Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 lens review with samples (Full-frame and APS-C) 

I'm trying to be Alfred Hitchcock. What do you think?

Kinda cute totally caught me off guard hah!

Used to Howdy :D

Sony lenses usually made together whit Zeiss so image quality is always there

Where do you download the firmware ? To the lens of camera ? Sorry I’m a beginner

@@SGJr.insert a freshly formatted sd card to an sd card reader, insert to pc/mac, google sony 50mm f1.8 firmware update, drag the file to sd, safely eject sd card, pop it into your camera, head to settings, find the “version” or something similar, then you can see the update.

I just ordered mine today for the a7c. Still going good for you?

@@shotbyjayrc Sony A7C has no Front Dial and the Z7CII does also I believe it has a switch for Zooming Like the ZV Cameras. It only works on certain lenses but If you have a small compact G 24mm f/2.5 lens that can be zoomed to 50mm is awesome. I was leaning toward the A7CR but was talked out of it since I am a videocentric type of guy. A7CII I thought might be a better option than I saw the ZV-E1 and it was in white. Reflects Heat better than Black, small and portable and the stabilization was better than the other two. It overheats in the climate that I live in, and I miss the EVF more than a Rangefinder. So ZV-E1 & A7C are good cameras to travel with. A7C was the Mini A7III but I still like it. APSC 33mm or the Full Frame 50mm are usually the cheaper pime lens for any camera system. Small and Potable and a great focal length. What lens would you have with You all of the time. Zoom and a Prime?

I just got one from PrimeDay for cheap yesterday and autofocus on my a6400 is super fast.

@@SebiKoerner Hey Sebastian - thanks for posting this. I ordered one too (in Australia, but it's coming from the UK - so I have a few weeks to wait). I was hoping it would would focus nice and quickly. Thanks for confirming that it does. 😍

@@SebiKoerner hi how much was this lens on prime day?

@@godisgood7334 like 150?

@@SebiKoerner that's awesome. The best price I've seen.

I prefer the 55mm f/1.8 over this lens. Since a used copy costs around US$600 I think it is a bargain.

Let's be honest here...sony mirrorless cameras are practically made to be used with 3rd party lenses. I've seen 10 times as much a series cameras with canon glass than ones with actual Sony glass

Nice to see you here Dustin! You and Chris are on the top of my list on lens reviews.

Worth noting there was a firmware update to improve auto focus in May 2017. I can't compare the old firmware since I updated mine immediately. Unfortunately, it's still hunts quite a bit to the point where I try Not to use it :/

Dustin Abbott The lens is cheap af. You want something good? Buy the Zeiss 55mm I love the lens, kinda regret selling it

Does it depend on the camera? Im thinking of buying this for my a7c

@@vermillion4318 Same

@@vermillion4318 if you update the lens to the latest firmware the autofocus is in par with g master lenses, tough g masters have a much better build quality and probably reduced glaring and aberration and all of that But i am buying this lens because the price is so good

Thank u re warning - hugely appreciated

Have used this lens in many low light settings. Even professionally. If you're on a budget and have a great eye for photography this lens will do what you need

Yash Somani Really? I’m concerned about this because I’ve already ordered this lens.

@@BERTZXYS I have tried this Lens with the Sony A7SII. The auto focus just couldn't keep up in in video. But when trying it out with the A7III, it worked pretty well. I actually shoot my video gigs with the 50mm lens with auto focus on in A7III. Now that you've already ordered it, try it out for yourself and also let me know what you think. 🙂

Yash Somani I’m only using it for photography - specifically for portraits.

Yash Somani Is it really that bad? How’s the sharpness of the image?

@@BERTZXYS The sharpness is not bad at all. It's as good as any other 50mm lens in that range. I do mostly videos, so my only concern with the lens was the auto focus. What camera will you use it on?

That will come as news to those who have been designing, manufacturing, or using compact 50mm to 90mm lenses on short flange back distance rangefinder cameras since the 1930's.

NO it is not news...the flange distance of L39 is not as short as MILC (about 10mm longer) but look in the back of those lenses and the back element is up inside the lens barrel the LEICA SUMMICRON-M 90mm f/2 back element is over 30mm up the barrel go here scroll down until you see a rear view www.kenrockwell.com/leica/90mm-f2-m.htm as you can see if you hacked 16mm off the back of the barrel the lens will work on a canon DSLR and the rear element will still be 14mm away from the now canon lens mount and that is a 1982 design

It's my Alfred Hitchcock impression

Could be!

Minolta didn't use an aspherical element. The Canon 50 F1.8s are more like the Minoltas than this lens, and most Double Gauss/Planar 50's look similar.

Yes I have heard that too.

Thanks!

Bwahh ha ha there's no such thing hehe ;-)

Alright - so you are basically talking from the sigma line up ;P Reasonably priced an superb quality

35 mm sensor size (Full frame sensor size) 50 mm is focal range

Every Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens I've handled is smaller than this one, and the STM one is about half the size!

Christopher Frost Photography yes but you must consider that Canon EF has a much longer flange distance. Sony cannot break the laws of physics or perform magic. As measured from the sensor, this lens is not big.

i have both these lens, Canon 50 1.8 STM motors are alot smoother! however AF is pretty slow, manageable, but noticeably slow. this'll vary on your DSLR. i regret having the Sony FE 50mm 1.8 over the OSS counterpart, but i agree with Christopher when he says the bokeh is creamyyyyyy. he mentioned that it was slow, so faster paced shoots will be a struggle. the Sony FE 50mm 1.8 is sharper and more efficient than Canon 50 1.8 STM for your A7Rii

www.dxomark.com/sony-fe-50mm-f1-8-review-affordable-choice/ (second part of the article)

😂🤣

I wouldn't know, really, as I haven't tried that myself. I've got a feeling that the Sony lens is actually a little sharper than the Canon, but if what you're using now is working nicely for you then go for it :-)

Hi Magnetron, do you use the mc-11 with other canon lenses too, if yes are you happy?

@@aineiasbabulis1512 Hi, back when I wrote this comment, I used a Sigma MC-II and a Metabones adapter. The Sigma was better in my opinion, but AF performance suffered with both adapters. Almost two years ago I purchased a used Nikon Z6, sold the Sony along with the adapters and now I use a Fringer smart adapter. It is better than both adapters I once had for the Sony especially with regards to AF performance. Best wishes, Magnetron

@@Magnetron692 thank you for your reply

same with mine..its a decent lens

Are you guys using A7rii? Too?

I like more Sony lenses xd.

I'll be mixing up Digital SLR (Canon EF) and mirrorless (Sony E-mount) lenses about 50/50 in the future

His voice soundDED better with Canon lenses, but not anymore :-)

Hi, Aniv I have recently purchased A7III... before buying fe50mm I want know about it's video quality...as I am looking 50mm for short filmmaking...

@@surimakhloga30 I normally don't shoot videos but I heard it was not recommended. If you're manually focusing it should be fine but autofocus makes a very very loud noise. Af is also slower at low light significantly. I'd say only use this lens for portraits. In great to decent lighting af is great. I've heard the 28mmf2 is a much better lens for video.

The FE covers a full-frame sensor so that is the one you want (that's what FE means)

@@christopherfrost thanks man!

“Even better results” - you must be kidding.

If you cut the Canon and the Sony in half the optical design would probably be nearly identical, both of them have six elements in five groups. They're both run of the mill 50mm 1.8s, the Sony just has a smart adapter built in basically.

Honestly - I've haven't compared them directly but I've got a feeling the Sony lens is indeed sharper

How's sony doing? Are you satisfied with it's performance in low light and image quality? I've heard that it has problems focusing in low light, is that true? Comparing to your 6d, colors and overall image quality? Cheers!