First of all let me just say this:
if you are on the fence about buying this lens, DONT THINK JUST BUY PLEASE YOU WONT REGRET IT!!! Especially at such a low price!
it’s ridiculous how good this lil piece of glass is. Seriously. I shoot a whole variety of different kinds of things, mostly nature, animals, and sometimes people(and soon cars too). This lens is amazing for all three and more. I use it on my Sony Alpha A6100 and the photos I’ve been able to capture this past summer have been some of my favorite shots I’ve taken, since I got my first camera last fall. I have loads more shots on my Instagram: @ cloudformedia if you’re intrigued by the sample photos I’ve provided.
I’ll now go a bit further and speak on sharpness, ease of focusing, build quality, etc.
sharpness: wow, just,
Wow.
it’s honestly insane how sharp of shots you can manage to squeeze out of this lens. I normally use a Sony SEL 50mm f/1.8 for a lot of my work and this honestly holds up to that $250 lens a fair bit. It is however, soft in the corners, but that can actually work to your advantage in most cases(keep reading to find out why!)
Bokeh: ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL AND UNIQUE
Did the creators of this lens rip off of vintage powerhouses like the Helios 44??? If you’re at all familiar with vintage lenses, you’ll know about the unique bokeh and background blur effects you can get with lenses like the Russian Helios as previously mentioned. This lens, somehow, manages to replicate that sweet, sweet, swirly bokeh that you can usually only get with old glass. It’s absolutely beautiful. I don’t know how aperture blades work, or rlly anything as it pertains to the engineering behind that sort of thing, but man, this lens gives you some stunning bokeh for sure.
TLDR It’s a banger of a portrait lens(especially at this focal length!)
Ease of focusing: first of all, if you buy any manual focus lenses like this one, go into your camera settings and turn on focus peaking, and then thank me lager. I actually started out with manual focus lenses, and while it can take a bit getting used to, it’ll become relatively easy and quite fun in a short amount of time. I nail about 80% of the shots I’ve gotten with this lens. It’s very easy to focus in my experience. I usually dial the aperture down to around f/1.8 or f/2.0, but even at f/1.7 it’s still pretty dang sharp. Focusing itself is quite easy, this isn’t any sort of manual focus zoom. Basically, as long as you have focus peaking turned on, you should get the hang of it in no time. Not to mention how rewarding it can feel when you nail a killer shot, knowing you did so with your own hands!
Build quality: now this is where, unfortunately, I have to delve into the small negatives of this lens. First of all, It does feel sturdy in the hands, has a nice weight to it, when you consider the size. However, I have experienced some jamming(?) when trying to change the focus, it sort of locks up and loosens a bit(if that makes sense lol). Though, it only seemed to do that for a small amount of time, strangely enough. These days however, it hasn’t done any of that sort of “jamming” much at all(I’ve had this lens for a year, however I just started using it again about a month ago). Then again, what more could you expect from a $28-35 lens for your $300-$1k+ mirrorless camera?????
All in all, I think this lens is an absolute steal. You get a stylishly portable form factor which makes it great for traveling, some fantastic bokeh that looks especially beautiful in portraits, insane sharpness(all things considered, that is), and a very sleek looking piece of glass that’ll remind you of the lenses of yesteryear. Overall, this lens is an extremely worthwhile investment for any photographer imo, I recommend anyone looking to add a bit of flair to their photos, to try this lens. especially at this price point!
Fotasy 35mm F1.6 Large Aperture Manual Prime Lens APS-C for E-Mount, 35 mm 1.6 Multi Coated Lense, Compatible with Sony E Mou
4.4 | 767 ratings
Price: 33.95
Last update: 06-05-2024
About this item
35mm E Mount Lens, E Mount Prime Lens, E Mount 35mm Lens, Prime Lens for E Mount; Compatible with NEX5T NEX-6 NEX-7 NEX-F3 a3000 a3500 a5000 a5100 a6000 a6300 a6400 a6500 a6600 ZV-E10 etc
35mm F1.6 Prime Lens; Manual Focus; Maximum Aperture: F/1.6 - F16 Focal Length: 35mm
Optical Construction: 4 Elements in 4 Groups; Multi-Coated technique for exceptional image quality
Smooth focusing operation; Minimum Focus Distance: 30cm
Filter diameter: 37mm; Size: 35mm x5mm, Weight: 110G
35mm F1.6 Prime Lens; Manual Focus; Maximum Aperture: F/1.6 - F16 Focal Length: 35mm
Optical Construction: 4 Elements in 4 Groups; Multi-Coated technique for exceptional image quality
Smooth focusing operation; Minimum Focus Distance: 30cm
Filter diameter: 37mm; Size: 35mm x5mm, Weight: 110G
Product information
| Product Dimensions | 2 x 2 x 2 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 3.88 ounces |
| ASIN | B00KWNA1VS |
| Item model number | 3516E |
| Customer Reviews |
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars
762 ratings
4.3 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #40 in Mirrorless Camera Lenses |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | April 14, 2011 |
| Manufacturer | Photography Accessories INC |
Top reviews from the United States
Holly
An ABSOLUTE steal, insane bokeh, great sharpness
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2021
Holly
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2021
if you are on the fence about buying this lens, DONT THINK JUST BUY PLEASE YOU WONT REGRET IT!!! Especially at such a low price!
it’s ridiculous how good this lil piece of glass is. Seriously. I shoot a whole variety of different kinds of things, mostly nature, animals, and sometimes people(and soon cars too). This lens is amazing for all three and more. I use it on my Sony Alpha A6100 and the photos I’ve been able to capture this past summer have been some of my favorite shots I’ve taken, since I got my first camera last fall. I have loads more shots on my Instagram: @ cloudformedia if you’re intrigued by the sample photos I’ve provided.
I’ll now go a bit further and speak on sharpness, ease of focusing, build quality, etc.
sharpness: wow, just,
Wow.
it’s honestly insane how sharp of shots you can manage to squeeze out of this lens. I normally use a Sony SEL 50mm f/1.8 for a lot of my work and this honestly holds up to that $250 lens a fair bit. It is however, soft in the corners, but that can actually work to your advantage in most cases(keep reading to find out why!)
Bokeh: ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL AND UNIQUE
Did the creators of this lens rip off of vintage powerhouses like the Helios 44??? If you’re at all familiar with vintage lenses, you’ll know about the unique bokeh and background blur effects you can get with lenses like the Russian Helios as previously mentioned. This lens, somehow, manages to replicate that sweet, sweet, swirly bokeh that you can usually only get with old glass. It’s absolutely beautiful. I don’t know how aperture blades work, or rlly anything as it pertains to the engineering behind that sort of thing, but man, this lens gives you some stunning bokeh for sure.
TLDR It’s a banger of a portrait lens(especially at this focal length!)
Ease of focusing: first of all, if you buy any manual focus lenses like this one, go into your camera settings and turn on focus peaking, and then thank me lager. I actually started out with manual focus lenses, and while it can take a bit getting used to, it’ll become relatively easy and quite fun in a short amount of time. I nail about 80% of the shots I’ve gotten with this lens. It’s very easy to focus in my experience. I usually dial the aperture down to around f/1.8 or f/2.0, but even at f/1.7 it’s still pretty dang sharp. Focusing itself is quite easy, this isn’t any sort of manual focus zoom. Basically, as long as you have focus peaking turned on, you should get the hang of it in no time. Not to mention how rewarding it can feel when you nail a killer shot, knowing you did so with your own hands!
Build quality: now this is where, unfortunately, I have to delve into the small negatives of this lens. First of all, It does feel sturdy in the hands, has a nice weight to it, when you consider the size. However, I have experienced some jamming(?) when trying to change the focus, it sort of locks up and loosens a bit(if that makes sense lol). Though, it only seemed to do that for a small amount of time, strangely enough. These days however, it hasn’t done any of that sort of “jamming” much at all(I’ve had this lens for a year, however I just started using it again about a month ago). Then again, what more could you expect from a $28-35 lens for your $300-$1k+ mirrorless camera?????
All in all, I think this lens is an absolute steal. You get a stylishly portable form factor which makes it great for traveling, some fantastic bokeh that looks especially beautiful in portraits, insane sharpness(all things considered, that is), and a very sleek looking piece of glass that’ll remind you of the lenses of yesteryear. Overall, this lens is an extremely worthwhile investment for any photographer imo, I recommend anyone looking to add a bit of flair to their photos, to try this lens. especially at this price point!
Images in this review
tightsandtea
For the price, a must-have
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2013
tightsandtea
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2013
DIMENSIONS: 2" tall, 5.5" in circumference (basically 1.75" in diameter). In other words, ultra portable! My DSLR prime lenses are like 3x bulkier
IDEAL AMBIANCE: Simply because you have to manually adjust the focus, I wouldn't recommend this for shooting moving subjects. It's best suited for still photography (i.e. portraits, still life) where you have all the time in the world to fine-tune. A monopod or tripod would be beneficial. If shooting a few feet away or closer, you'd ideally only care about one specific area of the subject in focus (i.e. a few petals from a large flower). The focus ring is by no means *difficult* to operate or unsmooth, but it does require you to exert more force than say, manually focusing on an EF-S lens.
BUILD QUALITY: The lens itself is VERY solid--all metal/glass except for rubber grips on the aperture/focus rings. The lens caps, however, are cheaply made (soft flexible plastic); the rear cap stays on fine, but I'd be worried about the front cap falling off. Even a couple of my DSLR lenses aren't all-metal, so for $30 that was a pleasant surprise.
FOCUSING: Unfortunately, you can't really get much closer than ~20 inches away from your subject; for that reason I wouldn't recommend this lens for macro shots. Other than that, I have absolutely no issues with focusing. I was worried that the adapter wouldn't allow infinity focus, but it works fine for me. As I stated earlier, the focus ring isn't lightning fast but it IS buttery smooth. The point of focus is pretty small (not just because of the wide aperture), but whatever is in focus is brilliantly SHARP!
IMAGE QUALITY: At f/1.7, the bokeh is great! Just a head's up: every shot will have soft VIGNETTING at the corners/edges--however, I think it improves the aesthetics of the image; plus, you wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it. This lens is also significantly prone to LIGHT LEAKS--but again, it adds visual interest (many people like light leaks, it's kind of like a natural Instagram filter).
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KEEP IN MIND: The adapter doesn't 'snap' firmly into place, it just screws on both sides (both the lens and the camera body). Because it takes a little effort to spin the focus/aperture rings, you might accidentally loosen the lens in the process. If you tighten the adapter too much, it can be a pain in the butt to remove from the camera body..
ALSO KEEP IN MIND: Manually focusing free-handed (i.e. sans tripod) on a camera like the NEX-3N, which does not support viewfinders and has a lo-fi 400px screen, is a PAIN IN THE BUTT!! On my camera, I can't get the Manual Focus Assist to work with adapted lenses. Stupid (perhaps intentional) oversight on Sony's part. BUT--that is not the lens's fault. That's the camera's flaw. If I were to use this lens on my APS-C DSLR, I'd have no problems.
OVERALL OPINION: I am pleasantly surprised with both the build quality and image quality on this lens; at the price, it's a must-have. Even if you own a higher-quality lens worth 10x more, it's always good to have a quality lens that wouldn't kill you if it got damaged. It's perfect for certain types of shots (i.e. plant/nature shots, portraits), but not so great for others (fast-moving subjects, landscape, up-close macro). The "flaws"--somewhat circular bokeh, occasional light leaks, vignetting, etc--are more visually interesting than annoying.
Images in this review
DarkWater13
Has Flaws But Money Well Spent For Sony a6000
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2016
DarkWater13
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2016
For under $30 you really can't go wrong picking one up, but I had to knock 1 star off because of the quality issues that mine has. It seems from other reviews that quality might vary quite a bit from one lens to another, but mine does feel a bit "wobbly" when using the focus and aperture rings. Almost like it's going to fall apart. Also, there is no rear lens cap at all, and the front cap looks and feels like a random piece of plastic that a child picked up off the ground and just sort of stuck on to see if it would fit.
On the plus side, the image quality it produces is really unique and a lot of fun to experiment with. It's sharp in the center and gets very soft towards the edges. Not really suitable if you need sharpness anywhere other than the center of the frame, but other than that you can get some really intriguing results with it. Certainly worth the bargain price.
IMPORTANT NOTE: To use this lens with the a6000 (and other models) you must go into your camera's menu and select Release Without Lens. Otherwise the camera will think there is no lens attached and will not release the shutter.
Images in this review
