An ideal portrait-length prime, the FE 85mm f/1.8 from Sony is a sleek short-telephoto lens designed for full-frame E-mount mirrorless cameras. The bright f/1.8 maximum aperture benefits this lens’s use in low-light conditions and also affords extensive control over depth of field when working with selective focus techniques. The nine elements, eight groups lens construction includes one extra-low dispersion element to minimize chromatic aberrations and color fringing for greater clarity and color accuracy. Benefitting the optical design is a simple, intuitive physical layout that incorporates a customizable focus hold button and a physical AF/MF switch. The double linear AF motor itself affords quick, quiet, and smooth focusing performance, and this motor also offers snappy manual focus performance for fine-tuned control. Finally, the lens is designed to be dust- and moisture-resistant for increased protection.

Portrait-perfect sharpness and bokeh: There’s nothing like the sharpness and smooth bokeh of a well-designed mid-range telephoto prime lens for portraiture, and the SEL85F18 is a standout choice. It features a compact, lightweight design for mobility, with high-performance optics and a large F1.8 maximum aperture that deliver outstanding image quality. An excellent second lens for both full-frame and APS-C camera users.

Fine prime-lens performance: ED glass for chromatic aberration compensation, a 9-blade circular aperture, and carefully controlled spherical aberration contribute to superb sharpness and smooth bokeh.

Mobile and manageable for active shooting: A compact, lightweight (13.1 oz/371 g) design that is ideally matched to the α7 series offers a great blend of portability and high image quality for portraits, events, and more.

Quiet, precise focus drive: A double linear motor system directly drives the lens’s focus mechanism without intervening gears for precise, quiet operation that is ideal for movies as well as stills.

Quality build, versatile features: A customizable focus hold button, a wide and responsive focus ring, dust and moisture-resistant design, and other refinements add up to outstanding quality and versatility.

Lens Configuration: Impressive optical performance for Sony cameras, precision engineered for versatility and reliability in a wide range of applications.

MTF Chart: MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) describes how well a lens can reproduce fine details, measured as the degree of contrast achieved between finely spaced lines.