The Sony SAL-85F14Z 85mm f/1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T* Autofocus Lens is an ultra-bright lens with a wide-open maximum aperture of f/1.4. In conjunction with the Super SteadyShot image stabilization system of the Sony α (alpha) DSLR camera, this lens will provide excellent results even when hand-holding the camera by available light.

With a 35mm-equivalent 127mm focal length (when used on Sony Alpha series cameras with the APS-C size sensor) plus the ability to focus tightly on objects closer than 3′ away, this lens is ideal for capturing intimate or low-light portraits, fashion shots, and quick candid photographs with superior visual accuracy.

The 9-blade circular aperture contributes to smooth rendition of defocused highlights, such as blurred points of sunlight coming through foliage.

Accurate Contrast Reproduction
Precision optical design by Carl Zeiss and advanced T* coatings help to reduce flare and increase contrast.

Focus Hold Button
For full creative control, a focus hold button located on the lens can lock auto-focusing even in continuous advance mode. The focus lock can also be set to the spot-focus center frame area.

Auto Clutch
The Auto Clutch mechanism stops the manual focus ring from rotating while in AF mode.

Read more at Sony

Reviews

Zeiss ZA Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ( Sony SAL-85F14Z ) – Review by photozone.de

The Zeiss ZA Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 is a great lens but we expected no less than that anyway, didn’t we ? It is already able to produce exceptionally sharp and contrasty results straight from f/1.4. The excellent performance peak is reached around f/4. The center to border quality is very even (although that’s a lesser issue regarding the typical applications of such a lens). The quality of the bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is buttery and about as good as it gets. Distortions, vignetting and lateral CAs are non-issues in field conditions. Nonetheless there’s also bug – longitudinal CAs, sometimes also called “Bokeh CAs”, are very pronounced at large aperture settings but that’s a fate the Zeiss shares with fellow lenses such as the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 USM L and Nikkor AF 85mm f/1.4D. Thanks to an all-metal body the lens feels very solid. If you’re nit-picky you may criticize the focus ring which shows a little play when changing the focus direction. The AF speed is fine although nothing to rave about. At around 1200EUR/US$ the Zeiss ZA 85mm f/1.4 isn’t cheap but definitely worth a deep thought regarding its optical qualities.