For $600, the Sony 40mm F2.5 G delivers portability, speed, and pretty good image quality.

Sony’s G lenses have a reputation for high-end image quality — but with a price to match. Sony’s newest optics in the series were announced on March 23. These put G series sharpness in a trio of compact lenses that are $600 each. The Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G, alongside the new 50mm and the 24mm, is now the most affordable of the E-Mount G lenses. The question is, did Sony sacrifice too much to reach that lower price point?

The most obvious sacrifice is the aperture — and f2.5 instead of the f1.8 or f1.2 of pricier lenses. By going with a slightly narrower aperture, Sony has managed to create a weather-sealed lens that weighs around only six ounces. I tested the Sony 40mm f2.5 G in a portrait session to see just how well the $600 lens holds up.

Table of Contents

Too Long, Didn’t Read.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Gear Used

Innovations

Sony 40mm f2.5 G Tech Specs

Ergonomics

Build Quality

Autofocus

Ease of Use

Image Quality

Bokeh

Sharpness

Lens Character

Color Rendering

Extra Image Samples

Edited

Unedited

Conclusions

Likes

Dislikes

Too Long, Didn’t Read.

The Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G looks almost exactly like the 50mm f2.5 G and even captures similar images. But, the lens is a bit more flexible with a closer autofocus range. That, plus the slightly shorter focal length, makes the affordable, compact lens a good option for working in tight spaces.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Light and small

Aluminum build with unique hood design

Weather-sealed

Wider autofocus range than the similar 50mm

Sharp photos

Accurate color

Affordable

Cons

Not the brightest G series lens

Bokeh isn’t quite perfect

Some chromatic aberration

Gear Used

I paired the Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G with the A7R IV body. In some portraits, I also used a Wescott reflector.

Innovations

The Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G doesn’t really do anything drastically new. But, it does put some high-end touches into an affordable, compact lens.

Sony 40mm f2.5 G Tech Specs

Aluminum build

Weather-sealed

Internal focus with double linear motors

Minimum focus distance 11 inches (9.8 inch in manual focus)

Measures 2 3/4 inches long

Weighs about six ounces

Ergonomics

Except for the numbers on the lens, the Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G looks identical to its sister lenses, the 50mm f2.5 G and the 24mm f2.8 G. The lens trio share both a similar control scheme and size.

The 40mm weighs around six ounces. Mounted, the lens only sticks out from the camera body about two and a half inches. That creates a well-balanced system that doesn’t pull the front of the camera down.

The lens has three simple controls near the mount. Near the left hand, the barrel houses an autofocus lock button and, just below that, a switch to move to manual focus and back. A bit tucked away on the opposite side of the lens, an aperture de-click switch sits near the camera grip. Like the 50mm and 24mm, it lacks a focal distance scale.

The aperture control ring has a thin textured grip. Below that, flush with the lens, the different aperture settings are clearly labeled. The lens turns with a satisfying click or with the de-click switch, smooth and without hesitation. At the front of the lens, the focus ring is wider, with a slightly smoother texture. Reaching for a ring without taking your eye from the viewfinder is easy to do by feel.

At the front, the Sony 40mm f2.5 G has a hood that feels more like part of the lens than a separate hood. The hood is only about a fingertip deep but has a small lip at the front that should also help keep out rain and fingerprints. The hood is so small that there’s no need to reverse it for storage. A 49mm filter can be attached to the hood itself or the lens with the hood removed.

Build Quality

Made from aluminum, the Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G doesn’t feel like a budget lens. The lens is sturdy yet not overly heavy. The lens cap feels a little more budget, but that’s partly because it’s a tiny 49mm cap.

The lens is also weather-sealed. While I didn’t...