• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Alpha Shooters Logo

AlphaShooters.com

News & Community for Sony Alpha Shooters

  • Blog
  • Forums
  • Deals
  • Cameras
  • Lenses
  • Memory Cards
  • Accessories
  • Reviews
  • Compare

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G Lens Review

You are here: Home / Reviews / Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G Lens Review

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made through links on this site. I may also earn from links to other online retailers at no extra cost to you.

Last updated: November 4, 2021 by Bernard Déry - 6 Comments

In this review we take an in-depth look at Sony’s FE 40mm F2.5 G lens, a compact and lightweight lens that is a great match for a compact E-mount camera like the Sony a7C.

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G Lens Review
Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Introduction+−
    • Specifications
  • Construction and Handling+−
    • Front Element
    • Lens Body
    • Aperture
    • Lens Mount
    • Lens hood
    • Mounted On Camera
    • Side by side
  • Focusing
  • AF Speed
  • AF Tracking
  • General Image Quality+−
    • Field of View
    • Color and Contrast
    • Starbursts
    • Metering and Exposure
  • Sharpness+−
    • Test results at 40mm
    • Summary
  • Vignetting
  • Bokeh
  • Flare and Ghosting+−
    • Test results at 40mm
  • Chromatic aberration
  • Purple fringing
  • Distortion
  • Sample images
  • Conclusion+−
    • Pros
    • Cons
  • Before You Go

Introduction

40mm is, for many people, a surprising focal length. It sits in-between the more common 35mm and 50mm. However, lenses in this range are not new. Pentax released a 43mm Limited back in 1997 (and still sells it today) and a 40mm in 2004. Prior to that, back in 1976, the company had relesed their first 40mm lens. Canon also released a 40mm in 2012, Voigtlander proposes an Ultron 40mm, Nikon proposes such a lens for the Z-mount, Leica has a Summicron, the list goes on.

Even on the E-mount, there are now a few proposals close to this focal length. In addition to Sony’s 40mm, Sigma offers a 45mm, as does Samyang.

Focal lengths around 40mm are, in fact, close to “normal” than 50mm. A normal focal length is one where the focal length is the same as the sensor’s diagonal; for a full frame sensor, this is exactly 43mm.

A normal focal length delivers a “natural” field of view, close to what the eyes see (in particular regarding perspective). 50mm is a good approximation, but 40-45mm is closer to the mark. These focal lengths are versatile and can be used for a variety of purposes.

Sony 24mm, 40mm, 50mm Lens Trio Top View
Trio of Sony primes

The Sony 40mm is part of a trio of lenses, including a 24mm F2.8 and a 50mm F2.5, all with identical body sizes and almost identical weight. These lenses are intended for users looking for lightweight primes, but also for vloggers and users of gimbals, who will enjoy not having to recalibrate their equipment when changing lenses

Sony 24mm, 40mm, 50mm Lens Trio Side View
Trio of Sony primes

In this in-depth review, we will take a look at all the technical and artistic parameters which help to define a lens. Read on to find out everything there is to know about the Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G!

Specifications

Lens NameFE 40mm F2.5 G (Model SEL40F25G)
Optical formula9 elements in 9 groups
Image circleFull frame
Field of view diagonalFF: 57°
APS-C: 39°
Aperture rangeF2.5/F22
Aperture blades7, curved
Aperture ringYes
Max magnification0.2x (AF), expands to 0.23X (MF)
Minimum focus distance280mm (AF), expands to 250mm (MF)
Internal focusYes
Filter thread diameter49mm
Lens capPlastic, clip-on
Lens hoodRemovable taper
Diameter x Length68 x 45 mm (2.75 x 1.8 in)
Weight173 g (6.2 oz)
Price (US MSRP)$598

Construction and Handling

In this section, we take a look at the physical characteristics of the Sony 40mm F2.5.

Front Element

The front of the lens bears its name, minimum focus distance and filter diameter. The glass takes up a relatively small part of the total front surface.

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
Sony 40mm F2.5 G

The lens uses a small 49mm filter thread. This diameter is shared with its siblings the 24mm and 50mm. It makes it easy to use a single set of filters for several lenses.

The lens cap is plastic.

Lens Body

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
Sony 40mm F2.5 G

The Sony 40mm has a small body with a surprising amount of features and controls. It is also extremely light weight, despite being made of metal. It is identical to that of the Sony 24mm F2.8 G.

The bottom of the body, near the camera mount, the lens name and alignment dot. This dot protrudes for easier alignment.

Higher up is a section dense with features. In the center, bold lettering states for focal length (to distinguish it from the similar 24mm and 50mm).

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
Sony 40mm F2.5 G

To the left is the customizable focus hold button, as well as an AF/MF switch. Next to those is the G label, denoting (on paper) a higher level of quality than more consumer-oriented lenses.

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
Sony 40mm F2.5 G

On the opposite side is a switch to “de-click” the aperture ring, a feature desirable for videographers.

Next is the aperture ring. The ring is ribbed and easy to find, but narrow. There is an A (automatic) position to allow aperture control to be performed by the camera, and aperture values selectable in 1/3 steps increments.

In P and auto modes, the aperture ring does nothing. It serves in A and M modes. One thing to note is that the ring has no lock, and will often rotate with a little friction, for instance when inserting in a camera bag or just when mounting/unmounting the lens. Users will need to be careful not to move the ring unwillingly.

The last element, towards the front, is the focus ring. Wider than the aperture ring, is has an adequate, but by no means remarkable, level of friction.

The lens does not extend when focusing.

Sony 40mm F2.5 G weather sealing

The lens is fully sealed against dust and moisture.

Aperture

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
Sony 40mm F2.5 G aperture

The Sony 40mm uses 7 curved aperture blades. As can be seen above, the curvature is moderate, and mostly manifests at wider apertures.

Lens Mount

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
Sony 40mm F2.5 G mount

The lens mount is metal, and features a thin black o-ring to protect against water ingress.

Lens hood

The lens ships with a metal lens hood. It cannot be reversed for storage as it has a tapered shape, creating a window in front of the lens itself. While it increases the total size, it can be left on at all times since is features the same 49mm thread as the lens, and can hold the lens cap.

  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
Sony 40mm F2.5 G hood

Mounted On Camera

The Sony 40mm looks right at home on the Sony A7C, for which it is an excellent match thanks to its small size.

  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G

Side by side

Here is the Sony 40mm next to Sony’s FE 28-60mm and the Tamron 20mm. It is an excellent match for the A7C’s kit lens; this similarity is probably intentional. It is dwarfed by the Tamron, which is often regarded as a compact lens.

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G

Focusing

The Sony 40mm F2.5 G uses no less han two linear motors to provide fast and precise AF. In particular, tracking is supposed to be enhanced.

Sony 40mm F2.5 G dual linear AF motor
Sony’s dual linear AF motor

In use, the Sony 40mm gives confidence in its focusing capabilities. The lens is almost completely silent.

Focusing feels very fast, responsive and reliable. The silent AF enhances this impression. The 40mm keeps up easily with subject tracking using AF-C. It supports every focusing mode available on the A7C.

There is a focus hold button, and an AF/MF switch on the lens. The switch is low on the lens barrel, making it harder to find at times. The focus ring is correctly dampened and shouldn’t move accidentally. It also gives adequate feedback to the user, not particularly pleasing, but accurate. The precision of the focus adjustments will be dictated by the speed of rotation of the focus ring. Sony did a good job even though focus-by-wire is not as direct as mechanical focusing.

We observed no occurrences of hunting during our tests, and rare misfocuses in low light.

AF Speed

AF speed was tested with the A7C. The subject was a black cross on a white background, about 1.5 meters in front of the camera. We used the central focus point. Three measurements were averaged for each data point.

For reference, 5 EV corresponds roughly to a small room lit with a 60 W bulb, a sunny day corresponds to 16 EV, and a moonlit night to -2 EV.

Sony 40mm AF speed

Even in low light, the Sony 40mm F2.5 G is fast and reliable. Around 0.9 seconds is a pretty good result. When light levels increase, AF becomes almost instant in our test, so quick it is hard to measure. These results, in line with those obtained with the Sony 24mm F2.8 G, are as good as we’ve seen.

Note that actual AF speed varies with the subject distance and conditions.

AF Tracking

AF tracking, or continuous AF, is a hallmark of Sony cameras. As such, it is important to evaluate whether or not the Sony 40mm can keep up with fast movements of the subject.

In our experience, the lens performs very well in this regard, well within expectations. Once focus is locked, the camera keeps up with most subject movements. We rarely never encountered occurrences when the camera would lose its focus lock once achieved except at close distances.

The following animation shows a series of 30 images, and involves movement towards the photographer, followed by a rotation. The last 3 images are the only ones out of focus. The subject was still farther away than the minimum distance.

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
Sony 40mm AF tracking

General Image Quality

Before diving into the technical aspects of this review, let’s have a look at the more subjective elements which can make or break an image.

Field of View

As discussed above, 40mm is close to a perfect normal, making this lens very versatile, a jack-of-all-trades.

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
Day scene with the Sony 40mm F2.5

It is suited for a variety of usages, from portraits to candids, landscapes and cityscapes. Distortion is easy to control on a 40mm lens.

Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
FE 40mm F2.5 G sample

40mm will also be well liked by vloggers who want a tighter angle than, say, 24mm, withwell-controlled distortion and a natural perspective. Portraits photographers will also enjoy the well-controlled aberrations; 40mm is useful as a portrait lens, especially in tight spaces where longer focal lengths are limiting.

The Sony 40mm F2.5 lacks any true close focusing capabilities. That is one limitation of this lens. It can still isolate subjects thanks to its moderately wide maximum aperture.

Color and Contrast

The images produced by the Sony 40mm F2.5 G are pleasing, with well-toned images, nicely saturated without going overboard. The rendering is fairly neutral, but with good tonal range.

  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G

Starbursts

Starbursts are not particularly impressive. Below F8 there is nothing to see and, even at that value, what rays we observe are diffuse. Even at F11 and beyond, the starbursts are never particularly remarkable. Users should not use this lens with the intent to create starbursts.

  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G starbusts
    F2.8
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G starbusts
    F8
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G starbusts
    F11
Starbursts with the Sony 40mm

Metering and Exposure

Exposure was mostly consistent and reliable. We observed some rare occurrences of underexposure, but these were not frequent.

Sharpness

Sharpness, or a lens’s ability to resolve small details, is far from the only important characteristic of a lens, but it is probably the one which many users look at first. Soft images distract the viewer and the sharpest point in an image draws the eye of the viewer.

There are several ways to measure resolution. Some are quantitative, such as the number of lines per millimeter that can be resolved, while others are comparative, such as using a standardized scene to pit lenses against one another. We will use the latter, and supplement it with real-life samples.

To evaluate sharpness, we use a standard test chart that can be used to compare lenses to one another. We place the camera and lenses at a distance of 100x the focal length, so that the chart occupies the same area on all test images. This results in distances of 4 m in the present case. The chart is positioned successively in the center, on the edge and corner off the frame, testing all apertures each time. Focus is repeated for each position to avoid field curvature contributions.

This test will not show how good a lens can be. Quite the contrary, it is a stress test to illustrate the limits of a lens’s capabilities.

Resolution is of course sensor-relevant. For this test we use the A7C camera’s 24 MP sensor.

Test results at 40mm

The following images illustrate the results at all apertures at 40mm.

CenterEdgeCorner
F2.5Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G sharpnessSony FE 40mm F2.5 G sharpnessSony FE 40mm F2.5 G sharpness
F2.8
F4
F5.6
F8
F11
F16
F22
Sharpness of the Sony 40mm

These results illustrate the Sony 40mm’s capabilities and limitations. In general, they are in line with our findings with the company’s 24mm.

In the center, the results are already excellent wide open, and improve marginally F5.6 and F8. F16 remains usable, while F22 can serve in a pinch, but shows decreased resolution.

Edges are never as good as the center. The difference is small at F8 and F11, but wide open it is significant, and will be noticeable.

Corners show poor sharpness. F11 shows a peak in resolution, where the difference with the edges and center is less prominent. Wide open and until F5.6, the corners are unacceptably soft.

These results are good news for photographers who wish to isolate their subject from the background, but bad news for anyone else. Portraiture won’t be affected all that much, but anyone looking for a wide field of view with edge-to-edge sharpness simply won’t find it with this lens.

In the plus side, the discrepancies between the edges and center will not always materialize, in particular because the “center” section expands to a large part of the frame.

Summary

Excellent center sharpness, poor corners and no more than adequate edges. Users expecting tack-sharp results across the whole frame will not be satisfied.

Vignetting

Vignetting, or the darkening of corners at wider apertures, is both a defect and a feature, as it can be used creatively to put emphasis on subjects closer to the center, create a mood or a vintage look. It can also be corrected automatically by modern cameras so is less of a problem than in the past. That is only true for lenses with electronic contacts, including the Sony 40mm.

The following chart illustrates the vignetting of the lens for full frame when left uncorrected.

Vignetting with the Sony 40mm

The Sony 40mm’s designers visibly decided to rely on automated corrections for vignetting. This is not surprising but certainly something to be aware of. Wide open, vignetting is strong and will be apparent. Closing down brings the effect lower, but still around1 EV, remaining noticeable. We recommend using automatic correction profiles to avoid the effect.

Note that, when using JPEGs, the camera does not allow disabling of the automatic corrections. It seems the designers were aware of the strong vignetting created by the Sony 40mm.

The images below show the lens’s vignetting at varying apertures.

Full frame 40mm
F2.5Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G vignetting
F2.8
F4
F5.6
F8
F11
F16
Vignetting with the Sony 40mm

Bokeh

Bokeh is a Japanese term describing the quality of the background blur. It does not relate to the depth of field but to the areas in the image that are beyond the range that is expected to be in focus.

Bokeh is highly subjective. In general, a smooth bokeh with blurred shapes and contours is generally perceived as being of a higher quality. A shallow depth of field does not always equate a more pleasing bokeh.

To evaluate the characteristics of the background blur, we took pictures at varying apertures, using a scene with a lot of detail and bright highlights. The following images show the results.

F2.5 Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G bokeh
F2.8
F4
F5.6
F8
F11
F16
F22
Sony 40mm bokeh

Thanks to the F2.5 maximum aperture, depth of field can be made shallow. Subject isolation is easy and transitions between in-focus and out-of-focus are gradual and pleasing. In this the Sony 40mm does superbly. Even at smaller apertures, transitions remain smooth and subject isolation is present. Even the busier textures are well rendered (see the leaves between the two leftmost flowers’ stems).

Highlights are circular between F2.5 and F4. There is some cat’s eye effect on a significant part of the frame, but these are not disturbing. The background allows a pleasing 3D “pop”. This subjective rendering is better than usual.

Closing the aperture beyond F4 gives more shape to the highlights. They do not remain circular despite the curved aperture blades. Despite this, the background blur remains quite smooth and isolation is still present.

Bokeh rendering is one of this lens’ stronger elements.

Flare and Ghosting

Flare is a decrease in contrast caused by reflections on internal lens elements. Ghosting is the appearance of orb-shaped artifacts in an image containing a light source, caused by the same internal reflections. High-quality coatings reduce the importance of flare and ghosting in an image.

We test flare and ghosting by taking pictures of a bright light source positioned at the center and on an edge of the frame, at varying apertures.

Test results at 40mm

CenterCorner
F2.5Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G flareSony FE 40mm F2.5 G flare
F2.8
F4
F5.6
F8
F11
F16
F22
Flare with the Sony 40mm

There are two lines showing in the center at F4 and F5.6. Those were caused by a plane and shouldn’t be considered.

In the center, at wider apertures flare is well controlled. There are some ghosts, but they are not very apparent. At medium apertures, the ghost become more apparent, becoming more numerous and more visible as the aperture closes. Thankfully, there is no hint of flare or decrease in contrast.

With the light in the corner, results are impressive, and much better than expected. There are some ghosts close to the light source, but almost none elsewhere. We typically observe a row of ghosts on the diagonal with this kind of test, and none are visible here. Stellar results.

Chromatic aberration

Chromatic aberration (CA) occurs because different colours do not always have the same focal point. With modern lenses designs, which are better corrected than vintage designs, this is more likely to occur in out-of-focus areas. CA effects are more visible near fast transitions from bright to dark areas.

Most modern cameras have built-in tools to remove CA. Digital manipulations can have an impact on other aspects of an image, thus it is useful to know how a lens performs when those automatic corrections are disabled.

Our test sets up the camera at 45° and focuses on the center of the frame, with targets at the center, top and bottom. Images are captured at varying apertures.

TopCenterBottom
F2.5Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G CASony FE 40mm F2.5 G CASony FE 40mm F2.5 G CA
F2.8
F4
F5.6
F8
F11
F16
F22
Chromatic aberration with the Sony 40mm

The center is devoid of any chromatic aberration effects. The same can be said for the top section. However, the bottom shows some CA below F5.6. It is not bothersome but still present. Automatic in-camera corrections will take care of it.

Purple fringing

There were no occurrences of purple fringing in our tests with the Sony 40mm.

Distortion

Distortion refers to a lens’s ability to represent straight lines as straight lines… Wide angle lenses frequently generate barrel distortion, while longer focal lengths are more likely to cause pincushion distortion.

The Sony 40mm is a normal lens. As such, we expect excellent control over distortion.

We use a standard test pattern of straight lines and test at 40mm.

UncorrectedSony 40mm F2.5 G distortion
CorrectedSony 40mm F2.5 G distortion
Distortion with the Sony 40mm

The Sony 40mm shows almost perfect control over distortion. We measured 0.1% of barrel distortion, which will have no impact on images whatsoever.

Sample images

Here is a gallery of samples images captured with the Sony 40mm. You can click on individual images for a larger view.

  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F5, 1/160s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F4, 1/3200s, ISO 400
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F5, 1/1250s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F6.3, 1/1250s, ISO 400
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F2.8, 1/4000s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F5.6, 1/640s, ISO 400
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F7.1, 1/800s, ISO 400
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F6.3, 1/1250s, ISO 400
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F3.5, 1/1600s, ISO 400
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F5.6, 1/2000s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F5.6, 1/4000s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F7.1, 1/800s, ISO 400
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F2.8, 1/800s, ISO 400
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F13, 1/500s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F6.3, 1/4000s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F5.6, 1/320s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F8, 1/4000s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F6.3, 1/640s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F5, 1/1600s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F5.6, 1/1000s, ISO 200
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F6.3, 1/1600s, ISO 400
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F4, 1/3200s, ISO 400
  • Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
    A7C, F5, 1/1250s, ISO 200
Sony 40mm F2.5 G samples gallery

Conclusion

With this review, we continue our exploration of Sony’s trio of compact, metal and weather-resistant primes.

The 40mm F2.5 surprised many people, in part because many users are not familiar with this focal length. Also, as a lens which will, for some, be compared with the many 50mm options on the market, the 40mm’s moderately fast aperture of F2.5 won’t offer a compelling advantage over walkaround zooms such as Tamron’s 28-75mm F2.8 and equivalents from Sigma and Sony.

The 40mm pales when compared with the big guns from Sony. Many people expect primes to have large apertures, and the company’s GM lenses happily comply. Their size and price are also large, however. Compared to that, the 40mm F2.5 G is almost the same size as the company’s retractable kit zoom, and weights a paltry 173g (compare that to the 50mm F1.2’s 778g!).

Sony touts the trio of G primes as designed for gimbals, since they can be swapped without recalibrating the gimbal. They also make a lot of sense as a lightweight travel kit. Carrying the 28-60mm kit lens with a few of those primes will weight less than one single fast-aperture prime, and take up much less space. Such a strategy has the zoom serve as a general-purpose lens, with the primes filling in for lower light or shallow DOF applications.

Build quality on the Sony is excellent. The metal housing feels utilitarian instead of jewel-like, and gives a sense of ruggedness. The small size of the lens must be emphasized.

There are a lot of buttons and switches for such a small lens. They are welcome and useful. The AF / MF switch is sitting a bit low for easy access. One thing to mention is that the aperture ring does not lock into place and often moves when handling the lens.

Optical performances are a mixed bag, with some very good points but a few important problems.

Center sharpness is excellent, even wide open. Edges are not as good except at medium apertures, but the true problem is that corners are never good at all. This might or might not be a problem, but users should dive in knowing this limitation.

Vignetting is also disappointing, being present in significant amount at all apertures. It can be automatically corrected, but is still a weak point of the optical design.

Chromatic aberration is not completely absent, but very well controlled.

Distortion control is near perfect, reaching no more than 0.1%.

Bokeh and out-of-focus rendering is extremely pleasing, with gradual transitions and well-rounded highlights, particularly at wider apertures. There is some cat’s-eye effect, but it is not distracting.

Flare and ghosting are a strong point. Particularly with light sources near the corners, the lens does admirably.

Starbursts are nothing special even at small apertures, the rays are diffuse and diverging.

Autofocus is stellar. Silent, very fast (hard to measure in good light), dependable, it certainly is a perk of this lens.

In summary, the Sony 40mm F2.5 G is hindered by the (easy to correct) vignetting, and more importantly by the weak corner sharpness. Whether or not that is a problem will depend on the application. If edge-to-edge sharpness is important, then the 40mm isn’t the best choice. If the intended use implies centered subjects and narrow DOF, the combination of center sharpness and beautiful bokeh will be beneficial (and the vignetting can be used beneficially).

Like its siblings, the Sony 40mm proposes a very compact body, light weight (especially given the metal housing), blazing fast AF, very good center sharpness, good control of flare. 40mm is a less common focal length that often grows on users, many of whom will get back to 50mm’s narrower FOV grudgingly.

There certainly is a growing market for lenses close to 40mm, with proposals from Samyang and Sigma among others to compete with Sony’s product. The Sony is more expensive, but is the only one to propose full weather sealing. For anyone wishing to travel light, this might be reason enough to pick the Sony lens.

Pros

  • Light and extremely compact
  • Weather resistant
  • Several buttons and switches on the lens
  • Excellent center sharpness at nearly all apertures
  • Blazing fast, silent AF
  • Low distortion
  • Good control over flare and ghosting
  • Great bokeh rendering

Cons

  • Strong vignetting when left uncorrected
  • Underwhelming sharpness on edges, poor in corners
  • Aperture ring does not lock in place
  • Expensive when compared to the competition

Before You Go

Do you already own this lens? Are you curious about it? If you do, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. 

Check Price & Buyer Reviews for Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G Lens

At: Amazon | B&H Photo | Wex Photo UK

Sony Alpha Forum

About Bernard Déry

Living in Eastern Canada, Bernard is an optical designer working in the photonics industry. He is also a seasoned reviewer of photographic equipment, using his training in physics to test lenses, cameras and various accessories. Bernard’s photographic interests include studio and portrait, travel, landscape and cityscape, particularly at night. More of his work can be seen on his website.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David Palmer

    March 15, 2023 at 10:46 am

    I’ve just bought a second-hand copy of this lens and don’t understand how to set the aperture ring to A. Could you please help?

    Reply
    • Timothy Mayo

      March 15, 2023 at 10:53 am

      Hi David. You should just be able to twist the aperture ring until the A lines up with the mark on the body, there is no aperture ring lock on this lens. You’ll know when it’s in the right position as you’ll be able to adjust the aperture in-camera.

      Reply
    • Bernard Déry

      March 15, 2023 at 10:54 am

      Hi! There are two ribbed rings on the lens, the wider ring towards the front is for focus, the slimmest one closer to the aperture ring is how you adjust aperture, and moving it all the way will line up the A symbol with the marker just above the “40” number, you’ll be in A mode then.

      Reply
  2. Joachim

    July 12, 2022 at 12:32 pm

    Carefully done, many different aspects considered. Thanks for that. Corners and sun stars are important to me. Although I love the compact size I will probably choose an other option then. Probably more expensive 😉

    Reply
  3. Troy Phillips

    November 22, 2021 at 9:37 pm

    I’m wondering if there is a lot of sample variations between lenses. I’ve read about 5 reviews and each is different. 2 of the 5 had bad corners . 1 of them had really good corners and 2 had exceptional corners slightly behind the apsc or mid section of the lens .
    It does mostly show this is an exceptional lens for its size though. One thing all had and that is bad bokeh to my eyes. I believe this is because of its sharpness and great contrast wide open .

    Reply
    • Bernard Déry

      November 23, 2021 at 8:18 am

      Hello Troy,

      that’s a good observation, and something that needs to be understoof about any review. To account for samples variation, we reviewers would have to obtain multiple samples, ideally around 10, and test them separately but in an identical way. Of course that’s not going to happen, if only because of samples availability.

      We also have to account for test methods. I try to be both methodical and repeatable, helped by my background and experience as an optical designer.

      Your personal observations illustrate that in all likelihood, the 40mm cannot be considered, in general terms, stellar in the corners. Apparently it CAN be (and even then, I’d like to see how this was actually tested) but it’s not consistent.

      It is indeed a lens with many qualities, as I pointed out. It shouldn’t be compared with larger, more expensive lenses for edge-to-edge sharpness, but used within its capabilities and limitations.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

Latest Deals

These affilaite links will display all of the current Sony Alpha camera, lens and accessory deals at Amazon & B&H Photo.

  • View all Sony Deals at Amazon
  • View all Sony Deals at B&H Photo

The Amazon link will probably only work correctly for US viewers I'm afraid.

Or view our deals page here.

Pro Membership

If you’d like to support this site you can easily do so by becoming a Pro Member in our Community Forums and unlocking the following benefits:

✓ No Adverts in the Forums
✓ Pro Member Competitions
✓ Sell Items in the Marketplace
✓ Unlimited Gallery Uploads
✓ Higher Resolution Gallery Uploads
✓ Forum Profile Signature
✓ Custom Profile Cover Photo
✓ Advertise Your Photography Workshops

VISIT FORUMS

Latest Articles

960GB & 1920GB Sony M Series CFexpress Type A Memory Cards

960GB & 1920GB Sony M Series CFexpress Type A Memory Cards Announced

Sony ZV-E1 Battery & Charger Guide

Sony ZV-E1 Battery & Charger Guide

Sony ZV-E1 Firmware Update

Sony ZV-E1 Firmware Update

Sony ZV-E1 User Manual

Sony ZV-E1 User Manual & Online Help

Featured Articles

Best Sony A7 IV Memory Cards With Speed & Buffer Tests

Sony A1 Memory Card Guide

Best Sony A1 Memory Cards With Speed & Buffer Tests

Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G vs FE 100-400 F4.5-5.6 GM Comparison

Sony 200-600 G vs 100-400 GM Review & Comparison

Sony 100-400 VS 70-200 F2.8 GM II With 2x Teleconverter at 400mm

Sony 100-400 VS 70-200 F2.8 GM II With 2x Teleconverter at 400mm

Pro Membership Upgrade

If you’d like to support this site you can easily do so by becoming a Pro Member in our Community Forums and unlocking the following benefits:

✓ No Adverts in the Forums
✓ Pro Member Competitions
✓ Sell Items in the Marketplace
✓ Unlimited Gallery Uploads
✓ Higher Resolution Gallery Uploads
✓ Forum Profile Signature
✓ Custom Profile Cover Photo
✓ Advertise Your Photography Workshops

Join today!

Memory Card Guides

  • Sony A1 Memory Cards
  • Sony A7 IV Memory Cards
  • Sony A7 III Memory Cards
  • Sony A7R IV Memory Cards
  • Sony A7S III Memory Cards
  • Sony A7C Memory Cards
  • Sony A6400 Memory Cards
  • Sony A6000 Memory Cards

Accessory Guides

  • Sony a1 Accessories
  • Sony a7IV Accessories
  • Sony a7C Accessories
  • Sony a7R IV Accessories
  • Sony a7III Accessories
  • Sony a7R III Accessories
  • Sony a9II Accessories
  • Sony a9 Accessories
  • Sony a6600 Accessories
  • Sony a6400 Accessories
  • Sony a6100 Accessories
  • Sony a6000 Accessories

Lens Guides

  • Sony FE Lenses
  • Sony APS-C Lenses
  • Sony Macro Lenses
  • Sony Telephoto Lenses
  • Sony a1 Lenses
  • Sony a7IV Lenses
  • Sony a7III Lenses
  • Sony a7R IV Lenses
  • Sony a7R III Lenses
  • Sony a6600 Lenses
  • Sony a6400 Lenses
  • Sony a6000 Lenses
Visit Our Facebook Groups
Alpha Shooters Text Logo
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Return To Top

Copyright © 2023 Alpha Shooters. All Rights Reserved. Content and images may not be used without permission.
Disclaimer: Alpha Shooters is an independently run website and is not affiliated with Sony.com
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Terms · Privacy · Cookies · Contact · About · Affiliate Links