Sony's full-frame mirrorless camera system has gotten a lot of love from both media and owners, thanks to industry-leading autofocus and image quality.
But first-party lenses tend to be on the pricey side.
Rokinon is helping to meet the needs of consumers on a budget with the 35mm F2.8 AF Sony E ($399).
It's a featherweight pancake prime which delivers sharp results, but does skimp on build quality to get there.
If you want the best small 35mm lens for your camera, go with the Sony Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8 ZA, but be ready to spend more twice as much.
A Proper Pancake
The 35mm F2.8 AF ($229.00 at Amazon) measures just 1.3 by 2.4 inches (HD) and adds only 3 ounces to your camera when mounted.
A thread around the front element supports 49mm filters, and is also used to attach the included lens hood.
You'll need to remove the hood to use a 49mm filter, but it has its own 40.5mm filter ring.
A mostly plastic build goes a long way to keep the weight so inconsequential.
The lens barrel is plastic, with a black finish and red accent ring.
The lens is also marketed under the Samyang brand, but aside from one logo on the outside of the barrel, there are no differences between the two.
The lens mount is metal, but there is no protection from splashes or dust like you get with all FE lenses made by Sony.
The only control on the lens itself is the manual focus ring, which is easy to grip and turn thanks to raised ridges across its surface.
It is a focus-by-wire system, which means that turning the ring activates a motor to adjust focus, rather than moving the focusing elements mechanically.
There's no real tactile feedback, which can be a turn-off to photographers used to focusing with a mechanical lens.
Autofocus is also available, and it works well.
It's quick—not surprising as there isn't a lot of glass to move around.
All focus modes are supported.
The lens is able to focus on targets as close as 13.8 inches (0.35-meter).
This means that subjects are 1:8.3 life-size when focused as close as possible—definitely not macro territory.
The 35mm F2.8 AF isn't optically stabilized, but that's not a big deal for most photographers using Sony cameras.
Aside from its first generation of full-frame bodies (it's on the third now), stabilization is built into camera bodies.
If you plan on using the 35mm F2.8 with an APS-C body, only the a6500 includes stabilization—the APS-C only Sony E 35mm F1.8 OSS is a better fit if you use an a6000-series camera without stabilization.
Good Wide Open, Great Stopped Down
I tested the 35mm F2.8 AF with the 42MP Sony a7R III and Imatest software.
It shows 3,429 lines, better than the 2,750 we want to see at a minimum from a 42MP image sensor.
Resolution is strong from center to edge, with the outer parts of the frame showing nearly as much detail as the center.
See How We Test Digital Cameras
At f/4 the lens moves from very good to excellent territory in resolution, delivering 4,136 lines, again with strong results from center to edge.
Resolution remains strong as you stop down—we see 4,553 lines at f/5.6, 4,317 lines at f/8, and 4,172 lines at f/11.
There is a drop in clarity at the narrowest settings—try to avoid using the lens at f/16 (3,687 lines) and f/22 (2,882 lines).
Distortion is not a concern, but you will notice darkened corners in some situations.
When shooting in Raw format, or with in-camera JPG correction disabled, there is a -3.8EV drop at the corners at f/2.8.
It lessens as you stop down—there's -2.7EV at f/4, -2.3EV at f/5.6, -2EV at f/8, and about -1.5EV at narrower settings.
Raw processing software, including our favorite in the category, Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, supports vignette correction.
If you shoot in JPG format in-camera vignette correction is available, and turned on by default.
It cuts the drop in illumination at the corners to a noticeable, but lessened, -2.2EV at f/2.8.
At narrower settings it drops to -1.2EV, which is noticeable in some shots, but not to the point of distraction.
An Excellent, Affordable Lens
The Rokinon 35mm F2.8 AF Sony E is an easy lens to recommend to budget shoppers.
It's small, light, sharp, and is compatible with both full-frame and APS-C Sony mirrorless cameras.
It's not the best-built lens in the world—it's mostly plastic and lacks any sort of weather-sealing—but it's also quite affordable, often selling for less than its suggested retail price, and delivers very sharp images.
If you want a premium lens for your premium camera, the Sony Zeiss Sonnar 35mm F2.8 is a better choice, but at $800 it's not a budget lens.
If you're shopping on price, the 35mm F2.8 AF Sony E is a solid value, regardless of whether yours is marked with the Rokinon or Samyang brand.
Thanks to Lensrentals for providing the lens and a7R III body for this review.
Rokinon 35mm F2.8 AF Sony E
Pros
Light and Compact.
Inexpensive.
Sharp.
Minimal distortion.
Full-frame coverage.
View More
Cons
No weather sealing.
Strong vignette.
Plastic build.
The Bottom Line
The Rokinon 35mm F2.8 AF Sony E is a wide-angle pancake lens with full-frame coverage and sharp optics, but it's not the best-built lens in the world.
Sony's full-frame mirrorless camera system has gotten a lot of love from both media and owners, thanks to industry-leading autofocus and image quality.
But first-party lenses tend to be on the pricey side.
Rokinon is helping to meet the needs of consumers on a budget with the 35mm F2.8 AF Sony E ($399).
It's a featherweight pancake prime which delivers sharp results, but does skimp on build quality to get there.
If you want the best small 35mm lens for your camera, go with the Sony Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8 ZA, but be ready to spend more twice as much.
A Proper Pancake
The 35mm F2.8 AF ($229.00 at Amazon) measures just 1.3 by 2.4 inches (HD) and adds only 3 ounces to your camera when mounted.
A thread around the front element supports 49mm filters, and is also used to attach the included lens hood.
You'll need to remove the hood to use a 49mm filter, but it has its own 40.5mm filter ring.
A mostly plastic build goes a long way to keep the weight so inconsequential.
The lens barrel is plastic, with a black finish and red accent ring.
The lens is also marketed under the Samyang brand, but aside from one logo on the outside of the barrel, there are no differences between the two.
The lens mount is metal, but there is no protection from splashes or dust like you get with all FE lenses made by Sony.
The only control on the lens itself is the manual focus ring, which is easy to grip and turn thanks to raised ridges across its surface.
It is a focus-by-wire system, which means that turning the ring activates a motor to adjust focus, rather than moving the focusing elements mechanically.
There's no real tactile feedback, which can be a turn-off to photographers used to focusing with a mechanical lens.
Autofocus is also available, and it works well.
It's quick—not surprising as there isn't a lot of glass to move around.
All focus modes are supported.
The lens is able to focus on targets as close as 13.8 inches (0.35-meter).
This means that subjects are 1:8.3 life-size when focused as close as possible—definitely not macro territory.
The 35mm F2.8 AF isn't optically stabilized, but that's not a big deal for most photographers using Sony cameras.
Aside from its first generation of full-frame bodies (it's on the third now), stabilization is built into camera bodies.
If you plan on using the 35mm F2.8 with an APS-C body, only the a6500 includes stabilization—the APS-C only Sony E 35mm F1.8 OSS is a better fit if you use an a6000-series camera without stabilization.
Good Wide Open, Great Stopped Down
I tested the 35mm F2.8 AF with the 42MP Sony a7R III and Imatest software.
It shows 3,429 lines, better than the 2,750 we want to see at a minimum from a 42MP image sensor.
Resolution is strong from center to edge, with the outer parts of the frame showing nearly as much detail as the center.
See How We Test Digital Cameras
At f/4 the lens moves from very good to excellent territory in resolution, delivering 4,136 lines, again with strong results from center to edge.
Resolution remains strong as you stop down—we see 4,553 lines at f/5.6, 4,317 lines at f/8, and 4,172 lines at f/11.
There is a drop in clarity at the narrowest settings—try to avoid using the lens at f/16 (3,687 lines) and f/22 (2,882 lines).
Distortion is not a concern, but you will notice darkened corners in some situations.
When shooting in Raw format, or with in-camera JPG correction disabled, there is a -3.8EV drop at the corners at f/2.8.
It lessens as you stop down—there's -2.7EV at f/4, -2.3EV at f/5.6, -2EV at f/8, and about -1.5EV at narrower settings.
Raw processing software, including our favorite in the category, Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, supports vignette correction.
If you shoot in JPG format in-camera vignette correction is available, and turned on by default.
It cuts the drop in illumination at the corners to a noticeable, but lessened, -2.2EV at f/2.8.
At narrower settings it drops to -1.2EV, which is noticeable in some shots, but not to the point of distraction.
An Excellent, Affordable Lens
The Rokinon 35mm F2.8 AF Sony E is an easy lens to recommend to budget shoppers.
It's small, light, sharp, and is compatible with both full-frame and APS-C Sony mirrorless cameras.
It's not the best-built lens in the world—it's mostly plastic and lacks any sort of weather-sealing—but it's also quite affordable, often selling for less than its suggested retail price, and delivers very sharp images.
If you want a premium lens for your premium camera, the Sony Zeiss Sonnar 35mm F2.8 is a better choice, but at $800 it's not a budget lens.
If you're shopping on price, the 35mm F2.8 AF Sony E is a solid value, regardless of whether yours is marked with the Rokinon or Samyang brand.
Thanks to Lensrentals for providing the lens and a7R III body for this review.
Rokinon 35mm F2.8 AF Sony E
Pros
Light and Compact.
Inexpensive.
Sharp.
Minimal distortion.
Full-frame coverage.
View More
Cons
No weather sealing.
Strong vignette.
Plastic build.
The Bottom Line
The Rokinon 35mm F2.8 AF Sony E is a wide-angle pancake lens with full-frame coverage and sharp optics, but it's not the best-built lens in the world.
