REVIEWS | WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY WITH THE SONY FE 35mm F1.4 GM LENS
In this blog post, I discuss using the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM lens on a wedding day.
In January 2021, Sony announced the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM lens — and wedding photographers everywhere rejoiced. We finally had a 35mm G Master lens.
I placed my pre-order immediately, and after a short delivery delay due to manufacturing issues, my copy arrived via Parcel Force at the end of March 2021 — just a few weeks before my first wedding of the year.
The start of 2021 turned out to be an expensive one for me. Alongside the 35mm GM, Sony had also announced the Sony A1 and the Sony 50mm F1.2 GM, both of which joined my camera bag in time for that first 2021 wedding in April.
I’ve always used a 35mm as my primary wedding lens, and for Sony I’ve owned the Zeiss FE 35mm F1.4 ZA, the Sigma 35mm F1.2 Art, the Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art, and the Sony FE 35mm F1.8. All of them had something to like, but each felt like it was missing that final bit of magic.
The Sigma 35mm F1.2 was a standout for its unique look, but like many Sigma lenses, it was heavy — as much as the moon, it seemed. The Zeiss FE 35mm F1.4 ZA was my first Sony 35mm, but it suffered from copy variation (I went through four before finding a good one), lost contrast badly in backlit scenes, and had autofocus issues in those same conditions. The lens I used most before the GM was the Sony FE 35mm F1.8, released in summer 2019 — a solid performer and my go-to until the 35mm GM arrived.
Since receiving the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM in March 2021, I’ve taken it to just over 150 weddings, and paired with the Sony A1, it’s been nothing short of incredible.
SONY FE 35MM F1.4 G MASTER LENS IMAGES
HOW I USE A 35MM LENS ON A WEDDING DAY
The 35mm F1.4 GM usually starts the day on one of my Sony A1 cameras, and it stays there for most of the wedding. I use it throughout the morning preparations, guest arrivals, the ceremony, post-ceremony moments, speeches, and well into the early evening. It’s incredibly versatile, and that’s why the 35mm focal length is the mainstay for so many wedding photographers.
For me, 35mm is the perfect balance — not too wide, not too long. It’s ideal for the documentary side of wedding photography, and you could easily shoot an entire day with nothing else. It gets you close enough to your subjects without feeling intrusive, while still allowing enough context in the frame to tell the story.
I’ve tried using 24mm as my primary lens, but it meant getting too close to people to fill the frame, which didn’t always feel right. With 35mm, the distance feels natural. Looking at images shot at this focal length, it’s as if you were standing there in the moment.
Both 35mm and 50mm offer a field of view that feels familiar — close to what our eyes naturally see — which is part of why they work so well together. Neither is too wide or too long; they just feel right.