I usually make a joke about getting out your own lens and following along at home as we do teardowns, but really, don’t try this one at home. Sony also states this lens is dust and moisture resistant, and I’m always interested in seeing how well those claims are backed up. So we suspected the system was different in the 35mm lens, which hardly ever fails. We’ve been inside the 55mm FE f/1.8 lens and it has a very similar system. We did a teardown of the Sony FE 24-70 f/4 lens, showing some weaknesses in the electromagnetic AF system. We’ve noticed is the 35mm FE f/1.4 doesn’t seem to have autofocus failure as frequently as some earlier FE lenses did. There are a couple of specific things I am curious about.

Today we’ll open up the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 lens and I’m excited about seeing some new and different technology. Last week we opened up a Canon 35mm f/1.4 mark II lens and were excited about the great build quality. But give credit where it’s due: Sony thinks outside the box and tries new stuff no one else is trying. Which system is better? I have no damn idea and neither do you. But where other lenses have helicoids that move focusing elements along grooved tracks, Sony FE lenses use electromagnets to move the focusing elements along a set of rails. Sure, they have glass elements, barrels, and weather seals.

Sony FE lenses do NOT have all of the same things inside that other lenses do. The outside of the Sony lens may look fairly similar to the Canon in the picture above, but their internal construction is very different. Before we start, let’s be sure we’re all on the same page because this teardown is going to be very different from the other lenses we generally tear down.

Sony 35mm 1.4