Sony FE 50mm F1.8 Lens

The little nifty fifty really lives up to its name, it has been a very versatile and amzinging little lens, while it does not have stablization built into it... it has a manual focus ring which really allows you to get hands on in manual mode. And if you reverse the lens in front of your camera you actually get a macro lense too.... I would not use this feature outdoors as you don't have that tight seal as you would when you attached lens right way, but inside getting those close shots it's a cool feature. But all in all its an amazing lens that captures great portrait style photos and makes you move around and get into your environment and makes you work. And it does amazing black and whites. Thanks sony for a great little prime lense.

Awesome Little Lens!

Okay, first let me say that I also own the the new BEAST 50mm G Master 1.2 50mm... This is not that lens.HOWEVER, for the price of 200.00 you are getting a very sharp light weight, easy to carry lens that will deliver some VERY impressive images when mounted to a body like the A7R4 or 5.The G Master is better, no douubt, but its a really heavy lens that I sort of dread lugging arounf when I just want to go stelth mode and shoot some street photos. The 1.8 50 is so light, and focuses fast enough.I would not hesitate recommending this lens to beginners and the expereinced alike who simply want a basic 50mm that they can count on and not worry about if it get banged up a bit. 200.00 bucks??? come on, its a steal.

Best Bang for the Buck!

I purchased this lens to use as a walk around and travel lens when I don’t want to carry my heavy and more expensive lenses. Setting expectations, I knew to not compare it to the GM 50mm, but it definitely does not disappoint! Image quality is fantastic, especially stopped down to f/2.8 or higher. The autofocus isn’t terrible, but does leave room for improvement. I’m hopeful Sony will release an updated version of this lens, at least with a better autofocus system, even just what’s used in the kit lens. If so, this lens would be perfect!! For the price, you really can’t go wrong!

Decent optical quality, poor construction and auto focus

Like the title states, this lens isn't terrible with it's optical quality. It's pretty decent for the price!Now I ordered this under the assumption that it would be somewhat similar to the 85mm f/1.8. Boy was I disappointed. I expected it to be a cheaper quality but it was significantly worse than my expectations. Very toy like feeling, plastic feels cheap, focus ring feels rough. It is very light weight and compact so it's got that going for it.AF is atrocious. I'm talking floating with a subject right in front of you indefinitely. I can accept loud motors, maybe not 100% accurate but can use it with DMF. This is just horrible. Constantly struggling with Eye AF, spot, you name it. Low light is especially bad even with the af light on.If it wasn't for the ... MoreLike the title states, this lens isn't terrible with it's optical quality. It's pretty decent for the price!Now I ordered this under the assumption that it would be somewhat similar to the 85mm f/1.8. Boy was I disappointed. I expected it to be a cheaper quality but it was significantly worse than my expectations. Very toy like feeling, plastic feels cheap, focus ring feels rough. It is very light weight and compact so it's got that going for it.AF is atrocious. I'm talking floating with a subject right in front of you indefinitely. I can accept loud motors, maybe not 100% accurate but can use it with DMF. This is just horrible. Constantly struggling with Eye AF, spot, you name it. Low light is especially bad even with the af light on.If it wasn't for the focal ratio I would have just stuck with the 24-70mm kit lens. Honestly, save your money for a better lens unless you are desperate for a f/1.8 prime.

Easy to focus and incredibly sharp

When used in manuel mode, this is one of the easiest to focus lenses I've ever used! I nail the focus every time within seconds. It renders colors beautifully, has lots of contrast, and is incredibly sharp. It works really well in low light conditions. However, the bokah is not perfectly circular, and is a little harsh. If youre hoping for that dreamy nighttime portrait look, this may not be the lens for you. Otherwise, its an amazing all-around lens, and really can't be bested for the price. Take this over any kit zoom lens every time! Probably one of the best focal lengths for beginners too.

Fantastic Fifty

I have had 50mm lens before when shooting with a different brand DSLR, and never really had much reason to use that focal length. I bought this new 50mm lens from Best Buy, specifically to photograph my new grandson, Of course, if I had a couple of grand to buy the 50mm f1.2, how fun would that be. But at a tenth of the cost, I am so far loving this lens. With its minimum focus distance of 18 inches, it's perfect to move in close and fill the frame. I also like the 85mm f1.8 lens from Sony, but its MFD is nearly 3 feet, Both lenses have their purpose and I do own both and use them both.I was genuinely surprised to find out how sharp the 50mm f1.8 lens really is. In post processing images taken with this lens, I don't need to touch the sharpness slider even the ... MoreI have had 50mm lens before when shooting with a different brand DSLR, and never really had much reason to use that focal length. I bought this new 50mm lens from Best Buy, specifically to photograph my new grandson, Of course, if I had a couple of grand to buy the 50mm f1.2, how fun would that be. But at a tenth of the cost, I am so far loving this lens. With its minimum focus distance of 18 inches, it's perfect to move in close and fill the frame. I also like the 85mm f1.8 lens from Sony, but its MFD is nearly 3 feet, Both lenses have their purpose and I do own both and use them both.I was genuinely surprised to find out how sharp the 50mm f1.8 lens really is. In post processing images taken with this lens, I don't need to touch the sharpness slider even the tiniest bit when editing in Photoshop. The color is perfect and I find the bokeh pleasing. At f1.8, the depth of field is razor thin, so I can't imagine how thin it must be when shooting with the f1.2 lens. An aperture of f1.8 is more than enough for my needs.The lens does make a bit of a soft whine when focusing compared to most lenses, but I knew this when I bought it, and I don't find it to be an issue to complain about. It focuses quickly and accurately, and that's really what matters most. Sony does have some firmware upgrades that you should install. It's done with the lens attached to the camera. The firmware can be downloaded from Sony's website. It's currently at version 03 and from what I understand, it has eliminated most of the earlier complaints about this lens. Being mostly plastic, it's probably not a lens than can take a lot of abuse, but I baby my gear and the 50mm should outlast me.Overall, I am very pleased with this lens...more than I thought I would be, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fast standard 50mm prime lens and on a budget. The fact that it is a bargain only make it that much better of a deal.

Superb Value General Purpose Lens

This is an excellent full frame, 50mm 'nifty fifty', prime lens with a field of view approximately that of the human eye. it has a lightweight yet robust construction, making it easy to pack and/or carry on a holiday or photo trip. Its 'fast' maximum aperture of f1.8 means it's excellent in low light and suitable for rendering backgrounds nicely out of focus to make the subject stand out. It is therefore an excellent portrait lens but in fact suitable for nearly all applications, eg landscapes, reportage. It exhibits virtually no distortion making it really useful for architectural photography, etc. It comes, therefore, highly recommended as an excellent value general purpose lens.

The literal worst lens I’ve ever used.

People go on and on about “if you don’t need to shoot sports this is a hidden gem”. Don’t believe them. This is the actual worst first party lens I’ve ever used.Not only is the autofocus non functional (as in it hints on a static object, like a building, in full daylight) but when it does “lock” it’s wrong. I took 35 autofocus photos. Not one was in focus. You may say.. wait a building, trust me I tried everything including half a building with a blue sky behind it. For those long time experienced Sony users. My original rx-1 focuses at least three times faster than this lens on an a7iv.So fortunately I also decided to test sharpness. So I set it to f11 and focused about a a third if the way into a scene inside the DOF - awful. I focused directly on a few ... MorePeople go on and on about “if you don’t need to shoot sports this is a hidden gem”. Don’t believe them. This is the actual worst first party lens I’ve ever used.Not only is the autofocus non functional (as in it hints on a static object, like a building, in full daylight) but when it does “lock” it’s wrong. I took 35 autofocus photos. Not one was in focus. You may say.. wait a building, trust me I tried everything including half a building with a blue sky behind it. For those long time experienced Sony users. My original rx-1 focuses at least three times faster than this lens on an a7iv.So fortunately I also decided to test sharpness. So I set it to f11 and focused about a a third if the way into a scene inside the DOF - awful. I focused directly on a few objects, awful.It’s less sharp than a 2010 nex kit lens.It hunts in broad daylight, it locks out of focus on a building even, it’s cheaply built, it’s not sharp, no weather sealing, bad manual focus feel, there is nothing redeeming.Again, and I really can’t stress this enough, it’s the actual worst first party lens I’ve ever owned across 5 major camera brands. Don’t buy it.Mom shocked they’re still putting this out there, it’s an absolute stain on their reputation. Everyone has a nifty fifty. None of them are this bad.Let’s see if Sony accepts this review.

This 50 is Nifty!

The Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 prime lens is an excellent addition to my Sony E-mount camera kit. Its f/1.8 aperture provides beautiful bokeh and excels in low-light conditions, making it perfect for portraits and street photography. The lens is lightweight and compact, making it easy to carry around for everyday use.Image quality is sharp with great color reproduction, and the autofocus is quick and accurate. For its price, this lens offers outstanding performance and versatility. If you're looking for an affordable yet high-quality prime lens, the Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 is a fantastic choice.

Well… You get what you pay for

Let me start this off by saying this is NOT the worst lens I’ve ever used, not at all. If you’re on a budget or just starting out and you absolutely need a cheap prime lens then this is for you, otherwise, steer clear from this one. The picture qualtiy is okay but not great. The lens has a lot of aberration around edges. Having the bokeh at a low price is nice however. I returned this lens because I wasnt happy with it, I would have also liked to have used this for video but this is not the OSS varrient meaning it doesnt have any kind of stablization. It wasn’t too bad for photos but for video it was unusable. They do have a OSS version which costs $100 more but I would save up for a better quality lens. I was slightly dissapointed with Sony on this one just because ... MoreLet me start this off by saying this is NOT the worst lens I’ve ever used, not at all. If you’re on a budget or just starting out and you absolutely need a cheap prime lens then this is for you, otherwise, steer clear from this one. The picture qualtiy is okay but not great. The lens has a lot of aberration around edges. Having the bokeh at a low price is nice however. I returned this lens because I wasnt happy with it, I would have also liked to have used this for video but this is not the OSS varrient meaning it doesnt have any kind of stablization. It wasn’t too bad for photos but for video it was unusable. They do have a OSS version which costs $100 more but I would save up for a better quality lens. I was slightly dissapointed with Sony on this one just because it has no quality aspects to it, usually their products have at least one or two things good about them.