Sony FE 50mm F1.8 Lens Review

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Review posted 01/31/2017

Quick Take
Pros
  • Lightweight and compact so it's easy to carry in your bag or on an adventure
  • Maximum f/1.8 aperture is great for low-light shooting
  • Great Bokeh for defocused backgrounds
  • Very Affordable at $200
Cons
  • Slight Vignetting
  • No Optical Image Stabilization
  • Slow Autofocus
Bottom Line
For the price, the Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 lens is a must have for anyone that owns an E-mount camera. While it focuses slow and produces some vignetting, it also creates nice bokeh and handles low-light well. Read more in our Full Conclusion.

Along with Sony's ever growing collection of top-quality and quite expensive e-mount lenses, they have released this wonderful little prime lens that everyone can afford. The Sony FE 50mm F1.8 Lens provides a very affordable option for a portrait lens to the e-mount lineup. The 7-blade, circular aperture lens features a maximum aperture of f/1.8, which produces smooth background bokeh to help your subjects really jump out of your images. It's lightweight, compact construction makes it a pleasure to carry with you.

The lens is comprised of 6 elements arranged in 5 groups, while the double-gauss configuration helps to reduce aberrations and suppress field curvature and distortion. The 50mm full frame lens works with Sony's APS-C cameras as well, offering an equivalent of approx. 75mm. The lens does not offer any built-in optical image stabilization, but with the majority of Sony's new cameras featuring a built-in IS, this is not that big of a deal.


In the Box:
  • Lens
  • Hood
  • Front Lens Cap
  • Rear Lens Cap

Specifications:

  • MOUNT - Sony E-mount
  • FORMAT - 35 mm full frame
  • FOCAL LENGTH (MM) - 50 mm
  • 35 MM EQUIVALENT FOCAL LENGTH (APS-C) - 75 mm
  • LENS GROUPS / ELEMENTS - 5/6
  • ANGLE OF VIEW (35 MM) - 47ﾟ
  • ANGLE OF VIEW (APS-C) - 32°2
  • MAXIMUM APERTURE (F) - 1.8
  • MINIMUM APERTURE (F) - 22
  • APERTURE BLADES - 7
  • CIRCULAR APERTURE - Yes
  • MINIMUM FOCUS DISTANCE - 1.48 ft (0.45 m)
  • MAXIMUM MAGNIFICATION RATIO (X) - 0.14 x
  • FILTER DIAMETER (MM) - 49 mm
  • HOOD TYPE - Round, bayonet type


Pricing & Availability

The Sony FE 50mm F/1.8 lens (SEL50F18F) is available in black with a MSRP of $199.99.


Visitors of Steves can visit the stores below for real-time pricing and availability. You can also find hot, soon to expire online offers on a variety of cameras and accessories at our very own Camera Deals page.