A few with the Sony 85 1.4 G Master Lens
So wow. Just wow. I was in Miami, FL shooting the new Sony 85 1.4 G Master lens on my Sony A7RII last night and it is without question, the best 85mm lens I have ever shot. Sony says it is the best lens they have ever made, period. I believe it. The build is so nice. Beats the Nikon 85 1.4 and Canon 85 1.2 and the optics are just beautiful. Between this and the Zeiss Batis, I much prefer the Sony G Master 85 1.4. While the Batis is also gorgeous, this one is a step above in build and performance.
What you are about to look at here are some OOC images using the new 85, all wide open up to ISO 6400 in mostly very low light.
As always, you must click on each image to see it correctly but so far, what I see is fabulous Bokeh, superb sharpness, biting color and contrast. The focus is fast in good light, it gets slower in low light but no slower than the Nikon 85 1.4 and faster than the slow Canon 85 1.2. I will say it again, this lens is GORGEOUS, and IMO, well worth the asking price. Sony pulled out all the stops here, making the best lens they can make, and it shows.
I will be reviewing this lens in full soon, as I see this becoming my fave E mount lens. Just gorgeous. More updates this week, so sty tuned!
The Sony 85 1.4 G Master can be pre-ordered HERE.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE THEM CORRECTLY – ALL WERE SHOT IN VERY LOW LIGHT EXCEPT ONE OF THESE, ALL WIDE OPEN. OOC IMAGES…
hey steve nice pictures ! I pre ordered mine yesterday … I already liked the 35mm 1.4 which has a similar design. keep on shooting !greetings from saxony markus 😉
Nikon D810 & Nikkor 85 1.4G weight 1.475 g
Sony a7 MKII & 85 G Mater weight 1.445 g
I think we are long gone those days in which you choose mirrorless over dslr because of weight unless you are shooting small primes, and still there is not much difference. And if compare to D750 it’s even less heavier the dslr. I think is a matter of the technology, but if someone chooses mirrorless because of size and decides to shoot these kind of lenses, will be not be satisfied….
Just wanted to say one more thing:) Yes, this lens is amazing- if I sounded to harsh. I’ve come to the point that character matters just as much as sharpness. Anyhow, I’ve been debating on what 85mm lens to purchase since I shoot M43 and Sony A and FE mount. Looking at pics of this 85 and the Nocticron- I think I’m going to go with the Nocti, save myself some weight and hold off on this guy. I think the Nocti has already proven itself. Cheers.
Nocticron is fantastic but its still a 42mm lens in FOV and character, so will not give you the isolation of the Sony. But the Nocticron is less expensive, much smaller and you will LOVE it. With that said, the Sony 85 is a stunner. Just depends on if you want full frame and a real 85 or M 4/3 and a 42mm lens (which will give you the mag of a 85 but not the FOV or character or bokeh). If it were me, it would be a tough choice but both are wonderful.
This might sound rediculous but I think there is just to much 3D pop going on. It’s just to much man. I guess all of Sony’s lenses are going to aim for the sharp transition from focus to in focus now. Forget about the lonely planar designs of old…geez. I’ll wait for more reviews, but I hope this lens shows some character.
Apparently the lens likes hats.
Great shots!!
I want a replacement for my 135 mm STF and this one has it I think.
AF and so on.
What do you think?
I follow this side for years.
Did you use face detect with this shallow depth of field? Even more specifically, did you use the eye detect?
The reason I ask is because I use a DSLR and I shy away from these wide apertures because of success rate hitting the eye on tight head and shoulder portraits. Eye detect is something that is drawing me to mirrorless for the possibility that wider apertures can be used more often if it is accurate enough.
Oha !!!!!!
Hi Steve,
Great photos, another example of Sony being at the top of their game! How’s it compare with Leica’s 42.5 Noctilux?
I meant to say the Panasonic Leica 42.5mm Nocticron.
May be I’m as blind as a bat, but (from the photos posted – though very competently captured all) I failed to notice anything outstanding in terms of colour, contrast or sharpness that the Nikon or the Canon lenses (two very exceptional lenses both) can’t achieve routinely.
Have personally nothing against fanboy promotions, but guys let’s not forget the “Emperor’s New Clothes”.
Fully agree with your observation.
indeed, impressive images ! and the price is impressive too : 2000 Euros !
WOW. That is the nicest Bokeh I’ve ever seen. But the focus field is too shallow so it has to be stopped down in most cases. How does it compare against the color and contrast of the Batis 85mm? (the Sony weighs twice as much)
Hi Abe – there’s quite a few posts on this subject around, several videos have appeared on the Sony Alpha Rumours website, but the best one I’ve seen so far, which includes numerous very high resolution images shot by one of the ‘Sony Artisans’, is on The Phoblographer’s website:
http://www.thephoblographer.com/2016/02/23/comparison-sony-g-master-85mm-f1-4-vs-zeiss-85mm-f1-8-batis/#.VtgKLyjNFMU
As nice as these photos are I still think the images you posted with the Canon 85 keg lens with the 6d a few years back have a more magical look. I always remember that photo you took of that butterfly and how dreamy it looked. I’m excited that Sony made an 85mm though… thanks Steve.
What would you say the difference is between this lens and the 90mm 2.8 macro? How would the images have turned our differently?
The first shot in particular Steve is just magic. Really well captured.
Any chance that you had your A7s with you too? I’m interested to hear how that lens performs on non PDAF bodies and for video use.
I’m looking forward to your review. I’m also hoping that Sony’s quality control is great with this new GM lineup.
I had phase detect OFF on the RII, and it worked just fine 😉 Thanks.
Just curious why you would have phase detect switched off? What is the performance difference in doing so?
Thanks Steve
No difference at all really in normal day to day shooting. The camera has it off by default and you must turn it on in the menu if you want it.
Hi Steve, very beautiful glass there! How do you compare it with the Canon 85 1.2, that I love so much?
Thank you for this and ALL your great posts!
Thanks! Better build, better feel in hand, sharper and better color/contrast – Bokeh is beautiful but different from the Canon. THIS is indeed my fave 85 ever, and I have used them all. Never have I raved about any of them but this one deserves massive raves. Review soon.
Impressive rendering and beautiful transition from in- to out of focus areas by this lens.
Looks very good, but difficult to judge from these (mainly very good) images what the actual difference with other top class 85’s would be. Not that that matters a whole lot, they all produce more than acceptable image quality.
Astonishing !!! Amazing photos Steve !
Can’t wait for your full review.
Thank you!
sorry about the previous comment, I was looking at the previews, when you click on the images they look great!
Yes, which is why I always say “you must click them to see them correctly” 🙂
Scary to look at the bigger versions, they just POP
Wow. So much texture. Lovely look. Going to have to use your pre-order link. Amazing look. Love the lack of near-surgerical microcontrast that the Batis has. Gives a completely different draw. Going to make a wonderful portrait lens.
One word, Amazing ! I have already seen pictures taken from this lens, but this is the first time I see some in such low light ! Just wow !
Hi Steve those are very nice images, but there is something from the colors, it seems different from your previous posts. Did you change the editing? Not saying its bad just different, but i seem to like better your previous editing. Thanks for sharing and making the GAS always go crazy….
NO EDITING HERE as stated. I am on my small laptop and had 5 minutes to post this, so when I do my review they will be from raw, with full size images. Also, many of these are in VIVID mode, some in Standard, etc. Also, all were in low light, most at high ISO.
Got it! My bad not reading the OOC part 🙂 Not very fund of Sonys jpg, will be waiting for the review, which pretty sure will have amazing colors. Thanks!