All things considered, as good as this lens is, it appeals to a very specifically to those who prioritize uncompromisingly good optical quality in a fast aperture 35mm lens, and are willing to pay for it.

This is typical for large aperture lenses as fast aperture optical designs often yield lenses with curved fields of focus that affect resolution in the corners.

Remember this was just a fast Aperture Priority set at Iso 80 with a shutter speed set by the camera at 1/80 on a very bright sunny mid-day in NYCI really need to shoot more and with difference settings and focus points

The caveat to my 5 start rating is that those who cannot specifically identify a need for a high quality fast aperture 35mm lens and/or are willing to live with some compromises, might be better suited by the multitude of smaller and more affordable alternatives out there

Smooth aperture ring, beautiful color.

I do not consider this a knock against fast aperture lenses, including the Sony FE 35 1.4, however, as sharpness across the frame is not a critical component of the type of photographs typically taken at fast apertures.

When I first bought the lens, the aperture also suffered from a sort of glitch: occasionally, when the aperture control ring was turned, the aperture would stop itself down to an f/4-ish diameter and refuse to budge

This is the sharpest DOF values i've seen while using the fastest aperture value capable.