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Review on Sony FE 85Mm 1 4 Lens by Patrice Lippmann

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Expensive sharp special lens

This is an expensive special lens. It's relatively heavier, has a faster aperture, slower autofocus, and costs more than the Batis 85. It's not a travel lens. This is a great lens for portraits. The images are excellent, with excellent perspective and image isolation. You can shoot with aperture priority and set the minimum shutter speed to 1/125 s or faster. With a large aperture, the focal plane is so small that only one eye can be imaged sharply. Eye focus lets you capture a moving baby indoors, and the hit rate is understandably low. Auto Focus Speed: Auto focus speed is relative. Someone's autofocus is too slow for someone fast enough. Here are test results comparing AF focus between FE 55 and GM 85, A7Rii, Firmware 3.2 Indoor AF-S, AF-Wide, Prefocus Off, 15ft to 4ft, in seconds: Ap. 85GM 55FEF1.4 0.58 (3) < 0.3F2.8 0.63 (3) < 0.3F4 0.67 (3) < 0.3F8 0.69 (3) 0.44 (3)F11 0 .86 (3) .51 (3 ) )F16 1.12 (3) .62 (3) 85 gp concentrates downward. FE55 focuses on the near aperture. The data shows that the FE55 autofocus is much faster at F11 and F16. I cannot easily reproduce data in AF-C mode with moving subjects. Autofocus Noise: There is some autofocus noise in my copy. "N" out of 1. Nothing I find objectionable. Although manual focus is wire focus, I don't hear any focus motor noise in manual focus mode. Early models with early firmware may have more autofocus noise. If your model with firmware 3.2 makes AF noise in manual focus mode, I would return it. I've posted a clip here taken in fast focus movie mode: [.] The lens hood is an improvement over the FE55 in that it has pressure relief. I try to travel light with just one lens. For the A7Rii, I opted for the FE 35 2.8. If I needed a travel set with two 35/85 lenses I would avoid this lens as it is too heavy.

Pros
  • Good thing
Cons
  • makes you angry