Sony’s new 85mm f/1.4 GM Mark II is a very solid addition to their lineup that improves on its predecessor in every single way, and I think it is a great choice, especially if you are getting it to create videos. My only wish, and I bet many people share it, is that Sony had somehow managed to make this an f/1.2.
I am going to be reviewing this lens from the perspective of a wedding filmmaker and telling you if it is a good choice to buy if you film weddings, or corporate or commercial videos, or documentaries, and if you have been looking for a lens that can film people in a way that is very flattering and makes them look great. That is what this review is all about.
Also, for the sake of ethics, I want you to know this video is not paid or sponsored by Sony, but they did loan me this lens so I could make this review, and I will sadly be shipping it back to them very soon.
Size And Weight
Talking about the size and weight of this lens, while it is not as small and light as something like the 24mm GM, which is legendary for its small size and weight, this 85 Mark II is still 30% lighter and 13% smaller than the original.
I think this size is really important to consider, because Sony knows what filmmakers want. They are very aware that people are asking for an 85mm f/1.2, but they also know, as I am sure you do too, that there are things like the laws of physics, and an f/1.2 lens is going to be larger and heavier than an f/1.4.
And I know that while I and others have been asking for an f/1.2, I think their sales data is showing them that most people actually want lighter and smaller lenses, which I agree with. I do want lighter and smaller lenses, especially as a wedding filmmaker. I do not want to be carting around a super heavy lens all day. I recently spent a lot of time using Nikon lenses with the launch of the Z6 III, and Nikon lenses are dramatically heavier than Sony, especially their f/1.2 options, and while I appreciate that they offer them, wow, they are quite an arm workout.
My Theory About The Missing F1.2
So here is my theory. Whenever it came time for Sony to release their two most recent 50mm lenses, I think they got the order wrong. They released the 50mm f/1.2 first and then followed it up two years later with an f/1.4 option, and I cannot help but bet that if they had done it backwards and released the f/1.4 first, they probably would have made more sales, because more people would have purchased the f/1.4 version since it was lighter, smaller, and cheaper.
Back to my theory with this 85mm f/1.4 then. My hope is that Sony is also working on an 85mm f/1.2, and I hope that in the next year or two we will see it announced. On top of that, I hope again that it is significantly lighter and smaller than the competition. We can also dream of it being cheaper, but come on, lenses are hitting $3,000 plus at this point, so I would not be surprised if it landed there too.
Autofocus
Back to the review of this 85mm f/1.4 in particular. I am happy to tell you that Sony did not just make it lighter and smaller, they also greatly improved the internals as well. I do not know if you have used some of their earliest lenses, but while they were well built, they were not exactly the fastest when it came to autofocus.
Especially considering that Sony is now selling cameras that film 120 frames per second video pretty much across the board, not to mention 120 frames per second raw photos with the a9 III, I am sure their engineers have a mandate that all of their new lenses must hit a certain autofocus speed minimum to keep up with their cameras. This means the autofocus in this new 85 is significantly faster than the previous version, and in my testing I found it to be very accurate, just like any modern Sony lens.
Image Quality
Image quality was also something Sony told me they were very proud of with this lens, and I can see why. It is extremely sharp, and it takes me back to my love of their 135mm f/1.8, which is easily one of the sharpest lenses I have ever used. I have to say this one competes with it quite well.
The sharpness, especially at f/1.4, helps the subject you are filming stand out from the frame even more, giving your image a really 3D effect, which is super cool, and it is one of the main reasons I would consider an 85mm lens like this in the first place. If you want the people you are filming to look really good, this is the focal length.
Focus Breathing
Sony also told me they designed this lens to have very minimal focus breathing, and in my testing, while I could see some, it was not bad. You can always turn on their focus breathing compensation in any of their modern cameras and remove any focus breathing you do see, but it is nice that even without that feature enabled it still is not bad.
Buttons, Rings, And An Iris Lock
Otherwise, this lens comes with all the features and benefits you would expect from a Sony GM lens. You get two programmable buttons on the side, an autofocus and manual focus switch, and an aperture ring with controls to make it clickless. And in a first for one of their prime lenses, this lens also includes an iris lock switch you can flip so the aperture does not accidentally switch between being controlled by the ring or by the camera. It is a nice addition.
The Price
Speaking of nice additions, it is also nice to see that the price for this second generation lens has not increased over the previous version. You can go out and get this lens for the same 1800 bucks as the original 85mm f/1.4, though I have also heard Sony is going to be keeping that original version around, and it may well drop in price.
That said, considering all of the autofocus improvements, especially for video, plus the sharpness, plus the lighter weight and smaller size, I think the second gen version is the one I would go with. You can grab it at B&H or Amazon.
Thanks To Musicbed
This video was sponsored by Musicbed, where I license a lot of the music in my wedding films. Their catalog is curated for film, TV, and advertising, and their AI powered search by song lets you drop in a reference track and get back music that actually sounds like it. You can start a free 14 day trial at the link.
And speaking of what I would definitely go with, I would definitely recommend downloading my gear guide for wedding filmmakers. It is going to show you all of the equipment I recommend for wedding filmmaking, and you can download the PDF completely for free.
If you have never filmed a wedding before, I have also put together a free workshop that is going to show you how to book your next wedding in 30 days or less.
Thanks so much for reading and have a great day!