Sony 50mm f/1.4 (Full frame, 35mm and smaller-format coverage, 55mm filters, 7.8 oz. /221g, 1.5'/0.45m close focus, about $450 ).

Gary Wolstenholme reviews the Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 ZA SSM lens, a standard prime lens for use with Sony A-mount cameras which sports a fast f/1.4 maximum aperture and silent focusing.

Superb build; Fantastically sharp when stopped down; Quick to focus; Reasonably lightweight ofr its size and build

High CA at fast apertures; Fairly poor sharpness towards the edges of the frame at f1.4

I use this now on my A77 and my results have been great with extremely clear photos that makes my 35mm pale in comparison. This lens is very well built and has a very high quality grip around the lens. Simply a must have!

The Sony Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 ($1,499.99 direct) is the top-end standard-angle prime lens for Sony D-SLR cameras . It's a more expensive version of the older Sony 50mm f/1.4 , but it's one that's been designed with very little compromise in terms of optical qualities.

Impressively sharp; Excellent depth of field control; Captures a ton of light; Great build quality

Some barrel distortion; Big; Expensive

Sony's older 50mm f1.4 lens was really a rebadged Minolta, and the company has been overdue on creating their very own version for the system. Earlier this year, they announced it. And Sony's new 50mm f1.4 is really as glorious as we thought it would be to start with.

Creamy bokeh, solid construction. As good as the legendary old Minolta 85mm f1.4. Colours are vivid and images sharp. Performance wide open is considerably better than Minolta 50mm f1.4 Much faster focusing silently. Everything is better with this lens. Is it worth it compared to Minolta 50mm

Works as expected. A good lense.

Andy Westlake tries out Sony's latest premium fast prime designed for Alpha 7 users, the Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA

Back in 2006, Sony took over Konica Minolta's troubled camera business in a bid to become a major player in the market. Ten years on and its relentless experimentation and innovation have paid dividends, with the Alpha 7 full-frame mirrorless system rapidly establishing itself as a serious...

Back in 2006, Sony took over Konica Minolta's troubled camera business in a bid to become a major player in the market. Ten years on and its relentless experimentation and innovation have paid dividends, with the Alpha 7 full-frame mirrorless system rapidly establishing itself as a serious...