Sony AF DT 50mm F1.8 SAM A-mount lens reviews
 AVLB#44524 date: May-22-2020 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 3.9 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 35mm f1.8 |
| price paid: | £140 new |
| positive: | Small Light |
| negative: | Feels cheap |
| comment: | This "nifty fifty" was my first prime lens. I bought it with high expectations, but was disappointed by the very cheap rattily build of it. Optically it disappointed me to start with, so I did an MFA on the SLT-68 to find out it need adjusting by -3. I don't know if it is a bad copy, or they are all like this. As a result, I cannot use it on my SLT-58. Used for portraits, but a bit too long for general use. |
; 24MP| Phil Wood#44303 date: May-21-2019 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta - AF 50mm F1.4 Minolta - AF 50 F1.7 Minolta - AF 50 F3.5 Macro Minolta - AF 50 F2.8 Macro |
| price paid: | 44 GBP |
| positive: | Well priced fast 50mm lens. SAM drive an improvement on screw driven alternatives. |
| negative: | Built like a toy (seemingly), APS only. |
| comment: | I have been reviewing all my A-Mount 50mm lenses (see list above) and left this one to last because it is the hardest one to place. 50mm is the standard lens for full-frame, it's what came on the first 35mm SLR I bought 50 years ago, it's what I use all the time on my full-frame A900 - but what sense does it make on APS-C? It's equivalent focal length of 75mm is a bit short for portraits, though that is what Sony promoted this lens for. It is in competition with readily available full-frame 50mms from Minolta (f1.4, f1.4 RS, f1.7, f1.7 RS) and the Sony f1.4 - what does it do that they don't? It's big positives are: 1 SAM drive (SSM would be a lot nicer, but then it probably wouldn't be a budget lens) 2 improved anti-flare coatings and CA resistant glass/plastic. 3 significantly closer minimum focus distance. These are all good reasons to go for this lens - the build quality is not - it's a lightweight (okay another plus) plastic marvel, the marvel being that it hasn't broken yet. But it hasn't, perhaps there is a bit more to the build quality than the obvious? If I only had APS-C camera bodies, if I didn't have all those other 50mms, I would be pretty happy with this lens, but I do have them and a FF body - so this lens gets very little use. I just love my old Minoltas too much. In direct comparison the f1.4 has the extra speed that makes such an important difference, the macros have macro and are sharper - the real competition is with the f1.7 - FF/APS 4WD or APS only cheap sedan, take your pick there isn't a lot to choose between them optically. |
| Gerrold#38865 date: May-21-2017 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 35mm f1.8 Sony 16-50mm f2.8 Tokina 11-16 f2.8 Tamron 70-200mm USD f2.8 Minolta 70-210mm f4 Minolta 35-105mm |
| price paid: | 168 |
| positive: | Sharp, light, inexpensive. |
| negative: | Cheap build. |
| comment: | This is very sharp lens, at least my copy is. It does feel kind of cheap and plasticky, but I've used mine for several years and have had no problem. If I dropped it now, I'd probably buy another. The focal length is nice for portraits on a cropped sensor. I use it for the occasional portrait and for shooting flowers and artwork on a tripod. For flowers and artwork I use manual focus to achieve maximum sharpness, but the autofocus on my Sony a77 ii is almost as good. For the price and very good image quality, this lens is a real bargain, despite the cheap build. |
| araudan#31704 date: Oct-18-2016 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 18-135mm Sony DT 30mm Macro |
| price paid: | 125 CDN (used) |
| positive: | Very sharp Low cost Light and bright |
| negative: | None for my use. |
| comment: | I was surprised at how sharp this lens is. I've been using only zooms for a long time it's nice to get back to a prime lens. |
| QuietOC#20416 date: Nov-6-2015 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.2 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 40 F1.7 Konica AR 40 F1.8 Canon EF 40 F2.8 STM Pentax-M 40 F2.8 Pentax-DA 40 F2.8 XS Pentax-FA 43 F1.8 Limited Samyang AF 45 F1.8 FE Tamron SP 45 F1.8 USD (both VC and non) Minolta MD 45 F2 Sigma 45 F2.8 DG DN C Rokinon 50 F1.2 Yongnuo 50 F1.4 Canon EF 50 F1.4 USM Minolta MD & AF & Sony AF 50 F1.4 Minolta AF 50 F1.7 RS & RS Sony FE 50 F1.8 Canon EF 50 F1.8 STM Fotasy 50 F1.8 Konica AR 50 F1.8 Vivitar 50 F1.8 Sony E 50 F1.8 OSS Minolta MD 50 F2 Neewer/Meike 50 F2 Sony AF 50 F2.8 Macro Minolta AF 50 F2.8 Macro RS Minolta AF 50 F3.5 Macro Minolta MD 50 F3.5 Macro Minolta MC 55 F1.7 Minolta SR 55 F2 Minolta MC 58 F1.4 Tamron SP 60 F2 Macro Sigma 60 F2.8 DN Art |
| price paid: | 37 USD (used) |
| positive: | Small and light Center sharpness wide open Curved aperture blades |
| negative: | Barrel distortion Purple fringing Short focus throw Small, loose focus ring Noisy DC motor |
| comment: | This has been the cheapest Sony lens since its release. The original retail price was $150 in 2009 with occasional sales at $125. It is currently selling for about $170 new or $100 refurbished. The 18-55 and 55-200 kit zooms are often available for less. It is at least twice as expensive as used Minolta AF 50 f/1.7 full-frame primes. It is more expensive than the current Canon and Nikon 50 f/1.8 full-frame primes. It is much cheaper than the E-mount 50 F1.8 OSS lens and slightly cheaper than the FE 50 F1.8 lens. I bought my latest used copy for $37 in 2018. 50 mm is not a difficult focal length. Even the 18-55 SAM II kit lens performs well at 50 mm, and pretty much every other normal zoom lens covers this focal length fairly well. The 50 F1.8 has a wider field-of-view than Minolta 50's but is narrower than the 45's. The angle-of-view is very similar to the 50 mm end of the Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM. The DT 50 F1.8 is quite sharp wide-open in the center though it does suffer some chromatic aberration and sometimes fairly heavy purple fringing. It does covers full-frame, but the corners are not very good. The smaller Minoltas look and feel better made. The more curved aperture blades on the DT 50 F1.8 yield smoother bokeh when stopped down. The Canon EF 50mm F1.8 STM is a much better lens especially on full-frame. |
| Krichton#14226 date: Apr-17-2015 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 50mm 1.4 Minolta 50mm 1.7 Minolta 70-210 f4 Beercan Sony 18-250 Sony 35mm 1.8 Canon 40mm 2.8 Canon 50mm 1.8 Canon 50mm 1.4 Nikkor 50mm 1.4D Nikkor 50mm 1.8G |
| price paid: | 67 USD |
| positive: | Sharp wide open, nuff said |
| negative: | Made of cheap 100% plastic |
| comment: | I used this lens on a crappy sony a230 i was testing, and it gave me superb results. I never once felt the need to stop down for sharper results . My photos were tack sharp at f1.8! Something which has alluded just about every prime I've ever used so far. Most are abysmal wide open and continually need to be stopped down, and even then they still under perform! It is not until you get to f2.8 or more that you start seeing the results I'm already seeing at f1.8. The Sony 50mm 1.8 destroys the minolta 1.4 and 1.7 at similar apertures! |
| Aiduco#13224 date: Apr-10-2015 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | SONY AF DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II Minolta AF 35-80mm F4-5.6 II |
| price paid: | 160euro (new) |
| positive: | -sharp, sharper when stopped down at F2.8 -small -light -cheap for F1.8 -good in low light -nice bokeh -vibrant colours -performance for money |
| negative: | -focus ring wobbles a bit -sometimes cannot catch focus, so im focusing manually -motor is a bit noisy -at 1.8 i have experienced some purple fringing |
| comment: | I bought this lens as addition to my kit lens (SONY AF DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II) to make portraits and closeups with nice bokeh and shallow background. This lens performs very well for the value. Bokeh is nice. Colors are vibrant. Lens itself is very small and light, and easy to be carried in your pocket or anywhere. I often do shooting in interiors with this lens in the evenings and it really performs great in the dark. Lens is very sharp at 2.8, almost as sharp as my Kit lens (which i consider my best lens) so it´s very good. Distortion is quite OK controlled however this lens suffers a build quality. I have never experienced flares with this lens which is good. However focus rings wobbles a bit which is annoying and sometimes i cannot catch the focus so i had to focus manually. Aside of these few negatives it´s a very good lens. I use it almost daily and almost all my most famous flickr photos were shot by this lens. I can only recomend this one! |
| Freddan_6#11888 date: Jul-2-2014 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony AF DT 35 1.8 Minolta AF 50 1.4 |
| price paid: | 500 SEK = 74$ |
| positive: | good flare control, easy handling, OK bokeh. A lot of lens for the money. Great for portraits. |
| negative: | Noisy SAM motor when filming. The colors is a little blueish, it is not as well balanced as the classic Minolta colors. The build is cheap, but so is the price. |
| comment: | I have lent this lens to my daughter, she also needs a fast lens. It is easier to use than the flare-prone Minolta AF 50 1.4. |
| MinoltaMaxxum#11658 date: Feb-1-2014 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 2 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | * Sony 35mm f/1.8 DT SAM * Sony 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DT SAM II * Sony 55-200mm f/4-5.6 DT SAM II * Minolta 35-105mm f/3.5-4.5 (Original) * Minolta 70-210mm f/4 (Beercan) * Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX-II |
| price paid: | 140 AUD |
| positive: | * Sharp at f/2.2, reaches close to peak sharpness at f/2.8 * Excellent colours and good flare control * Good contrast with sun in the frame * Very light and small * Small 49mm filter thread * Front element is recessed, does not require lens hood * Cheap, price has dropped to around 100 AUD at some stores |
| negative: | * Soft image quality wide open at f/1.8 * Average focus speed and focus hunts in low light * Front rubber manual focus ring is uncomfortably tiny and also starting to show wear after six months of use * Plastic fantastic build quality |
| comment: | Compared to the Minolta 50mm f/1.7, the Sony is not full frame compatible and the build quality is plastic fantastic and rubber. I would not expect this lens to last as long or the internal lens elements to stay centered as the Minolta, however in every other respect it is better and now the price has come down closer to $100 AUD it makes it more attractive to those on a budget. First generation Minolta AF lens suffer from heavy loss of contrast and lack of flare control however this newer Sony lens has newer optical coatings and the benefits show in very bright summer conditions. The lens shows average image quality wide open at f/1.8 however it sharpens up considerably at f/2.2 and it only gets better from there to f/2.8. Bokeh is pleasant and at smaller apertures takes on a hexagonal shape. On Sony APS-C cameras it is cropped to the 75mm equivalent which can be narrow for both indoor and some outdoor street photography situations. On the other hand, it produces a more isolated look to the subject and compressed background blur compared to the 35mm f/1.8 DT. For beginners using the basic kit lens who are interested in developing their photography skills, I would suggest considering this lens or the Sony 85mm f/2.8 as one of your first upgrades especially if you are interested in street and portrait photography and are on a budget. The wider aperture has an almost three stop advantage over the Sony 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DT at the equivalent focal length or in other words about six hundred percent more light. This will allow you to shoot at faster shutter speeds and/or lower ISO settings in low light conditions than the zoom kit can and along with the sharpness it makes for a fantastic bang for buck lens. |
| Snobert#11511 date: Nov-28-2013 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | missing |
| price paid: | £75 New |
| positive: | Light, cheap, takes great images |
| negative: | Built quality, plastic mount. |
| comment: | I saw a bargain when Jessops was shutting down, so I decided to buy this lens. I was deciding between this and the Minolta 50 f1.7, I am so glad that I went for the Sony as I have read about lots of issues with flare on the Minolta. Amazing pictures, sharp fully open, with a sweet spot at around 2.8. Don't worry about the plastic construction, it is so light that you won't have any issues. |
| ronniegogs#11032 date: Apr-11-2013 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 |
| price paid: | 100 USD (new) |
| positive: | Good for portraits Sharp at f/2.8 |
| negative: | Build Quality Sharpness wide open Noisy focus |
| comment: | Good beginner lens which is very good for portraits. Plastic build quality does not feel very sturdy but again its a beginner lens which is sharp at f/2.8. At f/1.8 is not very sharp. |
| jamo spingal#10725 date: Nov-24-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | missing |
| price paid: | 98 GBP |
| positive: | Very sharp, good colours and bokeh. Great for portraits. Value for money is awesome. |
| negative: | None for the price. |
| comment: | Why the downer on the plastic moulded construction of modern Sony lenses. Will you refuse to fly on the Boeing Dreamliner because it's not made of aluminium ? |
| lupponne#10630 date: Oct-29-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | sal1650 |
| price paid: | 120$ sh |
| positive: | sharp light f1.8 |
| negative: | plastic |
| comment: | good for portrait, nice color |
| Sky_walker#10619 date: Oct-25-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 2 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.1 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | missing |
| price paid: | 750 PLN (new) |
| positive: | Sharpness Distortion Chromatic Aberrations Bokeh Very light and small |
| negative: | AF worse then in some screwdrive lenses Build quality |
| comment: | One of best lenses for beginners. Excellent for portraits - with virtually no Longitudinal Chromatic Aberrations, excellent sharpness and creamy bokeh you hardly can imagine any better lens to start with. Especially because it's one of the cheapest A-mount lenses available! And I think it's worth every penny. 50mm focal length gives you a nice advantage over it's 35mm counterpart - you get clearer perspective, and more shallow depth of field. At the same time it's tiny size and light weight makes it always possible to keep it in a pocket or backpack, ready to use. I still keep my even after buying Zeiss 50 f/1.4 for exactly this one reason: I can take it everywhere and not even feel it's there! Additional advantage is that it doesn't need a hood and still has got really nice flare control. Great achievement. AS for it's weak points - well, this lens should be screwdrive. SAM doesn't give any advantage - it's as loud and as slow as any other screwdrive lens I have (actually: some screwdrive lenses focus faster and more quietly then this one!). Meanwhile for some reason it seems to eat more power then them. I don't feel much difference on A77, but I do on A200. And if we're on that: This lens sux for video. Never try to use it for recording. It's too loud. Even with external microphone. Another issue is the plastic build - if not the metal ring in a middle of it I'm quite sure you could crush it with your fist. That said: there are several lenses with worse build quality, 18-70mm kit being most notable one. So no worries - it won't shatter after falling down from backpack, though I wouldn't recommend trying it ;). What you buy with 50mm f/1.8 SAM is picture quality. Nothing more, nothing less. But it's really great in what it does, and after getting it you'll have a very little to complain. I wish it'd be full frame, or offer more smooth manual focusing, but even now: It's one of "must-have" lenses if you are learning photography. |
| brikas#10460 date: Aug-20-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.7 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | missing |
| price paid: | 125£ (new) |
| positive: | Brilliant colours Sharp Very cheap |
| negative: | 49mm filter diameter |
| comment: | I bought it only for portraits and I'm more than happy with it- brilliant colors, sharp at almost all situations and it's very light too. |
| StefB.#10409 date: Jul-29-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.7 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Tamron 17-50@f2.8 |
| price paid: | 40 EURO (like new) |
| positive: | - Lightweight and compact - Sharpness acceptable @1.8, but really good @f2.8 |
| negative: | -All in plastic |
| comment: | Used on Alpha 55 Really pleasant for portraiture, specially my kids. I always have it in my bag. The color is not exactly the colors we used to have with Minolta, but most of the time, I am using B&W with this lens, so not problem for me. AF is a little bit noisy, so not suitable for video. There is no hood, but the front lenses is far inside, so not really a problem |
| derekw#10293 date: Jun-11-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 50f1.7 (original and RS) |
| price paid: | 68 GBP mint |
| positive: | Sharp even at f1.8 Colours Cost |
| negative: | Build could be better but OK No hood |
| comment: | Sharper than any of the numerous Minolta 50 f1.7s I have owned. Below f4 it blows the Minolta away and is just as good above F4. Better flare control in spite of no hood. Colour not Minolta, but still excellent. Build - gets a 4 because if you dropped this and the Minolta, I am pretty sure this would suffer less damage - OK |
| flashx#10088 date: Apr-4-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.7 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 50mm f/1.7 Sony DT 35mm f/1.8 |
| price paid: | $123 USD (new) |
| positive: | - Sharpness is great especially stopped down to f/2.5 and beyond - Lens compensation profile with A77 - Very nice colours renditions compared to those entry level 50mm lenses from Nikon and Canon. - AF is quite fast. - Lightweight. - Cheap. |
| negative: | - AF tends to be a bit inaccurate that is fixable on A77 with micro-adjustments - AF hunts slightly in low-light situations. - SAM AF motor sounds like an ungreased robotic arm. I personally found it really annoying. The SAM motor sounds much better on my 35mm f/1.8. - AF noise makes it not suitable for video work. Photo is fantastic. |
| comment: | The Sony DT 50mm f/1.8 is a fantastic lens for photo. It's much better than all the kit lens except the Sony 16-50mm f/2.8. The 50mm f/1.8 is great for portraits photo work but falls short with annoying motor noises for video. Also, the build isn't as bad as some people will say about a plastic mount. The weight from using the plastic mount is a benefit and I think it's just cause for leaving the metal mount and sturdier body in the 50mm 1.4 model. If you want to take great portraits and be able to bear with the motor noises, Sony DT 50mm 1.8 is one lens you should consider. |
| Ago#10077 date: Apr-2-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony AF DT 55-200 F4-5.6 Sony AF DT 55-200 F4-5.6 Sony AF DT 50 F1.8 Minolta AF 75-300 F4.5-5.6 D |
| price paid: | missing |
| positive: | Wonderful little lens. Easy to use, brilliant colours, contrast, and bokeh is lovely. |
| negative: | missing |
| comment: | It is really great for portraits. |
| Thatguyfromvienna#10048 date: Mar-22-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | missing |
| price paid: | 110 € new |
| positive: | Sharper than a knife. Very fast and reliable AF. Excellent image quality. |
| negative: | Plastic fantastic. AF is somewhat loud. |
| comment: | At f/1.8, this baby is already really good but shows some vignetting. Allow it two more stops and the IQ is just perfect. Really nice and warm color regarding the fact that it's from Sony's cheapo line. If you're looking for a 50mm, this one is a no-brainer. |
| Alphaboi#10003 date: Mar-8-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.1 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Zeiss 16-80 Minolta DT 18-70 Sony DT 55-200 SAM Minolta 28-105 RS Beercan Tamron 17-50 2.8 |
| price paid: | 120 USD (used) |
| positive: | - Sharp from 2.2 - Ultrasharp at 5.6 - Cheap - Lightweight |
| negative: | - Loud SAM - Plastic - AF/MF switch can be annoying |
| comment: | This is my favorite lens, it's covering almost any situation without having to change lenses. Very sharp and it has good colors. SAM is a bit loud, but not annoying. Best buy. |
| iforget#9963 date: Feb-23-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | SAL35f1.8 SAL55-200 Minolta 24-85RS Minolta 50f1.7 |
| price paid: | 149 CAD (new) |
| positive: | sharp good portrait easy to focus |
| negative: | range |
| comment: | I only had this lens for about 10 days. Returned it after I got the SAL35f1.8 lens which is better for indoor (wider). Slightly less sharp than 35F1.8 wide open. I miss it sometimes since I found it is easier to focus, better flare control than 35f1.8 and the image is less distorted (better for portrait). However I have now got a copy of 55-200 which is as sharp as the two primes. My best portraits are taken with 55-200. Color is not as good as 50f1.7. |
| SonyA580#9847 date: Jan-24-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 18-55 |
| price paid: | £120.00 |
| positive: | Prime Lightweight |
| negative: | Plastic |
| comment: | FAb prime lens, Sharp and inexpensive, Knock it down a couple for the sweet spot ;-). |
| BioPeek#9542 date: Oct-29-2011 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta MD f1.7 50mm Sony 18-55 Kit lens Minolta MD f3.5 35-70mm (macro) |
| price paid: | 130 GBP |
| positive: | Wonderful little lens. Easy to use, brilliant colours, contrast, and bokeh is lovely. |
| negative: | None. |
| comment: | Forget all those gripes about the plastic mount, they don't matter if you treat your lenses with respect. This is a light, very light lens. It performs brilliantly. For the money it cannot be equaled. I have the Minolta f1.7 50mm in the manual MD mount and this little star equals it, which is saying a lot!. If you haven't got this lens, get it. It is a star. |
| GlassEye#9504 date: Oct-15-2011 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 3 overall: 4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | 18 - 55 kit lens |
| price paid: | 150 USD new |
| positive: | Fast, Light, and inexpensive. Great portrait lens. Small size. Recessed front element. |
| negative: | Plastic build |
| comment: | I really like this lens! It is very sharp after it has been stopped down to f/2.8. Wide open is very soft with lots of CA. The DoF is tiny at 1.8, so much care is needed when focusing, but that's just physics! Stopped down and this lens is right up there. I've had pretty good success with hand-held portraits by fire and candle light. Build is plastic from China. For the price, that's just the way it's going to be. Quality seems fine. Focus is fast and sure. This lens should hold up well to non-pro use. |
| danny001#9373 date: Aug-30-2011 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 18-55 Sigma 10-20 Tamron 70-200 Sony 500 |
| price paid: | 159€ |
| positive: | sharp from 1.8 Very little CA lightweight nice bokeh |
| negative: | AF little noisy vignetting at 1.8 |
| comment: | Amazing lens. At f1.8 this one is sharper than 18-55 kitlens at F8. At F2.8 sharpness is still little better and beyond difference is really hard to tell. CA is really low. AutoFocus is reasonably fast but noisy. Bokeh is beautiful for portraits. It looks a little silly on A550 because its so tiny, but who cares right ? A must have for Sony owners, especially if you take the price into account. |
| blek#9151 date: Jun-18-2011 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 3 build: 2 distortion: 2 flare control: 4 overall: 3.1 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I have experience with this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta AF 35-70 F4 Minolta AF 28-85 F3.5-4.5 Sony AF DT 18-70 F3.5-5.6 Sony AF DT 18-55 F3.5-5.6 SAM |
| price paid: | missing |
| positive: | Sharp Wide Open Nice Bokeh Good in low light Good Contrast Good CA and Flare control Light |
| negative: | Build Sony Color. |
| comment: | Good little prime and easy to get. Nice sharp and contrast. If this one have Minolta colors, I'll stop using Baby Beercan (35-70 F4). Very good indoor and lowlight without losing it's sharpness even wide opened. Auto focus is accurate. Oh, and the price is just perfect. :) |
| Metasynthese#8969 date: Apr-28-2011 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Summicron-M 50/2 Sony SEL50F18 ... many more |
| price paid: | ~149€ |
| positive: | -Price -Sharp at F1.8 -Very sharp at F5.6 -Colors -Bokeh -Low light abbilities -Good coating |
| negative: | -Build -MF is nearly impossible -Sensitive to dust and sand |
| comment: | This was my first lens after I bought an A550 Kit. It's a very nice lens. Espacially very good for potraits. Very cheap. Very good image quality. Perfect first addition to the Kit-Lens. Now I have more than 10 other lenses, but this is still one of my favourites. Only drawback is the build and the unusable manual focus function. But I bought a Helios 44 58mm F2 with adapter (together <20€) for that purpose. Get it! |
| the_fat_zebra#8939 date: Apr-18-2011 | |
|---|---|
sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | missing |
| price paid: | 140 EUR |
| positive: | - Cheap w. excellent price v. performance. - Nice bokeh. - Very sharp wide open. - Light. |
| negative: | - Poor focus ring, I cannot really focus manually. - Loud AF motor. |
| comment: | This is the first lens I bought for its portraits. It is not a general walk-around lens due to focal length (for me at least), but excellent for portraits or low light conditions (if the space you're shooting in has room to move around). People complain about the build, and it is indeed not very sturdy, but for an A2XX user it's a benefit that it so light. Overall good grade plastics do not bother me (and I would say they are average on this lens), and the focus ring does feel a bit flimsy. Still recommend this lens if you feel you need this focal length: Excellent image quality also wide open, and best price if you want a lens at this aperture. I considered the Sony f1.4 but could not justify the price difference. Very happy with this lens. |
| PowerUp#8920 date: Apr-13-2011 | |
|---|---|
sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 18-70 Tamron 17-50 |
| price paid: | 140 EUR (new) |
| positive: | Sharpness, contrast, flare resistance, bokeh, very light |
| negative: | Build quality, noise from SAM motor |
| comment: | Currently the lens I use the most. Sharpness is already nice at large apertures, and excellent at f/5.6. It produces nice colors with quite some contrast and it hardly shows flare. CA can show up at large apertures. The build quality is not that good, but it doesn't feel like it will collapse any minute. One problem that I have is that the lens doesn't always goes back to infinity when shutting down the camera. Also the SAM motor makes an awful lot of noise. However, for the price it is a very nice lens, and I have no intentions of selling it in the near future. |
rating summary
- total reviews: 89
- sharpness: 4.58
- color: 4.52
- build: 3.53
- distortion: 4.61
- flare control: 4.48
- overall: 4.34
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