Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II Announced

Sony has announced their latest addition to the E-mount family of lenses and this time its the second generation Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II lens.

The lens will start shipping in September 2024 for $1,798 in the US or £1,849 in the UK.

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The new Mark II lens is constructed of 14 elements in 11 groups, there’s an 11 blade circular aperture and it measures 84.7 × 107.3 mm (3-3/8 x 4-1/4 in.). It weighs 642 g (22.7 oz.) making it 178 g lighter than its predecessor.

It has a minimum shooting distance of 0.85 m (AF) at the wide-end and a maximum magnification of 0.11x (AF).

The lens includes two ED (extra-low dispersion) and two XA (extreme aspherical) elements. It includes Sony’s Nano AR II coating to suppress ghosting and flare. The front element has a fluorine coating to resist dust, oil and other contaminants.

As well as a focus ring found towards the front of the lens there is also a lockable aperture ring. The aperture ring can also be de-clicked for video shooting. There are also two customizable focus hold buttons.

Autofocus is driven by a high-thrust XD linear motor which Sony claims it will deliver 3x faster AF performance and up to 7x faster subject tracking performance than the Mark I. Continuous shooting at up to 120fps is supported with the A9 III.

Key Specs

Format	35mm full frame
Lens Construction (groups/elements)	11-14
Angle of View 35mm	19°
Number of Diaphragm Blades	11 circular
Minimum Aperture	F16
Minimum Focusing Distance	0.85(AF), 0.80(MF) m (2.79(AF), 2.63(MF) ft)
Maximum Magnification Ratio	0.11(AF), 0.12(MF)
Filter Size	77mm
Dimensions (Diameter × Length)	84.7 × 107.3 mm (3-3/8 x 4-1/4 in.)
Weight	642 g (22.7 oz.)
Supplied Accessories	Hood (model): ALC-SH180, Lens front cap: ALC-F77S, Lens rear cap: ALC-R1EM, Soft case