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Sony FE 35mm F1.8 vs. Sony Sonnar FE 35mm F2.8 ZA

Pick the 35mm f/1.8 if you want about 56% more background blur, pick the 35mm f/2.8 if you want less background blur. Compare both side by side.

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Portrait At-a-Glance Comparison (Upper Body Framing)

Optical & Portrait Metric Sony FE 35mm F1.8 Sony Sonnar FE 35mm F2.8 ZA What It Means in Practice
Upper-Body Working Distance 1.42 m 1.42 m Identical working distance—both frame an upper-body portrait from the exact same spot.
Background Field of View (Compression) 55° 55° Identical 55° horizontal background view behind the subject.
Entrance Pupil Diameter 19.4 mm (f/1.8) 12.5 mm (f/2.8) Distant background blur discs are 55% larger on the Sony FE 35mm F1.8.
Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) 50% (-1.8 EV) 68% (-0.8 EV) Sony Sonnar FE 35mm F2.8 ZA keeps significantly rounder bokeh balls into the corners wide open (68% vs. 50% roundness).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 34.4 mm (-1.7%) 34.3 mm (-1.9%) At 1.4 m, Sony FE 35mm F1.8 frames like a 34.4 mm lens while Sony Sonnar FE 35mm F2.8 ZA frames like a 34.3 mm lens.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) 26 cm (1.30 m – 1.56 m) 41 cm (1.24 m – 1.66 m) The Sony FE 35mm F1.8 has a 36% thinner focus zone (26 cm vs. 41 cm)—requiring more precise eye focus.
Minimum Focus Distance 0.22 m 0.35 m Sony FE 35mm F1.8 focuses 13 cm closer (0.22 m vs. 0.35 m) for tighter close-ups.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Sony FE 35mm F1.8 or Sony Sonnar FE 35mm F2.8 ZA?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Sony FE 35mm F1.8 at f/1.8 has a 19.4 mm entrance pupil, while Sony Sonnar FE 35mm F2.8 ZA at f/2.8 has a 12.5 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Sony FE 35mm F1.8 and Sony Sonnar FE 35mm F2.8 ZA?

For an upper-body portrait, Sony FE 35mm F1.8 stands 1.42 m from the subject (sharp zone 26 cm, from 1.30 m to 1.56 m), whereas Sony Sonnar FE 35mm F2.8 ZA stands 1.42 m away (sharp zone 41 cm, from 1.24 m to 1.66 m).

How do the optical designs of Sony FE 35mm F1.8 and Sony Sonnar FE 35mm F2.8 ZA compare?

Sony FE 35mm F1.8 uses 10 elements in 8 groups (US20140071333A1, effective focal length 34.4 mm at portrait distance). Sony Sonnar FE 35mm F2.8 ZA uses 7 elements in 5 groups (JP2015-041012A, effective focal length 34.3 mm).

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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.