Sony Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 ZA SSM Reviews
Excellent Lens
By Allen
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2020-04-07
I purchased this lens for some upcoming projects where low light is an issue. I haven't gotten to use it much at this point, but when I have it has worked perfectly. It focuses quickly and silently. There is a switch on the side to turn off auto-focusing, which was handy for a macro shoot. I have not gotten to test it under low light. The color and sharpness have been excellent. I have not found any negatives with it.
The Best 50mm prime for the A-mount
By Srinivas
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2018-02-04
The build quality of the lens is outstanding. Colors, contrast and bokeh are excellent. There is some purple fringing at apertures 1.4 to 2.0. But this can be corrected easily in post. The lens is very sharp even at 1.4. The bokeh and colors are better than the E mount 55mm 1.8, although the later is a sharper lens. Overall I would rate this lens closer to the Sony Zeiss 135mm 1.8 in terms of IQ. The 135mm is slightly better in terms of sharpness, lack of fringing and the overall effect of a 135mm 1.8. Both of them have the signature Zeiss pop. However, if budget is a concern please consider the Tamron 45mm 1.8, it too is a very good lens with great bokeh and for a quarter of the price of the Zeiss. If money is not a concern, then this 50mm lens is hard to beat. My copy had back focusing issues and needed to be serviced by Sony, so check for focusing issues as soon as you get your lens.
Probably the best normal lens ever made.
By Rock & Roll photog
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2017-09-07
I am using this lens on an a99ii, and I am hard pressed to find anything wrong with the pairing. This lens works with the expanded focus points on the camera, and by works I mean works really well no matter what. I have been using it for low light concert photography, and the object and face tracking are getting me keeper after keeper. Faces are almost always in focus, even as the musicians are flying across the stage in the dark. The bokeh is fantastic, even with harsh saturated LED stagelights. The lens does not extend at all when focusing, so nothing gets sucked in even if smoke machines are in use.
Amazing
By Whitney
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2017-06-07
I updated my lower quality 50mm lens to this. I wasn't sure at first if it would be worth the cost... but it's amazing how much better quality it is. Great for portraits. Very crisp pictures
My Go To Lens For Landscape and City Scape Shots
By Bobby Lens
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2017-06-01
This is my go to lens for landscape and city scape shots. This lens is extremely sharp without chromatic aberrations or ghosting. Due to this lens being able to open up as wide as f/1.4, this lens work great in low light and produces creamy soft background blur with phenomenal bokeh. Now I would love Sony to manufacture a 35mm f/1.4 Carl Zeiss Sony lens or G master for the A-mount. Please G-master for A-mount!!!
INCREDIBLE SHARP AND AMAZING BOKEH!
By Jonathan
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2016-10-27
Incredible sharp, amazing build quality, weather sealed and the bokeh is beautiful, the price is high but deserves and you truly get what you pay for this amazing piece of glass.
A must-have lens for Sony full-frame A-mount owners
By Jake
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2020-01-07
This lens is my current favorite and will definitely be getting more use than my 2470Z due to its versatility- LIGHT weight, amazing low light ability, the right focal length for most of my photography. The accurate, fast, and silent focusing are great assets. It's image quality is just shy of my 135F18Z, same desirable contrast, colors, and defocus ability. Very sharp and rewarding lens- I've kept it at F1.4 on more than 90% of my shots, and my A99's AF system with this lens has performed great; the images produced are beautiful. As a bonus, the lens appearance and build quality is a good example of great industrial design, particularly a nicely recessed front-element providing decent protection and shades from light. I also appreciate the lightweight hood (it's not metal, but means I will actually use it when needed instead of keeping it mint on a museum shelf at home).
I've eyed this lens since it was announced but invested in the 2470Z thinking that would be all I would need to cover this focal length, coupled with the A99's image sensor low-light ability, and the launch price of this lens was a little high. After a while, you notice the weight of the 2470Z and discourages spontaneous photography, also at night the ISO was getting bumped to 1600 too frequently, reducing color quality. On my older Sony A55 camera, always enjoyed the 35F18 lens, but after developing a critical eye, did not like the too-warm colors, vignetting when fully open, the bad focus accuracy, and the noise of the cheaper focus motor, and the lens movement during focus; all of these are non-issues with the 50F14Z. This 50F14Z on the A99 *feels* just as balanced, nearly as compact (!) and lightweight as the A55 + 35F18 combo which was unexpected. I think it's the perfect travel and everyday combination. It has spared me from the reliability issues of the RX1 series and ergonomic concerns with the A7 line. Thanks to the market now going mirrorless and dumping their old gear in the used market, great examples of this lens can be had for very good prices. Very happy I did not go for the A7 III + 55mm Zeiss 1.8 combo.
Zeiss pop and color
By Robert
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2018-06-28
The color saturation, contrast, and sharpness are taken to the next level with this lens. Focus was fast and accurate once the MFA was dialed in on my a99ii. On my older a77, it felt like I was using a different camera. Definitely worth the money if you are looking for the best quality in this range.
