The Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro has been redesigned to match the look and feel of Sony Alpha lens series. Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro is a full format lens which can be used for macro and mainstream applications. Its field-of-view on APS-C DSLRs is equivalent to about 75mm (“f/4″).The build quality of the Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro is good. The broad rubberized focus-ring operates quite smooth and the AF mode is decoupled from the focus gear. Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro extends when focusing towards closer distances – this is a quite common characteristic for macro lenses although the more modern Canon and Nikon counterparts manage to keep a constant physical length.
You can also get best features of a lens that suit your satisfaction in Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di-II. Compared to Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro, Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di-II characteristic of the XR element allows a very compact design (82x74mm, 434g). The min. focus distance is 0.27m resulting is a max. object magnification of ~1:4.5 at 50mm. The Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di-II lens features 7 circular aperture blades. The filter size is 67mm. The build quality is very decent build quality but typical for most Tamron lenses there’s a little too much plastic in there for my taste. Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di-II lens extends when zooming towards the long end of the zoom range and the supplied petal-shaped hood adds a little extra length on top. Thanks to internal focusing the front element does not rotate so using a polarizer remains easily possible. Due to a very short focus path, the slightly noisy AF is very fast. Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di-II AF accuracy was fine in outdoor conditions. Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di-II is still one of the better implementations in Tamron land. The zoom ring feels very smooth. Same goes for the focus ring which is even a little damped. Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di-II is the latest addition to the popular set of fast standard zooms. Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di-II has categorized the 17-50mm as SP lens – Tamron’s professional grade product league. Click here to view more of Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di-II.
The AF of the Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro rely on the classic focusing system driven by the camera. The AF speed is pretty decent as long as the camera does not wish to hunt through the whole focus range. The Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro does also feature a focus stop button which may come handy at times. The Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro produced very good to excellent resolution figures in the MTF lab. At f/2.8 you can expect an excellent center quality and very good borders. The performance peak is reached around f/5.6 with an excellent resolution across the frame. Click here for more exciting features of Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro.
Here is a summary of Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro review from a satisfied customer:
One of the best macro lenses for the Alpha mount.
This lens gives you a reproduction ratio from 1:4 to 1:1, that 1:1 ratio is the one that will let you take pictures of bugs or tiny things and make them look big enough on the picture with enough detail resolved to let you crop if you need to. It’s common belief that a macro lens works wonders for macros but not for normal shooting, such as portraits or landscapes. This is not true, you can use macro lenses for both purposes with excellent results. Especially from this lens. The focal length of 50mm applies to full frame cameras (A900/850), in APS-C cameras (from the A100 up to the A700) it will yield a focal length of 75mm, which it may be an odd length to use since it borderlines on telephoto. It’s not really a problem when shoooting up close but if you shoot portraits or landscapes, you may need to take a few steps back to compose, depending on what you want to display in the image.
The Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro quality is very acceptable at f/16. The Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro is certainly a very good lens. The Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro resolution potential of the lens is very high straight from f/2.8. The vignetting is usually not field-relevant and the level of distortions is negligible. The quality of the bokeh is very decent. Technically, Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro lateral CAs may be a tad too high at large aperture settings. The build quality of the Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro is good. Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro offers superior focus for an extraordinary range, from infinity to life size, and can also be used a standard lens. With good descriptive performance for high-contrast, high-resolution imaging, and a circular aperture for a beautiful, defocused effect, the Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro lens from Sony brings the moment to life. Its built-in auto clutch (non-turning focus ring in AF) offers exceptional holding performance, while the equipped focus hold button and focus range limiter improves operation.
Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro has the following features and specifications:
- Bright f2.8 aperture for low-light shots
- High-contrast, high-resolution image quality
- Focus Range Limiter for faster auto focusing
- Focus Hold button for full creative control
- 35mm Focal-length equivalant: 75mm
Click here to watch an informative video of Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro and get the best features
Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro has the following Pros and cons:
Pros:
- Small and light
- Focusing is fast for a macro
- Limiter is nice
- Nice focus ring for precise focusing
- Focus hold can be used as a DOF preview
- Circular aperture renders perfect bokeh
- Sharp across the frame at f2.8
cons:
- Focus ring is a dust magnet
- Build not so solid but not bad
- Extends quite long
Conclusion:
Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro covers the full range from life-size to infinity. “Life size” macro imaging means that the image you capture is the same size as the subject in reality, giving you spectacularly sharp photos of insects, flowers, gemstones, postage stamps and other small nature subjects and collectibles. Mounted on a Sony α (alpha) DSLR camera, the Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro lens provides a 75mm focal length (35mm equivalent), which means it can also be used as a standard and midrange telephoto lens. To get all this exciting features of Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro, click here.
