A first look at Sony’s much-anticipated 50mm f/1.2

This morning, Sony announced the much-anticipated 50mm f/1.2 G Master lens. The lens is the 60th lens that Sony has developed for the Sony E-mount system (and 40th FE lens). This year also marks the fifth anniversary of the G Master series of lenses.

Matching the size and weight of the Zeiss 50mm f/1.4, the Sony 50mm f/1.2 features a high-end design with pristine autofocus capabilities.

Given its f/1.2 aperture and 11 blade circular design, the 50mm is capable of producing a clean, circular bokeh without flat spots. Utilizing Nano AR Coating II, the 50mm minimized internal reflections so flare and ghosting don’t occur.

“We’re excited to introduce our 60th E-mount lens — the FE 50mm f/1.2 GM — which delivers a new level of expression and usability for still images and video as an f/1.2 lens,” said Neal Manowitz, deputy president for Imaging Products and Solutions Americas at Sony Electronics.

On the focusing side of things, the 50mm has four extreme dynamic (XD) linear motors. These provide high thrust efficiency needed to accurately position the lens’ two focus groups in the floating focus mechanism. Those actuators also contribute to the lens’ quiet focus drive. Compared to similar lenses by Canon and Nikon, this allows the Sony 50mm to focus faster and more efficiently, which is especially useful for video use cases.

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The lens has an aperture ring with switchable click stops, and is fully dust and moisture resistant. It features a 0.4 meter minimum focusing distance.

The 50mm f/1.2 is slated to be available mid-May for a retail price of approximately $2000. Get notified when this lens is available for preorder, through B&H.

Initial thoughts

This is a lens I’m frankly pretty excited about. As someone who regularly shoots on-the-go, compact lenses are my bread and butter. Up until recently, Sony hasn’t bothered to develop many fast, compact primes in its G Master lineup. It’s great to see Sony entering this area, which competes with some of the glass from Sigma and Tamron.

While there’s certainly a price difference between Sony’s offerings and those from third parties, the build and image quality seem remarkable.

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In the sample photos I saw, the background blur with bokeh was beautiful. I can see using this for environmental portraits for sure, but also in low-light scenarios that require it.

Having a native f/1.2 lens really can really show the advantages of Sony’s system. A lot of people thought having such a fast lens wasn’t possible given Sony’s E-mount system. Sony has several f/1.4 lenses, but this is the company’s first entry into f/1.2 lenses, pushing the boundaries of the system further.