Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM vs. Sony FE 85mm f/1.8

Ray-traced side by side from their optical patents at a 3.4 m upper-body portrait distance: compare how the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM (60.7 mm entrance pupil) and Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 (47.2 mm entrance pupil) differ in background blur size, edge bokeh, and depth of field.

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Portrait At-a-Glance Comparison (Upper Body Framing)

Optical & Portrait Metric Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 What It Means in Practice
Upper-Body Working Distance 3.41 m 3.41 m Identical working distance—both frame an upper-body portrait from the exact same spot.
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 87.7 mm (+3.2%) 89.9 mm (+5.8%) At 3.4 m, Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM frames like a 87.7 mm lens while Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 frames like a 89.9 mm lens.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) 20 cm (3.31 m – 3.51 m) 25 cm (3.29 m – 3.54 m) The Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM has a 22% thinner focus zone (20 cm vs. 25 cm)—requiring more precise eye focus.
Entrance Pupil Diameter 60.7 mm (f/1.4) 47.2 mm (f/1.8) Distant background blur discs are 29% larger on the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM.
Minimum Focus Distance 0.85 m 0.8 m Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 focuses 5 cm closer (0.85 m vs. 0.8 m) for tighter close-ups.
Patent Prescription JPS62244010A (7/6) JP2015-096915A (11/8) Published optical prescriptions traced in the 3D simulator above.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM or Sony FE 85mm f/1.8?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM at f/1.4 has a 60.7 mm entrance pupil, while Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 at f/1.8 has a 47.2 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM and Sony FE 85mm f/1.8?

For an upper-body portrait, Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM stands 3.41 m from the subject (sharp zone 20 cm, from 3.31 m to 3.51 m), whereas Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 stands 3.41 m away (sharp zone 25 cm, from 3.29 m to 3.54 m).

How do the optical designs of Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM and Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 compare?

Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM uses 7 elements in 6 groups (JPS62244010A, effective focal length 87.7 mm at portrait distance). Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 uses 11 elements in 8 groups (JP2015-096915A, effective focal length 89.9 mm).

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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.