Sony SAL 50F14Z Carl Zeiss Planar T 50mm F1.4 ZA Fixed Lens

Product DescriptionSony introduces the long-awaited, Carl Zeiss full-frame, large-aperture, single-focal-length lens with an all new optical design that sets new standards in resolving power and contrast.From the ManufacturerPlanar T* 50mm F1.4 ZA SSM Prime LensWith a 'normal' 50 mm focal length on 35 mm full-frame cameras, this is an unbeatable choice for photographers who like to work with a single prime lens, and a perfect starting point for a superb Zeiss lens collection. A refined Zeiss Planar optical configuration with two aspherical elements delivers superb sharpness and contrast throughout the image at all apertures. A 9-bladed circular aperture can produce beautiful bokeh as well. Technology Circular ApertureWhen changing your aperture to defocus the background, the light sources appear blurred. This �bokeh� effect of the blurred background can be enhanced with circular aperture blades used in this lens. Conventional aperture blades have flat sides creating unappealing polygonal shaped defocussed points of light. a lenses overcome this problem through a unique design that keeps the aperture almost perfectly circular from its wide-open setting to when it is closed by 2 stops. Smoother, more natural defocusing can be obtained as a result. Aspherical lens elementsAspherical lens design dramatically reduces spherical aberration while also reducing lens size and weight. Spherical aberration is a slight misalignment of the light rays projected on the image plane. This is caused by differences in refraction at different points on conventional spherical lenses which degrade image quality in large-aperture lenses. Specially shaped �aspherical� elements near the diaphragm restore alignment of light rays at the image plane, maintaining high sharpness and contrast even at maximum aperture and can also be used at other points in the optical path to reduce distortion. Well-designed aspherical elements can reduce the total number of elements required in the lens, thus reducing overall size and weight. Advanced Aspherical (AA) elements are an evolved variant, featuring an extremely high thickness ratio between the center and periphery. AA elements are exceedingly difficult to produce, relying on the most advanced molding technology to consistently and precisely achieve the required shape and surface accuracy, resulting in significantly improved image accuracy and quality. Carl Zeiss T* (T-star) coatingCoated optics were pioneered by Carl Zeiss - and this superb lens features the Carl Zeiss T* (T-Star) coating that virtually eliminates lens flare, internal reflection and light scattering that can otherwise occur at glass-to-air surfaces. The T* coating contributes to outstanding image quality, with high contrast and uniformly excellent resolution right out to the image edges. Not simply applied to any lens - the T* symbol only appears on multi-element lenses in which the required performance has been achieved throughout the entire optical path, therefore guaranteeing the highest quality. Focus hold buttonOnce you�ve adjusted focus to where you want it, pressing this button on the lens barrel will keep the lens locked to that focusing distance. The preview function can also be assigned to this button through the camera�s custom settings. SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor)SSM is a piezoelectric motor that contributes to smooth and silent AF operation. The motor produces high torque at slow rotation, and provides immediate start and stop responses. It is also extremely quiet, which helps keep autofocusing silent. Lenses that feature SSM also include a position-sensitive detector to directly detect the amount of lens rotation, a factor that improves AF precision overall. Additional Features Rear focusing elementsOnly the rear groups of the optical system move to focus the lens, which allows for speedy AF operation and a shorter minimum focusing distance. Since the front of the lens does not rotate, operability is improved when shooting with a polarizing filter attached.2013 Sony Electronics, Inc.All rights reserved. Sony, the Sony logo, Alpha, �a� and Super SteadyShot are trademarks of Sony. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.