Sony DT 55-300mm F4.5-5.6 SAM A-mount lens review by QuietOC
 QuietOC#16281 date: Jun-27-2015 | |
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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 used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Tamron 18-250 Sony DT 55-200 SAM Sony 70-300 G SSM II Tamron 70-300 USD Minolta AF 75-300 "Big Beercan" Minolta / Sony 75-300 D Minolta AF 100-300 APO Minolta AF 100-300 APO D Minolta AF 100-400 APO |
| price paid: | 149 USD (Refurb) |
| positive: | Accurate AF 5.5x zoom Sharpness Contrast Parfocal Longer than other 300mm zooms |
| negative: | Slow focus and hunting Focus mechanism is loose Zoom mechanism is a little stiff Busy, ugly bokeh Moderate distortion Focus breathing 62 mm filter |
| comment: | This lens is just an amazingly sharp, affordable, long zoom lens. It has the best center sharpness at the long end of these telephoto zooms. It is more prone to focus hunting than the 55-200, but it covers a rather broad 5.5x zoom range. Both Sony SAM zooms focus more accurately than the screw-drive Minoltas, but this one is very accurate. "MADE IN CHINA" It focuses alright on the LA-EA1 and LA-EA3 on recent E-mount cameras. It has less distortion than the DT 55-200 but more distortion than the Minolta 70-210 f/4. It is slightly larger and heavier than the 100-300 APO but considerably lighter than the 70-210 F4 or the two 70-300 full-frame zooms. It is even sharp on stacked teleconverters. This lens supports the faster communication introduced with the A77 and DT 16-50 F2.8 SSM and subsequently added SSM II lenses. This allows for 10 FPS AF-C tracking rate on the A9 when mounted on the LA-EA3. It also means the focal length and aperture will not be corrected when it is used with a Kenko DGX teleconverter. The lens extends but does not rotate while zooming. The front element extends and rotates while focusing. Focus breathing decreases the angle-of-view at close focus especially at the short end of the zoom range--the lens maintains its focal length with closer focus unlike the Sony G zooms which maintain angle-of-view. I am very happy with the center sharpness of this lens. The focus plane is not as flat as the more premium zooms. The focal range is great for covering motorsports. 55 mm is very useful compared to the zooms that start longer. The frequent focus hunting at the long end is annoying. Highly recommended! |
; 10MPrating summary
- total reviews: 19
- sharpness: 4.66
- color: 4.53
- build: 4.16
- distortion: 4.68
- flare control: 4.53
- overall: 4.51