Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM Full-Frame Large-Aperture G Master Lens

I have owned this lens for two years and can honestly say its the best addition to my photography kit to date. Look, at the end of the day, if you are seriously considering dropping 2 grand on a lens, you shouldn't be questioning if its worth it or not, because it is. I think you have to question whether or not you have the need for it. This lens is like comparing a Sony A7iii to a disposable fujifilm camera. It's heavy, but you kind of get why (lots of glass, excellent build quality). It's crazy fast with a crazy good f stop, what's not to love about it? If you're just shooting rando shots here and there its nice to have, but I don't think you 'need' it making it an unnecessary luxury. If you're a professional however, this should 100% be in the bag, if not, just shoot all the time with it. Buy another A7iii or A7iv just to keep this lens on it. It's so damn good. It still shocks me just how good both photos and video look with this lens.

An f/1.2 50mm prime lens. You really do pay for that extra f-stop but wow what a lens! These G Master lenses are so good on Sony full frame cameras that you just can’t fault them for their price. Manual focus (obviously) AND autofocus. Did I mention f/1.2? This lens is heavy! There’s a lot of glass in there! But you get what you pay for and this is quality, quality, quality. I’m an amateur photographer but I know a guy who is a professional photographer. His Sony Alpha camera is better than my camera (I have an a7iv) but he swears by this lens, so much so that I just couldn’t help but get it. The way I see it, instead of getting an “okay” cheaper lens and dealing with all the drawbacks of an inferior lens - including from Sony - it’s better to just pay up and get the best lens. I’m sure I’ll be using it for years and years to come even as I upgrade to new cameras in the future (not anytime soon). Good glass will always be good glass and I am confident that a lens like this, if taken care of, will always fetch a good price on the second-hand market. But I won’t be parting with it. As usual with Sony G Master lenses it comes with a fantastic lens case and carry strap. I also like the Sony e-mount and the fact that it’s possible to use these lenses on a variety of Sony cameras.

I was quite happy with my Planar 1.4, but I dropped it. I'm not going to bore you with specs and such. There are a million videos out there for that. I will just tell you, photographer to photographer, that this is one of the most impressive lenses I have ever used. My Planar was sharp and AF was pretty fast. But this lens beats the Planar in every single aspect. Ultimately, for most people, photo quality would be viewed as similar unless you are using particular gear and appropriate viewing stations. For me, the big gain is AF speed. I never like using my 85mm GM because the AF speed pretty much sucks. This lens is lightning fast. The bonus is the extra bit of light gathering at 1.2. I shoot mostly lowlight venues. Every bit of help is greatly appreciated. I basically go in armed with this 50mm 1.2 GM and my 135 1.8 GM hanging at my hips. I go in knowing I have the best gear for the job. Do not hesitate in buying this lens. I will add that I am one of those people that despise 35mm but love 50mm. It's hard to explain, but I know I am not alone in this. I will not be paying for the 35mm GM becaue I would hardly use it.

I've been a professional Sony shooter for awhile now and have used a variety of G and GM lenses. Prior to buying this lens, the majority of my shooting was with 35 1.4 GM, 85 1.8, and 200-600 G lenses. There is something magical about the bokeh on this lens. $2,000 is pretty steep for some glass, but it is absolutely worth the investment. If you're on the line about buying, rent one for a hands on experience and I am confident that you won't be disappointed. The only downside for some is that this lens is large and heavy, which doesn't bother me. It makes me look forward to whenever Sony will release an 85 1.2 GM lens down the road.

This is one of the best lenses I have had a chance to use, super sharp, super fast and the f1.2 is just amazing at bokeh and low light

To call this lens outstanding is to do it a disservice. I have been in the Sony E full-frame ecosystem since the first A7 and have several of the G-Master lens, including the 24-70 and 100-400. I also gave other G lenses, primes and Zeiss zooms. This 50mm exceeds all expectations. It rarely misses focus when f/1.2, which is astounding all by itself. But the time it takes to find focus is nearly instant. The bokeh is surprisingly creamy for such a large aperture and it's not particularly heavy or large. I didn't think I needed f/1.2, maybe f/1.4 but probably f/1.8 would be fine. I don't feel that way anymore. This thing sucks light up like a vacuum and it is the undisputed indoor champion. Images that required 12,800 ISO and barely usable, are crisp and beautiful at ISO 400 with this lens - and that's in a poorly lit room with subjects moving about. It takes your images to the next level. Expensive? Yes, but there are few tools you can add to your setup that are more impactful than this one.

I bought this lens not because I use it at 1.2 often but because it is a perfect lens. It has no distortion great color and superb sharpness. I use this lens in studio but also on location. The lens is pretty heavy but it’s not very long, so it doesn’t bother me much. The times I have used it for 1.2 I’ve been in lowlight situations and it does deliver

I prefer this over the newer GM 1.4 something about that 1.2 and the image quality is great!

Put it in and haven’t taken it off. Super fast auto focus and easy manual focus too, nice firm f stop movement. Super crisp all the way to the edges. Perfect for portraits and street, yep, it is big and heavy but that f1.2 is something to behold, creamy bokeh, great subject differentiation. Like it very much.

Rendering doesn't feel quite as nice as the 85 GM mk 1, but nobody seems to want to trade off sharpness for subjective qualities, so this is as good as I've found with good autofocus performance.

With it, I became obsessed with shooting at night…

Leica TOP, Sony FLOP! Auf der Sony A7CR montiert ("Super"-Kombination lt. letzter Sonybibel - 2025er Ausgabe von Photo Digital, Falkemedia, Gesamtpreis der Komnbination entspricht der Leica ) und direkt mit der Leica Q3 43 (APO Summicron 43mm, f2.0) verglichen, wird klar, dass dieses Objektiv völlig überbewertet wird und es für die gebotene Leistung mittlerweile maßlos überteuert ist. Ja, es ist lichtstark und es erfordert exakte Einstellung der Kamera und akkurate Positionierung des Fotoobjektes, gerade bei offener Blende! ABER: Der Unterschied in Schärfe und Farbwiedergabe wird im direkten Vergleich bei völlig gleichen Bedingungen/Einstellungen, abgeblendet auf 2.0 mehr als deutlich (f2.0, 1/60sec, ISO 800). Vergrößert mal die folgenden Beisspielfotos (Bild 1: Sony 50mm f1.2 auf A7CR, Bild 2: Leica APO Summicron 43mm f2.0 fest in der Leica Q3 43 verbaut). Portraits nur noch mit der Leica! SCHADE! Zurückgesendet! Anmerkung: Sony kommentiert auf Sony.de meine Bewertung damit, dass bei Blende 2.0 die exakte Abstimmung zwischen Kamera und Objektiv besonders wichtig sei. Ein weiterer Punkt für Leica! Anscheinend funktioniert die Abstimmung bei der Leica sofort - so wie es bei hochwertigen Systemen erwartet werden darf - während bei Sony noch besonders justiert werden muss.

It's that good. Just crazy expensive