Sony FE 50mm F1.2 G Master Announced

Sony has announced a new FE 50mm G Master lens with their widest aperture to date of f/1.2.

There are also four ‘extreme dynamic’ linear motors that help to make this one of the fastest if not the fastest focussing 50mm lens you can buy today.

The Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM lens certainly isn’t cheap and will cost $1998.00 / £2,100 / €2,300. It will be available from April 2021 in Europe and May in the US.

The lens is constructed of 11 aperture blades and 14 elements in 10 groups, and includes three ‘extreme aspherical’ (XA) elements that help to minimize aberrations.

There’s a ‘Nano AR II’ coating that helps to reduce flare and ghosting and two floating focus groups that allow for a close focusing distance of just 0.4m (15.8″). Four ‘extreme dynamic’ linear motors help this lens to focus at lightning speed.

The XA elements have enhanced surface precision (0.01 µm) to suppress onion ring bokeh, and according to Sony, spherical aberration has been carefully controlled at the design and manufacturing stage to ensure ‘smooth, natural bokeh’ both in the foreground and background.

The lens body is weather sealed which includes a fluorine coating on the front element to repel dust, water and fingerprints. You’ll find a manual aperture ring that can be ‘clicked’ or ‘de-clicked’, as well as two focus hold buttons, the manual focus ring is smooth and well damped.

Early Reviews

Here’s a collection of early reviews.

Gerald Undone

Mark Galer

Julia Trotti

Chris Hau

Manny Ortiz

Gordon Laing

DPReview

Dan Watson

Specifications

Lens type	Prime lens
Max Format size	35mm FF
Focal length	50 mm
Image stabilization	No
Lens mount	Sony FE
Maximum aperture	F1.2
Minimum aperture	F16
Aperture ring	Yes
Number of diaphragm blades	11
Elements	14
Groups	10
Special elements / coatings	3 ‘extreme aspherical’ elements, Nano AR II coating
Minimum focus	0.40 m (15.75″)
Maximum magnification	0.17×
Autofocus	Yes
Motor type	Linear Motor
Full time manual	Yes
Focus method	Internal
Distance scale	No
DoF scale	No
Weight	778 g (1.72 lb)
Diameter	87 mm (3.43″)
Length	108 mm (4.25″)
Materials	Magnesium alloy
Sealing	Yes
Colour	Black
Filter thread	72 mm
Hood supplied	Yes

Further details and sample images can be found on Sony’s product page for this lens.