Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T * 35mm f / 2.8 ZA (SEL35F28Z) lens overview

Sony SEL35F28Z lens test

Sony has been collaborating with Carl Zeiss for the first time in the design and manufacture of optics. It's no secret that jointly developed lenses are manufactured at Sony factories, and not at all in German Oberkochen on Carl-Zeiss-Strasse 22.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 800, F2.8, 1/60 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

But such models as the Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T * 35mm f / 2.8 ZA (SEL35F28Z) do not give reason to doubt that it is “the very Zeiss”, with its own character and pattern.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/1250 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Lens in work

The weight of this baby is only 120 grams, it rises less than 4 cm above the surface of the mount. The diameter of the front lens is only one and a half centimeters. When you take such a lens in your hands, you involuntarily feel a slight distrust ... Check Price Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T * 35mm f / 2.8 ZA (SEL35F28Z) However, it passes quite quickly. Tactile sensations give the first impetus. The body material, which many photographers in absentia identify as plastic, is in fact metal. I admit, I allowed myself a little "prank" - I scratched the lens in three places. Everywhere from under the matte black paint, white metal flashed, possibly aluminum. It is worth putting a lens on one of the “sevens” of Alpha, as you immediately understand: they are simply made for each other. The tandem is harmonious in weight, size, and design. The main advantage of this kit is full-frame compactness. How long have you put a full-frame camera with a lens in your jacket pocket?

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 100, F3.2, 1/2000 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Finally, the lens is very pleasant to use. It focuses quickly, not picky about lighting conditions. There are another thousand sensations that cannot be measured and described. Simple - this is the word that comes to mind after a close acquaintance with the Sony SEL35F28Z.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/400 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

The only difficulty a photographer may encounter is a rather large minimum focusing distance, which does not allow you to shoot small objects in close-up. At SEL35F28Z it is 35 cm, which is slightly more than the traditional 30 cm optics for this class.

The maximum shooting scale is SEL35F28Z.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 400, F3.2, 1/60 s, 35.0 mm equiv.

Design

At first glance, there is nothing unusual in the design of this lens. Standard compact fix. But a couple of details still attract attention. Although they do not directly affect the quality of images, they are interesting in themselves. For example, the front lens of the lens is concave. Not every day you see this. So put traditional pencils for cleaning optics aside: they are suitable only for curved lenses. Interestingly implemented hood. It covers the entire front of the lens, leaving only a small angular hole through which your camera will look at the world. It looks unusual, works efficiently. By the way, the standard cover is worn on the hood. If you want to install a filter on the lens (thread diameter 49 mm), you will have to refuse a hood and a standard cap.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 100, F11, 3 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

According to the manufacturer, the lens has a dustproof and waterproof design, the reliability of which we did not dare to check. But the build quality of the lens is excellent. All parts are perfectly fitted, there are no backlashes or crevices. The only movable element - the electronic focus ring - moves very smoothly and tactilely nicely. The ring has a nonlinear stroke: with faster rotation, the adjustment is rougher, with smooth - more precisely.

Bokeh

Let's be honest: for a 35 mm fix, f / 2.8 aperture is a pretty low value. Even in the lineup Sony has a lens that has aperture two steps higher. This is a Distagon T * FE 35 mm F1.4 ZA. So it’s not worth waiting for a strong background blur even on an open aperture. Background objects will be read even in blur.

Pay attention to this frame. When zooming in on a military jacket, moire is traced - a sure sign that the resolution of the lens is higher than the resolution of the matrix.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/500 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Bokeh is pleasing to the eye, it is plastic. Plans are divided gently. Single glare in the bokeh is not completely blurred: they have a heterogeneous filling, are rigidly outlined. Probably, all the beauty of the bokeh of this lens is in non-ideal, and this is not a joke. The picture is unusual, voluminous, interesting and lively.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 500, F2.8, 1/60 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/4 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Sharpness, chromatic aberration, vignetting

Perfect sharpness is what you expect from a Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T * 35mm f / 2.8 ZA (SEL35F28Z). And this lens is quite capable of providing it, moreover, on an open aperture. The sharpness in the center is high even on a 42-megapixel sensor. Unfortunately, to the edges of the frame, it is significantly reduced. Closing the diaphragm to the step does not give an increase in detail in the center: the maximum has already been reached with the open diaphragm. But the edges are improving significantly. At f / 5.6, both the edges and the corners will be sharp. Traditionally, the best sharpening results are obtained at f / 8 – f / 11.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/4000 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 100, F4, 1/2000 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 100, F5.6, 1/1000 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 100, F8, 1/400 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 100, F11, 1/200 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 100, F16, 1/100 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 125, F22, 1/60 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

The lens gives very little distortion, noticeable only on technically complex subjects. The distortion is successfully corrected both in the camera (during the shooting of the test this setting was disabled), and using the appropriate profiles in the graphics editor.

Frame with correction of aberrations and vignetting. Applied standard Adobe Camera RAW profile.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 320, F2.8, 1/20 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Frame without correction.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 320, F2.8, 1/20 s, 35.0 mm equiv.

Chromatic aberrations are also good. They appear extremely rarely, mainly on the open aperture at the corners of the frame. However, they do not have a significant impact on the quality of pictures, and on most pictures they are completely absent.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/2500 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 100, F4, 1/1250 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 100, F5.6, 1/640 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 100, F8, 1/250 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 100, F11, 1/160 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 100, F16, 1/80 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 160, F22, 1/60 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

The lens confidently holds backlight, does not give glare and flare. Perhaps the only noticeable optical drawback is the strong vignetting on the open aperture, which goes away gradually as the aperture is, but also noticeable on f / 8.

conclusions

The main intrigue of this model is the price. Yes, this is Carl Zeiss, and he can’t be cheap. But still, the cost of Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T * 35mm f / 2.8 ZA (SEL35F28Z) for many Russian photographers will be above the psychological barrier, because we are talking about not too fast aperture optics. However, do not compare the SEL35F28Z with other 35mm lenses. He is a little different.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installation: ISO 160, F2.8, 1/10 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Despite the relatively low aperture for fixation, SEL35F28Z has its recognizable character, and this is its main value. The optics are very contrasting. The bokeh is plastic and pleasant, but with rather hard highlights. The lens gives high detail in the center already at f / 2.8, it is janglingly sharp at covered apertures over the entire area of ??the image. As befits Zeiss with T * brand enlightenment, he perfectly holds backlight without giving flare and glare; invulnerable to chromatic aberration. And only strong vignetting can be called a really noticeable optical flaw. However, for a number of scenes it can become a powerful art tool, helping the photographer focus on a specific subject, add artistry.

ILCE-7RM2 / FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Installations: ISO 500, F2.8, 1/60 s, 35.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

We recommend this lens primarily for travel photographers and street enthusiasts. Compactness and invisibility, autofocus speed, interesting design, high contrast - this is an ideal set of qualities that make the Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T * 35mm f / 2.8 ZA a very successful lens, despite the relatively high cost.