Sony Carl Zeiss FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* E-mount lens reviews
reviews found: 27
 adrichardson#46899 date: Nov-10-2022 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 50mm f2.5 G, Samyang 50mm f1.4 ii |
| price paid: | 439 GBP (used) |
| positive: | Sharp Actual character Light and compact Snappy AF |
| negative: | Purple fringing Dust sealing isn't very robust |
| comment: | This was the first lens I bought when I picked up my A7 back in the day and is still my most used lens. The shortcomings are well known - purple fringing is a problem below f2.8 and onion bokeh can be an issue in some situations. On the positive side, it's as sharp as you could want on a 42mp sensor from wide open, the micro contrast is excellent and the colours are very flattering. AF is fast and accurate and MF isn't terrible, considering it's a first gen lens. This is a lens that's more than the sum of its parts. It consistently delivers very pleasing results, especially for more candid portraits and street photography. It's also fantastic for landscapes, though you need to be careful around water. It has the classic Zeiss 3d pop, with excellent subject isolation. Compared to the Samyang 50mm f1.4 ii, the Sony is sharper with better colour balance (the Samyang has a noticeable yellow bias). AF is much faster and more accurate with the Sony - my copy of the Samyang consistently misfocussed wide open in AF-S mode. Compared to the Sony 50mm f2.5, I found the 55mm focused faster with a higher keeper rate. The 55mm is sharper with better micro contrast. Bokeh was fine for an f2.5 lens and handled transitions well, but lacked the wow factor of the 55mm. I found the colour too neutral for my tastes and felt that it needed a bit of tweaking in DXO to get truly pleasing results. The 50mm has a size advantage and full weather sealing. The 55mm has basic dust sealing, but it isn't particularly robust and I wouldn't take it to a beach. Size wise, it's still very compact if you switch the hood for an RX1-style hood. |
; 36MP| addy landzaat#45701 date: May-10-2021 | |
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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: | Samyang 45/1.8 Sony 35/1.8 OSS (on APS-C) Canon EF 50/1.8 II |
| price paid: | €499,- |
| positive: | Colour and rendering. Bokeh. |
| negative: | The metal lens body is fine but lacks any controls. |
| comment: | This lens is really nice. I always thought I would buy this lens when I wanted a normal prime lens in E-mount. But I bought the Samyang 45/1.8 and was disappointed. So, I bought this one. Nice colours, great bokeh. It is a pleasure to use. I feel it is not the sharpest lens I own, but it is more then sharp enough, hence, 4.5. AF is silent and quick. |
| yangruflo#45681 date: Mar-29-2021 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.9 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta SR 55 F2 Lensbaby 56 F1.6 Konica AR 57 F1.4 Minolta MC 58 F1.4 |
| price paid: | $999 |
| positive: | Stability, quality, price, sharpness |
| negative: | none found |
| comment: | Very handy, returning truly superb test results on the Alpha 7R. It's extremely sharp, shows little chromatic aberration or distortion, and has entirely acceptable levels of vignetting. In fact it comes very close indeed to the astounding (but $4000) Zeiss Otus 55mm F1. - Team residential roofing kansas |
| QuietOC#45676 date: Mar-26-2021 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Pentax-FA 43 F1.8 Limited Rokinon 45 F1.8 FE Tamron SP 45 F1.8 USD (VC & non VC) Minolta MD 45 F2 Sigma 45 F2.8 DG DN C Rokinon 50 F1.2 Sony A 50 F1.4 Planar SSM Yongnuo 50 F1.4 Zeiss C/Y 50 F1.4 Planar Canon EF 50 F1.4 USM Sigma 50 F1.4 EX DG HSM Minolta MD 50 F1.4 & AF & Sony (D) Minolta MD 50 F1.7 & AF & RS Yongnuo YN50 F1.8S DF DSM 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 DT 50 F1.8 SAM Sony E 50 F1.8 OSS Minolta MD 50 F2 Neewer/Meike/Vivitar 50 F2 Konica AR 52 F1.8 Minolta MC 55 F1.7 Minolta SR 55 F2 Lensbaby Velvet 56 F1.6 Konica AR 57 F1.4 Minolta MC 58 F1.4 |
| price paid: | 498 USD (used) |
| positive: | Quiet, quick focusing Flat field Deep petal hood included Very minor pincushion distortion No random controls other than focus Dust and moisture resistant Lens Compensation |
| negative: | Alignment/variation Chromatic aberrations Black alloy Noisy aperture Forced Distortion Compensation Focus breathing (normal) 15 FPS |
| comment: | I've looked at getting this lens a few times. It hasn't been a priority. I have had an old repaired Rokkor-PF 55mm F1.7 for a few years which shares the focal length if little else. The first copy of this lens was claimed to have been new, but was probably a customer return. It cost the most I'd spent on a prime lens. The second copy was purchased used from an individual on Fred Miranda and has much better alignment. Those little blue badges must throw off optics when they get attached to Sony lenses. In reality it is probably the piezo-based linear AF system which supposedly attaches partly by glue. The first copy was almost as soft wide-open as my repaired FE 50 F1.8. Though instead of a nice uniform spherical glow, the glow was uneven. "Made in Thailand" Wide-open this lens is sharper in the corners than the FE 50 F1.8 and most of the older planars I've used. However the native Samyang 45 F1.8 and Yongnuo 50 F1.8 DF are very similar. The well-aligned copy doesn't show any glow. It does have some lateral chromatic aberration and a similar amount of axial CA. It shows less purple fringing than the FE 85 F1.8. The background rendering is smoother than the Samyang or Yongnuo. Overall the second well-aligned copy is one of the best normal primes I've used so far. |
| petesidewalk#44030 date: Mar-16-2018 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | K/M 75-300 Big Beercan K/M 35-70 4 K/M 35-70 3.5-4.5 K/M 50 1.4 K/M 50 1.4 N K/M 50 1.7 K/M 85 1.4 K/M 85 1.4 G D K/M 70-210 4.5-5.6 K/M 70-210 3.5-4.5 K/M 70-210 4 Beercan K/M 20 2.8 K/M 24 2.8 K/M 28 2.0 K/M 28 2.8 K/M 35 1.4 K/M 35 2.0 K/M 100 2.0 K/M 135 2.8 K/M 300 4.0 K/M 17-35 2.8-4 K/M 28-80xi K/M 28-135 4-4.5 K/M 35-70 3.5-4.5 K/M 80-200 2.8 G K/M 80-200 2.8 K/M 75-300 4.5-5.6 NEW K/M 50 3.5 Macro K/M 35-105 3.5-4.5 K/M 100-200 4.5 K/M 24-105 3.5-4.5 K/M 100-400 4.5-6.7 K/M 24-85 3.5-4.5 K/M 28-85 3.5-4.5 K/M 28-105 3.5-4.5 RS Sigma 18 3.5 Sigma 18-35 1.8 Sigma 28 1.8 Sigma 24 1.8 Sigma 500 4.5 APO Sigma 800 5.6 APO Sigma 75-200 2.8-3.5 Sigma 15-30 3.5-4.5 Sigma 24-70 2.8 HSM Sigma 70-300 4-5.6 OS Sigma 10-20 4.5-5.6 Sigma 18-50 2.8-4.5 OS Sigma 17-70 2.8-4.5 OS Sigma 55-200 4-5.6 OS Sony 16-80 3.5-4.5 ZA Sony 24 2 SSM ZA Sony 50 1.4 SSM ZA Sony 85 1.4 ZA Sony 135 1.8 ZA Sony 18-70 Kit Lens Sony 18-55 II Sony 70-400 4-5.6 G Sony FE 28 2.0 Sony FE 35 2.8 ZA Sony FE 55 1.8 ZA Sony FE 90 2.8 MACRO Sony E 16 2.8 Sony E 18-55 3.5-5.6 Sony E 16-50 3.5-5.6 Sony E 18-105 4.0 Tamron 90 2.8 Tamron 17-50 2.8 Tamron 200-400 5.6 LD NEW Tamron 35-105 2.8 Tamron 20-35 3.5-4.5 Tamron 28-75 2.8 Tamron 28-300 3.5-6.3 Tamron 20-40 2.7-3.5 Tokina 35-200 4-5.6 Deitz 28-200 More, I just can't remember |
| price paid: | 698 USD |
| positive: | Sharpness Colors Build sub $1000 price |
| negative: | none |
| comment: | Superbly sharp lenses. Great size for the body. Great performance for the price. I didn't think I'd use this focal length this much. |
| Stueyman#43028 date: Mar-7-2018 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony Zeiss 24mm Sony 50 1.8 (APS) Sony 85 1.8 |
| price paid: | ~1200 AUD |
| positive: | Solid lens, superbly sharp |
| negative: | Focus distance |
| comment: | Having been spoiled by the SEL24ZA and it's close focus the only quibble I have is the focusing distance! Otherwise it's crazy sharp and solidly built |
| Iggy1965#42992 date: Jan-21-2018 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Manual Zeiss CY 50/1.7 with Novoflex adapter. Which is very sharp |
| price paid: | EURO 900 |
| positive: | Ueber sharp like hell Flare resistance |
| negative: | The blue Zeiss logo attracts the wrong people. Black gaffer tape did the job Dangerously sharp |
| comment: | Did I already mention that it is very sharp? |
| wingedpower#36829 date: Apr-12-2017 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | * Sigma ART HSM 35/1.4 via LA-EA3 * Sigma EX DG HSM 85/1.4 via LA-EA3 * Zhong Yi Mitakon Speed Master 50/0.95 |
| price paid: | $515 USD |
| positive: | * Super light * AF on A7II is snappy * Very compact * Sharp * Great colors |
| negative: | * Not as "fast" as a 1.4 but also not nearly as heavy. * Well balanced on the A7II (less so on the A6000) |
| comment: | This is a very nice lens. Very nice. It's a full frame lens, so it's 50mm on the A7 line and about 75mm on the A6000 line. It is a dense piece of metal and glass, but it isn't heavy like the Sigma ART 50mm/1.4. It is a bit heavier than the screw driven Sony A-mount 50mm/1.4. The weight is less than the Speedmaster 50/0.95. AF is good and SILENT. EyeAF and lock-on works with this lens on the A7II. While I don't normally use a 50mm because of the 35mm, I can see this being a good walk around lens. The MFD does present a bit of an issue at 50mm in a close indoor space. For that, 35mm is a better choice. When you have this lens on the A7* cameras, it feels GREAT. Manual AF with this lens is... ok. Because of the fly by wire, it's not nearly as nice as the A-mount lenses or the fully many lenses. |
| Trued#36800 date: Mar-26-2017 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | missing |
| price paid: | missing |
| positive: | World class lens! |
| negative: | Nothing. |
| comment: | The only competition is OTUS for a price that is X4 |
| lupponne#32714 date: Nov-29-2016 | |
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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: | any sony sony lens |
| price paid: | 670 euro new |
| positive: | small, sharp, fast, color |
| negative: | price :) |
| comment: | best lens for a7 series |
| Dibok#24483 date: Feb-3-2016 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.9 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | ZA50/1.4 Planar. I'd say both are on par, with slight advantages on the Planar. |
| price paid: | 749 € new |
| positive: | Built quality, haptic, colors, contrast |
| negative: | Bokeh fringing can be disturbing. Heavy vignetting. Both easy to correct in post. Drop of sharpness up to f4 |
| comment: | The Sonnar is a very good lens, and it has no big issues. The real and only downside is the drop of sharpness towards the borders on the 42MP sensor if your image requires sharpness end to end. |
| DFadel#24472 date: Jan-20-2016 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony A-mount 50mm f/1.4 |
| price paid: | $750 |
| positive: | Sharp wide open. Beautiful bokeh. Small and light. |
| negative: | Price, but you get what you pay for. Tiny filter size (if this is indeed a negative). |
| comment: | This is the finest f/1.8 50-ish lens I have ever used. Paying $1K retail (I bought this grey market) for a 1.8 50-ish lens is insane. Then again, I am blown away by the rendering. 3D effects are easy. Shooting this wide open is an experience unlike any I have had with a 50mm. It blows the A mount 1.4 out of the water. |
| Collingsandheal#19381 date: Oct-15-2015 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony E 10-18mm. Voigtlander FE 15mm. Batis 18mm. Batis 25mm. Zeiss 16-35mm f4. 16-35mm GM. Sony FE 28mm. Zeiss FE 35mm. Batis 40mm. Samyang FE AF 45mm. Sony FE 50mm. Sony FE 50mm macro. Zeiss FE 55. Sony FE 85. Sigma A FE 135mm. Sony 70-200 GM. Sony 100-400mm GM. |
| price paid: | £508.00 |
| positive: | Very sharp. Well made. Compact, light and fast to focus. |
| negative: | Looks a bit skinny on the camera. Paint does not wear that well. |
| comment: | A truly good lens that makes images with a look all their own. A must have lens with the A7r3 but try the Samyang FE AF 45mm f1.8 as well. |
| fute77#14236 date: May-2-2015 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 50/1.4 A mount Sony 50/1.7 A mount 18-55 E mount 55-210 E mount |
| price paid: | 600€ used |
| positive: | very sharp build quality |
| negative: | size weight hood size |
| comment: | This lens is just wonderfull 82.5 mm equiv it is wonderfull on APS-C for portrait I love it and would like to try it on A7 or A7R (when I can afford one) edit : wonderfulll to use with an Alpha 7. Bokeh is great and the transition from focus zone to out of focus is exceptionnal Still a great investment for my A7rIII a lens I will keep |
| youpii#12184 date: Mar-14-2015 | |
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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: | Loxia 50 Sony 50/1.4 ZA Sony 85/1.4 ZA |
| price paid: | 1000USD |
| positive: | Extremely sharp Nice bokeh |
| negative: | No aperture ring Fly-by-wire focus No distance scale Lens hood too big A bit long for a "50mm" |
| comment: | Optically superb but AF with the A7R is not so great |
| MRI#12150 date: Feb-26-2015 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 50 1.7 Minolta 50 2.8 macro |
| price paid: | 998.00 US |
| positive: | Really sharp fast focus Great colors and contrast Balances well on the a7II and a7R |
| negative: | None at this time. |
| comment: | You can tell that this lens was made for the A7 series cameras, it balances well on the cameras, and just feels right. The images are awesome, really nice Zeiss color that pops off the screen. My first use with the lens was on a rainy gray day and the first shots really turned out well with lots of contrast. The lens focuses really fast even in low light I have not had any issues, compared to my Minolta 50 1.7 and marco 2.8, with the sony LA-EA4 adaptor. The macro I know always hunts in a/f in good light, but the 1.7 usually does a decent job, this lens blows them away for focusing. Sharpness it still wins, my copy of the 50 1.7 is sharp for the most part from 3.2 on the macro is sharp at 2.8 on but I am no pixel peeper, the Zeiss is even sharper I believe, will do some more shooting and give an up date later. Yes it cost a lot, but it gives back a lot so in my opinion it is worth the money. |
| Sydney2#12009 date: Oct-24-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | A mount Sony 300 2.8 MK2 A mount Minolta 400 4.5 |
| price paid: | £600 a pakage deal |
| positive: | Sharp Great colour. Solid build. |
| negative: | No IS, not an issue with me. |
| comment: | I'm a kingfisher photographer. I use long lenses with the A99. I used the RX100 MK2 as a pocket camera, for general photography, but it lacked something, so I tried the A7R with the FE 55 1.8 and just loved it.In sharpness it compliments my 300mm & 400mm primes. My future is to use the A99 above 300mm and the FE lenses with the A7R from wide up to 200MM. |
| maxfarphoto#11878 date: Jun-24-2014 | |
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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: | cron 50/2 cz 50/1,4 za minolta 50/1,4 |
| price paid: | 6590 hkd |
| positive: | lightweight terrific sharpness it pops up |
| negative: | missing oss |
| comment: | it really delivers all promises tested side by side with a m9+cron 50/2 it won hands down no contest with the elder brother a-mount what else to say? |
| jamesmd#11838 date: May-21-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | I had it side to side with the Otus , and its very very close . I've had the 50ZA for A-mount and I would say this lens is much better , and way much better for CA it stands up perfectly with the 135 ZA for color and IQ . |
| price paid: | missing |
| positive: | sharpens, IQ , |
| negative: | nothing at the moment |
| comment: | an excellent lens, I am really surprised how this lens performs on the A7r. It's true that 50mm is my favorite focal so its a perfect lens for me , and is now always on the camera . I have the feeling that I would be fine only with this lens . Perfect with extension tubes for macro too . |
| TheEmrys#11817 date: May-7-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 50/3.5 Sony 50/1.4 Minolta 50/1.4 Tamron 90/2.8 Di CZ Planar 50/1.4 |
| price paid: | 998 |
| positive: | Sharpness Color Contrast Small Light |
| negative: | Serial number is on a sticker |
| comment: | This is my favorite lens ever made. I love the 50mm focal length, and this lens alone was worthwhile for me to switch from a-mount to e-mount. This lens is really the brass ring. It has the superior sharpness, color, and contrast that Zeiss manual focus lenses are known for. The SSM is a tremendous asset. It is a very bright f/1.8 lens, due to the transmission being t/1.8. I cannot get this lens to flare as much as I try. The hood is really superfluous. The micro-contrast makes boring images pop. AF is nicely quick and pretty accurate. If you are a 50mm shooter, this lens is worth switching for. Sharp corner to corner from f/5.6. At f/1.8, the lens is sharp over the center 80% of the frame. I never thought I would find a lens sharper wide open than the Minolta 80-200 HS G, but I have. This lens, while not as dainty as the 35/2.8, is wonderfully small and balances extremely well on the a7. When coupled with the 24-70/4, it is an amazing kit. My only gripe is that the serial number for the lens is on a stupid sticker. What happened, Sony? Do a bit of C-N-C on the barrel before assembly and do it right. Not good for a $1k lens. |
| jakobdam#11731 date: Mar-18-2014 | |
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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 50mm f/1.7 - Minolta 50mm f/1.4 - Sony Zeiss 16-80 f/3.5-4.5 - Sony Zeiss 135mm f/1.4 - Sony Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 (FE) |
| price paid: | 1200 USD (new) |
| positive: | - Small and light weight - VERY sharp in center already from f/1.8 - VERY sharp in corners already from f/2.8 - Nice Zeiss-contrasts and colors - Beautiful and smooth bokeh - Relatively low chromatic aberration at f/1.8; issue disappears entirely from f/2.8 and onwards |
| negative: | - Mild tendency to vignetting at f/1.8; disappears gradually and is not visible from f/2.8 and onwards. - No SSM - No OSS |
| comment: | Tested on Alpha 7R and NEX 6N. This is probably the ultimate 50mm for the Sony FE-platform (and E-mount in general). It's very, very sharp and delivers the well-known Zeiss-quality contrast curves, with naturally punchy colors. The build quality is below that of my Zeiss 135mm f/1.8, but that's not a bad thing; it makes the 55mm much more portable in terms of weight, and whether it's sitting on either the NEX 6N or the Alpha 7R, it feels RIGHT. I also have the Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 for FE, and the "grand plan of Sony" can definitely be felt when walking around with only these two primes. Both are incredible in quality and fast to work with, and even with the A7R, you're very lightly packed. When compared to both of the Minolta 50mm primes, the Zeiss easily wins. Even the better Minolta 50mm f/1.4 doesn't stand a chance in ANY discipline, and visually, the Zeiss 55mm wins in a manner that everyone can appreciate - even people who doesn't pixel peep. The bokeh quality of the Zeiss is SO MUCH BETTER than on my old Minolta 50mm f/1.4, but please not that my Minolta isn't the RS-version with rounded aperture blades. Since the Zeiss has rounded aperture blades, it's hardly a battle between these two in this discipline. Compared to the Zeiss 16-80, it's pleasing to see that the 55mm delivers higher quality output overall. The color rendition and contrasts are very Zess-ish for both, but the 55mm wins everytime a comparison can be made. The most obvious is the vignetting tendency; as the 16-80 is really bad in this respect, but sharpness gets a big knotch up too. Compared to the Zeiss 135mm for A-mount, the 55mm wins in terms of lower chromatic aberration; which is the achilles heel of the 135mm. But sharpness is pretty much on par between these two lenses, and the same can be said for colors, contrasts and bokeh. Of course the 135mm can deliver even creamier bokeh thanks to its longer focal length coupled with the large f/1.8 aperture, but the quality itself is very comparable, which is an admiring trait for the 55mm, as it costs less than half the price of the Zeiss 135mm. I'll recommend the 55mm for: - Specialized portrait and model shoots - General purpose shots in general The autofocus is fairly fast, but as both of my E-/FE-mount cameras only features contrast detection, this obviously becomes an achilles heel of the 55mm, and it actually loses to the 135mm, as the LA-EA4-adapter transforms the Alpha 7R into an SLT-performing phase detection autofocus. |
| iullian#11722 date: Mar-11-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Zeiss Planar 50/2 ZM Sony E 50/1.8 |
| price paid: | 1300 USD |
| positive: | IQ, contrast, microcontrast, flare control, distortion, build quality. |
| negative: | price |
| comment: | The lens that is worth enough to enter a new system. It is great, with plenty of revies over the internet. But, if any of the dedicated labs (DXO and others) would test this lens against other legacy 50mm primes (such as Planar 50/2 ZM or the Leica options) I would be very interrested if this lens has anything else to offer, except AF. The Zeiss Planar 50/2 ZM that I have give me similar results all over the F stops. |
| walti#11709 date: Feb-28-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony A-mount CZ 50mm f1.4 |
| price paid: | abt 750 EUR |
| positive: | Reference lens |
| negative: | Pricey (at list price) |
| comment: | This lens is just awesome. It's on par with CZ 50 for A-mount, and fits perfectly on A7R |
| pmrphoto#11699 date: Feb-17-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Canon 50L, Sigma 50mm f/1.4N, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G |
| price paid: | $999 |
| positive: | Razor sharp, nice combination of size, weight, balance, love the lens shade which is also the nicest design I've ever seen. Gobs of contrast. |
| negative: | As much as I hate to admit it, it was really worth the money but more than I thought I'd ever spend on a relatively slow 50. All of my reservations were put to bed once I saw the first few frames from just testing in our kitchen. |
| comment: | As much as I hate to admit it, it was worth the money. The lens really delivers on sharpness, contrast (loads of it), and the fit and finish overall is over the top. You can shoot directly into pointed light sources even wide open and there is little to no flare--very impressive. |
| gnhock#11606 date: Jan-14-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony FE 35/2.8 Sony Nex 50/1.8 Sony Nex Carl Zeiss 24/1.8 Leica M 50/2 |
| price paid: | 1100 USD new |
| positive: | Superb sharpness & contrast. Great colours too. Excellent build, yet relatively light. Quiet and quick focus action. |
| negative: | Filter size: Outer rim must not be "oversize" otherwise the hood will not go on. Some B&W filters are a little bigger and have this issue. Just test with hood before buying. |
| comment: | Great companion to the 35/2.8. Highly recommended. |
| Metasynthese#11591 date: Jan-7-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Summicron-M 50/2 Zeiss ZM Planar 50/2 Zeiss ZM C-Sonnar 50/1.5 SEL50F18 SAL50F18 Canon EF 50/1.8 II Contax G 45/2 Voigtländer Nokton 50/1.1 Many many more... |
| price paid: | 799€ |
| positive: | -Fully usable wide open -Extreme resolution, even wide open from extremly sharp -Compared to other fast 50mm lenses low vignetting -Zero visible distortion when shooting JPEG -Very good bokeh -3D Pop -Low weight -Extreme contast -Very fast and virtually noiseless AF (only aperture makes sounds) -Optically nearly as good as much more expensive Zeiss Otus or Apo-Summicron-M 50/2 -Good resistance to flare -Damn it's simpy awesome :) |
| negative: | -A little distortion in RAW files -Slight vignetting wide open on FF -Price -Bokeh (see comment) -Size (especially with hood) could be smaller -Front element is quite unprotected -No OSS |
| comment: | The best ~50mm I've ever had (and I had really many!). A word about the bokeh: The bokeh is not perfectly smooth wide open, it reminds a bit of older Sonnars like the 50/1.5 (aswell as Jupiter-3), but like the older Sonnars it get's smoother stopped down. Even if it's not perfect, on potrait distance the bokeh is usually very pleasent for my taste wide open; it adds a little character. |
| MartinM#11542 date: Dec-13-2013 | |
|---|---|
sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | 50Z |
| price paid: | 1100 (new) |
| positive: | Sharpness, weight, metal build, lenshood with metal parts, fast AF, silent af |
| negative: | No DMF |
| comment: | What a nice tiny lens. Feels really solid in hand. Has metal parts and the best, in opposite to the plastic hood of the SAL-50Z, this lens got a partial metal lens hood back. Congrats Sony!! |
reviews found: 27
rating summary
- total reviews: 27
- sharpness: 4.91
- color: 4.96
- build: 4.78
- distortion: 4.93
- flare control: 4.85
- overall: 4.89
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