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Review Summary
2021-02-19T14:08:08
This lens takes nice sharp photos and provides decent contrast and colors. It is a great bargain for the price. I used it for several years as my main lens on Sony a580. Highly recommended budget lens for versatile shooting needs.
MISHA G.
2020-09-18T10:59:04
I didn't buy the Sony DT 35mm f/1.8 SAM lens from Adorama, but I'd like to comment on mine anyway. It is as light as a Dixie cup but despite its plastic construction it has held up remarkably well for 10 years. I find myself using more versatile zoom lenses more often but for the times you need a short controlled depth of field this lens delivers. It won't give you the dreamy look of an f/1/4 Rokkor from days of yore but defocuses backgrounds a lot better than most variable aperture zooms ever could at 35mm. As a for instance, Sony's 18-250mm superzoom is at f/4.5 at 35mm and even constant aperture f/2.8 zooms are a stop-and-a-half slower. Also, that wide aperture and light weight make it easier to shoot handheld in dim conditions, You won't confuse this lens or images from it with a Zeiss lens, but you won't be paying anywhere near the cost either. Prime (single focal length) lenses don't get the love that zooms do, but this one should.
HOWARD N.
2018-08-20T12:54:51
I've had this lens now for a few weeks. I've put this lens through it's paces. I wasn't expecting a lot from the lens considering the low price. I was WRONG! This lens is EXCELLENT in low light. When I say low light, I mean outside dark with a tiki torch burning can appear daylight with very little noise. A quick stop in post I have some great photos. This will surely be my walking around lens as it can do it all. Stop it down and you get really nice, sharp images. Open it wide up and you have some beautiful bokeh.
Mark H.
2018-05-23T11:51:25
Love this lens--it's my first one outside of my kit lens and I can already tell I'm obsessed!
Ashlin A.
2017-10-04T12:03:51
While it is fixed lens...the low f-stop is really great for awesome pictures in almost any light. I just use auto-everything and it's hard to make a bad shot unless staring into a direct light source. We use it all the time.
SCOTT S.
2016-10-07T20:00:00
Just what I hoped it would be. Light weight and gives excellent image quality without any noticeable distortion. Only downside is that the camera mount is plastic rather than the traditional metal but for the price of it, it's well worth it.
SnapperAl
2016-10-07T20:00:00
Just what I hoped it would be. Light weight and gives excellent image quality without any noticeable distortion. Only downside is that the camera mount is plastic rather than the traditional metal but for the price of it, it's well worth it.
AllyMac
2016-08-30T20:00:00
Compact and lightweight this lens is great quality at an affordable price. Used on a A68 results are excellent.
PBoy
2016-01-22T08:02:43
While the price is higher than the sigmas and others this lens is worth it. The 35mm focal length on my a6000 gives me a 50mm equivalent which is quite versatile. My copy is very sharp and the OSS makes getting sharp photos possible handheld at 1/15 of a second. In video mode the autofocus is silent and snappy. I couldn't believe just how well it performed reviewing footage I had taken. Long story short this lens is practically glued to the front of my a6000 due to its performance, light weight and low light capability. You will not be disappointed!
BRIAN P.
2016-01-05T09:23:49
I bought the lens for portrait for my family. My concern is the sharpness and color capture. I'm using the lens kit, sigma and Minolta Lens is light and very portable. It's sharpness is better than all other lens. H/e, it's still not hair pin sharp. I like my Minolta 50mm 1.7/f better, Color is OK. Anyway, it's still a good and versatile lens with below $200, but I'm not so crazy for it.
STANLEY S.
2015-10-28T20:00:00
Just like the standard zoom that had come with my old A200, the focus ring of the 35F18 SAM rattles. Its not broken, but it is so loose it looks like it is. Focussing speed is fair and it is a little noisy compared to modern more expensive lenses. For the price however, its good value.
ghun1
2015-07-08T20:00:00
Just treated myself to a a77ii to move on from point and shoot. Got this as a first lense and found it really easy to use. Haven't explored half of what the camera can do but I am sure this lense will rise to the task and be a staple in my collection.
nicknicks
2015-07-05T20:00:00
I've had this lens a couple of years now....use in once-in-a-while, but when I do it's because I really need it's features. Fast, clear, great shallow depth of field and light. Often use it in urban shoots. Also like it because, not being a zoom, it makes you move your feet, which is good to get a better picture. And finally it's not expensive.
Trooperm11
2014-09-09T20:00:00
This is great lens for $200. It's tack sharp and great in low light. The build is decent for this price level but the upside of that is, it's ultra light. This is a great normal prime for the DT camera.
OutdoorPhotog
2014-05-03T20:00:00
Let me start out by saying that I returned this item. I am absolutely a Sony man all the way. I was looking for a lens that was wide angle and fixed. While I could get low light shots, that was great. But I wanted a wide angle lens and this is not, in my opinion, a wide-angle lens. So this is not a bad review by any means. I love Sony and would never give them a bad review unless they deserved it… But they never have
Augwolf
2014-02-21T19:00:00
I decided to purchase the lense after I read good reviews and I was amazed especially in low loght . I used it in dark and it was like a daytime.The price is in mid range not expensive nor cheap.If you like to take pictures @ night that is the right lense. I use it with sony slt a57.
queennola
2013-10-14T21:00:00
Nice indoor and lowlight lens. Optics are very good, lens is sharp. Focusing is not silent at all.
JOONSOO P.
2012-09-17T20:00:00
This is a very good lens for the price. Sony's higher end version sells for $1500, and doesn't offer 7 times the performance. Physically, this is a small lens that's made of plastic. The mount is plastic and that may be a turn-off to enthusiasts. This makes it super light weight. As for image quality, it's not so great at f/1.8 because of the soft corners and minor light fall off around the edges. But once you stop down to f/2.8, it's heaven. Great overall sharpness there and no light fall off at all.. That's still plenty good for low-light situations. My Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 needs to stop down to f/4 to match this lens. Distortion is minimal. The AF motor makes a fair amount of noise. It's not bothersome at all, but it's obviously not good for video. Focus speed is good. It doesn't work on Full Frame, but that's a good thing because this would probably be horrible on a FF camera. If you're using a Full Frame camera, you probably wouldn't be looking at a $200 lens.
Kaito
2012-08-31T20:00:00
I purchased this lens for my a35 camera after it was recommended that I add a fixed focus prime lens in my bag. I read a number of reviews and I'm extremely happy with my choice. The level of performance is fantastic. Hand held pictures remained clear in low light and the bokeh is awesome (the pics I posted don't do it justice). I highly recommend this lens. Note, I'm not sure whether a 35mm combined w/ a camera with an aps sensor is the equivalent of a traditional 50mm film lens, but I chose this lens over the 50mm despite many people saying that 50mm are almost mandatory. In any event, I love this lens.
cptab
2012-04-26T20:00:00
Purchased this lens for some low light live performance work and it is excellent! Also had the chance to go shoot some landscape and nature and produced some fo the sharpest images I have yet to capture. Great lens for the money. Like someone else mentioned, if you don't have the bucks for the 35mm f1.4 G lens, this is definitely worth the asking price. One star deducted for not fitting full frame sensor.
tastrong61
2012-02-23T19:00:00
I recently received an a35 to replace the a350 the Mother in law dropped. Ordered the 75-300 lens with it (as most of my photography is nature, i.e; animals, birds) and I still had many other lenses, including a few Prime lenses, 50mmf1.2, and 400mmf4, and an 18-70mm f3.-4.6 zoom. I desired a nice normal lens, and this one will do very nicely. Good optics, weight, brightness, function. But please, Adorama, stop calling it a Wide angle Zoom, as it is strictly a Normal focal length Prime lens. (a 52.5 on aps-c conversion from 35mm terms)
Z-Eyes
2012-01-28T19:00:00
This little lens can produce fantastic images (in terms of sharpness, CA, light fall off, bokeh, etc); all despite of its very affordable price. That said, it's made of plastic and feels rather cheap and fragile in your hands, but if you think about its retail price... it's really not that bad, and definitely worth every penny when you see the images it can produce! I only wish there was a window for the scale, but those only appear on higher priced lenses. Being a prime lens, the sharpness in its images are fantastic and if you don't need the SSM, definitely save yourself over a grand and buy this lens instead of the G series 35mm.
Successful
2011-09-15T21:00:00
i use it on a sony a55, great pictures, im learning photography and i like this lens so much, i buy it directly in te store in NewYork,[...]
inglaof
2011-06-10T20:00:00
This is a good lens from sony and its price also reasonable that's why every one can try this prime for great portrait picture
Babon
2011-01-25T19:00:00
On balance I have to say that regardless of the fact the lens is of plastic construction and mount, it is the highest level of performance between ALL of the affordable primes, which includes the 50mm f1.8 and 85mm f2.8. it is more appropriate on a cropped sensor providing the 50mm perspective and still does wonderful portraits while allowing for some indoor and outdoor use as well. It is darn sharp wide open already in the center, but stop it down and it will reward with a sharp frame altogether. Nice and light, I can even manually focus easily on a A55 with this lens. Easily worth it's price.
dcisive
2011-01-11T19:00:00
Sony put everything into producing a nice sharp photo but had to make it up on body construction and SAM focus motor. It all works very nicely together but don't expect $500 worth of features on this sub-$200 lens. Well-suited for use as a short focal length portrait lens (equivalent to full frame 50mm lens).
LANCE H.
2011-01-10T19:00:00
Sony put in the stuff that counts (good optics and a fast aperture) and kept the cost down by using plastic construction and a not-silent SAM focus motor. The good optics provide very sharp photographs, the f1.8 aperture lets you blur the background (bokeh) which isolates your subject. Consider this lens if you're on a budget and looking for a fixed focal length lens for portraits.
SoCalEngineer
Sony
SAL35F18
Sony DT
Black
Standard
Sony Alpha
APS-C / DX
Auto Focus
N/A
9.6" / 23cm
Yes
N/A
35mm
44 deg.
52.5mm
N/A
f/22
f/1.8
0.135x
N/A
N/A
N/A
55mm
6 Elements / 5 Groups
7
2-7/8 x 2-1/8" (70 x 52mm)
6oz / 170g
None
Yes
N/A
N/A
027242805217
The best of the "Easy Choice" Primes
By dcisive
On balance I have to say that regardless of the fact the lens is of plastic construction and mount, it is the highest level of performance between ALL of the affordable primes, which includes the 50mm f1.8 and 85mm f2.8. it is more appropriate on a cropped sensor providing the 50mm perspective and still does wonderful portraits while allowing for some indoor and outdoor use as well. It is darn sharp wide open already in the center, but stop it down and it will reward with a sharp frame altoge...
View full Review
Plastic Fantastic
By Kaito
This is a very good lens for the price. Sony's higher end version sells for $1500, and doesn't offer 7 times the performance. Physically, this is a small lens that's made of plastic. The mount is plastic and that may be a turn-off to enthusiasts. This makes it super light weight. As for image quality, it's not so great at f/1.8 because of the soft corners and minor light fall off around the edges. But once you stop down to f/2.8, it's heaven. Great overall sharpness there and no light fall of...
View full Review
Fast prime lens, ideal for low light - DT 35 mm F1.8 SAM Normal Lens (SAL35F18)
Ideal for handheld shooting in low-light, this bright fixed focal length lens covers a range of uses: from portraits and landscapes to travel snapshots.
Excellent sharpness and contrast throughout the image
Circular aperture for smooth, natural defocusing
Responsive internal SAM (Smooth Autofocus Motor) AF drive
Bright enough for handheld shooting in low light
35mm equivalent focal length: 52.5mm
The SAL-35F18 wide angle zoom lens is just what you need for capturing those wide scenes with optimal detail. It includes an SH111 solid-circular lens hood, front and rear lens caps.
Say goodbye to blur - Pair the lens with a Sony camera with SteadyShot INSIDE and you'll enjoy smooth, blur-free results when shooting handheld, even zoomed in.
Smooth defocusing - Instead of a standard polygon-shaped lens aperture, this lens features a 7-blade circular aperture for more natural, rounded defocusing, or bokeh.
Refined optical performance - Multiple lens elements crafted from high-performance optical glass help minimize distortion and aberrations, giving you crisp, sharp images.
Smooth, silent autofocus - Built into the lens, the Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM) is significantly smoother and quieter than conventional camera-coupled autofocus drive systems.