40 30 November 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
THISis thethird35mmprimein
Sony’sFEline-up,followingon
fromthetinyf/2.8lensthat
appearedalongsidetheoriginal
Alpha7 and7Rin 2013,andthe
huge,premiumf/1.4offeringof
2015.Ofthethree,it offersthe
bestbalanceof size,weight,and
optical quality, while also being
the most affordable.
At 73mm in length and 280g
in weight, the FE 35mm F1.8 is
much more compact than the
majority of Sony’s full-frame
lenses, and a far better match
physically to the fi rm’s full-frame
mirrorless bodies.
It can focus as close as
22cm, which gives a higher
maximum magnifi cation of 0.24x
compared to its f/2.8 and f/1.4
siblings. A physical AF/MF switch
is placed on the side of the barrel,
along with an AF-stop
button that’s
programmable
from the
camera body.
Autofocus is
super-fast, near
silent and pretty
much perfectly
accurate. Optical
quality is very
good indeed,
delivering image
fi les that are highly
detailed fromcornertocorner,withminimal
distortion and low levels of
colour fringing from chromatic
aberration. Distant out-of-focus
backgrounds are rendered with
a very attractive blur, too.
Overall, this is a fi ne little lens
and a great match for Sony’s
range of compact full-frame
mirrorless camera bodies. It’s
small, light and weather sealed,
yet still provides impressive
image quality and near-
instantaneous autofocus.
Some might question why you’d
pay £630 for a lens that’s ‘only’
f/1.8, but the reality is
that you’re getting
seriously high-end
performance
here. It deserves
to be on many an
Alpha 7 user’s
Christmas list.Testbench BEST LENSES OF 2019
Fujif ilm XF16mm
F2.8 R WR
● £349 ● http://www.fujifi lm.eu/uk
THIS lens is the second 16mm
prime Fujifi lm has made for its
X-series cameras, after the
XF16mm F1.4 R WR. As we’ve
seen before with the 23mm f/2
and 35mm f/2 lenses, it’s an
affordable alternative to the
fi rm’s larger and faster primes.
Equivalent to 24mm in 35mm
terms, its petite size sees it pair
up very nicely with the smallest
models in the X-series such
as the X-T100 and X-T30. It
looks great coupled to Fujifi lm’s
premium X-series models such
as the X-T3 or X-Pro 3, too, and
backs up its good aesthetics with
an excellent feel to the aperture
and focus rings. Added to this, it
has a robust metal exterior and
the WR abbreviation in its name
indicates it’s weather resistant.
During our testing we observed
that it goes about its business
of focusing a little
more quietly
than Fujifi lm’s
XF16mm F1.4 R
WR and is also
less prone to
hunting. As you
might expect,
the larger and
more expensive
XF16mm F1.4 R
WR is optically
superiorin termsof sharpness.
However, we’re looking at a lens
that delivers respectable image
quality, with the best edge-to-
edge performance located
between f/4 and f/5.6.
Fujifi lm users who’d like to keep
their set-up as light and compact
as possible when travelling or
heading out with a camera and
single lens will fall in love with this
prime very quickly. It represents
good value, too. Add this lens and
the excellent XF50mm F2 R WR
to your kit, and you’ll end up
spending less than if
you were to buy
the XF16mm
F1.4 R WR on
its own.What we like
● Good saving to be made over the
XF16mm F1.4 R WR
● 17cm minimum focus distance
● Lovely feel to both the aperture
and focus ringsWhat we like
● Compact and lightweight
● Excellent optics
● Splash-proof constructionSony FE 35mm F1.8
● £629 ● http://www.sony.co.ukRecommended Recommended
The lens offers a good
trade-off between size
and optical qualityThis small, light lens
delivers excellent
image quality