There are some fabulous Sony lenses - and the the Sony 55mm and 35mm prime lenses are two of the best in terms of outright sharpness. Make no doubt about it, when coupled with the auto focus on the Sony A7 series cameras, this 55mm makes bitingly sharp images with strong contrast.

This was the first "premium" lens I picked up for my a7III after owning the 50mm 1.8, as well as the Tamron 28-75 G1. This is a lens that I will never let go of. There's something magical about the way that it renders images.

Incredibly durable, lightweight, tack sharp, silent and fast autofocus

Chromatic aberrations wide open can be distracting, video autofocus is not reliable in super low light conditions.

This is a good lens. Lightweight, very sharp and great color reproduction. This is a good lens to pair with your mirrorless A7 series camera. Its not very big or heavy and the 49mm filter size will not break the bank if you shoot with filters.

Lightweight; sharp; color reproduction

Onion ring bokeh; price

The Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA is certainly capable of delivering stunning results ... if you are aware of a few limitations. The image center is sharp at f/1.8 but the outer image region isn't quite as impressive here.

All systems are go with this perfect full frame lens for the a7R body. Every electronic setting of the a7R can be adjusted to work the optics of this lens. Focus is spot on; apochromatic images are a7R-perfected; and, as a result, they have depth, extremely high resolution, and clarity.

The Sony Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA is a standard prime lens for Sony's mirrorless cameras, and corrected for use on full-frame bodies. Announced alongside the original A7 bodies in October 2013, it delivers close to standard 50mm coverage for a normal perspective, and a bright f1.8 focal ratio...

55mm focal length; Fast F1.8 maximum aperture; FE lens for full frame Sony E-mount cameras (also works on APS-C E-mount models);

55mm focal length; Fast F1.8 maximum aperture; FE lens for full frame Sony E-mount cameras (also works on APS-C E-mount models);

Compared to all full frame standard f/1.7-1.8 lenses, tested by us so far, the Sonnar 1.8/55 FE has one undeniable advantage: sharp images in the frame centre already from the maximum relative aperture.

compact and solidly sealed casing of high quality,,, very good image quality in the frame centre already from the maximum relative aperture,,, sensible image quality on the edge of the APS-C sensor,, imperceptible lateral chromatic aberration,, moderate distortion,, lack of serious problems...

distinct longitudinal chromatic aberration,, huge vignetting on full frame,, too high coma,, steep price.

The Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA is a high-performing lens that merges light weight, compact size and quality build with excellent image quality and AF performance. While not the cheapest option available, this easy to take with you lens performs excellently.

The Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 is the lens I’ve used the most with the A7 series yet I’d never published a dedicated article about it. As such, I thought it was about time I gave it some attention, especially since this lens is considered by many to be one of the best autofocus prime lenses ever designed.