Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f1.4 ZA Sample Images – Real-World Examples
The Sony 50mm f/1.4 ZA lens is one of Sony’s high-end lenses. On full-frame sensors it offers a normal perspective and is especially good for low-light and selective focus shooting. Here are some sample photos I’ve taken with it.
I’ve recently been shooting with the Sony 50mm f/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 f/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 f/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.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 11.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.8. A shot to get a sense of the bokeh at close to wide open.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 8.0.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 2.8.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 2.0. Again there’s no obvious barrel distortion or chromatic aberration on contrasty lines.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at f/4. No, I wasn’t bothering the wildlife. This is a taxidermy Bald Eagle on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at f/11.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at f/8.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at f/1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at f/8.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 3.5.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 11.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 3.2.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at f/1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at f/2.8.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at f/2. There’s no macro, and it doesn’t have a notably close focusing range, but you can still get away with some reasonably close shots.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 8.0.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.8.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 2.5.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 4.0. I included a bunch of different edges in the background at various ranges to try to get a sense of the bokeh at f/4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 3.5.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 8.0. There’s remarkably little lens vignetting in the corners at any aperture, let alone by the time you get to f/8.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 11.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at f/2.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 2.8.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at f/2.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4. You can see some odd little spots in various places from small light sources in the distance.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 5.6.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 2.8.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 2.8.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.4.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 2.8.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 1.6.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at ƒ / 3.5. I was looking for two things in this short: barrel/lens distortion and chromatic aberration. There’s practically none of either.
Taken with a Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Prime Lens at f/1.4.
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 f/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 f/1.4 ZA at:
I take photos for a living. Now based in Washington, D.C., I have spent the last 30+ years shooting across seven continents — from underwater environments to mountain peaks. My images and time-lapses have appeared in major newspapers, magazines, museums, professional sports stadiums, and even on massive architectural scrims covering world-famous buildings.
I started this site in 2009 to field-test gear, share problem-solving solutions, and share what I've learned in shooting around the world. I only review gear and services I have personally used. No armchair opinions — just real-world experience. Because, for me, the fun is in the making of the photo.
I’ve been pondering for quite a while, whether I should purchase this lens. I already have the Sony GM 35mm f1.4 and 55mm Sonnar f1.8 for my A7 iv. I also have the manual focus Zeiss Planar 50mm f1.4 (with an Urth adapter for Nikon), which has beautiful rendering and general character. . I love to play with bokeh. Seeing your photos has finally persuaded me to shop for a good used one like this. Thanks!
I’ve been pondering for quite a while, whether I should purchase this lens. I already have the Sony GM 35mm f1.4 and 55mm Sonnar f1.8 for my A7 iv. I also have the manual focus Zeiss Planar 50mm f1.4 (with an Urth adapter for Nikon), which has beautiful rendering and general character. . I love to play with bokeh. Seeing your photos has finally persuaded me to shop for a good used one like this. Thanks!
Glad it’s useful, and hope you manage to find a good used copy!