Click to Enlarge Sony shooters committed to the APS-C-sized sensor have a new fast 50 to consider. Launched alongside Sony’s latest entry-level DSLRs (including the Alpha 380), it gives everyday shooters the benefits of limited depth of field without breaking the bank.
At $150 (street), it’s a little pricier than Canon’s EF 50mm f/1.8 II ($115, street) and Nikon’s AF 50mm f/1.8D Nikkor ($135, street). Although these others cover a full-frame sensor, the Sony is made for APS-C sensors (sorry, A900 owners). In practical use, it scales up to a 75mm field of view.
The barrel and mount are plastic, making for a very light, though not so sturdy-feeling, lens. Its silver ring indicates Sony’s Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM)— while it focused relatively quickly and without much hunting on our A380, it was far from quiet. Manual focusing is aided by a nifty rubber edge on the front of the focus ring, as well as a very legible distance scale, but there’s no aperture scale, and the action feels loose and scratchy.
On our lens bench, it had Excellent SQF results, particularly from f/8 through f/22. Distortion, measured with DxO Analyzer 3.0.2, was kept well under control. Since the lens is tailored to APS-C, not full-frame, it’s no surprise that light falloff was gone by f/2.5. Close focusing was conveniently tight. Even more satisfying was its high magnification of 1:4.6, compared with 1:6.3 and 1:6.0, respectively, for the comparable Canon and Nikon.
If you’re an Alpha shooter who’s been stymied by too-slow shutter speeds, this lens is a very inexpensive way to boost them. And it’ll let you blur out your backgrounds or shoot in low light like never before.
Certified Test Results
- Distortion: 0.13% (Slight) barrel.
- Light falloff: Gone by f/2.5.
- Close-Focusing Distance: 13.25 inches.
- Maximum Magnification Ratio: 1:4.56.
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