Sony's 24mm f/1.8 ZA E-Mount Carl Zeiss Sonnar Lens opens up a new world for owners of NEX cameras. The equivalent of 36mm in full-frame or 35mm format, this lens is a versatile medium wide-angle focal length with superb Zeiss Sonnar optical design. The extremely wide maximum aperture of f/1.8 is ideal for shooting under low-light conditions, and with the seven blades that form a near-circular aperture, it can also create photos with lovely shallow depth-of-field (which provides a powerful sense of space). 

The design includes aspherical lenses which compensate for distortion and an ED element which suppresses chromatic aberration, for excellent corner-to-corner sharpness (even with the aperture wide open).  Direct Manual Focus (DMF) allows you to manually focus after autofocus has locked on, so you can easily fine-tune your focusing without switching modes. This is especially useful when shooting with very shallow depth-of-field.  A linear motor used for autofocus drive helps make this lens ideal for video--a very low-noise focus operation, with a stepping motor built into the lens for smooth, quiet aperture actuation. This lens is a wonderful addition to any photographer's camera bag.