and, consistent with the smaller and lighter ethos of E-Mount and Sony's shrewd inventiveness...
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
GREAT LENS ON A GREAT PLATFORM
Just got the lens and have used it once thus far for some street shooting. Very sharp images with a creamy bokeh. I especially like that it is so lightweight without compromising on the quality of the elements used. I've moved from a D300 with a 17-55 2.8 which by comparison felt like I was carrying around a cinder block all day and often times made me very noticeable on the street. Now with the a7 and complimentary lenses, I have a smaller, lighter, faster, full frame replacement with many more features. What could be better?!
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Fantastically sharp! Amazing lens!
Can't say great enough things about this Sony Zeiss lens. Just to add to the other reviews here. It's a tack sharp lens. Amazing in low light. Prior to purchasing this lens from B&H, I rented it along with the Sony 50mm f/1.4 because I wasn't sure which one would suite my needs better. I ended up buying the 55mm because I found it to be (1) just as sharp (2) much cheaper (under $1K), and (3) much lighter to use! Using it with a Sony A7sii, the 55mm f/1.8 stop gives me all the brightness I need in low light.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Top Quality Prime
I had heard good things about this lens before I bought it and I don't think anyone will be disappointed. It's a rather large 55mm, a bit longer than one might expect, but otherwise preforms excellently both wide-open and stopped down. Bokeh is very creamy and the lens will meet your isolation needs every time. It's clearly the top performer of the early Sony FE lenses and probably deserves to be in nearly every A7 series owner's bag. 55mm makes a classic street lens or walkabout prime. Highly recommended.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Lives up to name but purely automatic
The image quality of this lens is as everyone else says: fantastic even wide open which is why you would buy one of these lenses. However I do quite a bit of video work as well on the manual focus required for video work is simply too sensitive. For my liking. If you are someone who is going to use face detection or just basic autofocus it is a great great lens but just be aware that the manual focus is going to be very very sensitive and in adequate unless you are going to have time to pose a shot.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent Lens
I absolutely love this lens!! I am a self confessed pixel peeper and this lens delivers the results I am looking for! The sharpness is insanely good! I have paired this lens with my Sony a7iii and what a dream combo they are! The lens is fast focusing and super silent. I rarely get a missed shot with this lens and if I do, its because my settings were off. I highly recommend this lens to anyone shooting with Sony and is looking for a portrait lens that still allows you some room tight places.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I expected more from a Zeiss lens...
I got this lens to replace my inexpensive but effective Somy 50mm f1.8 for my a7riii. The autofocus is very fast. The lens is indeed tack sharp and it focuses much better than the 50mm in low light. I am very disappointed however at the large amount of purple fringing (chromatic aberration) it creates. I would say it has even more than the less expensive 50mm alternative. Im thinking of returning this lens and getting a Canon L 50mm and use my Metabones adaptor.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Yes, but...
Yes, it's the sharpest lens you'll probably ever buy. Yes, it handles well, has great color reproduction and a nice bokeh. Absolutely fabulous. The but... is focus speed in low-light situations. Maybe I'm spoiled because I have a NEX-7 with the 24/1.8 Zeiss and the focus on it is practically instantaneous. And maybe the FE 55 is faster on the A7 (I have an A7R). So to sum up, great lens, must-buy, if you have an A7R expect the AF to be a little iffy at times.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Amazingly sharp and versatile lens!
This lens is the perfect match for my Sony a7 Mark II. Its fast focus and low aperture capabilities make this lens extremely versatile, particularly for close subjects (street photography, etc). It is also easily interchangeable with my Sony a6000. The bokeh this lens creates is consistently smooth and buttery, drawing the eye toward the heart of my subject. I would highly recommend this lens to be part of every Sony photographer's top lens considerations!
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Best prime I ever owned
I bought the 55mm as a first primelens for my A7II, because of the perfect focal length. I used a 50mm before on APS-C, but the field is too narrow. This is the perfect focal length on FullFrame. The Zeiss/Sony lens is expensive, but is almost perfect in every way. Sharpness is amazing! The build quality feels very solid. It is quite heavy, but it could be the only lens you need on some days. I did notice some chromatic aberration in rare occasions.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A high quality standard fixed zoom
This standard fixed zoom lens is very sharp even with full aperture f/1.8. The optical quality is consistently supreme from f/1.8 to f/22, which most of other 50mm lens can not beat. I own a Canon 50mm f/1.2L, but that is not comparable even with aperture goes down to f/1.8. Except the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4, so far this is the second best standard fixed zoom lens I have seen. Given its price and weight, Zeiss has done an amazing job!
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Zeiss through and through.
After testing both the a7 and a7r, I tested the Zeiss 55, 35 and 24-70. Although I will add the 35/2.8 to my a7 system, the 55/1.8 reminded me of my earlier days of using Leica M Rangefinders and superior primes. This is an amazing lens, delivering edge to edge sharpness even wide open. The color is outstanding and the bokeh is creamy and perfect for portraiture...just as we have come to expect of Zeiss lenses. The build is solid.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
So far so sharp
I've only had the lens for a few weeks now but so far it has lived up to the hype. I was using some older Nikon lenses on my a7R and they worked great. The problem I was having with those lense was the chromatic aberration. I was also getting a lot of color shift from shot to shot but with this 55 1.8 I have seemed to solve those issues. As far sharpness, you already know the thing is arguably the sharpest lense on the market.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Oh my g.., this lens is amazing!
I just got this lens for my A7S. I'd say it hasn't left the body, but that would be a little disingenuous since it's the only lens I have for the A7S. But WOW, the pics that I've been taking! The level of sharpness and wide open is incredible. All of my photographic dreams are coming true with this combination. I've attached a couple of OOC photos that I've taken lately. I wish I could attach more, the lens is that good.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
