Photographers who use Sony's full-frame mirrorless camera system are blessed with a strong selection of 35mm prime lenses, each fulfilling a specific purpose. The Zeiss Loxia 2/35 ($1,299.00 at Amazon) offers a pure mechanical manual focus feel and is quite compact, while the Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8 ($798.00 at Amazon) supports autofocus and is just as small. The newest 35mm prime from Sony, the Zeiss Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA ($1,599.99), is another optical gem, though it's huge when compared with the other two 35mm lenses available for the system. The Distagon captures four times the light at its maximum aperture as the Sonnar T*, which accounts for its cost and size. And, like the svelte Sonnar T*, it's worthy of Editors' Choice honors.

The Distagon ($1,499.99 at Dell) measures 4.4 by 3.1 inches, weighs a hefty 1.4 pounds, and supports 72mm front filters. A reversible lens hood is included. It's a big lens, especially if you pair it with a camera with a shallow grip like the Alpha 7R ($629.99 at Amazon) . I tested the lens with the Alpha 7 II ($898.00 at Amazon) , which has a deeper handgrip and beefier design—the Distagon balances well on that body. Using the Alpha 7 II also sidesteps one of the Distagon's drawbacks—its lack of a stabilization system—as the 7 II includes in-body 5-axis stabilization.

Physical aperture rings aren't standard for Sony lenses, but the Distagon has one. It has markings from f/1.4 down through f/16, as well as an A setting that switches aperture control to the body. For still photography you can enable aperture clicks at third-stop increments, and you can switch the ring to smooth, click-free operation for shooting videos. Owners of the Alpha 7S ($1,998.00 at Amazon) , which records 4K footage when paired with an external recorder, will appreciate this option, as it's a plus for serious video work.

A manual focus ring occupies a good portion of the barrel; it's a focus-by-wire design, but the implementation is pretty good. Turning the ring magnifies the image so you can focus with precision, and in-focus areas are highlighted via a Focus Peaking system. If you prefer a mechanical manual focus lens, you'll want to opt for the Zeiss Loxia 2/35 instead, but you'll sacrifice autofocus support. The lens focuses as close as 11.8 inches. That's not macro territory—it projects images at a little less than one-fifth life-size onto the image sensor at the minimum focus distance—but it's fine for a 35mm lens.

I used Imatest to check the how crisp images from the lens are when paired with the 24-megapixel Alpha 7 II. At f/1.4 it scores 2,212 lines per picture height on a center-weighted sharpness test, much better than the 1,800 lines we like to see in a photo. Our test creates an average score by giving the most weight to the center third of the image (2,530 lines), a bit less to the middle third (2,039 lines) and the least to the outer third (1,834 lines).

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At f/2 the average score increase to 2,249 lines, thanks to an increase in the center third (2,746 lines); the middle third stays about the same as it is at f/1.4, and the outer third drops a bit to 1,600 lines. At f/2.8 performance starts to be a bit more even across the frame. The average score is 2,500 lines, computed from a 2,906/2,471/1,733-line breakdown.

The lens really starts to shine from edge to edge at f/4. It scores 2,791 on the center weighted test, with most of the frame topping 2,800 lines and the outer edges approaching 2,400 lines. There's a general increase to all of those numbers at f/5.6, where the average improves to 2,875 lines, and peak resolution is at f/8 (2,891 lines). At f/11 there's a very slight drop (2,858 lines), and at f/16 the lens shows 2,678 lines. Distortion is a complete nonissue; there is none of which to speak.

The Sony Zeiss Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA is another excellent 35mm prime lens for Sony mirrorless cameras. It's a focal length at which you have two other choices, but each is unique and fills its own niche. If money is no object, and you crave ultimate control over depth of field and excellent light-gathering capability, this is way to go. It's expensive, big, and heavy, but it's also a stellar performer, and worthy of being called Editors' Choice. If you don't need to shoot at f/2.8, the Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8 is less expensive, smaller, and deadly sharp in its own right. There's also the the Zeiss Loxia 2/35, which is a manual focus lens, but is also quite compact and optically excellent.

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