The quest for the perfect lens is an ongoing journey for many photographers. It must be sharp, fast, capable of creating beautiful images of the highest quality, and versatile enough to handle various shooting scenarios, including the growing demand for videography.

Sony’s new long-awaited portrait lens, the FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II, ticks all these boxes, making it an essential tool for professional portrait photographers who are serious about creating images of the highest quality and want to future-proof their equipment.

Sandra Hallnor, renowned for her enchanting portraits, was one of the first photographers worldwide to use this new lens, and it quickly felt like the perfect match. "This lens has quickly become an indispensable part of my workflow and hasn’t left the camera since I got it," she notes. What especially stood out to her was how the lens captured a beautiful, creamy, and dreamy look combined with unparalleled sharpness when shooting wide open at f/1.4.

As a photographer specialising in family and creative portraits, the ability to effectively utilise ambient light to capture the mood of a scene is crucial. "Whether I’m shooting in an enchanted forest or an open field, I often shoot wide open." To test the new FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II, Sandra conducted several fairytale-inspired portrait sessions.

"The more I shot, the more impressed I became. Whether I was photographing a child running through the woods, taking foggy self-portraits, or capturing quiet expressions, the lens worked perfectly with the new AI-powered autofocus system in the Alpha 7R V, and the focus was always spot on," she observed. "The reliability of the equipment is crucial. Anything that makes a photographer's life easier, more fun, and enhances the quality of their work is a great investment. When the moment presents itself, I can’t worry about whether my equipment will capture it or not. Having equipment that I can trust completely is crucial because it allows me to focus on what is in front of my camera, be creative, and push my boundaries."

"But sharpness isn’t everything. What really sets this lens apart is the combination of fast and razor-sharp focus with the beautifully creamy background it creates. It separates the subject from their surroundings beautifully, adding that magical, dreamy quality I’m always striving for in my portraits."

85mm has always been Sandra’s go-to focal length for portraits because, according to her, it strikes the perfect balance between intimacy and context. "This focal length doesn’t just capture people in a flattering way, it is fantastic for storytelling. It allows me to switch effortlessly between detailed portraits and wider environmental shots by just taking a few steps back, all while staying close enough to engage with subjects and maintaining a beautiful and soft background blur," Sandra explains.

Video features are also important, especially as video becomes more popular. "With the increasing demand for video content, the lens’s video capability would be one of the deciding factors for me if I were to invest in a new lens today," she says. "The absence of focus breathing is remarkable," she notes. "As I experimented with video work, I noticed that the autofocus worked silently and smoothly, integrating well with the camera’s tracking technology and making it excellent for video applications. The Sony Alpha 7R V and the lens together did a great job at stabilising handheld shots. This makes the FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II an excellent choice for videographers or hybrid shooters like myself."