Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM

Sony has been building up its full-frame mirrorless lens range longer than anyone else, having launched its Alpha 7 system in 2013. As it’s gained experience in making high-end optics, the firm has also refined its design philosophy. Its early efforts were often criticised for being too large and heavy, but its more recent lenses have delivered stellar performance in a more compact form, exemplified by the superb FE 24mm F1.4 GM. Now, it’s applied the same idea to the 35mm focal length.

Those familiar with Sony’s range will know that it already makes the Zeiss-badged Distagon T* 35mm F1.4 ZA, which dates from early 2015. However the FE 35mm F1.4 GM is distinctly smaller and lighter, focuses closer, and uses 11 diaphragm blades rather than nine. It costs £1,500 at launch, just £200