Sony E-mount f/1.2 Camera Lenses
The look of a picture taken with a very short depth of field is something that can't be achieved with a point-and-shoot camera or a kit lens. Using a very fast lens provides effects that can't be achieved any other way.
What is the Sony E-mount?
The Sony E-mount is one of the lens mounting systems used on Sony cameras.
- The E-mount is used across Sony's range of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, including APS-C format cameras like the Sony A6000 and NEX-5 as well as full-frame Sony Alpha cameras like the A7 III.
- Not all Sony E-mount lenses are compatible with all Sony E cameras. Sony E lenses are designed for APS-C cameras, while FE lenses are for full-frame cameras. FE lenses can be used on APS-C cameras but not the other way around.
Why Should I Choose an f/1.2 Aperture?
A lens's aperture is a major important factor in determining its optical performance. A maximum aperture of f/1.2 is extremely large. This lets these lenses achieve photographic effects that lenses with smaller apertures can't match.
- Larger apertures let more light in. This allows you to take clearer, sharper pictures with less noise in low-light conditions.
- Big apertures give a shorter depth of field than smaller ones. Short depth of field is key to achieving creamy, blurred backgrounds and beautiful bokeh in out-of-focus areas.
- While this isn't a hard rule, the difficulty and expense of producing lenses this fast means that they tend to be premium models. F/1.2 lenses are likely to have better build quality than slower lenses as well as premium features like aspherical elements, advanced anti-reflective coatings and extra-low dispersion glass.
- Lenses tend to reach peak sharpness and corner-to-corner contrast a stop or two below their maximum aperture. On an f/1.2 E-mount lens, this image quality sweet spot will occur at an aperture that is still quite fast, around f/2.8.
Which f/1.2 E-mount Camera Lenses Can I Choose From?
Lenses this fast are quite a niche product and so you may not find as full a range of focal lengths as you would at smaller maximum apertures. Optical limitations also mean that this kind of aperture is only found in Sony E prime lenses. Mid-zoom lenses, super-telephoto lenses, and macro lenses do not have apertures this fast.
- F/1.2 apertures are most often found on prime lenses in the normal to short telephoto range, particularly between 50mm and 85mm of focal length. This is because this is a popular focal length for portraits, where the short depth of field and bokeh produced by ultra-fast lenses really shine. The number of aperture blades is also important here. A nine-blade aperture will produce more circular bokeh than a five-blade aperture.
- Sony E wide-angle lenses can also sometimes have an aperture this large. Due to the popularity of APS-C cameras, 35mm f/1.2 lenses are reasonably common as they are the equivalent of a 50mm f/1.2 lens in full frame format. Ultra-wide-angle lenses typically do not get faster than f/1.4.
- While autofocus lenses this fast can be extremely expensive, the popularity of fast lenses means that several companies make manual focus f/1.2 lenses. You can also use adapters like Sony's own LA-EA3 and LA-EA4 to adapt older lenses to their mirrorless cameras.