Sony Sony A Prime

Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZA lens

85mm
f/1.4
Prime
640 g
Min focus 0.85 m

Quick answer

The Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 for A-mount, a classic fast portrait prime with body-driven autofocus. It weighs about 640 g and takes 72mm filters.

Pros

Fast f/1.4 aperture
Min focus 0.85 m
Well-liked rendering
9-bladed aperture

Cons

Screw-drive AF is slower than lens-motor designs
Not stabilized, so you rely on the camera body

Verdict

A classic portrait lens for A-mount cameras. Its character is the reason to buy; focus speed is the compromise.

About this lens

The Sony Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZA lens is a fast short-telephoto prime lens covering 85mm at f/1.4 for Sony A mount cameras. A Zeiss-designed lens for Sony cameras with T* coating.

Sony Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZA lens specifications

Brand: Sony
Mount: Sony A
Focal length: 85mm
Maximum aperture: f/1.4
Lens type: Prime
Format coverage: full-frame
Released: 2006
Optical construction: 8 elements in 7 groups
Aperture blades: 9
Autofocus motor: screw-drive
Minimum focus distance: 0.85 m
Maximum magnification: 0.13x
Filter thread: 72 mm
Weight: 640 g
Length: 72.5 mm

Specification source: dyxum.com

What can you shoot with the Sony Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZA lens?

Portraits at f/1.4
Weddings and events
Shallow depth-of-field work

Its very wide maximum aperture suits low light and shallow depth of field with strong background blur.

Full-frame equivalent and field of view

Calculated from the focal length and crop factor. Not measured.

Sensor	Crop	Equivalent	Horizontal FOV	Diagonal FOV
Full frame	1.0x	85mm	23.9°	28.6°
APS-C	1.5x	128mm	16.1°	19.3°

Try the field-of-view calculator

Frequently asked questions

Does the Zeiss Planar 85mm F1.4 ZA cover full frame?

Yes. It is a full-frame lens, and on APS-C A-mount bodies it frames like roughly a 128mm lens.

Does the Planar 85mm f/1.4 ZA have its own focus motor?

No. It uses the screw-drive motor in the camera body, so you need an A-mount body with that drive for autofocus.

How does it compare to the Sony 85mm f/2.8 SAM?

The f/1.4 Zeiss gives much shallower depth of field and a larger, heavier body at about 640 g. The 85mm f/2.8 SAM weighs only about 175 g and uses a lens-mounted SAM motor.