Ever since my observant first-grade teacher noticed me stopping down (squinting) my eyes to read the blackboard, my vision has been augmented by a twin array of single-element/single-group lenses of slightly different (but annually increasing) powers, modifying my natural focal range of 0.07 to 0.14 meters to a more utilitarian range of 0.13 meters to infinity. These corrective lenses are secured in a wire frame, which is held firmly in place by two pads resting on either side of the nasal bridge in conjunction with two armatures secured around both ears.

Everywhere I turn my head, my vision is adjusted within a narrow field of view that I often take for granted, and I go about my life free to ignore how limited my natural sight truly is. But like many others, since taking up photography I have often considered the question of what it means to translate the phenomenological experience of human vision to a still photograph. When it comes to selecting a lens for full-frame systems that closely fits the angle of view of the human eye, folks much smarter than I have determined that a lens with a focal length somewhere around the common 35mm and 50mm primes yields the most natural results. For this reason, these lengths are go-tos for general purpose shooting, and many popular fixed-lens rangefinders can be found with 40mm-or-so lenses.

The research is compelling, but objective numbers are rarely ever the whole story. From an aesthetic standpoint, I find that tight framing and distinct subject separation are traits more accommodating to my lived experience of sight, and that 50mm or shorter lenses (even if their angle of view is more natural) rarely capture what I’m feeling from a scene. How did I determine that 85mm was my ride-or-die normal lens?

Precious Red Ring

Having gotten comfortable with taking film pictures during a trip to Alaska, I sought to expand my lens collection beyond the 28mm and 50mm prime lenses that I owned to include a lens that would be appropriate for portrait work. Since I was also branching out into video and headshots with my Sony A7III, I wanted to prioritize a lens that would work on that system, but this was the extent of my research on the matter. I had been eyeing inexpensive third-party auto-focus options, but a freak Google search brought up a listing for a Canon FD 85mm F/1.2 L in acceptable condition for a steal of a price. With no more justification than the flexibility to use the thing on both my digital and analog systems, I immediately jumped for it, oblivious to the storied history of this fast prime lens.

In the early 1970s, Canon released a trio of 24mm, 55mm, and 85mm prime lenses for their FD mount that featured their state-of-the-art aspherical elements; precision-manufactured glass that corrects for spherical and chromatic aberrations as well as astigmatism. In addition to sporting the very best coatings and materials available at the time, these lenses also had the fastest apertures in the lineup at F/1.4 for the wide-angle, and F/1.2 for the normal and medium-telephoto entries. These were among the fastest, best-corrected lenses ever made to that point in time. When the lenses were updated for the New FD mount, they were anointed with the red ring that marked the premium L series, and homogenized the look of Canon’s professional line into the iconic image that we know today.

Evidence to these lenses’ incredible performance, when the autofocus EF mount was introduced in the mid-80s Canon immediately adapted the new FD 50mm and 85mm F/1.2 L primes to the revolutionary autofocus platform (though the rare 24mm F1.4 L would not emerge on the EF system until 1997).

Likely First Subjects

In retrospect, I see that I was totally unprepared and had no concept of what I wanted out of this new lens. Shooting the great expanses of Alaska with a wide angle was so far from my normal circumstances that depth of field was still a foreign concept. It was still foreign when I mounted the 85mm to my mirrorless camera. I immediately stood mystified as I witnessed my hapless roommate’s face rendered in focus only one orifice at a time. This, I discovered, is shallow depth of field.

With detented dials and ridged focus rings that slam to a stop, manual focus lenses are already the ultimate fidget toys. But couple that tactile experience to a digital camera that lets you explore the possibilities of such narrow DOF to the limit of your storage capacity, and you have a recipe for hours of… wasted shots.

The learning curve for any fast medium-telephoto lens is steep, and leisurely mucking about with manual focus in front of pet cats and dogs while on holiday is not always the best practice. It only took one lackluster attempt at a photoshoot filled with out-of-focus eyes for me to realize just how much discipline it takes to effectively use a lens of this rare ability. Sometimes, responsible ownership of a superfast prime lens means avoiding the temptation to always shoot it wide open. The popularity of mirrorless cameras means that we are discovering just how well these vintage masterpieces are able to resolve detail, but success on digital systems depends on having the sense to stop down just a little bit when it really counts!

While autofocus would have seriously helped with my first attempts at professional shooting, a majority of my time with the lens was spent on the film camera bodies it was designed for. Where grain is unavoidable and details are naturally limited, the softer nature of the lens at F/1.2 is rather flattering and contributes to the mystique of the film look, all while letting the photog take advantage of low light situations with moderate speed stocks.

Portraits Without Subject

Despite my failures, I never once experienced buyer’s remorse. The ability of the lens was clear, I simply had to learn to shoot with it as if I were starting photography all over again. The Canon FD 85mm F/1.2 L would continue to be a daily carry, even as I expanded my L series collection to include its zoom-capable siblings, and this focal length was starting to become so integral to how I saw the world that I would not try a new emulsion without this lens’s input. On hikes where I was shooting digital, I began looking for a new type of image that played to the 85’s myopic character: I looked for scenes where a theoretical subject could be flatteringly framed, but left the field empty.

Still Learning

Summarizing my experience with this lens is inconclusive. Normally my opinions with equipment are fairly cut and dry, but shooting with the Canon FD 85mm F/1.2 L is a constantly renewing situation that always gives me something new to talk about. Once, I foolishly thought that I learned all there was to know about exposing film through this lens on an AE-1 Program and FTb. But when I upgraded to the Canon T90 and its amazingly fast 1/4000 shutter speed, motion and subject isolation took on a whole new meaning.

Even when preparing images from the A7III for this article that would put its wide-open sharpness to the test, I am wondering just how often I’ll really need a true macro lens.

While manual focus will not always work in my favor, I have no doubt that I will continue to uncover new mysteries with this lens due to its tight build quality and lack of electronics. Make no mistake: this is a lens every bit deserving of the fanaticism other reviewers exhibit. Some report that the previous generation 85mm F/1.2 aspherical is sturdier and may have superior optics (in addition to nine aperture blades vs. the newer version’s eight), but those copies are also reported to exceed even the price of a more modern EF mount version. While I rather like the breech-lock mechanism of the earlier FD lenses, it would be a source of anxiety on this model: the thought of the lens taking a high dive after mistaking the silver breech-lock ring for the aperture control is enough to make me want a new change of pants. Besides, the aesthetic appeal of the L-branding is hard to ignore.

Should you buy one? If you pour-over brew your coffee after shaving with a single-blade razor before venturing out in a stick-shift car to take pictures with your AE-1 and mirrorless cameras, then this is exactly the experience for you. For the practically minded among us who balk at the high prices this outrageously speedy and rare lens commands, I still recommend trying out the 85mm prime lens perspective (and committing to it for a while). There are other 85s which are impressive in their own right – Canon’s own 85mm F/1.8 is a much more affordable option that is very well respected. Also look at Minolta’s 85mm F/1.7 which James reviewed earlier in the year.

The 85mm focal length has a soul of its own that makes it the most singularly useful perspective in my lens collection. 50mm often feels like too much of a compromise between width, context, and subject isolation. The Canon 300mm F/2.8 L is almost too much of a good thing, with obsessive detail coming at the expense of handling and practicality. But the Canon FD 85mm F/1.2 L allows for the perfect amount of veneration for most subjects without alienating it from the environment, and indeed might be the best reference point for my own reality.

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Before we get too far, let’s quickly digest the alphabet soup of that lens name. The numerous acronyms tell us that it’s a full frame Sony E mount lens (FE) in the brand’s premium G Master range (GM), and that it’s got Optical Steady Shot image stabilization (OSS). Okay, but the most important acronym of all is STF, which stands for “Smooth Trans Focus.” And it is this feature alone which sets the Sony FE 100mm F/2.8 STF GM OSS apart from almost every other lens.

What is a Smooth Trans Focus (STF) Lens?

A Smooth Trans Focus lens is a type of lens which uses an apodization (APO) filter to create exceptionally smooth bokeh (rounded out-of-focus elements) in both the foreground and background of a photograph. The apodization filter is a neutral-grey tinted lens element positioned internally, near to the lens diaphragm. The tint is graduated in such a way that it’s clear in the center and becomes darker toward the edges of the element. This is the magic glass that blurs the bokeh.

The easiest way for us to demonstrate the APO filter’s effect is with highlight bokeh, or out of focus points of light. Where normal lenses will render out of focus points of light as circles or ellipticals with clearly defined edges (commonly called bokeh balls), the STF lens renders these as perfectly round blurry blobs with less defined edges. The same effect is applied to all out of focus elements of a shot, not just bright light sources of course, but seeing the way that the APO filter renders these hard points of light is instructive. It allows us to visualize just how well this lens and its apodization filter blurs all of the blurry bits compared with normal lenses.

STF technology was originally invented and patented by Minolta in the 1980s, but was not made available in a photographic consumer lens until 1999 when the brand released the Minolta 135mm F/2.8 STF lens for their Alpha SLR/DSLR mount. When Sony acquired Minolta and their patents in 2006, the 135mm STF continued to be produced and sold under the new Sony name. In 2017, Sony released the lens which we’re discussing today, the inarguably better Sony FE 100mm F/2.8 STF GM OSS for their E Mount digital mirrorless system cameras.

The genius of the STF lens is that it not only enhances the blur of the out-of-focus areas of an image, but it also renders a perfectly sharp image on the point of focus. This perfectly sharp plane of focus differentiates STF lenses from soft focus lenses, like the $7,195 Leica Thambar-M 90mm F/2.2, which blur the entire image. Additionally, the STF lens’ ability to enhance the blur of both the foreground and background at the same time differentiates the STF lens from so-called defocus control lenses, like the Nikon 135mm F/2 DC lens, which can only enhance the blur of either the foreground or the background, but not both at once.

And that’s the real selling point of the STF lens. It’s not so much the bokeh alone, though the bokeh really is unbelievably refined. And it’s not just the sharpness of the in-focus elements, though they are quite literally the sharpest of any lens I’ve ever used. It’s the perfect juxtaposition of the two qualities. The STF lens excels over other lenses because it provides exceptional bokeh without sacrificing sharpness in the in-focus elements of the shot. There is, in fact, no lens which produces such an incredible combination of in-focus sharpness and out-of-focus blur. There just isn’t.

Quick Specifications

Let’s quickly get through some technical details, and then we can move on to the fun stuff. Being part of the G Master series of Sony E Mount lenses, I expect top shelf specs. The 100mm STF doesn’t disappoint. This lens has everything one could want in a pro-spec lens today. Here’s the list –

• • Native Format – Sony E Mount full frame
  • Focal Length – 100mm (150mm on APS-C cameras)
  • Optical Formula – 13 elements in 10 groups (excluding apodization element); 1 aspherical lens element; ED glass; Nano AR coating
  • Angle of View – 23º (full frame) 16º (APS-C)
  • Maximum Aperture – F/2.8 (T/5.6)
  • Minimum Aperture – F/20 (T/22)
  • Aperture Blades and Shape – 11, circular
  • Aperture Control – Yes, aperture ring with click stops and de-click switch
  • Focus Modes – Automatic (Direct Drive SSM); manual (electronic) with focusing ring; focus position control for close ups, and mid-to-infinity; focus hold button
  • Minimum Focus Distance – 2.79 ft/0.85 m (at “0.85 m–∞” position); 1.87 ft/0.57 m (at “0.57 m–1.0 m” position)
  • Maximum Magnification Ratio – 0.14 (at “0.85 m–∞” position); 0.25 (at “0.57 m–1.0 m” position)
  • Weather and Dust Resistance – Yes
  • Filter Diameter – 72mm
  • Hood Type – Round, Bayonet
  • Size (Diameter x Length) – 3 3/8 x 4 3/4″ (85.2 x 118.1 mm)
  • Weight – 24.7 oz (700 grams)

The F-stop and the T-stop

The lens’ maximum f-stop is F/2.8, but its maximum t-stop is F/5.6. There’s some confusion around what this means, but it’s pretty easy to understand. Here are two quick definitions to get us started.

An f-stop (or f-number) is the ratio of a lens’ focal length to the dimension of its entrance pupil. It is a dimensionless number used to express lens speed in photography. Even if you or I don’t necessarily understand the math behind f-numbers, most of us geeky photographers at least understand, generally, the difference between F/1.8 and F/8 on our lenses and how these numbers impact depth-of-field and light transmission. Assuming we understand f-numbers, t-numbers are fairly easy to understand, too. A t-number is an f-number adjusted to account for light transmission. So if we remember that the apodization filter inside an STF lens is essentially a tinted piece of glass, it’s easy to understand why the light transmitted at the lens’ f-number of F/2.8 might be equivalent to a t-number of T/5.6.

What’s happening is that we’re losing some light as it passes through the apodization filter. So shooting wide open at the lens’ maximum f-stop of F/2.8 correlates to a t-stop of F/5.6, and this progresses in a curve as the aperture is closed with the f-numbers and t-numbers eventually converging to the same value. Since the apodization filter in the lens is graduated, with the neutral-grey tint diminishing to clear glass toward the center of the element, by F/8 the f-number and t-number values eventually match. From F/8 and smaller, f-stops match the t-stops.

One important note – the f-numbers and t-numbers are connected of course, but not in the way that some people say. It’s not right to say that the Sony FE 100mm F/2.8 STF GM OSS isn’t an F/2.8 lens, or that its maximum aperture is really F/5.6, because that’s the t-number and only refers to light transmission, not depth-of-field. A simple way to think of it is that the lens, when shot wide open, has the depth-of-field of an F/2.8 lens but the light collecting ability of an F/5.6 lens. While some reviewers have cited this as the lens’ Achilles heel, I just don’t see it. We’ll get into this in-depth later on, but the quick and easy note – the lens gathers plenty of light.

Practical Use and Ergonomics

The lens is substantial in both size and weight, with an enormous and beautiful front element. The barrel is made of metal, as is the mount. The filter threads and rotating rings (aperture, focus control, focus ring) are made of plastic, with the focus ring lined with a beautifully knurled rubber grip. There’s a weather seal at the mount, and the lens is generally dust and splash proof. It’s luxuriously built and meticulously finished. If you like lenses, you’ll love this lens.

Practical use is effortless. In automatic focus and automatic shooting modes, it’s a point and shoot lens. When we switch to manual controls, things are almost as simple. Aperture can be controlled via the camera body, or via the dedicated aperture ring (this electronically controls the aperture inside). There’s a click control switch on the underside of the lens which allows us to de-click the aperture ring for a fluid rotation.

The manual focus ring is positioned near the front of the lens, and is light and easily rotated with a single finger. Focus is electronic, just like the aperture, fast and responsive. The focus lock button is positioned on the left hand side of the lens, perfectly placed under the thumb when the camera and lens are held in the customary shooting position. Also on the left side of the lens is the Optical Steady Shot image stabilization switch, and a manual focus/automatic focus switch. The focus distance selector ring is positioned near the lens mount. This ring moves the lens elements inside the body to allow close focusing from 0.57 to 1.0 meters.

Image Quality, Shooting, and Sample Shots

Arguably the only section of this lens review that matters, image quality from the Sony FE 100mm F/2.8 STF GM OSS is simply astounding. I’m not sure I’ve ever used a better lens, all things considered. MTF charts are boring, but they are instructive. The Sony MTF chart on this lens is damn near perfect. What more can I say? Just look at the photos.

If you’re interested in a short tele lens for general use, or in a dedicated portrait lens, or you just want perfect sharpness at the plane of focus and unbeatable bokeh everywhere else, this is the only lens you need for Sony E mount. Some people will say that “Lens X or Y makes bokeh that’s just as good.” and in some cases that’s true. But they’re missing the big picture. Other lenses might make equally pleasant bokeh shot wide open, but no other lens makes bokeh like this combined with such perfect sharpness at the plane of focus. And no normal lens can make bokeh this beautiful when stopped down one, two, or even three stops. The blur that this lens can make shot at F/8 is better than some standard F/1.4 prime lenses I’ve used when shot wide open!

There are virtually no optical anomalies to speak of. There’s no distortion that anyone would ever notice. There’s no vignetting. There’s no chromatic aberration (though there is a tiny bit of bokeh color fringing which almost nobody will ever notice). Flaring and ghosting is controlled better than any other lens I’ve used (though there are tiny, tiny flares when we point that big honkin’ lens element directly at the sun).

Shot wide open, we’re naturally seeing the lens’ best bokeh. Again, naturally, bokeh is best presented when we’re shooting subjects which are close. Different from most other lenses, even when we stop down the aperture we’re able to create exceptional bokeh. This is the benefit of the apodization filter. Even at F/8 I can make bokeh blur. That’s just not possible with normal lenses.

Sharpness is exceptional at any aperture, as mentioned many times already. When focusing on distant subjects, the entire field is sharp and contrasty. There’s excellent subject isolation as well, with a beautiful gradation between the point of focus and blurrier bits.

The relatively meager light transmission when shot wide open is often cited as a limiting factor compared with faster, non-STF prime lenses. While it’s obviously true that an F/1.8 will transmit more light wide open, I’m not sure it matters as much as people tend to say. I almost feel like this is an area where reviewers are looking to balance their praise of the lens against a drawback. And sure, I guess it’s a drawback theoretically. But in my time with the lens, the relatively slow maximum t-number didn’t impact my photos at all. Not once did my camera top out its ISO, or even come close. Not once did the shutter speed become so slow that my images suffered from camera shake (remember that we’ve got Optical Image Stabilization within the lens, and that with the newer Sony mirrorless cameras we’ve also got in-body stabilization helping to keep things steady). Yeah, T/5.6 is less bright than F/2.8, but I’m just not seeing that it matters. This lens isn’t typically going to be used in low-light situations, and even when I did so for testing purposes, my camera handled it.

The AF system is silent and responsive, with no external moving parts. Some articles that I’ve read on this lens have called the AF slow. I don’t see it. I’ve been able to instantly focus on whatever I need to focus on, without any fuss. Flying birds, flying bees, kids that won’t stop running, nearly transparent bubbles floating on the breeze; Sony’s DDSSM does the job well (in conjunction with my old workhorse A7II).

What’s been most surprising about this lens isn’t how effortless it is to make incredible looking pictures, though it is effortless. The big surprise is just how versatile it is. The 100mm focal length isn’t what I’d call a “go-to focal length” for me. But in my time with this lens I’ve shot portraits of my kids, macro photos that I’ve not been able to make with any other lens, shots of bees in flight, shots of helicopters and planes in flight, headshots, full body portraits, shots of my motorcycle, landscapes. It’s astounding how many uses I’ve found for the lens, and how excellent it’s been at such a variety of image styles. I could easily see this lens being packed into my everyday camera bag, alongside a 50mm and a wide angle. This trio would cover all of my needs, and I’d be hard-pressed to find a better short tele lens in any system.

Comparison with Other Lenses

In the world of lenses at large there are few competitors to the STF lens. Within the Sony mirrorless system, there’s even less competition. The apodization filter of the Sony FE 100mm F/2.8 STF GM OSS sees to that. Of course there’s the original STF lens, the 135mm that was originally made by Minolta for their A mount. This 135mm STF lens is still available for what’s now known as Sony’s A mount, but this lens has fewer lens elements and performs worse on MTF charts compared with the 100mm. It has fewer aperture blades, and is manual focus only. That lens is 18 years older than the modern 100mm STF. I don’t see any reason to shoot the older lens over the new one.

Outside of Sony’s systems, there’s the Fuji 56mm F/1.2 APD, which is an STF lens for Fuji’s X-series crop-sensor mirrorless cameras. This lens, by all accounts, makes beautiful bokeh. I haven’t yet used it. There’s the Chinese-made Venus Optics Laowa 105mm F/2 STF. This lens is available for Nikon F, Pentax K, Canon EF, Sony E, and Sony A mount, and costs one third to one half the price of the Sony STF (depending on mount). But it’s a manual focus only lens, with no electronic control, with worse build quality. Optical performance in all metrics is inferior.  For many users the Laowa lens will work just fine. If the cost benefit is most important, this may be a good choice.

Final Thoughts

For me, there’s no better short tele lens than the Sony FE 100mm F/2.8 STF GM OSS. And this surprised me. I expected to like the lens, write a review about a one-trick pony that makes blurry bokeh, and return it to my friends at B&H Photo. I didn’t expect to find a lens that’s helped me make some of my favorite photos that I’ve made all year. It’s been a breath of fresh air, and a fun marvel of optical engineering to get lost with.

At $1,495, it’s not a cheap lens. But make no mistake – this is a world-class optic for professionals and enthusiastic amateurs. It’s a lens that will allow us to make world-class photos if we have enough talent and vision and time to practice. Even if we’re not going to make exclusive use of the STF tech, it’s still one of the best lenses we can buy in the short telephoto segment.

Buy your own Sony FE 100mm F/2.8 STF lens from B&H Photo

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[Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates at B&H Photo, Amazon, and eBay. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support.]

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