Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens Sample Images

I’ve recently been shooting with the Sony 50mm ƒ/1.4 ZA prime lens (on the new Sony a7 III body). I’m posting a more detailed review separately, but here are some sample images I’ve taken with it to give a bit of a sense of the results in real-world shooting.

But firstly, a quick summary of some of its key features. This is one of the higher-end Sony primes and is priced accordingly.

Its formal name is the Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA.

It’s an E-mount lens designed for Sony full-frame sensors. And it’s fast, with a maximum aperture of ƒ/1.4 that makes it especially good for low-light shooting or when you’re after a very shallow depth of field. It’s constructed in such a way to make it somewhat resistant to moisture and dust. And it uses high-quality Zeiss optics.

I’ve also posted some shots taken with Sony’s 35mm ƒ/1.4 ZA prime, which you can find here.

Sample Images Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Lens

These were all taken on a Sony a7 iii. They were minimally processed in Lightroom, but I haven’t applied any extra sharpening or any of the lens profile corrections such as distortion correction or chromatic aberration.

If you’d like a closer look, you can click on each image to open a full-size version.

Optical Correction Tools

I deliberately haven’t applied extensive corrections to these images. And the general rule of thumb in photography is that it’s better to get the shot right at the time of capture rather than trying to fix it after. That’s a great aspiration, but it’s not always possible to do if you’re bumping up against limitations or flaws in gear, conditions, or technique.

But it’s worth mentioning that there are some excellent tools available to help address common issues with lenses, such as distortion, chromatic aberration, and lens vignetting when editing the images. All-round image processing apps like Lightroom Classic and Capture One have solid tools built in already that often cater to specific lens profiles (or you can make your own).

Some more specialized tools can take it even further. DxO, in particular, sets the gold standard. Their software is built on the foundation of their incredibly deep archive of data from their extensive lab testing of the optical performance of lenses and cameras. But there are some other excellent specialized tools available. These are well worth a look (and have free trials):

• DxO Pure RAW (for a suite of automatic RAW file corrections enhancement)
• DxO ViewPoint (correcting for distortion and geometry)
• Topaz Labs Sharpen AI (in addition to standard unsharp tools, includes focus correction and shake reduction)
• On1 NoNoise (includes Tack Sharp AI, which applies sharpening)

Price & Availability of the Sony Planar T* FE 50mm ƒ/1.4 ZA Prime Lens

Sony’s model number for this lens is SEL50F14Z.

Check the current price and availability of the Sony Planar T* FE 50mm ƒ/1.4 ZA at:

• B&H Photo
• Amazon

Accessories for the Sony Planar T* FE 50mm ƒ/1.4 ZA

It takes 72mm filters.

It comes with a dedicated lens hood. If you need a replacement or spare, the model number is ALC-SH143.

Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2023-09-25 at 16:47. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.