An ideal second lens, the SEL35F18 prime lens can handle anything from evening shots (thanks to the bright maximum aperture) to beautifully defocused portraits. Instead of a standard polygon-shaped lens aperture, this lens features a 7-blade circular aperture for more natural, rounded defocusing or ‘bokeh’.

It will not mount on any Sony A-mount DSLR or any Minolta MAXXUM 35mm SLR of any kind. Those use the old A mount which was actually the Minolta MAXXUM mount from 1987.Aspherical lens elements minimise distortion while ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements provide superior contrast, resolution, and colour fidelity. This made-in-China special is a little softer in the laboratory on the sides and in the corners wide open. It's not the Zeiss 35/2.8 which costs twice as much and is a stop slower, but also flawlessly sharp in the corners in the lab wide-open where no one cares. You won't see this lens' corner softness at f/1.8 in actual pictures, but you will if you shoot it in a lab where no good pictures are ever made anyway. The slight corner softness improves as stopped down even at f/2.8, and by f/4 to f/5.6 this lens is perfect in the corners, and that's where we usually shoot anyway.

Both the motor controlling focus and the one that controls aperture are quiet, smooth and unobtrusive, ideal for shooting video.When used on APS-C, it sees the same angle of view as a 50mm lens sees when used on a full-frame camera. Contrast is often effected when shooting into the sun, especially when wide-open!! Here is how the sel35f18 fairs in these really harsh conditions using raw quality. Note the lens flare towards the bottom of the image. Sony E-Mount 35mm f/1.8 OSS Lens – Into the Sun @ f/1.8 – Raw Bokeh, the feel or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is pretty good. The equivalent focal length for the sel35f18 lens on the crop factor Sony mirrorless camera system is 52.5mm, and a very usable range for my style of shooting as it turns out 😉 It’s especially good for low light hand holding with the built-in Optical SteadyShot technology (OSS). I got some pretty slow shutter speed photos “hand-held” that would not normally be possible without the OSS.

Compact and easy to carry - lightweight and only around 45mm long, it’s an ideal second lens for when you’re out and about Smooth, silent operation - both the motor controlling focus and the one that controls aperture are quiet, smooth and unobtrusive, ideal for shooting videoThe worst I've seen is one magenta blob between the light source and the center of the image, and this is only under extreme conditions as I show at Sunstars. The AF and OSS are almost silent, which is killer for filming when you need the audio from the camera. One other note that makes the Sony E-Mount lenses better than the competition for video in particular, is the focus transitioning technology. The focus transitions are very graceful when recording video with an ease in ease out effect. In photography mode it’s much faster and snappier compared to recording video. You can override the smooth transitions by pressing the shutter button while recording and that will jump-start the AF to wherever your trying to focus.

Built-in image stabilisation - Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation and a large F1.8 aperture enhance handheld shooting in fading light or dimly lit interiors The Sigma DN Lenses which I reviewed Here >> are about the same quality sharpness, but a bit slower at f/2.8 and has no OSS, is a better value for the dollar if your going for straight-up optical performance alone. If you factor in the OSS, smooth transition technology for video, faster f/1.8 aperture, and better build quality, the higher price of the SLE35F18 Lens makes sense. The Sony SEL35F18 is a good fast prime lens that is sold at the price of SGD 629. It has the normal angle of view, smooth and creamy circular bokeh, no distortion, great OSS, and a large aperture for low-light scenes. Its focusing is pretty fast and accurately during daylight shooting.This tiny little lens is a jewel for use as a normal lens and for shooting in any kind of low light. With both stabilization and a fast aperture, you're prepared for anything.