San Diego, CA—The Sony 50mm F1.4 G Master (model SEL50F14GM) was introduced into Sony’s full-frame G Master lens lineup. The E-mount prime sports a compact, lightweight body yet delivers high-resolution and naturally rendered bokeh.
What’s more, the lens is positioned as an option for a variety of uses in both still and video. Genres include portraiture, landscapes, travel as well as weddings. Its compact size also makes it a choice for gimbal and drone operation.
In addition, the lens features a minimum focusing distance of 39 inches and a maximum magnification of 0.16x when autofocus is used.
“At Sony, we are continually listening to the needs of today’s content creators and are proud to announce the newest innovative option with the 50mm f/1.4 G Master lens, the latest addition to the E-mount lens lineup,” said Yang Cheng, vice president, Imaging Solutions, Sony Electronics Inc.
“This prime lens is a great option for both photography and videography use. It delivers excellent image quality at 50mm, one of the most popular focal lengths. Being able to pack our latest G Master technology into such a compact form factor brings ultimate versatility to a 50mm for Sony.”
Furthermore, the lens features the optical design and elements unique to Sony’s top-of-the-line G Master series. Spherical aberration control at both the design and the manufacturing stages contributes to beautiful bokeh.
The lens offers naturally rendered bokeh with an 11-blade circular aperture. Deep, creamy bokeh at f/1.4 is ideal for making portrait subjects stand out from their surroundings.
Sony 50mm F1.4 G Master Features
The 50mm lens employs two XA (extreme aspherical) elements that effectively correct field curvature and most types of aberration. It also uses one ED (extra-low dispersion) glass element to suppress chromatic aberration and maintain sharp images without color bleeding. The XA and ED elements also help achieve high resolution throughout the entire frame. Complementing this is Sony’s original Nano AR Coating II, which suppresses reflections, even in a backlit scene.
In fact, the 50mm f/1.4 G Master boasts Sony’s most advanced optical design technology: precisely positioned XA elements; high-thrust XD (extreme dynamic) linear motors; and the latest compact circular aperture unit.
These elements are critical for realizing a large-aperture, high-res lens that measures a compact 3.2 inches in diameter and 3.8 inches in length with a weight of 18.2 ounces.
Further, Sony says its autofocus speed is 1.9x faster than conventional models with the same specifications. Its focus group is driven by Sony’s high-thrust XD linear motors. It also incorporates an advanced control algorithm for smooth, responsive focus drive. When paired with the latest Alpha cameras, this lens can quickly acquire focus and track subjects, even when using the shallow depth of field available at f/1.4.
In addition, the XD linear motors and control algorithm work to minimize vibration for refined, quiet AF operation, even when shooting movies. The lens can smoothly capture and track subjects even when shooting at 120 fps or other high frame rates.
Plus, the lens features reduced focus breathing as well as supports the breathing compensation function in compatible Sony Alpha cameras.
What’s more, its linear response MF helps ensure the focus ring responds directly and repeatably to subtle control. Moreover, new to the premium G Master lineup is the inclusion of an iris lock switch. Indeed, it’s the first on a Sony prime lens.
Additional Features
Other features include a 67mm thread mount; customizable focus hold buttons in two locations; a focus mode switch; a fluorine coating on the front element to repel and allows for easy removal of fingerprints, dust, water, oil and other contaminants; and a dust/moisture-resistant design.
The Sony 50mm f/1.4 G Master lens will reach retail in May 2023. It will have a suggested retail price of $1,299.99.
