Review: Sony FE 1.4/85mm GM II

Friday 30 August 2024, 16:32 by Nando Harmsen | 2,783 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

It has finally arrived. Sony has released a new version of the 85mm f/1.4 G Master. Sony provided me with this lens for a review. Curious to see how this lens performs? Read on.

After more than six years, there is now the new Sony FE 85mm f/1.2 GM II. This new lens has received many improvements. It should now meet the demands of modern high-resolution sensors and autofocus systems.

The Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II with the supplied lens hood.
The 85mm focal length may well be the most perfect one for portrait photography. The subject is rendered with the best proportions. There are no perspective distortions, and the compression between foreground and background is very natural.

Sony A7R C with FE85mm f/1.4GM II - ISO100 - f/2,5 - 1/4000s
The wide aperture offers many advantages. The shallow depth of field, which also depends on the distance to the subject and the distance between the subject and the background, is just one of them. The shallow depth of field is highly useful because of the necessary distance to the subject.

Sony A7R C with FE85mm f/1.4GM II - ISO200 - f/1.4 - 1/60s - Haida CPL-VND - Profoto B10
Another advantage is the amount of light that can pass through the lens. This is perfect for autofocus, allowing it to continue working optimally even in dark conditions. It makes no difference whether you use f/1.4 or f/11 for the final photo.

The lens

At first glance, the FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II looks almost identical to its predecessor. Look more closely and you will see that the lens is smaller and lighter than its predecessor. Not by much, but it is noticeable. Its dimensions are 84.7 x 107.3 mm and it weighs 642 grams.

The Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II on the Sony A7C R
There is an aperture ring, with a switch to turn the clicks on or off. If you prefer to use one of the control dials to set the aperture, you can lock the ring in the A position.

All buttons and switches
In addition to these two switches, there is of course an AF/MF switch and two customisable buttons. The lack of a switch for image stabilisation tells you that this option is not built in. You therefore depend on the camera's own IBIS system.

The aperture ring, with clicks in 1/3-stop increments.

Image quality

The FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II contains two ED glass elements and two aspherical XA lenses. It also has Nano AR Coating II.

With these lenses, it is clear that there is only a small amount of chromatic aberration. With a light source directly in the frame, the lens shows flare. This is not immediately distracting, and combined with the shallow depth of field it can add atmosphere.

Flare formation
Because of the huge aperture, vignetting cannot be avoided. It is considerable at f/1.4 and gradually decreases. At f/8 it has almost completely disappeared. Lens correction will normally correct much of it.

Vignetting (in-camera image correction disabled)
Thanks to the 11 aperture blades, the widest aperture produces blur with a beautiful bokeh. The characteristic cat-eye distortion can be seen at the edges and in the corners. Stopping down makes the circles smaller, without showing the angular shape of the aperture.

Bokeh rings, or balls, or circles, whatever you want to call them
This shallow depth of field has a very gradual and beautiful transition from sharp to blurred. There are no hard transitions, which contributes to the quality of the blur.

The transition from sharp to blurred is very beautiful and smooth (Sony A7R C with FE85mm f/1.4GM II - ISO100 - f/1.4 - 1/800s
The sharpness of the image is of course excellent. At the widest aperture, the centre is nicely sharp, with a slight reduction in the corners. Sharpness increases especially in the corners, reaching its optimum at f/8. Stopping down further makes diffraction noticeably important.

Sharpness at aperture f/8

Autofocus

Autofocus is handled by two XD linear motors. They provide enough speed for the lens to keep up with the fast Sony A9 III. Focus is accurate and fast, which is certainly necessary when using the shallow depth of field.

Thanks to the f/1.4 aperture, autofocus works very well in dark surroundings. (Sony A7R C with FE85mm f/1.4GM II - ISO800 - f/1.4 - 1/60s - SmallRig RC60B COB LED light
The lens does show some focus breathing. This changes the size of an element in the image when changing from in focus to out of focus. The focus breathing that is present can be further compensated for with the focus breathing correction in the camera.

Focus breathing is present.

Conclusion

Although the lens is relatively small and compact, I recommend using a full-size body. On the compact A7C R, which I was given to use, the centre of gravity is not ideal. The lens is then front-heavy. The handling itself is lovely, though.

A beautiful lens that is better balanced on a larger camera body.
I did not pay particular attention to autofocus speed, as my subjects did not require it. Focusing was fast and silent, though. The blur at a shallow depth of field looks beautiful. Light spots turn into lovely circles without any onion rings or other distracting artefacts.

Sony A7R C with FE85mm f/1.4GM II - ISO800 - f/1.4 - 1/60s - SmallRig RC60B COB LED light
The Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II is a beautiful lens that no portrait or wedding photographer should be without.

What I like

• Size and weight (20% lighter than its predecessor)
  
• Excellent image quality
  
• Beautiful bokeh
  
• Very beautiful transition from sharp to blurred
  
• Aperture ring clicks can be disabled
  
• Lens buttons
  
• Reliable autofocus (3x faster AF, 7x better tracking)
  

What could be better

• Vignetting is very noticeable at f/1.4
  
• No focus breathing
  
• Image stabilisation
  

Thanks to Sony Nederland for providing this lens.

Sony A7R C with FE85mm f/1.4GM II - ISO200 - f/1.4 - 1/60s - Haida CPL-VND - Profoto B10

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