The Sony E 35mm F1.8 OSS ($449.99) is the company's standard-angle lens for its APS-C mirrorless camera system. The compact prime—it doesn't offer zoom—opens all the way up to f/1.8, so you can capture better shots in dim light and blur backgrounds behind your subject. It also sports optical stabilization, a plus for both stills and video. The only thing missing is weather protection, a feature that rival Fujifilm builds into its APS-C mirrorless lenses, but Sony reserves for full-frame glass. If you use a sealed camera, consider pairing it with the full-frame FE 35mm F1.8 ($749.99), but be aware you'll lose stabilization and pay a premium.

Compact Standard Prime

The E 35mm F1.8 OSS is a featherweight, measuring just 1.8 by 2.5 inches (HD) and weighing in at 5.4 ounces. It supports 49mm front filters, the same size used by many other of the lenses Sony sells for its APS-C mirrorless system. A reversible lens hood is included, along with front and rear caps.

Some Sony bodies, including the latest a6400 and the premium a6500 include weather protection. But the company hasn't added similar protection to any of its APS-C lenses to date. If weather sealing is a priority, the Fujifilm X system is likely a better platform for your photography. But if you're invested in Sony, using the FE 35mm F1.8 or FE 35mm F2.8, both of which offer dust and splash protection, and can also be used with full-frame Sony cameras.

When paired with an APS-C camera, the E 35mm captures a very similar angle of view to a 50mm on a full-frame system. It's the classic standard angle of view, and when shot at wider aperture your images will show a shallow depth of field, with a sharp plane of focus and blurred background. If you mount the lens to a full-frame camera you can use it with just the APS-C sensor area (at reduced resolution to match the crop), or with the full-frame angle of view. There's a big vignette on a full-frame sensor, shown below.

The manual focus ring is the only control surface—stabilization and focus settings are adjusted via the camera body. It turns smoothly, with a ramped response that adjusts focus more quickly as you turn it faster. Peaking and magnification are available as in-body manual focus aids on most Sony cameras. Most folks will opt for autofocus, and the lens delivers quick, quiet focus.

It can lock on as close as 11.8 inches. It's good enough for 1:6.7 magnification. You can certainly snap shots of larger flowers and fill the frame, like the shot above. If you want a true 1:1 macro, Sony offers the E 30mm F3.5 Macro.

The Macro lens doesn't offer stabilization, though, and doesn't capture nearly as much light. The E 35mm opens up to f/1.8 and includes stabilization. With the camera to my eye I was able to shoot consistently shake-free images at shutter speeds as long as 1/8-second.

The stabilization makes the E 35mm a better option for photography in dim light. Of course, you'll have to make sure that you're working with a cooperative subject—candid portraits are out at long shutter speeds. If you really dig shooting in dim light, don't forget about the Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary, which captures more light and costs less, although it's a bit larger.

Good Wide Open, Outstanding Stopped Down

I tested the E 35mm OSS with the 24MP a6400 and Imatest software. The pair manages 1,933 lines when shot wide open, a result that falls in our acceptable range. Images are going to look great on Instagram, but if you start to crop in or want to print really big, you'll notice that some details aren't as crisp as others.

Results are just a little bit better at f/2 (1,966). Edges are on the soft side at both f/1.8 and f/2, hovering around 1,600 lines, though the shallow depth of field will make them irrelevant for most images. But if you're shooting a landscape or other scene where everything is at distance, use a narrower f-stop if there's enough light to do so.

There's a significant jump in resolution at f/2.8, to 2,534 lines, an excellent result. There is a drop in resolution as you move away from center, to about 2,100 lines—good, but not excellent.

For landscapes and other shots where you're more concerned about ultimate resolution than shallow depth of field, we recommend working at f/4 (3,143 lines), f/5.6 (3,309 lines), or f/11 (2,974 lines). Diffraction reduces image quality at the narrowest settings—2,430 lines at f/16 and 1,384 lines at f/22.

The Sigma 30mm lens is sharper at wider f-stops, but not quite as crisp when stopped down—pretty typical for an f/1.4 design. We also tested it on an a6400 with the same chart, so a direct comparison is possible. It shows 2,302 lines at f/1.4, 2,851 lines at f/2, and settles in around 3,000 lines at f/2.8 through f/8.

The Sigma does show some barrel distortion (2.8 percent), where the Sony E 35mm F1.8 OSS shows none. Likewise, the Sigma lens shows a little bit of a corner vignette at f/1.4 (-1.3EV), while the corners of the Sony lens show an imperceptible -0.7EV drop. We don't put a lot of weight on either issue, as they're not likely to distract from a lot of images, and are very easily rectified with basic software. Adobe Lightroom includes a one-click correction profile for both lenses.

Small, Light, and Stabilized

The E 35mm F1.8 OSS is a little gem of a lens. It's tiny and light, so it's not going to add too much weight to your camera bag. Stabilization is handy, especially if you use a body without it, and it has a bright aperture for working in dim light and for capturing photos with a blurred background.

We wish Sony included weather protection, a feature it includes in its full-frame lens lineup. The a6400 and a6500 both offer dust and splash protection, but only when paired with a full-frame FE lens.

We're awarding the E 35mm F1.8 OSS the same rating as the Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary. The Sony wins on stabilization and weight, while the Sigma earns marks in sharpness and price. Both are fine options for Sony system owners.

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