Camera Gear: Yongnuo 35mm f2 Lens for Sony Full-Frame Camera

Anytime a photographer can click a new lens on their camera is like Christmas morning. The anticipation of trying a new lens out in the field is full of optimism, excitement, as well as wonder.

To preface this article, I am a Sony photographer. I favor my Sony a7c as well as my Sony a6000. However, I do shoot with the Sony a7rii too. Aside from a 25 & 24 mm f 2.8 Tamron lens, all of my lenses are made by Sony.

If you follow me on Twitter {@chef_katelyn} or on Instagram {@katelynchefphotography_} or read my journal entries, I am a lifestyle photographer who enjoys cars, nature, street, as well as product photography. I was really excited to try one of my first non-Sony lenses, the 35mm f 2 lenses by Yongnuo.

My all-time favorite focal length is the 85 mm. However, for lifestyle as well as client photography, I use my 35mm {Tamron}. The Tamron 35mm aperture is an f 2.8 & the Yongnuo is an f2, which is really nice for even smoother-blurred backgrounds as well as lower light shooting situations.

This isn't a 'technical' review of the Yongnuo lens, but a review from me taking it out in the field at various times of day, lighting conditions, as well as subjects to get a feel as a photographer using a non-Sony native lens on her full-frame camera.

I was gifted this lens, but am sharing my honest review with you, so you can decide if this is a lens you'd like to add to your kit.

The Lens at First Glance

Opening the Yongnuo 35mm f 2 lens from the box, it's a solid lens, on the heavier side, definitely heavier than the Tamron 35mm f2.8. However, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is a solid lens, 10.4 oz/295grams. It has both autofocus as well as a manual focus switch on the lens body--which is nice! There is no image stabilization {not an issue on the Sony a7c} It is a full-frame Sony E lens, angle of view, 61.3, minimum focus distance, 13.78''/0.35m, maximum magnification, 0.13x, filter size, 52mm. The minimum aperture is f/2 & the maximum aperture is f/16. There is a USB port on lens for Firmware updates.

The lens comes with a rear-end cap as well as a lens hood {which I used often}.

User Experience

I had no idea what to expect when mounting this 355mm lens to my camera. Overall, I was delighted. I always shoot somewhere between the widest aperture opening to around f5. I took this lens out photographing in that aperture range in a variety of lighting conditions as well as times of the day. It performed well in a dimly light barn and radiant outdoors on a bright sunny day.

The lens is sharp with great eye focus if you're into portrait photography. I love how the images looked good no matter if I was shooting food or self-portraits on my camera's self-timer. The autofocus, especially shooting self-portraits on a self-timer, was quick, and sticky on my eye. The only focusing issues I experienced were when I was trying to get close-close to subjects.

In Lightroom, you manually have to add 'Yongnuo' in the Lens Correction section, however, after manually adding, the software makes the adjustments. I noticed the lens colors are on the cooler side if you're in Manual White Balance. Overall, the photos were edited beautifully in Lightroom.

I bought a clear UV Hoya Filter {but didn't arrive on time for these photos} & I would have typically used a CPL Polarizer in the bright sun situations, however, I did not as I don't have any with the 52mm filter size. However, I would recommend investing in both, if you want to add this lens to your kit.

Who is this Lens For?

This is considered 'a Wide-Angle' Prime Lens. The lens has one 'low dispersion ' element to reduce color fringing & chromatic aberrations. The images I photographed as well as edited were sharp, crisp, & clear. I thoroughly enjoyed photographing with this 35mm lens.

For someone like myself who enjoys lifestyle photography, this is a cost-effective & efficient lens to have in your kit. For people who are portrait photographers, it is a great lens to capture people, as the eyes are sharp & pictures, look good when shot wide open at f2. While it is a bit heavy, the wide-angle view of this lens makes it a good walk-around lens for street & casual nature shots.

The Photos

I have included a variety of photos in the entry including; RAW Unedited images, lifestyle, food, as well as animal, & {self} portrait images. The photos are what tell the story about this lens & focal length.

You can follow Yongnuo on Instagram for a look at their lenses as well as upcoming lenses.

For more images by me, follow me on Twitter @chef_katelyn.