When I reviewed the Sony 50 1.2 GM lens a year ago, I ended that review
by saying that as much as I loved the ultra wide aperture of that lens,
I couldn't help but wish that Sony made a smaller and lighter F 1.4 version.
Cue my surprise and excitement whenever Sony did just that.
This is the new 50 millimeter F 1.4 GM
And while I realize this is the third 50 millimeters lens that they sell.
If you factor in the 50 1.2 and the older Zeiss 50 1.4,
and now this version and heck, let's throw in the 55 1.8 also.
So that's four lenses at roughly the 50 millimeter focal length.
But I have to say this 50 1.4 is my favorite.
And today I'm going to be reviewing this lens from the perspective of a wedding.
Filmmaker.
So if you are someone that films weddings or documentaries or you're a filmmaker
like me that just loves the 50 millimeter focal length,
you're going to love this video.
Also, because I respect your time, I actually am going to spoil
the conclusion of this review right now and tell you
that if you haven't guessed by my excitement about it already,
the new 51.4 GM is, in my opinion, the best 50 millimeter Sony has ever made.
And while it may not attain the heights of bokeh
that the 51.2 GM reaches, this 51.4 is dramatically lighter.
It's going to feel very well-balanced on your camera.
It's incredibly sharp.
And more than anything, I get the same feeling that I get
when using this 50 that I do when using the 24 millimeter 1.4 GM
which to date is still my favorite lens that Sony has pretty much ever made.
So in short, if you're someone that uses Sony's 24 GM lens and you love it,
I think you're going to love this 51.4 as well.
Okay. You got to watch the rest of the video.
If you want to hear my thoughts.
Before I jump into that, though, for the sake of ethics, I want you to note
this video is not paid or sponsored by Sony in any way, but they did
send me this link so I can review it
and I will be sending it back to them very soon.
I'm very sad about that, but I will say that I'm also
very excited to be purchasing this lens as soon as it is actually available.
Jumping right into it, then I want you to come along with me.
Yes, come back in time.
With me now to the year 2017.
I had purchased the Sony A7 S2 about a year and a half prior.
And as someone that loved the Canon EF 51.2,
which is still a fantastic lens in my opinion,
I wanted the lens that would be similar to that,
but also give me the benefits of a native Sony lens like AutoFocus.
So I looked around and I saw that Sony sold a Zeiss
51.4 lanes for about 1500 bucks.
This was a hefty chunk of change.
So to save money
and make sure that I actually wanted to use it,
I chose to rent this lens before I bought it, and I got to say,
I am so glad that I did because I hated that lens.
Yes, I hated it.
It was awful.
Super heavy.
The autofocus was slow,
it felt unbalanced and the flaring was, in a word, terrible.
My main issue with a lot of the older Sony
Zeiss lenses is that they were, in a word, clinical.
The flaring was minimal, and the flying that you did
get was really bland and uninteresting.
The footage was sharp, but it felt almost over sharp
And overall, the colors just felt cold.
Like I said, it was clinical.
If I was filming a doctor in an operating room, I may have chosen that lens.
That's how bad it was.
And I'm so glad that I only rented it for a week
and then I returned it and I never bought it anyway.
So my lack of satisfaction with this Zeiss 50 from Sony
led me to continue using that Canon 51.2, as well as adventuring off
into the land of vintage lenses, which had far more character.
Thankfully, Sony did start to lure me back with their 51.2 GM lens,
which, as I said at the start of this video
I reviewed last year, and I was very impressed by it
with my only hang up being the weight of the lens.
It's not as big as the 51.2 options
from other camera companies, to be clear, but it's still pretty hefty
this year, though, it feels like Sony finally heard the cry of my heart
because I was so incredibly overjoyed whenever they announced this 51.4.
So let's talk about it.
The first thing you're going to notice about this lens
whenever you use it is the size and weight.
This thing is dramatically lighter than the 51.2.
And while it is about 80 grams heavier than the 24 1.4 at 516
grams, this thing is still quite light testing this lens.
I filmed with it at a wedding where I used to film
establishing shots as well as dancing footage of the reception.
Throughout all of this, I was handheld.
I didn't put on a gimbal or use any other stabilization.
I wanted to feel how this lens felt as a very lightweight, handheld
set up on a camera.
And I got to say, it felt great.
More than just a feel, though.
Visually, this lens is very impressive as well.
It's very sharp and the vodka feels really creamy, which is great.
To be clear, you're not going to get
the ridiculous level of bouquet that you would get with a 51.2.
But personally, I typically find myself filming it off to because I don't want
to completely overwhelm whatever I'm filming with Boca.
So when I was filming with the 51.4,
I never felt myself wishing like I needed at 1.2.
So overall, from an image quality and feel standpoint,
this lens feels in line with Sony's other GM lenses, and more importantly,
it feels dramatically better than their old Zeiss 51.4.
There's nothing clinical here, all right.
Other than they feel and look of this lens.
Of course, it's a GM lens, which means that it comes
with all the bells and whistles
that you would normally get with a GM lens from Sony.
But they added something new to an iris lock.
Switch here on the side will prevent the lens
switching between being controlled by the aperture control ring
or the electronic mode of your camera.
So if you've ever accidentally bumped your lens
and switched to the aperture control ring,
this lock is a nice touch that will prevent that.
Of course, you're getting all the other GM lens
features too, like programable buttons and an aperture control ring on the lens
that has a click with the switch autofocus manual focus toggle.
It's all there.
Speaking of autofocus and manual focus, now, I'm pleased to tell you
that this lens also performs incredibly well in both of those settings.
When I was filming the reception dancing, I really prefer to toggle back and forth
between autofocus and manual focus
while autofocus on someone's face while they're dancing.
But if they turn around and face away from me,
I will then disable autofocus So that way the camera does not begin
hunting for another face to focus on to the 51.4 handled
filming in this way very well, and anytime I toggle the autofocus back on
it would lock on the faces incredibly quickly, which was great.
Now, in regards to lens breathing, when I tested it,
this lens did exhibit breathing.
So if you are planning on getting this lens to use for talking head interviews,
etc., where it's locked off on a tripod, you may want to look at alternatives,
but in the case of wedding filmmaking, where you're oftentimes either
handheld or on a gimbal, I don't think that's going to be an issue.
Next.
Let's talk about the price of the 51.4.
Sony has told me they're going to be pricing
this lens at 1300 bucks, which is definitely a healthy chunk of change.
But whenever you consider that the 51.2 is $2,000 at the time of making
this video, $700 less for only a point to f stop difference isn't bad.
That said, though, I'm sure that some of you are planning to type right now.
Matt, what about Sigma?
And it's true, Sigma did just release a 51.4
that is a direct competitor to this lens and at 850 bucks
at the time of making this video, that Sigma is a substantial savings.
Unfortunately, I have not had time to test that signal yet.
But I will say that I have loved using sigma lenses in the past
and I'm betting their 50 millimeter is very good.
Other than the price, though, there is one other big difference
between the Sigma and the Sony, though, and that is the weight.
Remember this, Sony 51.4 is 516 grams, which is quite light.
This new sigma, 1.4 comes in at a heavier 660 grams.
So you're really going to have to weigh
your decision between these two lenses, pun intended.
If price is a bigger factor, go with Sigma.
But if you want to prioritize a lightweight lens, go with Sony.
So would I recommend buying this new Sony 51.4?
Well, let me put it this way.
I am planning on buying it.
As I said at the start of this video, I loved what Sony did with the 51.2,
but I was wishing
that they would make a smaller and little more lightweight f 1.4 lens
because I feel like that lens would be exactly what I was looking for.
And it was.
So if you've tried the 51.2 and it feels a little bit
too heavy for you and that pricetag is a little high
and you're looking around and the 55 1.8 isn't going to cut it.
And let's not even talk about that old Zeiss 51.4.
I really think that this new 51.4 GM
is the gold locks moment for a 50 millimeters lens from Sony.
It's not too big, it's not too heavy, it's not too clinical.
It's just right.
I'll link to it down below if you want to check it out.
And also down below, I'm going to link to a free guide
that I've put together called Edit Videos Like a Pro.
This guide is going to walk you through
some of the most important things that took me years to learn.
As a video editor, I think it's gonna be super helpful to you.
You can download it link down in the video description completely for free.
Thanks so much for watching and have a great day.