This is by far my favorite lens. I am an amateur photographer and this lens is able to capture most of the shots I want to take including portraits, landscapes (yes), and still-life.
That being said, I use this lens about 90% of the time. You might say, hey this is a portrait lens you can't use it for something like street photography, or still life, or landscape shots. I'm here to tell you that you can and the quality of the photos will more than make up for the extra time it takes to frame the shot.
Pros
- F 1.8 produces some incredible bokeh and really focuses on your subject
- Fast lens and is solid for low light situations
- Very compact and light, perfect for travel or extended photo sessions
- Versatile. After using it consistently it was rare I had to change lenses to get a shot I wanted
Cons
- Crop factor (effectively 75mm) makes it difficult in tight quarters to frame shots. It may be hard to frame an entire subject in close quarters
- There is some noticeable chromatic aberration, seen as mostly blue outline around subjects, around the F2s and down to F1.8. Some of it can be mitigated but it will still show
- The minimum auto-focus range is slightly further than I like, often times it's difficult to focus on objects very close, within about a foot when it seems capable
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This Item  Sony - E 50mm F1.8 OSS Portrait Lens (SEL50F18/B), Black |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -14% $298.00 Typical: $348.00 | $1,298.00 | -10% $494.00 List: $549.00 | -7% $264.00 Typical: $284.00 | -22% $198.00 List: $254.17 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 13 | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 |
| Customer Ratings | |||||
| For portrait photography | |||||
| Auto focus | |||||
| Image stabilization | |||||
| Picture quality | |||||
| Quality of material | |||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Best Seller Deals | Digital Goja | Focus Camera LLC |
| lens type | Telephoto | Standard | Standard | Wide Angle | Standard |
| compatible mountings | Sony E | Sony E | Sony E | Sony E | Sony FE |
| lens design | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
| focus type | Stepper motor | Auto Focus | Auto Focus | Auto Focus | Auto Focus |
| minimum focal length | 50 millimeters | — | — | 30 millimeters | 50 millimeters |
| max focal length | 50 millimeters | 50 millimeters | — | 30 millimeters | 50 millimeters |
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Sony 50mm portrait lens not only for photography - demo
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Comparing Sony 55mm vs 35mm lens #thisorthat
Olive and Afrand
Reviews with images
The value to cost ratio should be the new lens standard!
For $350… you cannot go wrong! This is an amazing addition to my APSC glass. If you’re shooting super 35, this lens should be the first prime you get! Absolutely love it.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2016
It's simply unbelievable when I shoot a portrait from 10 ft and can zoom in to count the pores on the tip of the subjects nose.
But its not just the outstanding detail and bokeh this lens provides - because of its aperture, focusing speed and OSS, I can get a lot of lazily one-handed burst shots (which I do ALOT) come out great than with the kit lens. 1.8-3.5 doesn't sound like much, but its over TWICE as much light - its a huge difference.
But here's the deal-sealer: its a steal at this price and you aren't going to get a better prime lens (much less with OSS and advanced/quiet autofocus for video) at this price or close to it.
Downsides - its much bigger and heavier than the kit lens, or Sony's other (terrible) 50mm 1.8, and I had to get it in silver because trying to find the black in stock is nearly impossible. Also, since the a6300 is aps-c, the effective focal length in 35mm is ~75mm, which makes this lens of extremely limited use indoors.
Today I brought my kids to their first day of school, and since we would be inside, I used the kit zoom for wide-angle, and immediately regretted it. I can't even look at pictures shot with the kit lens unless they were taken outside on a sunny day. This lens has made me less careful with controls, so I wind up screwing up shots with the kit lens. While it would be a challenge in an apartment with small rooms, I could have easily made this lens work in a larger schoolroom and would have been much happier with the results.
Stop tabbing back and forth between the other lenses and get this one.
*: SilverStyle: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase
This is an absolute no-brainer Prime lens purchase for the a6300
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2016
When I saw the difference in quality this lens had over my kit lens when shooting portraits, I became a prime lens believer.Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2016
It's simply unbelievable when I shoot a portrait from 10 ft and can zoom in to count the pores on the tip of the subjects nose.
But its not just the outstanding detail and bokeh this lens provides - because of its aperture, focusing speed and OSS, I can get a lot of lazily one-handed burst shots (which I do ALOT) come out great than with the kit lens. 1.8-3.5 doesn't sound like much, but its over TWICE as much light - its a huge difference.
But here's the deal-sealer: its a steal at this price and you aren't going to get a better prime lens (much less with OSS and advanced/quiet autofocus for video) at this price or close to it.
Downsides - its much bigger and heavier than the kit lens, or Sony's other (terrible) 50mm 1.8, and I had to get it in silver because trying to find the black in stock is nearly impossible. Also, since the a6300 is aps-c, the effective focal length in 35mm is ~75mm, which makes this lens of extremely limited use indoors.
Today I brought my kids to their first day of school, and since we would be inside, I used the kit zoom for wide-angle, and immediately regretted it. I can't even look at pictures shot with the kit lens unless they were taken outside on a sunny day. This lens has made me less careful with controls, so I wind up screwing up shots with the kit lens. While it would be a challenge in an apartment with small rooms, I could have easily made this lens work in a larger schoolroom and would have been much happier with the results.
Stop tabbing back and forth between the other lenses and get this one.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2016
Thanks to its relatively low f-stop of 1.8 compared to the kit lens, it's great for portraits. Even at around f/2.5 to f/2.8, you still get that creamy bokeh in the background with nice subject isolation. To justify its $300 price tag, however, I've used it for other situations. As a Yelper Elite, I'm constantly that camera dork who takes pictures of every restaurant entree I order before shoving it away voraciously into my mouth. With that said, it operates well when taking close up shots. Extreme shots of insects, flowers, etc. would be better justified with a macro lens, although you can consider a cheap alternative from Meike (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BXZ9ALQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to turn this 50mm into a quasi-macro lens. I've also used it occasionally for street photography, although its large focal length makes it cumbersome to use indoors. You can't really zoom out with your feet once your back hits the wall, ya know?
In these particular situations, I will use the 50mm hands-down. Is it the most versatile lens? No. That's why I also have Sony's 28mm f/2, which I find myself leaving on my camera most of the time. In hindsight I would have purchased my 28mm prime first, given its practicality. However, the 50mm acts as a great sidekick with the kit lens and should eventually find its way into your camera bag, regardless of when you purchase it.
*: BlackStyle: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase
Great for portraits and close-up shots, good beginning prime lens
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2016
Disclaimer: I'm an amateur photographer and purchased a Sony a6000 several months ago with the 16-55mm kit lens. I quickly graduated from the kit lens, however, and really wanted to unlock the power of my new camera. After debating between Sony's prime 35mm and 50mm, I settled with this bad boy first. I can't say this is my go-to lens that I leave on 90% of the time, but it definitely fills a specific niche depending on the situation.Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2016
Thanks to its relatively low f-stop of 1.8 compared to the kit lens, it's great for portraits. Even at around f/2.5 to f/2.8, you still get that creamy bokeh in the background with nice subject isolation. To justify its $300 price tag, however, I've used it for other situations. As a Yelper Elite, I'm constantly that camera dork who takes pictures of every restaurant entree I order before shoving it away voraciously into my mouth. With that said, it operates well when taking close up shots. Extreme shots of insects, flowers, etc. would be better justified with a macro lens, although you can consider a cheap alternative from Meike (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BXZ9ALQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to turn this 50mm into a quasi-macro lens. I've also used it occasionally for street photography, although its large focal length makes it cumbersome to use indoors. You can't really zoom out with your feet once your back hits the wall, ya know?
In these particular situations, I will use the 50mm hands-down. Is it the most versatile lens? No. That's why I also have Sony's 28mm f/2, which I find myself leaving on my camera most of the time. In hindsight I would have purchased my 28mm prime first, given its practicality. However, the 50mm acts as a great sidekick with the kit lens and should eventually find its way into your camera bag, regardless of when you purchase it.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Seed
Great lens, but check it carefully
Reviewed in Sweden on April 24, 2024*: BlackStyle: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase
Kashish
Beast portraits
Reviewed in India on February 24, 2024*: BlackStyle: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase
Kashish
Reviewed in India on February 24, 2024
Images in this review
Filipponi
Uno dei miei obiettivi preferiti!!
Reviewed in Italy on April 16, 2023*: BlackStyle: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase
Mauro Roberto de Matos
Recebi exatamente o que esperava
Reviewed in Brazil on July 13, 2019*: BlackStyle: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase
