Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens coming alongside Sony NEX-FF camera

The Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens will become the first optic to support the upcoming Sony NEX full frame camera, sources have revealed.

Sony is preparing to launch the company’s first full frame camera with E-mount support. The PlayStation maker has previously employed a full frame sensor on an E-mount camcorder, but this will be the first time it is doing it on a photography-centric device.

Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens will become the first optic to support the new Sony NEX full frame camera.

Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens to be the first to support Sony’s NEX full frame camera

The entire suite of Zeiss lenses for the E-mount will be compatible with the upcoming NEX-FF camera. However, it has already been stated that the system will work in crop mode.

Some photographers may not appreciate the lack of supported lenses and Sony is aware of that. According to the rumor mill, Zeiss will also contribute at solving this issue with at least a pair of new optics, one of them being a 35mm f/2.8 lens.

Zeiss puts size and quality ahead of anything else

This version will be aimed at street photographers, but it will also bond well with portraiture. There will be a lot of people who will say that a faster lens would have been better, but they will have to be reminded of E-mount’s purpose.

Sony NEX cameras are mainly focused on portability. The devices need to be as compact as possible and Zeiss would have been forced to make a bigger lens in order to widen the aperture.

The Japanese company will announce its NEX-FF camera on September 24. If the rumor mill is right, then the new Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens is coming on the same date.

Zeiss has previously made a 35mm f/2.8 lens for Leica M-mount cameras

Zeiss has some experience with 35mm f/2.8 optics. Previously, the company had released one for Leica M-mount. It consisted of a full frame lens that was compatible with TTL-exposure metering.

The Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 C Biogon T* ZM lens did not feature autofocus support, but it had a manual focus ring. The “C” in its name stands for “compact”, so it is easy to assume that the Sony NEX-FF version will be similar to its ancestor.

Amazon is still selling this lens for a price of $860. However, the stock is very limited and it is unlikely that Zeiss will make more of them, as there are better models currently available on the market.