When shooting in AF-S single shot mode, the camera needs to de-focus the lens before focusing on the subject which leads to a noticeable slowdown. Nevertheless, overall focus speed is good enough for most uses and accuracy is superb for static subjects including good accuracy in low-light conditions. The maximum aperture of f/1.7 makes it the joint-world’s brightest lens with autofocus for medium format mirrorless digital cameras, along with the GF 80mm F1.7. R WR lens.

It doesn't feel particularly unwieldy when mounted on the equally new Fuji GFX 100 II camera that we tested it with, with even one-handed use not completely out of the question! Note that there is no built-in optical image stabilisation in this lens, so make sure to choose a suitably fast shutter speed when hand-holding the camera/lens.Chromatic aberration is pretty low. There'll be some green/magenta fringing visible towards the extreme corners of the frame if you look closely, but it's unlikely to be hugely objectionable. It will be automatically corrected in the camera's JPEGs, too.

When it comes to handling chromatic aberrations the Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA turns in a mixed result. On one hand, lateral chromatic aberration is very well controlled with very little of it showing at f/1.8 and almost none showing two stops down. Unfortunately, the lens exhibits a significant amount of bokeh fringing (color fringing in front of and behind the focused area) with this especially prominent with the lens used wide open at f/1.8. The fringing remains quite noticeable until the lens is stopped down to f/4 where things improve markedly. By f/5.6 the lens exhibits only a small amount of fringing. This is certainly one of the FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA’s biggest optical weaknesses though it isn’t all that difficult to correct in post-processing. ILCE-7M3 + Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA @ 55mm, ISO 125, 1/320, f/1.8 10) Comparisons Introduced alongside Sony’s first full-frame mirrorless cameras in 2013, the Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA lens was the first fast-aperture, “standard” focal length prime lens available for the FE mount. The 50mm prime lens has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, with many new lenses in this focal range introduced by lens manufacturers over the last half-decade. Sony themselves now offer four different 50mm prime lens options for the FE mount. Beyond the FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA lens, there is the entry-level Sony FE 50mm f/1.8, the premium Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA and the Sony FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro lens.

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With the FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA featuring the Zeiss brand logo on its lens barrel and a price tag to match (being three times more expensive than the Sony FE 50mm f/1.8), I expected the lens to produce very sharp images and to do so without the need to stop down from its native aperture. Thankfully, the lens doesn’t disappoint with a very strong performance right from the get-go at f/1.8 where sharpness and contrast are on a high level. At this aperture, sharpness in the center of the frame is very good with the corners showing a good if an unimpressive level of sharpness. Dramatic improvements can be seen at f/2 and especially so at f/2.8, with the lens now extremely sharp over most of the image frame with the corners improving gradually improving as you stop down. In the center of the frame, you the lens is jaw-droppingly sharp from f/2.8 until f/5.6 where it starts to feel the effects of diffraction. The corners reach peak sharpness at the f/5.6 settings where the performance is truly outstanding. Overall, the FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA is extremely sharp with a truly outstanding performance that rivals the best 50mm wide aperture lenses on the market. The focal length of 55mm is the same as the diagonal measurement of the large-format sensor used in GFX cameras, which has dimensions of 43.8mm x 32.9mm, providing a field of view which is close to that of human vision, thereby creating a more natural perspective. A soft cloth bag, front and rear lens caps, and a large plastic petal-shaped lens hood are supplied as standard in the box. Focal Range Focusing is usefully internal and manual focusing is possible when set via the camera body. Full-time manual focus override is available at any time simply by rotating the focus ring, if specified in the menu system, or you can set the focusing switch on the camera body to M, C or S.

Our sample images indicate that to be the case, with very little barrel or pincushion distortion visible. Macro The 55mm focal length gives an angle of view of 52.9° degrees, which is equivalent to a focal length of 44mm on a 35mm full-frame sensor camera. Chromatic Aberrations The Fujifilm GF 55mm F1.7 R WR lens has a traditional aperture ring on the lens barrel which allows you to set the aperture in 1/3 steps, complete with full aperture markings. The aperture is also shown in the viewfinder or on the LCD screen as you change it. This lens has a dust-, freeze- and weather-sealed physical construction that's sealed in nine different places and is capable of operating in environments as cold as -10°C. The front element features a fluorine coating to help repel dust, dirt, and moisture.It might be a relatively older design (Compared to other FE lenses) but the FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA remains a fantastic lens and one of the best standard prime lens options for Sony’s mirrorless camera system. Optically, it’s excellent with outstanding sharpness in the center of the frame when used at f/1.8 and truly incredible corner to corner sharpness just a couple of stops down. The lens also has a very pleasing bokeh, very good contrast and performs incredibly well against bright sources of light. The one genuine optical flaw is the high amounts of bokeh fringing at f/1.8 and this doesn’t really disappear until the lens is stopped down to f/5.6. The FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* is one of the first three lenses available for Sony's full-frame E-mount system, having been announced alongside the Alpha 7 and 7R camera bodies. It's a slightly long 'normal' prime designed for everyday photography, and its relatively fast F1.8 aperture makes it a good choice for selective focus work or shooting in low light. Its 7-element, 5-group optical design includes three aspherical elements to minimise aberrations, which is unusual for this type of lens. Given the popularity of this focal length, users of the FE mount have some options available to them that compete directly with the Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA lens.