• 50mm wide aperture Prime lens with ZEISS® Planar design
• Center to corner sharpness with outstanding resolution
• Bright F1.4 maximum aperture with excellent low light performance
• 12 Elements in 9 Groups with Advanced Aspheric and ED glass
• ZEISS® T* coating delivers superior contrast and resolution
• 11-blade aperture and aspheric elements for gorgeous bokeh
• 11-blade circular aperture for gorgeous bokeh
• 11-blade aperture and aspheric elements for smoothly defocused backgrounds
• Ring Drive SSM for fast, quiet and precise focusing
• Aperture ring with a selectable click ON/OFF switch
• AF/MF switch for direct auto/manual focus control
• Dust and moisture resistant for robust reliability

50mm wide aperture Prime lens with ZEISS® Planar design

High-performance 'normal' 50mm prime lens is the ideal focal length for most photographers. The bright F1.4 maximum aperture delivers excellent low-light performance and control over defocussed backgrounds. A state-of-the-art optical design includes 12 Elements in 9 Groups with Advanced Aspheric and ED glass - reducing spherical aberration and distortion to an absolute minimum for a flat image plane that is consistent with the Planar name.

Center to corner sharpness with outstanding resolution

12 Elements in 9 Groups includingAspherical lens design which dramatically reduces spherical aberration while also reducing lens size and weight. Spherical aberration is a slight misalignment of the light rays projected on the image plane. This is caused by differences in refraction at different points on conventional spherical lenses which degrade image quality in large-aperture lenses. Specially shaped “aspherical” elements near the diaphragm restore alignment of light rays at the image plane, maintaining high sharpness and contrast even at maximum aperture and can also be used at other points in the optical path to reduce distortion. While ED glass dramatically reduces chromatic aberration and provides superior contrast across the entire image, even at large aperture settings.

ZEISS® T* coating delivers superior contrast and resolution

Coated optics were pioneered by Carl Zeiss® -- and this superb lens features the ZEISS® T* (T-Star) coating that virtually eliminates lens flare, internal reflection and light scattering that can otherwise occur at glass-to-air surfaces. The T* coating contributes to outstanding image quality, with high contrast and uniformly excellent resolution right out to the image edges. Not simply applied to any lens -- the T* symbol only appears on multi-element lenses in which the required performance has been achieved throughout the entire optical path, therefore guaranteeing the highest quality.

11-blade circular aperture for gorgeous bokeh

When changing your aperture to defocus the background, the light sources appear blurred. This 'bokeh' effect of the blurred background can be enhanced with circular aperture blades used in this lens. Conventional aperture blades have flat sides creating unappealing polygonal shaped defocussed points of light. α lenses overcome this problem through a unique design that keeps the aperture almost perfectly circular from its wide-open setting to when it is closed by 2 stops. Smoother, more natural defocusing can be obtained as a result.

Ring Drive SSM

Expect fast, quiet and precise focusingthanks to ring drive SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor) which ensures pinpoint focus by positioning the lens's heavy focusing group with impressive speed and precision.

Aperture ring with a selectable click ON/OFF switch

A responsive aperture ring offers positive action that will satisfy professional photographers and moviemakers alike. The aperture ring click stops can be switched on or off as required. “Off” is the preferred setting for moviemaking since it results in the least aperture operation noise. When “On” the ring provides tactile feedback that is useful when shooting stills.

AF/MF switch for direct auto/manual focus control

An AF/MF focus mode switch on the lens allows fast and easy control of switching between auto and manual focus without having to take your eye off your subject or having to go into menus.

Sealing at all joints minimizes the chance of dust and moisture intrusion for maximum reliability in the widest possible range of shooting conditions.*