Sony Telephoto Lens E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS APS-C Format Only

Best Feature:LightweightI was surprised that this is significantly lighter compared to the 18-105mm F4 G OSS lens, but understood why when I tried to zoom in. This has a manual zoom ring, which is faster than the electronic zoom of the other lens mentioned. However, it does the same job and provides decent focus and detail for distant images. The additional stop of image stabilization helps with my ZV-E10.

Doubtful turned into a favorite

I was very doubtful about the usefulness of this lens due to poor optics. I've been into photography for years and have recollections from the early 2000's of very mediocre telephoto zooms from Canon, Sigma, Oly, etc, and of course they were inexpensive. I expected an experience like that with this lens but it is not so. If you shoot a few stops above the minimum aperture, particularly on the long end of the tele, you will get very good sharpness across the whole frame, excellent for landscape I've found. It is not as sharp as my old Minolta MD 200 f/4 @ f/6.3 but at f/9, they are tied and better rendering with the newer coatings and auto corrections. Also, the minimum focus distance at 210mm is very, very useful and a solid performer, stopped up but decent wide ... MoreI was very doubtful about the usefulness of this lens due to poor optics. I've been into photography for years and have recollections from the early 2000's of very mediocre telephoto zooms from Canon, Sigma, Oly, etc, and of course they were inexpensive. I expected an experience like that with this lens but it is not so. If you shoot a few stops above the minimum aperture, particularly on the long end of the tele, you will get very good sharpness across the whole frame, excellent for landscape I've found. It is not as sharp as my old Minolta MD 200 f/4 @ f/6.3 but at f/9, they are tied and better rendering with the newer coatings and auto corrections. Also, the minimum focus distance at 210mm is very, very useful and a solid performer, stopped up but decent wide open. The E 55-210 is my most used lens as it is much sharper at 135mm versus the 18-135, though not as sharp as the Minolta MD 135 f/2.8 at any aperture, but close. It is not a great burst shooting birder type lens but you will get plenty of very nice birding images with any current Sony apsc, it tracks well enough. I've got a kingfisher just breaking water taken at Makinaw City last summer with the 55-210, so it can be done. Also, check the Christopher Frost review of this lens, it sold it for me. At f/6.3 on the telephoto side it is average at best but f/9 is very stout indeed. It is a very useful lens. I found it here on b&h at an exceptional price new ($150) and at that price, this lens is amazing!! Cheers.

Good lens, good price.

I bought the Sony E 55-210mm f / 4.5-6.3 OSS lens for my Sony a6000 camera, which came with the Sony E 16-50 f / 3.5-5.6 PZ OSS kit lens. The first thing I did was to shot to a distant tree including the edge of my window, and then I shot to the edge of my window including the distant tree (img 01). The first thing that struck me was that at 100% magnification of the image, the leaves of the tree appear acceptably sharp, and at the edge of the window I did not find a significant color fringing in the area of highest contrast. Increasing that area of contrast to 300% (image 02) continued to appear free of chromatic distortion.Ok, I decided to photograph the same graph paper, with numbers written on it, with the two lenses from the starter kit.Light ... MoreI bought the Sony E 55-210mm f / 4.5-6.3 OSS lens for my Sony a6000 camera, which came with the Sony E 16-50 f / 3.5-5.6 PZ OSS kit lens. The first thing I did was to shot to a distant tree including the edge of my window, and then I shot to the edge of my window including the distant tree (img 01). The first thing that struck me was that at 100% magnification of the image, the leaves of the tree appear acceptably sharp, and at the edge of the window I did not find a significant color fringing in the area of highest contrast. Increasing that area of contrast to 300% (image 02) continued to appear free of chromatic distortion.Ok, I decided to photograph the same graph paper, with numbers written on it, with the two lenses from the starter kit.Light conditions:Tungsten light.Shutter speed, 1/4 secondF / 8 apertureISO100With the Sony E 55-210mm f / 4.5-6.3 OSS I shot at 190mm focal length.With the Sony E 16-50 f / 3.5-5.6 PZ OSS I shot at 50mm focal length (getting closer to the paper). Both lenses have a protective Tiffen UV filter.In the center of the image the difference in sharpness is only apparent by looking closely at the texture of the paper and a bit at the numbers written. But at the edges of the image the difference in sharpness is more obvious. The Sony E 55-210mm is noticeably sharper than the Sony E 16-50.For nearly $ 600 between the two lenses, its performance meets the needs of most wearers. For a professional entry level, they are borderline acceptable at a great price.

Great lens

Just purchased a Sony alpha a6000 camera body on it’s own so studied up on what might be a good couple of lenses to meet my general photography needs. I enjoy taking shots of our livestock out in the paddock, in particular young lambs. This lens has ample zoom to gain a quality shot. I’m an amateur photographer, just starting out but find this lens super easy to use. Great quality without breaking the bank.

Great zoom lens depending on your needs!!!

Image is pretty good for most shots, with sharpness at the center but at the edges and corners it can be soft throughout the aperture and zoom range. I usually abuse bokeh, which I wish it wasbetter, but for this type of lens, I don’t think it’s the right purpose if that’s your plan unlike a prime lens.I haven’t used this for video purposes but it definitely helps when I’m in situations where I need to get close to a subject to get a picture but can’t get too close (think of taking pictures of animals or in busy semi-action scenarios or where you might be in a crowd that’s also taking pictures but can’t get close). There are other more expensive lenses which would be better suited if you’re looking for something where you can zoom but also get high-speed action ... MoreImage is pretty good for most shots, with sharpness at the center but at the edges and corners it can be soft throughout the aperture and zoom range. I usually abuse bokeh, which I wish it wasbetter, but for this type of lens, I don’t think it’s the right purpose if that’s your plan unlike a prime lens.I haven’t used this for video purposes but it definitely helps when I’m in situations where I need to get close to a subject to get a picture but can’t get too close (think of taking pictures of animals or in busy semi-action scenarios or where you might be in a crowd that’s also taking pictures but can’t get close). There are other more expensive lenses which would be better suited if you’re looking for something where you can zoom but also get high-speed action shots. I haven’t taken any yet but I’m still learning what this lens can do and haven’t messed around with shutter speed if I could get acceptable quality of high-action shots. Stabilization seems good. Build seems solid even though it does have plastic parts; it really doesn’t feel like it.Also note that the zoom function is done by manually turning the focus ring and that this isn’t a powered-zoom lens. If you’re looking for a general-purpose lens that does well for zooming, this is probably the best option for this price point. If you’re looking to do professional shooting, probably look into zoom lenses within double the price range. Recommended.

I previously sold one but missed it so bought it

I previously owned this lens but I sold it and replaced with a much longer lens. Whilst the longer lens is a much better lens all round, it was much bigger and heavier to carry around for a walk around lens.This is when I realised the Sony SEL55210 E 55-210mm was a very useful lens and much easier to use as a walk around lens so I decided to replace it with a new one.Is it the best lens around no, however for the value for money, the size and weight of the lens and what you are getting for your money, I would definitely say yes. If you want that extra reach and want to add another lens to your kit lens, you won't go far wrong with this one. I cannot give it 5/5 but 4/5 I would say is an reasonable score.

Its bad

I used this lens for a long time. If you need a telephoto zoom lens foryour Sony A6000-series, its a viable option. And I did manage to createa lot of really nice photos with it. But every step of the way it feltlike I was fighting the lens to get decent quality images.If you look carefully on the barrel of the lens, you will see tick marksnoting the focal length; 55, 70, 100, 135, 210mm. Notice the massivejump from 135mm to 210mm. This is not by accident. Its been myexperience with this lens that once you zoom past the given 135mm, you are In The Danger Zone with this lens. The image quality falls offMASSIVELY. Images are so soft that you might have well as taken themwith your cell phone. You still get the photographic effects from thelong focal length, ... MoreI used this lens for a long time. If you need a telephoto zoom lens foryour Sony A6000-series, its a viable option. And I did manage to createa lot of really nice photos with it. But every step of the way it feltlike I was fighting the lens to get decent quality images.If you look carefully on the barrel of the lens, you will see tick marksnoting the focal length; 55, 70, 100, 135, 210mm. Notice the massivejump from 135mm to 210mm. This is not by accident. Its been myexperience with this lens that once you zoom past the given 135mm, you are In The Danger Zone with this lens. The image quality falls offMASSIVELY. Images are so soft that you might have well as taken themwith your cell phone. You still get the photographic effects from thelong focal length, but the softness and lack of detail at all focallengths 135mm renders this lens nearly useless. The only way I everfound to recover a fraction of detail is to stop down the aperture tof/8-16, which of course destroys your ability to use it in any sort ofsetting without bright blasting sunlight. Are you in the woodssurrounded by shady trees? Well this lens is gonna be useless for you.The build quality is also abysmal, it feels kinda like a plastic potatochip tube in your hands. Also, I have owned and used tons and tons ofdifferent cameras and lenses over the years, this has been the ONLY one to get lens fungus. No clue why. Maybe it just pulls in too muchenvironmental dust and debris when you zoom in and out.Eventually I just threw this lens in the trash, and have not regretted it. Ienjoyed the good photos I did manage to get out of it. I hated everyminute of using it. This lens is really not worth your time.

Surprisingly good

I own 3 of these lenses and use them on a Sony a6000 to record close-up shots of panelists at programs we host. This lens is surprisingly good. Prior to buying the last 2 lenses I had my team review video shot with this lens versus another Sony lens that was more then 3x the cost. They were told one lens was under $300 and the other was close to $1,000. Everyone picked this lens as providing the best, sharpest image. I thought this lens was better myself, but really couldn't believe it. I just finished editing some video and the more expensive Sony lens is good-- even very good-- but not as good as the Sony E 55-210mm. I'm likely to try and sell that other lens and add another of these.

Very Soft at 210mm

I bought this lens to try as a light-weight backpacking telephoto option for my A7CR. I currently use the Tamron 28-200 for my lightweight telephoto while-backpacking. I compared both lenses in APS-C mode, and the 55-210 was extremely soft in the corners on the telephoto end. The Tamron 28-200 was very sharp. I'm keeping the Tamron and selling the Sony 55-210. The quality of the Tamron is so much better; It's worth the extra weight.

[Rewarded Review] A good entry-level zoom lens

I have a Sony a6500 camera but I only have the included 16-50 mm kit lens. It has served me well for various outings but I wanted something that would give me zooming capabilities without breaking the bank. Although this is another kit lens, Sony did a good job. It's compact, telescopic, and has little distortion around the edges. I wish that the lens opened up a bit more but zoom lenses with lower f-stops cost 5X more than this.The build quality is good, the connectors and mount are metal, the outer body is metal, but the inner lens is plastic. Again, for the price, this is all expected. I did not expect the lens to perform up there with a Sony's 18-105 mm G lens (f/4.0). The reviews for both lenses put them pretty equal, even when going almost full zoom on the G ... MoreI have a Sony a6500 camera but I only have the included 16-50 mm kit lens. It has served me well for various outings but I wanted something that would give me zooming capabilities without breaking the bank. Although this is another kit lens, Sony did a good job. It's compact, telescopic, and has little distortion around the edges. I wish that the lens opened up a bit more but zoom lenses with lower f-stops cost 5X more than this.The build quality is good, the connectors and mount are metal, the outer body is metal, but the inner lens is plastic. Again, for the price, this is all expected. I did not expect the lens to perform up there with a Sony's 18-105 mm G lens (f/4.0). The reviews for both lenses put them pretty equal, even when going almost full zoom on the G lens and still maintaining the f/4.0, the 55-210 lens is pretty good.I have taken some handheld low-light shots, action shots, scenery, and building skyline pictures with this lens and they all come out clear with little distortion around the edges (nothing that Adobe Lightroom doesn't automatically correct for). For an entry-level lens at a low price, this one can't be beat. Sony really does a good job with their cameras and lenses, I'm glad I switched to their mirrorless range as it makes taking my camera places less of a hassle. A small bag is enough to hold three lenses, the camera, two batteries, a charger, flash, an action tripod, lens cleaning tools, and a few memory cards.I just wish that Sony's premium lenses were lower in cost to compete with the likes of Nikon and Cannon. But I do recommend this lens for anyone who wants a solid zoom option without breaking the bank while still providing good quality. It isn't the most premium built lens and the opening is small but it's also compact and hasn't let me down yet. Just keep your expectations in check.