Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS E-Mount Prime Lens for APS-C Mirrorless Cameras – Ideal for Portraits, Low-Light, and Street Photography

I bought this prime lens for my Sony a6000 after feeling a bit limited with the 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens that came with it. I have to say that I am really glad I bought this lens, although it was also on sale at the time which sweetened the deal and I had kept an eye on it for a while. The difference between f3.5 on the kit lens and the f1.8 on this lens really is impressive, I have attached some photos of thistles that were shot on this lens at that f-number which are (in my opinion) really nice. There is also a long exposure shot attached as well that is shot at a much greater f11 for 13 seconds.The thing I like most about this prime lens is that it feels like a great upgrade to the kit lens as it forces you to develop new skills and try new techniques. For example, that long exposure shot was the first I had ever tried something like that before, I sort of knew what to do in theory but it was not until I found something I could rest my camera on (I did not have a tripod at this point), stick a filter on the front of the lens (which I had never used before) and punched in some ballpark settings for a long exposure shot and waited to see if it would work. I was so surprised at how well the photos came out (in my eyes).I think the great thing about this lens is it is sharp, it has the optical steady shot (OSS) stabilisation built into the lens, which the a6000 lacks in the body. Essentially meaning the lens will correct for hand shudder when you are not using a tripod. For a beginner like myself, or someone with a camera that lacks in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) it is a great bonus to have. I do not tend to shoot much video but from what I have read it becomes more important if you are walking around videoing or vlogging with it so it is worth bearing in mind if that is how you plan to use it. I was torn between this and the Sigma 30mm f1.4, which would be the main rival to this lens from what I can tell. I was undecided on which of the two I would buy until this lens came down in price on sale, and if I am honest, from what I have read you probably won't go wrong with either as they both get rave reviews. As this is a Sony lens I would imagine the autofocus is slightly better than the Sigma but I can't honestly say that as I do not have the Sigma lens to compare, the autofocus is good but it can struggle in certain situations, although I am not skilled enough to know if that is due to error on my part in those situations!In conclusion, I am really happy with this lens, I feel like the main reason I got this prime lens was to try and develop new skills which is exactly what I have been able to do. It is light, compact, has OSS and comes with it's own lens hood and rear cap - which for some reason the kit lens lacks - which are all nice attributes for this as a whole package.If you are in doubt about what to get, read reviews and watch youtube clips about them, I found that really helpful. It feels like a bit of a risk every time you spend money on a lens and I felt the same when buying this, but I am really glad I did.Hope this helps!

First off, I returned the one I ordered from a marketplace seller (via amazon) as it wasn't as described, no retail box or lens hood etc. However, issue was resolved quickly and refund sorted....onto the lens itself.I now have the lens from elsewhere and this is a major step up from my 16-50 kit lens. If like me you are still fairly new to the SLR / CSC world then like me you may be wondering just how much can a lens change things? A lot it turns out.What I've realised with having a good prime lens, is the difference in the sharpness, contrast and colour results I get. I went to New York recently, but to get the width I needed I didn't use the new prime, but the 16-50 powerzoom kit lens. Of course, I'd gotten used to my sharp results with this, and was a little disappointed with my soft shots which needed a lot of lightroom work. This now means I want to invest in a wide angle prime, but I'm glad I'm learning the lesson, my wallet isn't.Also, having a 1.8 aperture makes things a lot more fun. It allows faster shooting and really cool blurry backgrounds on your photos, aka Bokeh (a word I'm still not sure how to pronounce).If you have the money I've been told, and read, that the Carl Zeiss lens are the best but I can't compare as my wallet isn't that deep yet. However, my results with this lens have been fantastic and I highly recommend as a first lens for the NEX camera away from the kit. It makes me wonder if in the past I've upgraded my camera when really I just needed a better lens!

I just received my 35mm f1.8 lens a couple of days ago. I bought it due to the equivalent (full frame) focal length of 52.5mm - 50mm being one of the staple lenses of many great photographers. I also felt that for the type of photography I was interested in, I was going to need a fast prime. The 16-50mm power zoom lens that came equipped with my NEX6 was ok, but just not fast enough in low light, and I felt like I was relying on the camera to find a shot for me, rather than position myself for decent composition. Hopefully this lens will encourage me to be more creative!Compared to the SEL1650, the SEL35F18 straight away feels only slightly heavier, but a gentle jiggle gives the impression that the 35mm construction is more solid. It's also about a 3rd taller than the 16-50; it's not so much that I need to buy another bag, thankfully.The focus ring is very smooth, solid, and nice and cool thanks to the aluminum outer casing. Manual focus is what I will use 98% of the time, so I'll leave it to others to comment on autofocus performance. The manual focus though is exactly what I expected, and I had high expectations.The image quality from what I've seen so far under indoor low light conditions are outstanding. Really nice subject isolation and bokeh. Lens distortion seems minimal- according to the lens distortion correction profile, only slightly needing to pull out the corners a little. Vignetting is quite mild too. With both of these my only other experience is with the 16-50mm PZ, but I will say both corrections are far less extreme with the 35mm.Initially I struggled to choose between the 50mm (75mm equiv) and 35mm (52.5mm equiv), as the former had many excellent reviews and ratings and was also much, much cheaper than the latter. However, despite the added cost, I'm very happy to be the owner of such a lovely lens - despite other lenses that I might buy (SEL16F28 with wide angle looks good...) the 35mm will likely be fitted most of the time as it's simply the best all-round prime for everyday use.Anyone hesitating, or anyone like me who wanted the 35mm as their main lens but felt like the 50mm is a better 'deal', go with your instincts and get the 35mm. It's just more versatile in my opinion, and it's so fast, smooth and sexy. I just can't imagine anyone that has it having second thoughts.