Thanks for the review. The 55 is my favorite "50mm" lens I've used, and I've owned a ton of them, including Zeiss, Canon, Pentax, and Sigma Art. The 55/1.8 is the perfect combination of sharpness, color, and SIZE. It's a joy to carry and shoot with and simply rocks for portraits using eye autofocus on my A7RIII. I love the bokeh far more than any Canon lens. It's quite beautiful and soft. The 55/1.8 is a winner.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Honestly, I struggled to see any objectionable shortcoming of this lens in regards to the images you took for this video, and then shared in your presentation. In fact, your images were quite beautiful. On the B&H website, this lens has received a 4.9 rating over 343 responses. I think customer satisfaction is quite high. This Sony/Zeiss lens looks like a real winner.
Dustin, when you talk about the autofocus areas being to big I get the impression you might have missed the fact that you can use AF with focus magnification in AF-S on your A7R3. Enable it in menu 1 page 11, hit your magnification button and you can autofocus with great precision on any small detail.
I just ordered mine after seeing other reviews and Dustin's as well. Originally I was going to go with the Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 which is a manual lens only. Price is about the same, but, I can manually focus the 55mm if I want. Learning to use my a7iii in manual mode to better understand all the facets of photography. I thank Dustin for another review. As a landscape photographer, I always work to get everything in focus, and if I want bokeh, I might use a different lens. I'm still an amateur photographer at age 64 and having fun learning along the way.
I think the size is "special" and the Bokeh is VERY special. Also, it's the best lens of the ones you refer to... and this lens also works great on APS-C bodies... you should really do another review of this lens.
The 55mm isn't my favorite lens but I bought it for my Sony a7 camera. First because it is compact and very very sharp and second because I bought it from Amazon with a very good discount at 705€ I haven't regretted it. It is quite old now. Five years since its introduction in 2013.
Dustin Abbott The Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 is an exceptional lens. I have six APS-C e-mount lenses for my older Sony NEX camera and five full frame FE e-mount lenses for my Sony a7 camera. The Sony 55mm f/1.8 is by far the sharpest off all. Very fast autofocus. And a solid construction. I have bought the cheaper FE 50mm f/1.8 previously but I am disappointed. Too slow autofocus, not really sharp and I hate that the front elements is moving during autofocus. Sony doesn't have many full frame e-mount lenses which are ideal for mirrorless cameras. Most of them are not small and light. The Sony Zeiss sonnar 35mm f/2.8, the Sony Zeiss sonnar 55mm f/1.8 and the Sony FE 28mm f/2.0 are the exceptions.
Interesting (not quite sure why you own all three!). I wouldn't be surprised to hear you reaching for it the most because of the size, but in my opinion I think it has the least special bokeh rendering of the trio.
I would be embarrassed to mention all the Sony lenses I have purchased as a recreational photograper..but i do have my favorites and the 55mm is one of them... I find the quality exceptional...but I am no expert just expressing my opinion...i would also like to add that i find your reviews to be very educational and i appreciate your view .
Some of my favorite 50mm lenses include the Sony Zeiss Planar 50mm F1.4, the Zeiss Milvus 50mm F1.4, and I'm actually fond of the little Samyang AF 45mm F1.8, too.
I really like this lens. Coming from Canon, they have nothing like this Sonar 55mm in terms of handling and image quality. I actually like the look of the pictures coming from it. Great micro contrast gives many pictures shot wide open that 3D effect where subject just pops from the background. Yes, the bokeh is a bit busy in some shots with complicated backgrounds, but not truly objectionable. And in many more shots with more consistent background, bokeh just melts in all it's gloriest creaminess. And then, of course, as I said, nothing comes even close to this lens in handling. Small, light, super fast and silent AF, this lens is just pure joy to shoot with. And resolution of the pictures coming from this lens is spectacular. I think it can handle much more then 42Mp and will be ready when Sony announce their next high res champion sensor. This is not your nifty fifty.
It's definitely a far cry from a nifty fifty. It might be hard to build a lens like this for DSLRs, though we may see something for mirrorless. I haven't tested the new RF 35mm F1.8 yet, but it may be a similar type lens.
Bokeh really is just a matter of taste. What a lot of people consider "busy" is what I like. Super Takumars have hard lines in man made environments and I like that too. Even though the bokeh of this lens isn't the balancing act of really really expensive modern zeiss designs of being sharp while having always pleasing artistic bokeh at the same time, It's also way more interesting than sigma bokeh to me. I can always use a vintage lens when I want the painting-like effect. I think this lens is better suited to certain photos, or humans and it definitely has a diet zeiss look to it while having smashing AF.
Thanks so much for this review, this is the lens that got me into Sony FF system. I’d like to thank you for introducing me to the Zeiss glass in general, having experienced your review of Zeiss Milvus 1.4/50 ZE I decided to try Zeiss lenses and that was very satisfying..
I'm just a little surprised by this review...just a little. This lens is widely reviewed/considered something really special. Mine is sharp as a tack with beautiful color rendition and good bokeh. I trust/appreciate your thorough reviews, but I just think more of this lens than you seem to. My friends and colleagues do as well. That all being said, no hurt feelings here. Your channel has quickly become one of my favorites.
Fair enough. Part of what I'm describing is a "feel" thing, but I think if you were to use the Planar and Sonnar lenses side by side (as I did), you would see what I'm talking about.
Many people are not aware this but there are two version of this lens. The way to tell the difference is the old one is branded as "Carl Zeiss" on the front element ring , the new one is just "ZEISS" on the front element ring. Some says the new one is noticeably better, it addresses some flaws from old lens such as CA. This is a very confusing situation, Sony should have call it 55mm F1.8 mark II.
I'm embarrassed to say that I agree. I have four "50"mm lenses from Minolta Rokkor MF, Canon FD MF, Mitakon MF and the Sony Zeiss in the review. I've raved about the sharpness of this lens since I bought it and it really is very sharp. Inspired by your tests we did a shoot last weekend and this lens came 3rd or last in a blind review :-( We took a series of portraits in the forest at about f1.7. We then did a blind review of the rendering of the photos and this lens was 3rd or 4th for everyone. The scary thing is that the Minolta Rokkor 57/1.7MC and Canon FD 50/1.4 cost less than $100. The Mitakon and the Zeiss are closer to $1000.
Most "ordinary" people rarely have opportunities to do these direct comparisons, so they question my findings because "their" lens seems sharp (and is, in a vacuum, but not always compared to higher resolution/contrast lenses).
Yup, if your universe is a sample of one, it's always going to be the best. To be fair, I don't think either of are saying there is anything wrong with the Sony / Zeiss 55/1.8 Sonnar or even that it's not a good lens. I like the sharpness and the size. Over several years I am building 2 systems. The first is for events or rapidly moving dogs (I shoot them alot) and is purely AF primes, including this lens and the 85m Batis 1.8, 35mm Distagon 1.4 and Canon 135, 200 and 400L fro my Canon days with a Sigma MC11. The lenses I simply love are all in my second set for my day to day hobby. They are all adapted MF primes and often older classics. I'm just in the process of adding the Voigtlander 40/1.2 e mount :)
I just got mine for 450 (Brand new condition, with the box, leather case, everything it comes with) to where if I sold it I could absolutely sell it as (Brand New)
Many people are not aware that there are actually two versions of this lens, there is a newer, updated version. The way to tell the difference is that the old one is branded as "Carl Zeiss" at the front, the new one is just "ZEISS". Some says the new one is noticablly better in terms of CA, can you get your hands on a new one if it's possible and put the rummor to the test?
@@DustinAbbottTWI Don't worry. I hope Sony can refresh this lens some day. I really like the idea of premium small lens. Without this lens, you only have super budget option like FE 50mm f1.8 which isn't really up to standard, if you want better quality, you have to go with the big boys like Plannar or 50mm F1.2 GM, they are both expensive and heavy. I know Sony recently released a series of small prime lenes but me, like most people are disappointed with only f2.5 aperture because at that price point you can just go with f2.8 zoom lenes. I use to be a heavy DSLR owner, I really appricate small but high quality gear. I'm currently running Samyang 45mm f1.8 and 75mm f1.8 on my Sony A7c. I love the combination, it's like 1/3 of the weight if the gears I had before. For these small lenses I would like to see just a little more optical performance (they are already very good), weather sealing and some switches, but keep the compact size and F1.8 aperture, I don't mind if the price is 100$-200$ higher.
Good morning Dustin, Hope all is well. Thank you once again for another insightful review. Wanted to get your views on this lens and the Loxia 50mm F2 in terms of image quality, contrast, vignetting handling etc. I understand the Loxia lens is manual focus and has better weather sealing, compared to this 55mm lens. Also any thoughts of Zeiss's design principles, such as this lens in review has a Sonnar design and the Loxia lens has a Planar design and I know some of their Batis lens are Distagon design. Appreciate your thoughts. Thanks you.
Interesting review, thank you. I own this lens, and I'm happy with my choice. I think it performs wonderfully, but also that you're right about the CA. I generally like the bokeh, BUT what sticks our more to me is the tendency to onion ring bokeh balls. I personally don't mind the cat eyes, plus at 55mm they're usually not massive anyway. But the bokeh balls do have onion rings. Now, I think it's the best choice for me due to the size, lower cost and even sharpness compared to the 50mm 1.4. I find the speed of the lens is good enough as it is, and its much smaller size makes it a great choice to carry around alongside my Batis 25mm and sometimes my Samyang 135 (which I also pick if it's crazy bokeh I'm after). Oh, and for the price... I got mine used on Craigslist for something like $600 CAD. Worth it.
Too bad... all the aspherics loaded lenses are like that. When you use a compound curve to bend light such that they come together at the plane of focus, you tend to cause the out of focus stuff to have concentric fringes.
Dwight Looi Yeah. It's a compromise I'm very willing to make. If I need the creamiest bokeh, a lot of other lenses can offer it, including less expensive legacy lenses with classic designs.
I can see that. I was initially offput when Tamron announced their 45mm f/1.8 VC lens, but, after using the focal length for a while, I really like it.
Some of these guys writing comments are too funny everyone is an expert. I appreciate your insight and value your expertise if I had your lens and camera knowledge I wouldn't be looking for reviews so much I'd just be creating amazing photos. Keep up the good work I'm grateful for folks like you.
This will be my third year shooting with this lens and I love it. This is one of those lenses where you need to turn off electronic front curtain shutter to get the best bokeh. I have noticed the difference more with this lens than any other I presently use.
Dustin Abbott I would guess that would be true however I only use strobes in the studio and DOF and bokeh is not an issue. I very seldom use a flash otherwise.
I find this lens to be KILLER. Now, granted, I shoot in a studio MOST of the time, so things are quite controlled. But it's very sharp, and renders quite beautifully where I like to shoot it at f2.5-4. I do however agree it has some serious CA when shot in less controlled environments, but that's a minor issue IMO. Also, for portrait work, the 55mm focal length is really handy. All in all, I think this lens delivers. Though, there are moments where I hope and pray that Sigma delivers a native FE 50mm lens that isn't the size of a small car for Sony at some point down the road. Great review.
I’m glad you enjoy the lens. Unless Sigma changes course for FE, there seems to be little chance of them building a small lens. That seems to have cease to be a design priority
@@DustinAbbottTWI Agree! On the other hand, this lens is very highly regarded by infrared shooters. One of the best lens on any system! Very sharp and no hotspots at any apertures.
I’ve got this lens and I think it’s absolutely beautiful. I’m glad you reviewed the Planar 50 mm as well because I would never have looked at it, however, I do strongly prefer the small size of the 55mm.
Hi Dustin, recently I got a used 55mm F1.8 ZA. I noticed that both the aperture changes and AF is a bit loud/noisy. I’m wondering if that’s normal or if I might have a bad copy? Does your lens operate completely silent or do you also hear some noise from aperture changes and AF? I noticed it specifically when in A mode, especially when I set aperture from F11 to F22 in AF-S focus mode. I notice that when I half press the shutter button to focus, the aperture seems to open up to F1.8 to help with focusing and then stops down to the smaller aperture (F11 to F22). This process takes a second or two and you can definitely hear some motor noise from the lens. I don’t notice the noise from focusing in video mode however. I just wonder if it’s normal or a malfunctioning lens. Visually, the lens is in excellent condition showing no wear or damage to the glass or body. For reference, it’s similar sounding to this: ruclips.net/video/PyMB5PsC1Os/видео.html
Unfortunately the copy of the 55mm that I reviewed was a loaner, so I don't have long term experience with the lens...and it has been nearly four years since I've reviewed it. I can't really diagnose this with any confidence. You might want to address the question to Sony tech support.
If you can reach your budget that far, I bought the 50mm F1.4 GM and love it. If you don't need fast AF, the Samyang AF 50mm F1.4 II has beautiful rendering.
Mr Abbott. I disagree with your verdict on the 1.8/55. I own this lens I have have to say that your mention of chromatic aberrations reducing contrast compared to the 1.4/50 is not exactly correct. The 1.8/55 really does not have visible chromatic aberrations in the traditional sense -- as long as the image is all in focus, good luck looking for purple and green fringes. You are not going to find any, not even towards the edge of the frame with black on white stuff. HOWEVER, it does have sphero chromatic aberrations in abundance. This means that bokeh in the foreground tends to hue red and bokeh in the background tends to hue green! What is sharp however is spot on. You can see that in the picture of the MF lens in the video (13:22) -- the aperture ring serrations closer to those in focus hues red, those further away than that which is in focus hues green. If everything is in focus you won't see the hue shift! So this is largely a non issue with scenics and when the aperture is smaller and more of the field is in focus. That said, the 1.4/50 has the same problem as do many of these "super corrected, super resolution, aspherics loaded" lenses of the last several years. That, and onion rings in the bokeh. Ironically, the less corrected Loxia 2/50 Planar doesn't have the same problem! Yeah, I am crazy try them all... but in the end I decided that I did not buy a small mirrorless body to bloat it with a big fat lens or deal with a MF lens without a split prism (focus zooming and focus peaking does not work well for me) or automatic diaphragm -- so 1.8/55 became the go to lens.
Dwight, your point is somewhat contradictory. You state there is no CA in a traditional sense, but you are referring to a specific kind of CA (lateral). Longitudinal (axial) CA occurs when all colors don't focus equally, which is in fact the case here (though to a mild degree). It is axial CA that reduces contrast, and the Sonnar does have more axial CA than the Planar, thus it does have less contrast at wide apertures...which I demonstrate in the image quality comparison video.
Hey! I'm looking at this lens for dynamic pet photography in low light conditions, i.e. shutter speeds from 1\1000 on my APS-C camera. Do you think this is a good option or should I look at something lighter? Thanks!
I think this is the goldilocks lens to me. I prefer slightly tighter view for 'normal' focal length, I usually shoot 55 to 60 when I use 24-70 lens. So yeah, slightly harsh bokeh and no weather sealing(Here, Korea is extremely humid and rainy in mid june to july) is bitter, but light weight and good IQ from corner to corner is what I want. So, I made the decision and your video helped a lot to make that decision. Thanks from my heart.
Enjoy. Contrary to what I reported (and what I could observe), the Sony website does actually claim moisture resistance on this lens. I didn't see it reported elsewhere, but that should be a reliable report.
Dustin Abbott I'm planning to buy a Macro lens, too. If you are interested, please consider to compare E-mount Macro lenses: Sony 50mm F2.8, 90mm F2.8, Sigma 70mm F2.8(tba) Voigtlaender 65mm F2, 110mm F2.5(tba) or adpates EF mount lenses like Canon 100mmL, Tamron 90mm. IQwise macro lenses are not far from each other, but I really want to know other than MTF specs, like handling or bokeh quality. Thanks.
Hey Dustin. I could really use your opinion on something. I have my eye on a Sony Zeiss 55mm but I'm wondering if it's really necessary for my needs. Currently I shoot with an adapted Samyang 50 1.4 AS UMC thanks to your review video on said lens. I love it and have no trouble shooting manual as I don't shoot anything fast. No real complaints with the Samyang but I'm a bit interested in getting something that would allow me to use eye autofocus. What I want to know is, if you consider image quality alone, do you think it's worth upgrading to the Sony Zeiss? I shoot mostly portraits but sometimes also environments and landscapes on an a7ii. If the Sony isn't that much better, IQ wise, then I may pass on it.
Always great reviews! I get more information watching your videos! Thank you! Would you recommend this lens as a travel lens for the A7III say along with the G-master 24mm 1.4?
I own an a6500 and the only other FE lens I own in my collection is the 90mm macro which has proven to be an incredibly versatile and sharp lens, both for macro work and tele portraits. I am looking to buy this lens over the sony 50 1.8 because it's generally much more quality but also because I don't want to invest too heavily in apsc lenses from this point on as I plan to move to full frame in the future and the 55mm focal length is awesome with and without the crop factor for my purposes. How would you say this lens performs in lowlights with AF?
I have right know a voigtlander 58 1.4 nikon ais (using with techart), and this 55 that I bought at a bergain price. I'm more incline for the voigtlander beside it is manual and not native....I think the voigtlander produce that "special image" you did mention here...
I just wished this was 50mm or 45mm. No good 45mm for Sony. I think 55mm is the lens for me except for the long focal length. The performance is still great and the portability is really in the spirit of mirrorless. It can fit in a purse no problem. However, most of my shots are indoors and 55mm would probably make me back up more than I'd like (or be able to). On the other hand for 35mm there are two options: Distagon, which still doesn't have image quality to match 55mm Sonnar yet has a weight almost as much as the Plannar. The 35mm Sonnar on the other hand is even more portable than the 55mm Sonnar but really suffers in some areas. Do you have any thoughts on lens reviews on DXOMark?
45mm is a great focal length. Here's hoping Tamron brings their 45 to Sony! I take DXO's rankings with a grain of salt. I appreciate their giving number values to things like light transmission, but question their conclusions at times. They rated this lens over the 50mm f/1.4 Planar, which just isn't true in my comparisons.
I've read their way of testing transmission and it basically automatically gives lenses that can open wider a higher score because it adds data from the wider apertures in the average. Here the 35 2.8 has a big disadvantage when it comes to DXO's transmission rating and is not exactly apples to apples. There is the greater vingenetting on the 35 though. Maybe DXO got a dud sample for the Plannar?
Hello Dustin, on your copy of the Zeiss 55 could your hear the lens adjusting? I've tried two copies of the lens so far, my second copy has less noise but I still hear the lens adjusting. I'm wondering if I've just received bad copies of the lens. On my Sony 85 1.8 FE it's completely silent and I'd like to have that same experience with a 50mm focal length.
A few days ago I bought the 25mm batis I still haven't got it, I'm also about to buy the new sigma 105mm macro for portrait and product photography, that's why I have some questions for you. 1.- For portrait photography, do you recommend the batis 85? or is it very close to sigma 105, how about sonnar 55? 2. I would also have liked to have a wide angle like the batis 18, but with the prices they have, it is too much to buy another one so close to 18 to 25, the difference must be little, don't you think? 3. I also need to record video indoors and outdoors covering the area better, so I needed an angle, later I found out that the Loxia 21 was more appropriate even for gimball but some friends were able to record a spot with the Batis 25mm without problem and everything in AF Does that mean that I no longer need a Loxia if all that process can be done with the Batis 25mm only with AF-C recording video? But what do you think? Regarding the choice of batis for photo and also for video?
That's a lot of questions, Jaime. You are going to have to see if the Batis 25mm works for your video purposes, because I can't actually answer that for you not knowing your needs. If you want a great 85mm portrait option, consider the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DN lens released this year. It's my current favorite on Sony.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thanks for answering Dustin, I currently work with the Sony A7RIII, I am waiting for Sigma to launch its Sigma Art 105mm macro for product and portrait photography, do you think it is even better than the Sigma Art 85mm?
Very useful review, thanks. I'm picking up my a7iii shortly and mostly own manual canon vintage lenses (whice I adore). I'm more of an 85 and 135 focal length guy as almost solely shoot portraits. But I'm interested in this lens due to its rendering on environmental portraits i've seen and nice enough - in my eyes - bokeh it produces. Interesting comment about the blueish colour profile Vs the warmer planar one. I'll be considering the planar based on your comments as well. My other focus at the moment is super fast AF in wide aperture and in particular eye AF with the reach of an 85mm. Which one would you recommend? I would assume going natively instead of adapted. Any suggestions? Thanks
So you can use autofocus with this lens on the A7R3? But why on some lenses there is a AF/MF button and some don't? Otherwise you can autofocus on all lenses?
The AF/MF switch is just an easier way to switch between autofocus and manual focus. Any autofocus lens can be used as a manual focus lens as well by controlling that from within the camera.
I am between this one and the Samyang 45mm 1.8 . Have you used that one yet? Do you have an opinion on that comparison? I can find the Zeiss lightly used at 500 Eur, and the Sammy new at 300. So I'm a bit torn. Subed and thank you for all your wonderful reviews!
@@DustinAbbottTWI I was just watching that review! Thanks for the awesomely speedy reply! I'm leaning towards that as well, I like a more "vintage" render. Even though the zeiss is technically better, I like myself an underdog! Thanks again and keep up the great work! 🙏🏻👌
With lenses or cameras it usually becomes an argument between quality vs versatility vs value. Seems like the value proposition of this piece of kit is it's versatility and value vs the more premium planar so it seems a little unfair to knock the versatile lens for having less quality than it's bigger, heavier, more expensive brother.
Yes, but in a free market people have choices, and to not mention those choices is a disservice to viewers. I personally looked at both of the lenses and chose the more expensive option due to those factors.
@@DustinAbbottTWI That's fair, sometimes bang for the buck isn't good enough. I bought the 28mm f2 bc everyone was raving about it and I ended up selling it bc the images were nothing special, whereas my 85 GM is expensive as hell but creates magic everytime I use it.
Yes - that's the way it works...sometimes. Some expensive lenses aren't particularly special. I think the 24-70 GM is great, for example, but not particularly more special than the Tamron 28-75mm that costs nearly a third.
Every time I want to upgrade to the 50mm GM, I watch this video and think again ... :) I seem to recall the promise of mirrorless was a reduction in size.
There's a rumor that Sony is going to announce a 50mm F1.4 GM this month that will be comparable to the 35mm GM in size. That could be a very attractive option if it isn't ridiculously priced (assuming it does exist)
@@DustinAbbottTWI Ah! That would make sense that it would be much smaller. I was wondering what was the point of such a product. That fills the blanks ... Allegedly! :)
I have been talking to u about the 50mm f1.4 planar and u said this was a special lens. I have the a6300 and my lens comes in Monday I will definitely let you know my results.
Dustin Abbott I came bk with my review.... I just want to say thank you so much this lens is awesome the best. I can't stop looking at the pictures I took with it even with the a6300 the quality is sharp plus has the 3d effect I didn't understand what u mean by 3d effect until now. I just which the price was better thanks so much again for ur wisdom time and effort it's really helping us to become great photographer's... Again ur the greatest man!!
Well I wanted this lens badly but the price was not convenient for my budget, so I limited myself to the last version of pancolar MC Zeiss Jena classic lens, manual focus. I find the quality so similar and the bokeh like they are exactly the same lenses
You're right - though the reports on that are conflicting and I saw zero evidence of a gasket at the rear mount. Sony does say it is there, but listing at retailers doesn't mention it.
Thanks for all the great reviews Dustin. A lens you may find fascinating in kind of the same focal length is the native Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2 Aspherical Lens for Sony E mount. Reasons I like; -Form factor -Build quality -Native lens communication -Tonality -Colour rendition -Manual focus speed and precision This lens manually focuses so well I am able to capture expeditious moving subjects on the fly. Lamentably, I can’t verbally express that for all my manual focus lenses :( With your experience, you may be able to evaluate why this lens does what it does. Hard for me to explicate but it’s virtually like this lens makes colour and light glow with exquisite sharpness and detail on my A7Rii. when i load raw images into light-room everyone who optically canvases the raw unedited files instantly favours the pics taken with this lens over my much more expensive lenses and customarily they verbalize they prefer the colour/tones and pop in the light and subjects. slight post processing and wow this lens comes to life.
Thanks for making great videos, very insightful. I am torn between the 55mm 1.8 and the 50mm plantar. I want something light and for video as well as photography. Your review and some other reviews I've watched all say similar things about chromatic aberration etc on the 55mm which is holding me back from making the purchase. I am wondering though, a lot of the reviews for the 55mm are from a few years ago and I was looking on the Sony website today, and it says about the 55mm "T coating reduces all forms of aberration". I'm wondering if Sony has made some design changes to fix the CA issues? Do you know about this?
Unfortunately that's just marketing. There is no new redesign of the lens. An alternative to consider is the Samyang AF 45mm F1.8. It's very small and lightweight, but is quite lovely optically.
@@DustinAbbottTWI oh good perfect timing, thank you and God bless. I was able to help out a little on PayPal. You work soooo hard I can’t imagine how you have time to do all you do.
I have this lens as well. It is a great lens and is very clear and accurate in its function. But what I have noticed ( and I have read many others experience this) is it is a bit noisy. For the money I paid, I should not have any noise. I have less expensive lens and they are quiet (85mm f1.8 comes to mind). This lens makes NO NOISE. So I don't know if there is a worn motor installed or what but I am sending this back to Sony to see if they can repair or replace. But other than that, its almost magical. Get to a completely quiet place and put your ear and focus... mine made noise.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Yeah, from the Bokeh seems very nice. And Alot cheaper than 55mm Zeiss. Gonna watch this live in a photo shop. Also its KG Lens. 99% sure I will just buy it^^. Guess I can also use it as a Video Lens for Martial Arts?!
Focusing is quiet until the lens starts aging. Mine and for a bunch of folks in the forums, the lens starts making "rust" "grinding" noises when focusing close to the subject.
Got the same prob when it's mounted on my R3. On my old A7 it runs smoothly, but mostly I use it on the R3, and the rusty sound is annoying. My biggest complain with the lens are the very potent onionrings.
Well as Dustin can see limitations of the Zeiss Sonnar 55mm F1.8, I would have appreciated some take of its Sonnar design itself. That is a limitation in the review, no? Apropo is it a really good Sonnar, or not sufficiently marinaded in the secret sauce of 'Sonnarliness' rendering? After all we've lots of other choices of lens designs of good repute: Double-gausss, Ultron, Planar, Biotar, etc. So instead of criticising it for what it is not by design, where does it fall short in the holding up of the noble Sonnar virtues (which are the stuff of legend sir)? In that sense I am none the wiser from your review, and you’ve essentially damned it by faint praise. More or less taking the corner of, well, frankly you're at heart a Planar man, and it's not your cup of tea, fair enough of course. You may have considered it's optical properties against say its stable-mate, the Loxia 50mm F2 which is as you're doubtlessly aware, also Sonnar? 🤔
I think you are putting too much stock in classic optic formulas, which can all be executed well or poorly. There are some amazing lenses with a Sonnar design, but the reason I damned this lens with faint praise is that it is a perfectly competent lens that has little character. I didn't love the images I got from it.
@@DustinAbbottTWIwell I'm not disagreeing with your "meh' assessment - i think it's intriguing what went 'wrong' with this triple aspherical element Sonnar design. Having compared its rendering presence to the Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm F1.5, and the Loxia, it seems so different to me, (now in jest) more your poor man's sober Summicron than the old DDR's Pancolor's 'vodka on Zeiss'. It did get large praise from many reviewer's from its 2014 release. And yet, and yet it is hard to bond with it as a tool. It's respectable across the parameters but without much personality(?), or any je nais se quoi? Maybe that's it, 'non-expert' users can conveniently get a clean AF shot ✅️, with the involvement factor set to low? The Loxia pulls you in more, the focussing experience is visceral, and rewards you with some zesty Zeiss colour punch. But annoyingly the 55mmFe is sharper at F2 to the Loxia, grrrh. Ok I've taken enough of your time I fear, over this Sonnar without a soul. Thankyou for your huge catalogue of reviews, they are a benchmark for enthusiastic photographers like myself, an invaluable library of sound advice sir.
I doubt it. The Planar is one of the best 50mm lenses out there, period. I just don't think that many people have seen them shot side by side. I saw no evidence of decentering or anything that would cause me to believe that the copy of the Sonnar I had was damaged. Check this out: www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/07/sony-fe-planar-t-50mm-f1-4-za-mtf-and-variance-testing/
Dustin Abbott Sorry bro actually I have the most love for my 55mm got a bit emotional to defend it 😆. by the way your videos are just awesome learned a lot.
I'll work through them in time, though I have other priorities at the moment. I'm currently reviewing the 18mm and 25mm Batis lenses (along with two other lenses!)
I did see after the review that Sony claims weather sealing. The gasket that they say is there at the lens mount is basically impossible to find, however. It's not sealed in the way that I've seen other lenses sealed, for sure.
Thank you Dustin, I will return it next week or so. Compared to my Sony 85 1.8 it was really noisy. It is not only me: www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3626918
The Sony Zeiss Planar 50mm F1.4 is excellent. The Sigma ART is pretty good. The Samyang AF 45mm F1.8 is a great alternative to this lens. I actually really like that little lens.
Thanks for this review Mr Abbott. Last months I'm looking for the best studio child portrait lens to my sony a7iii. I've a small studio (26m2) and I've decided to buy the most sharp lens I can afford. I decided to buy zeiss 55 1.8, but after this video I'm reconsidering my decission. Any advice?
Hi there - I'm not sure what market you are in (in terms of costs), but for roughly the same money you could buy the Samyang AF 45mm F1.8 and Samyang AF 85mm F1.4. Both of these lenses are quite excellent, and would give you two different options for framing your portraits. I like the 55m F1.8, but I think it is overpriced.
@@DustinAbbottTWI In fact, I already have a samyang AF 85mm 1.4 and It's my option when I shoot outdoor portraits, but I really have to say that in eye-AF autofocus mode It is sometimes annoyingly incosistent. My unit al least... and that make me doubt about samyang AF 45mm F.18
I want this lens but have heard its mechanically flawed A well-known photo equipment rental company has had to repair many of these lenses due to a STUPID engineering design. I copies this from a review on B&H< have you heard about this problem
I know 3 people who have and use this lens often..no issues at all..maybe we are 3 of the lucky ones but i have never had issues and I have used this lens in situations where I thought if I get through this without damage I will be very happy..rain and blowing sand ..i am still very happy
I'm not discounting people's experience, but it does seem on the internet that the bad copies get all the publicity, and then everyone gets all hyped up.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you for responding. I was thinking about Wedding Photography. How much better would the Sony 50mm GM be...would it be noticeable. I am a newbie. I have the Sony A7S III but am in the mix for a Sony A7 V. I really love your content. Peter...from Thunder Bay.
The Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 is my least favorite 50-ish lens for the Sony A7rii and A7riii cameras... There's just something "clinical" about the way this lens renders that I find to be distracting.
I certainly didn't dislike the lens (anything but), but neither did I think the rendering was fantastic from it. I feel the same about the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART.
Sharpness and focus is hard to fix later, while a "clinical" or "cold" output can usually be fixed with a quick bump in saturation or color temperature, no?
I follow your channel since like forever and I respect your opinion a lot. Your reviews are always the most detailed you can find in yt. But with this particular lense I completely disagree. Specially regarding to the sharpness. This thing is SHARP. 1.8 is meeh, but from 2.8… oh boy (tested in a a7r v)I heard in many places about low quality control in older sony lenses. Your copy was maybe decentered somehow. Surely 50mm 1.4GM is in other level but this is a very capable lense for 400-450 dollars. Greetings from Spain!
The follow experience I constantly have.....I find the processor in my Nikon Camera's do a much better job, then my Sony's....it is very rare that I need to do any editing on my Nikon images, just about every image I take with my Sony's I have to edit..When I. finish editing my Sony images they. are equal to the Nikon images.....However.that Electronic Viewfinder and the features it gives my Sony Camera's is terrific .......
I'm having very different experience on the matter of quietness, the aperture blades are actually quite noisy while taking photos (but quieter in video mode) especially when stopped down, say over f8. There are many ppl having the same issue: ruclips.net/video/PyMB5PsC1Os/видео.html Just thought this is worth mentioning (Sorry for commenting on a quite dated review lol)
Newbie here. Thanks for the lens review! I'm waiting on mine for delivery. May I also point out something I've learned? The window on your left third video is distracting. Also, your head is covering pictures on the wall. Very annoying. And the round built in speaker? Why? I guess what I'm asking is wouldn't a solid color background for your videos be better? And the boat and chess table, which I'm guessing you built... Anyway, thanks for the review.
Actually a lot of viewers prefer a dynamic environment to a static one (as you'll see from most television news stations). I actually used static backgrounds in the past, and still have a studio that I could do that at, but I've set up this space in my basement that people seem to like.
With all due respect, Jeffrey, don't you think that your statement is highly subjective? If you read through the many comments, you will find that there are many people who have agreed with or been positively influenced by that statement that you call not worth saying. I'm both a professional reviewer and a professional photographer; it is my subjective insights along with empirical data that make me worth listening to.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I hope I didn't give the impression that I don't think you're worth listening to; you certainly are! Your videos and other materials are highly entertaining and informative. Thanks for all you do, but to say there's nothing special about the rendering of the lens is something you just can't prove in any meaningful way, so why go down that road? It's kind of like saying that vanilla ice cream has no distinctive flavor when everyone knows that it does. Regards.
Jeffrey Prokopowicz the distinction here is that is might give you something special. But even for Sony 50s it’s nothing special. If it works for you perfect but it doesn’t excel or give anything thats not already available even from 3rd parties.
Thanks for the review. The 55 is my favorite "50mm" lens I've used, and I've owned a ton of them, including Zeiss, Canon, Pentax, and Sigma Art. The 55/1.8 is the perfect combination of sharpness, color, and SIZE. It's a joy to carry and shoot with and simply rocks for portraits using eye autofocus on my A7RIII. I love the bokeh far more than any Canon lens. It's quite beautiful and soft. The 55/1.8 is a winner.
It really does have a fantastic size and combination of features in a small package.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Honestly, I struggled to see any objectionable shortcoming of this lens in regards to the images you took for this video, and then shared in your presentation. In fact, your images were quite beautiful. On the B&H website, this lens has received a 4.9 rating over 343 responses. I think customer satisfaction is quite high. This Sony/Zeiss lens looks like a real winner.
Dustin, when you talk about the autofocus areas being to big I get the impression you might have missed the fact that you can use AF with focus magnification in AF-S on your A7R3. Enable it in menu 1 page 11, hit your magnification button and you can autofocus with great precision on any small detail.
That's a valid input.
I just ordered mine after seeing other reviews and Dustin's as well. Originally I was going to go with the Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 which is a manual lens only. Price is about the same, but, I can manually focus the 55mm if I want. Learning to use my a7iii in manual mode to better understand all the facets of photography. I thank Dustin for another review. As a landscape photographer, I always work to get everything in focus, and if I want bokeh, I might use a different lens. I'm still an amateur photographer at age 64 and having fun learning along the way.
Enjoy your new lens, Richard.
I think the size is "special" and the Bokeh is VERY special. Also, it's the best lens of the ones you refer to... and this lens also works great on APS-C bodies... you should really do another review of this lens.
The 55mm isn't my favorite lens but I bought it for my Sony a7 camera. First because it is compact and very very sharp and second because I bought it from Amazon with a very good discount at 705€
I haven't regretted it. It is quite old now. Five years since its introduction in 2013.
And you've had good results with the build and reliability?
Dustin Abbott The Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 is an exceptional lens. I have six APS-C e-mount lenses for my older Sony NEX camera and five full frame FE e-mount lenses for my Sony a7 camera. The Sony 55mm f/1.8 is by far the sharpest off all. Very fast autofocus. And a solid construction. I have bought the cheaper FE 50mm f/1.8 previously but I am disappointed. Too slow autofocus, not really sharp and I hate that the front elements is moving during autofocus.
Sony doesn't have many full frame e-mount lenses which are ideal for mirrorless cameras. Most of them are not small and light. The Sony Zeiss sonnar 35mm f/2.8, the Sony Zeiss sonnar 55mm f/1.8 and the Sony FE 28mm f/2.0 are the exceptions.
This is a great lens, I wound up buying it and I have to say I am extremely happy with it!!
Enjoy!
This lens is amazing and always been a stellar performer in my shoots.
Glad to hear it.
i have all 3 lenses and i find myself grabbing the 55mm the most...i love the quality and the bokeh that comes from the lens.
Interesting (not quite sure why you own all three!). I wouldn't be surprised to hear you reaching for it the most because of the size, but in my opinion I think it has the least special bokeh rendering of the trio.
I would be embarrassed to mention all the Sony lenses I have purchased as a recreational photograper..but i do have my favorites and the 55mm is one of them... I find the quality exceptional...but I am no expert just expressing my opinion...i would also like to add that i find your reviews to be very educational and i appreciate your view .
Bokeh is fantastic with greenery in the background. Not so much with greys and artificial stuff. But it's never really bad.
Do you get noise from the aperture ring?
What 50mm or 55mm lenses produce the more special images you mention, please? Many thanks for your extraordinarily detailed and informative reviews.
Some of my favorite 50mm lenses include the Sony Zeiss Planar 50mm F1.4, the Zeiss Milvus 50mm F1.4, and I'm actually fond of the little Samyang AF 45mm F1.8, too.
Terrific advice. You are the number one go-to reviewer for lenses. Thank you!
I really like this lens. Coming from Canon, they have nothing like this Sonar 55mm in terms of handling and image quality. I actually like the look of the pictures coming from it. Great micro contrast gives many pictures shot wide open that 3D effect where subject just pops from the background. Yes, the bokeh is a bit busy in some shots with complicated backgrounds, but not truly objectionable. And in many more shots with more consistent background, bokeh just melts in all it's gloriest creaminess.
And then, of course, as I said, nothing comes even close to this lens in handling. Small, light, super fast and silent AF, this lens is just pure joy to shoot with. And resolution of the pictures coming from this lens is spectacular. I think it can handle much more then 42Mp and will be ready when Sony announce their next high res champion sensor.
This is not your nifty fifty.
It's definitely a far cry from a nifty fifty. It might be hard to build a lens like this for DSLRs, though we may see something for mirrorless. I haven't tested the new RF 35mm F1.8 yet, but it may be a similar type lens.
Bokeh really is just a matter of taste. What a lot of people consider "busy" is what I like. Super Takumars have hard lines in man made environments and I like that too. Even though the bokeh of this lens isn't the balancing act of really really expensive modern zeiss designs of being sharp while having always pleasing artistic bokeh at the same time, It's also way more interesting than sigma bokeh to me. I can always use a vintage lens when I want the painting-like effect. I think this lens is better suited to certain photos, or humans and it definitely has a diet zeiss look to it while having smashing AF.
Bokeh is subjective, for sure.
Thanks so much for this review, this is the lens that got me into Sony FF system. I’d like to thank you for introducing me to the Zeiss glass in general, having experienced your review of Zeiss Milvus 1.4/50 ZE I decided to try Zeiss lenses and that was very satisfying..
That's great!
I'm just a little surprised by this review...just a little. This lens is widely reviewed/considered something really special. Mine is sharp as a tack with beautiful color rendition and good bokeh. I trust/appreciate your thorough reviews, but I just think more of this lens than you seem to. My friends and colleagues do as well. That all being said, no hurt feelings here. Your channel has quickly become one of my favorites.
Fair enough. Part of what I'm describing is a "feel" thing, but I think if you were to use the Planar and Sonnar lenses side by side (as I did), you would see what I'm talking about.
Love this review! Thank you very much! I like how you keep it simple and on point!
Glad it was helpful!
Many people are not aware this but there are two version of this lens. The way to tell the difference is the old one is branded as "Carl Zeiss" on the front element ring , the new one is just "ZEISS" on the front element ring. Some says the new one is noticeably better, it addresses some flaws from old lens such as CA. This is a very confusing situation, Sony should have call it 55mm F1.8 mark II.
I'm a little skeptical that the improvement is significant, as Sony would have released it as a MK II lens if that were the case.
wish all youtube reviews be like that. A lot of very usefull informations from a profesional. Thank you!
My pleasure.
I'm embarrassed to say that I agree. I have four "50"mm lenses from Minolta Rokkor MF, Canon FD MF, Mitakon MF and the Sony Zeiss in the review. I've raved about the sharpness of this lens since I bought it and it really is very sharp. Inspired by your tests we did a shoot last weekend and this lens came 3rd or last in a blind review :-( We took a series of portraits in the forest at about f1.7. We then did a blind review of the rendering of the photos and this lens was 3rd or 4th for everyone. The scary thing is that the Minolta Rokkor 57/1.7MC and Canon FD 50/1.4 cost less than $100. The Mitakon and the Zeiss are closer to $1000.
Most "ordinary" people rarely have opportunities to do these direct comparisons, so they question my findings because "their" lens seems sharp (and is, in a vacuum, but not always compared to higher resolution/contrast lenses).
Yup, if your universe is a sample of one, it's always going to be the best. To be fair, I don't think either of are saying there is anything wrong with the Sony / Zeiss 55/1.8 Sonnar or even that it's not a good lens. I like the sharpness and the size. Over several years I am building 2 systems. The first is for events or rapidly moving dogs (I shoot them alot) and is purely AF primes, including this lens and the 85m Batis 1.8, 35mm Distagon 1.4 and Canon 135, 200 and 400L fro my Canon days with a Sigma MC11. The lenses I simply love are all in my second set for my day to day hobby. They are all adapted MF primes and often older classics. I'm just in the process of adding the Voigtlander 40/1.2 e mount :)
Just got this baby on the aftermarket for $350 it’s phenomenal
I just got mine for 450 (Brand new condition, with the box, leather case, everything it comes with) to where if I sold it I could absolutely sell it as (Brand New)
Many people are not aware that there are actually two versions of this lens, there is a newer, updated version. The way to tell the difference is that the old one is branded as "Carl Zeiss" at the front, the new one is just "ZEISS". Some says the new one is noticablly better in terms of CA, can you get your hands on a new one if it's possible and put the rummor to the test?
Hi Oscar, it is probably unlikely that I do a second review at this point. I have an overwhelming demand for reviews as it is.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Don't worry. I hope Sony can refresh this lens some day. I really like the idea of premium small lens. Without this lens, you only have super budget option like FE 50mm f1.8 which isn't really up to standard, if you want better quality, you have to go with the big boys like Plannar or 50mm F1.2 GM, they are both expensive and heavy. I know Sony recently released a series of small prime lenes but me, like most people are disappointed with only f2.5 aperture because at that price point you can just go with f2.8 zoom lenes. I use to be a heavy DSLR owner, I really appricate small but high quality gear. I'm currently running Samyang 45mm f1.8 and 75mm f1.8 on my Sony A7c. I love the combination, it's like 1/3 of the weight if the gears I had before. For these small lenses I would like to see just a little more optical performance (they are already very good), weather sealing and some switches, but keep the compact size and F1.8 aperture, I don't mind if the price is 100$-200$ higher.
😊
Good morning Dustin, Hope all is well. Thank you once again for another insightful review. Wanted to get your views on this lens and the Loxia 50mm F2 in terms of image quality, contrast, vignetting handling etc. I understand the Loxia lens is manual focus and has better weather sealing, compared to this 55mm lens. Also any thoughts of Zeiss's design principles, such as this lens in review has a Sonnar design and the Loxia lens has a Planar design and I know some of their Batis lens are Distagon design. Appreciate your thoughts. Thanks you.
The Loxia is the more special lens optically (to me), though the autofocus lens wins on convenience.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you Dustin. Really appreciate your feedback.
Interesting review, thank you. I own this lens, and I'm happy with my choice. I think it performs wonderfully, but also that you're right about the CA. I generally like the bokeh, BUT what sticks our more to me is the tendency to onion ring bokeh balls. I personally don't mind the cat eyes, plus at 55mm they're usually not massive anyway. But the bokeh balls do have onion rings.
Now, I think it's the best choice for me due to the size, lower cost and even sharpness compared to the 50mm 1.4. I find the speed of the lens is good enough as it is, and its much smaller size makes it a great choice to carry around alongside my Batis 25mm and sometimes my Samyang 135 (which I also pick if it's crazy bokeh I'm after). Oh, and for the price... I got mine used on Craigslist for something like $600 CAD. Worth it.
That's a great price for the lens, and its a strong value at $600
Dustin Abbott Yeah, pretty much a no-brainer for what it is.
Too bad... all the aspherics loaded lenses are like that. When you use a compound curve to bend light such that they come together at the plane of focus, you tend to cause the out of focus stuff to have concentric fringes.
Dwight Looi Yeah. It's a compromise I'm very willing to make. If I need the creamiest bokeh, a lot of other lenses can offer it, including less expensive legacy lenses with classic designs.
This thing is SO sharp. 40x60 landscape print w an a7rii is amazingly detailed. Possibly DXO’s highest perceived MP
Score?
That's so weird, as it really isn't the case in real world use. DXO is strange that way. This lens is good, but not exceptionally so
I own that. It's great, but the biggest disadvantage is it's a 55mm lens. It always feels too tight. If it was a 46 or 48mm it would be awesome.
I can see that. I was initially offput when Tamron announced their 45mm f/1.8 VC lens, but, after using the focal length for a while, I really like it.
I have Canon 80D APC with 50mm F1.8; I don't know how many times I got hurt on wall, bush and side walk while backing off.
Would you go for this lens or the samyang 50 mark ii ? Many thanks.
Some of these guys writing comments are too funny everyone is an expert. I appreciate your insight and value your expertise if I had your lens and camera knowledge I wouldn't be looking for reviews so much I'd just be creating amazing photos. Keep up the good work I'm grateful for folks like you.
"Armchair Generals" always know best. Thanks for the feedback.
I have this lens and it’s beautiful 👊👊💥
I'm glad you enjoy it.
Nice review, think you've made my mind up...
Glad to help out.
This will be my third year shooting with this lens and I love it. This is one of those lenses where you need to turn off electronic front curtain shutter to get the best bokeh. I have noticed the difference more with this lens than any other I presently use.
That's interesting...and a challenge for using with a flash
Dustin Abbott I would guess that would be true however I only use strobes in the studio and DOF and bokeh is not an issue. I very seldom use a flash otherwise.
I find this lens to be KILLER. Now, granted, I shoot in a studio MOST of the time, so things are quite controlled. But it's very sharp, and renders quite beautifully where I like to shoot it at f2.5-4. I do however agree it has some serious CA when shot in less controlled environments, but that's a minor issue IMO. Also, for portrait work, the 55mm focal length is really handy.
All in all, I think this lens delivers. Though, there are moments where I hope and pray that Sigma delivers a native FE 50mm lens that isn't the size of a small car for Sony at some point down the road.
Great review.
I’m glad you enjoy the lens. Unless Sigma changes course for FE, there seems to be little chance of them building a small lens. That seems to have cease to be a design priority
As usual, a very accurate review. Pity that the 55mm Sonnar, is not between the most affordable lenses. Still must decide which AF 50mm to buy.
These days it does feel overpriced. There's much more competition on the platform.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Agree! On the other hand, this lens is very highly regarded by infrared shooters. One of the best lens on any system! Very sharp and no hotspots at any apertures.
I’ve got this lens and I think it’s absolutely beautiful. I’m glad you reviewed the Planar 50 mm as well because I would never have looked at it, however, I do strongly prefer the small size of the 55mm.
There's no question that the form factor of the lens is fantastic.
Hi Dustin, recently I got a used 55mm F1.8 ZA. I noticed that both the aperture changes and AF is a bit loud/noisy. I’m wondering if that’s normal or if I might have a bad copy? Does your lens operate completely silent or do you also hear some noise from aperture changes and AF? I noticed it specifically when in A mode, especially when I set aperture from F11 to F22 in AF-S focus mode. I notice that when I half press the shutter button to focus, the aperture seems to open up to F1.8 to help with focusing and then stops down to the smaller aperture (F11 to F22). This process takes a second or two and you can definitely hear some motor noise from the lens. I don’t notice the noise from focusing in video mode however. I just wonder if it’s normal or a malfunctioning lens. Visually, the lens is in excellent condition showing no wear or damage to the glass or body. For reference, it’s similar sounding to this: ruclips.net/video/PyMB5PsC1Os/видео.html
Unfortunately the copy of the 55mm that I reviewed was a loaner, so I don't have long term experience with the lens...and it has been nearly four years since I've reviewed it. I can't really diagnose this with any confidence. You might want to address the question to Sony tech support.
Thanks for your very detailed video. Very helpful!
You're very welcome!
Excellent review.
Thank you!
Totally agree with the fact that altough 55/1.8 produces good quality there is nothing "special" on images. Otherwise - its excellent.
Exactly.
Hey Dustin, which other lenss would you consider at the same price range maybe a bit higher?
If you can reach your budget that far, I bought the 50mm F1.4 GM and love it. If you don't need fast AF, the Samyang AF 50mm F1.4 II has beautiful rendering.
Mr Abbott. I disagree with your verdict on the 1.8/55. I own this lens I have have to say that your mention of chromatic aberrations reducing contrast compared to the 1.4/50 is not exactly correct. The 1.8/55 really does not have visible chromatic aberrations in the traditional sense -- as long as the image is all in focus, good luck looking for purple and green fringes. You are not going to find any, not even towards the edge of the frame with black on white stuff. HOWEVER, it does have sphero chromatic aberrations in abundance. This means that bokeh in the foreground tends to hue red and bokeh in the background tends to hue green! What is sharp however is spot on. You can see that in the picture of the MF lens in the video (13:22) -- the aperture ring serrations closer to those in focus hues red, those further away than that which is in focus hues green. If everything is in focus you won't see the hue shift! So this is largely a non issue with scenics and when the aperture is smaller and more of the field is in focus.
That said, the 1.4/50 has the same problem as do many of these "super corrected, super resolution, aspherics loaded" lenses of the last several years. That, and onion rings in the bokeh. Ironically, the less corrected Loxia 2/50 Planar doesn't have the same problem! Yeah, I am crazy try them all... but in the end I decided that I did not buy a small mirrorless body to bloat it with a big fat lens or deal with a MF lens without a split prism (focus zooming and focus peaking does not work well for me) or automatic diaphragm -- so 1.8/55 became the go to lens.
Dwight, your point is somewhat contradictory. You state there is no CA in a traditional sense, but you are referring to a specific kind of CA (lateral). Longitudinal (axial) CA occurs when all colors don't focus equally, which is in fact the case here (though to a mild degree). It is axial CA that reduces contrast, and the Sonnar does have more axial CA than the Planar, thus it does have less contrast at wide apertures...which I demonstrate in the image quality comparison video.
Hey! I'm looking at this lens for dynamic pet photography in low light conditions, i.e. shutter speeds from 1\1000 on my APS-C camera. Do you think this is a good option or should I look at something lighter? Thanks!
This lens is pretty light. My only concern would be that it is an older lens as far as the focus motor.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Maybe you can recommend a more modern fast alternative lens?
I think this is the goldilocks lens to me. I prefer slightly tighter view for 'normal' focal length, I usually shoot 55 to 60 when I use 24-70 lens. So yeah, slightly harsh bokeh and no weather sealing(Here, Korea is extremely humid and rainy in mid june to july) is bitter, but light weight and good IQ from corner to corner is what I want. So, I made the decision and your video helped a lot to make that decision. Thanks from my heart.
Enjoy. Contrary to what I reported (and what I could observe), the Sony website does actually claim moisture resistance on this lens. I didn't see it reported elsewhere, but that should be a reliable report.
Dustin Abbott I'm planning to buy a Macro lens, too. If you are interested, please consider to compare E-mount Macro lenses: Sony 50mm F2.8, 90mm F2.8, Sigma 70mm F2.8(tba) Voigtlaender 65mm F2, 110mm F2.5(tba) or adpates EF mount lenses like Canon 100mmL, Tamron 90mm. IQwise macro lenses are not far from each other, but I really want to know other than MTF specs, like handling or bokeh quality. Thanks.
I probably won't look at all of those, but I have recently purchased the Voigtlander and will definitely be reviewing the Sigma.
Dustin Abbott That would be definitely nice!
Hey Dustin. I could really use your opinion on something. I have my eye on a Sony Zeiss 55mm but I'm wondering if it's really necessary for my needs. Currently I shoot with an adapted Samyang 50 1.4 AS UMC thanks to your review video on said lens. I love it and have no trouble shooting manual as I don't shoot anything fast. No real complaints with the Samyang but I'm a bit interested in getting something that would allow me to use eye autofocus. What I want to know is, if you consider image quality alone, do you think it's worth upgrading to the Sony Zeiss? I shoot mostly portraits but sometimes also environments and landscapes on an a7ii. If the Sony isn't that much better, IQ wise, then I may pass on it.
If you would like a budget alternative, try the Samyang AF 45mm F1.8. You can find my review series here on RUclips. I'm quite a fan of it.
Best review of this lens on youtube! Thanks
My pleasure.
Always great reviews! I get more information watching your videos! Thank you! Would you recommend this lens as a travel lens for the A7III say along with the G-master 24mm 1.4?
It's certainly compact enough to be a nice travel option.
Was your review copy of the Sony ZA 55mm f1.8 branded "CARL ZEISS" or just "ZEISS"..?
It’s been a long time, but I would say Zeiss in the side.
I own an a6500 and the only other FE lens I own in my collection is the 90mm macro which has proven to be an incredibly versatile and sharp lens, both for macro work and tele portraits. I am looking to buy this lens over the sony 50 1.8 because it's generally much more quality but also because I don't want to invest too heavily in apsc lenses from this point on as I plan to move to full frame in the future and the 55mm focal length is awesome with and without the crop factor for my purposes. How would you say this lens performs in lowlights with AF?
It seems to focus pretty well, and is definitely a nice fit on the a6500
I have right know a voigtlander 58 1.4 nikon ais (using with techart), and this 55 that I bought at a bergain price. I'm more incline for the voigtlander beside it is manual and not native....I think the voigtlander produce that "special image" you did mention here...
That's often the case for Voigtlander lenses.
I just wished this was 50mm or 45mm. No good 45mm for Sony. I think 55mm is the lens for me except for the long focal length. The performance is still great and the portability is really in the spirit of mirrorless. It can fit in a purse no problem. However, most of my shots are indoors and 55mm would probably make me back up more than I'd like (or be able to). On the other hand for 35mm there are two options: Distagon, which still doesn't have image quality to match 55mm Sonnar yet has a weight almost as much as the Plannar. The 35mm Sonnar on the other hand is even more portable than the 55mm Sonnar but really suffers in some areas.
Do you have any thoughts on lens reviews on DXOMark?
45mm is a great focal length. Here's hoping Tamron brings their 45 to Sony! I take DXO's rankings with a grain of salt. I appreciate their giving number values to things like light transmission, but question their conclusions at times. They rated this lens over the 50mm f/1.4 Planar, which just isn't true in my comparisons.
I've read their way of testing transmission and it basically automatically gives lenses that can open wider a higher score because it adds data from the wider apertures in the average. Here the 35 2.8 has a big disadvantage when it comes to DXO's transmission rating and is not exactly apples to apples. There is the greater vingenetting on the 35 though. Maybe DXO got a dud sample for the Plannar?
DANKE !! Thanks very much from Berlin.
Welcome!
Hello Dustin, on your copy of the Zeiss 55 could your hear the lens adjusting? I've tried two copies of the lens so far, my second copy has less noise but I still hear the lens adjusting. I'm wondering if I've just received bad copies of the lens. On my Sony 85 1.8 FE it's completely silent and I'd like to have that same experience with a 50mm focal length.
My review copy was very quiet, though I did note from a few viewers that their copy got noisier over time.
A few days ago I bought the 25mm batis I still haven't got it, I'm also about to buy the new sigma 105mm macro for portrait and product photography, that's why I have some questions for you.
1.- For portrait photography, do you recommend the batis 85? or is it very close to sigma 105, how about sonnar 55?
2. I would also have liked to have a wide angle like the batis 18, but with the prices they have, it is too much to buy another one so close to 18 to 25, the difference must be little, don't you think?
3. I also need to record video indoors and outdoors covering the area better, so I needed an angle, later I found out that the Loxia 21 was more appropriate even for gimball but some friends were able to record a spot with the Batis 25mm without problem and everything in AF Does that mean that I no longer need a Loxia if all that process can be done with the Batis 25mm only with AF-C recording video?
But what do you think? Regarding the choice of batis for photo and also for video?
That's a lot of questions, Jaime. You are going to have to see if the Batis 25mm works for your video purposes, because I can't actually answer that for you not knowing your needs. If you want a great 85mm portrait option, consider the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DN lens released this year. It's my current favorite on Sony.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thanks for answering Dustin, I currently work with the Sony A7RIII, I am waiting for Sigma to launch its Sigma Art 105mm macro for product and portrait photography, do you think it is even better than the Sigma Art 85mm?
The new DN lens is definitely better than the older ART
Very useful review, thanks. I'm picking up my a7iii shortly and mostly own manual canon vintage lenses (whice I adore). I'm more of an 85 and 135 focal length guy as almost solely shoot portraits. But I'm interested in this lens due to its rendering on environmental portraits i've seen and nice enough - in my eyes - bokeh it produces. Interesting comment about the blueish colour profile Vs the warmer planar one. I'll be considering the planar based on your comments as well. My other focus at the moment is super fast AF in wide aperture and in particular eye AF with the reach of an 85mm. Which one would you recommend? I would assume going natively instead of adapted. Any suggestions? Thanks
I haven't tested it, but the Sony 85mm f/1.8 gets great reviews. I purchased the Planar lens myself and love it.
So you can use autofocus with this lens on the A7R3? But why on some lenses there is a AF/MF button and some don't? Otherwise you can autofocus on all lenses?
The AF/MF switch is just an easier way to switch between autofocus and manual focus. Any autofocus lens can be used as a manual focus lens as well by controlling that from within the camera.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you very much
I am between this one and the Samyang 45mm 1.8 . Have you used that one yet? Do you have an opinion on that comparison? I can find the Zeiss lightly used at 500 Eur, and the Sammy new at 300. So I'm a bit torn.
Subed and thank you for all your wonderful reviews!
I've definitely reviewed the 45mm and quite like it. I personally would buy it, myself. I think it has more character.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I was just watching that review! Thanks for the awesomely speedy reply! I'm leaning towards that as well, I like a more "vintage" render. Even though the zeiss is technically better, I like myself an underdog! Thanks again and keep up the great work! 🙏🏻👌
With lenses or cameras it usually becomes an argument between quality vs versatility vs value. Seems like the value proposition of this piece of kit is it's versatility and value vs the more premium planar so it seems a little unfair to knock the versatile lens for having less quality than it's bigger, heavier, more expensive brother.
Yes, but in a free market people have choices, and to not mention those choices is a disservice to viewers. I personally looked at both of the lenses and chose the more expensive option due to those factors.
@@DustinAbbottTWI That's fair, sometimes bang for the buck isn't good enough. I bought the 28mm f2 bc everyone was raving about it and I ended up selling it bc the images were nothing special, whereas my 85 GM is expensive as hell but creates magic everytime I use it.
Yes - that's the way it works...sometimes. Some expensive lenses aren't particularly special. I think the 24-70 GM is great, for example, but not particularly more special than the Tamron 28-75mm that costs nearly a third.
is this good for outdoor sports filming outdoors? is it true the lower the f stop the better without kicking up the iso. shooting on an a6500
I think it is a good filming lens, period.
I love this lens so freaking much.
It's a very useful lens, for sure.
Every time I want to upgrade to the 50mm GM, I watch this video and think again ... :) I seem to recall the promise of mirrorless was a reduction in size.
There's a rumor that Sony is going to announce a 50mm F1.4 GM this month that will be comparable to the 35mm GM in size. That could be a very attractive option if it isn't ridiculously priced (assuming it does exist)
@@DustinAbbottTWI Ah! That would make sense that it would be much smaller. I was wondering what was the point of such a product. That fills the blanks ... Allegedly! :)
12:20 Hungry Cat? 🤭🐈 Nice review thanks !
For sure
I have been talking to u about the 50mm f1.4 planar and u said this was a special lens. I have the a6300 and my lens comes in Monday I will definitely let you know my results.
The Planar 50 is definitely a special review.
Dustin Abbott I came bk with my review.... I just want to say thank you so much this lens is awesome the best. I can't stop looking at the pictures I took with it even with the a6300 the quality is sharp plus has the 3d effect I didn't understand what u mean by 3d effect until now. I just which the price was better thanks so much again for ur wisdom time and effort it's really helping us to become great photographer's... Again ur the greatest man!!
Well I wanted this lens badly but the price was not convenient for my budget, so I limited myself to the last version of pancolar MC Zeiss Jena classic lens, manual focus. I find the quality so similar and the bokeh like they are exactly the same lenses
Interesting. I'm glad you enjoy the lens.
55mm is dust and moisture resistant check the sony specs!
You're right - though the reports on that are conflicting and I saw zero evidence of a gasket at the rear mount. Sony does say it is there, but listing at retailers doesn't mention it.
If it is there its not very good
How does this lens compare optically to the zeiss 35mm f1.8?
I'm not aware of a Zeiss 35mm F1.8. There's a Zeiss Loxia 35mm F2, and a Sony Zeiss 35mm F1.4, but I'm not sure what lens you are referring to.
Thanks for all the great reviews Dustin.
A lens you may find fascinating in kind of the same focal length is the native Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2 Aspherical Lens for Sony E mount.
Reasons I like;
-Form factor
-Build quality
-Native lens communication
-Tonality
-Colour rendition
-Manual focus speed and precision
This lens manually focuses so well I am able to capture expeditious moving subjects on the fly.
Lamentably, I can’t verbally express that for all my manual focus lenses :(
With your experience, you may be able to evaluate why this lens does what it does.
Hard for me to explicate but it’s virtually like this lens makes colour and light glow with exquisite sharpness and detail on my A7Rii.
when i load raw images into light-room everyone who optically canvases the raw unedited files instantly favours the pics taken with this lens over my much more expensive lenses and customarily they verbalize they prefer the colour/tones and pop in the light and subjects.
slight post processing and wow this lens comes to life.
That Voigtlander is on my "to-do" list along with the 65mm f/2 APO Lanthar, which I'm very interested in.
Does It have that Zeiss microcontrast when stoping down. Even if it dont have so much contrast do to CA ?
Not like, say, the Loxia lenses, but it’s very sharp and contrasty for landscape work when stopped down.
Do you know if the are differences of the first version Sony FE Carl Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8 and the later version Sony FE Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8 !?
There isn't any announced difference, though that doesn't mean there has been some updating behind the scenes.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you, I have the later version.
Thanks for making great videos, very insightful. I am torn between the 55mm 1.8 and the 50mm plantar. I want something light and for video as well as photography. Your review and some other reviews I've watched all say similar things about chromatic aberration etc on the 55mm which is holding me back from making the purchase.
I am wondering though, a lot of the reviews for the 55mm are from a few years ago and I was looking on the Sony website today, and it says about the 55mm "T coating reduces all forms of aberration". I'm wondering if Sony has made some design changes to fix the CA issues? Do you know about this?
Unfortunately that's just marketing. There is no new redesign of the lens. An alternative to consider is the Samyang AF 45mm F1.8. It's very small and lightweight, but is quite lovely optically.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you for your reply. I'll check out that lens.
what a lovely lens
It is a sweet little lens.
which one is sharper ... zeiss 55 f1.8 or Sony fe 35mm f1.8 ... please answer ... thank you
I don't think there's much of a difference in sharpness, actually. The 55 might be slightly sharper in the corners wide open, but not by much.
Same situation here.. i need an advise.
Im in between these 2 lenses to pair with my tammy 17 28 f2.8
Which one should i get?
@@SamuelSutanto I personally would go with the 55mm just because it gives you more separation from the focal range of your zoom
Do you think the Sony 50mm1.2 is worth the 2,400 price tag? What so special about it. Ps I do want it
I'm working on my review right now and will deliver it next week. I'll be doing a comparison to the 50mm Planar as a part of that.
@@DustinAbbottTWI oh good perfect timing, thank you and God bless. I was able to help out a little on PayPal. You work soooo hard I can’t imagine how you have time to do all you do.
does anyone hear noise in af c ? i think is normal but i can hear motor noise in this lens .
You are right on the color format; Sony is all blue! Canon is warm and orange - more like natural color! But you can tweak on post!
That's definitely true, though it's always better to start with as accurate of color as possible.
I have this lens as well. It is a great lens and is very clear and accurate in its function. But what I have noticed ( and I have read many others experience this) is it is a bit noisy. For the money I paid, I should not have any noise. I have less expensive lens and they are quiet (85mm f1.8 comes to mind). This lens makes NO NOISE. So I don't know if there is a worn motor installed or what but I am sending this back to Sony to see if they can repair or replace. But other than that, its almost magical. Get to a completely quiet place and put your ear and focus... mine made noise.
The one I reviewed was essentially silent when focusing.
Still not sure what to buy for a Sony Alpha7S. 50mm Sigma or this 55 Zeiss. Or just a Cheap SEL 50mm 1,8f.
You might also consider the Samyang AF 45mm F1.8. It's a beautiful little lens and produces excellent result.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Yeah, from the Bokeh seems very nice. And Alot cheaper than 55mm Zeiss. Gonna watch this live in a photo shop. Also its KG Lens. 99% sure I will just buy it^^. Guess I can also use it as a Video Lens for Martial Arts?!
@@DustinAbbottTWI Got the Samyang. But hate to go to the Shops. Cause also got the SEL P18-105G For APS-C.
How would you compare the Zeiss Batis 40 mm ?
I'm still testing the Batis, so it is too soon to say.
Focusing is quiet until the lens starts aging. Mine and for a bunch of folks in the forums, the lens starts making "rust" "grinding" noises when focusing close to the subject.
That's too bad. I didn't encounter that, but obviously I reviewed a new copy.
Got the same prob when it's mounted on my R3. On my old A7 it runs smoothly, but mostly I use it on the R3, and the rusty sound is annoying. My biggest complain with the lens are the very potent onionrings.
I just got my new lens from amazon and it makes noises non stop when focusing. Is that normal or defective copy?
Irena Teneva sounds like a working lens with age and wear/tear . Unload or sell my advice
Well as Dustin can see limitations of the Zeiss Sonnar 55mm F1.8, I would have appreciated some take of its Sonnar design itself. That is a limitation in the review, no? Apropo is it a really good Sonnar, or not sufficiently marinaded in the secret sauce of 'Sonnarliness' rendering?
After all we've lots of other choices of lens designs of good repute: Double-gausss, Ultron, Planar, Biotar, etc. So instead of criticising it for what it is not by design, where does it fall short in the holding up of the noble Sonnar virtues (which are the stuff of legend sir)? In that sense I am none the wiser from your review, and you’ve essentially damned it by faint praise. More or less taking the corner of, well, frankly you're at heart a Planar man, and it's not your cup of tea, fair enough of course. You may have considered it's optical properties against say its stable-mate, the Loxia 50mm F2 which is as you're doubtlessly aware, also Sonnar? 🤔
I think you are putting too much stock in classic optic formulas, which can all be executed well or poorly. There are some amazing lenses with a Sonnar design, but the reason I damned this lens with faint praise is that it is a perfectly competent lens that has little character. I didn't love the images I got from it.
@@DustinAbbottTWIwell I'm not disagreeing with your "meh' assessment - i think it's intriguing what went 'wrong' with this triple aspherical element Sonnar design. Having compared its rendering presence to the Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm F1.5, and the Loxia, it seems so different to me, (now in jest) more your poor man's sober Summicron than the old DDR's Pancolor's 'vodka on Zeiss'. It did get large praise from many reviewer's from its 2014 release. And yet, and yet it is hard to bond with it as a tool. It's respectable across the parameters but without much personality(?), or any je nais se quoi? Maybe that's it, 'non-expert' users can conveniently get a clean AF shot ✅️, with the involvement factor set to low? The Loxia pulls you in more, the focussing experience is visceral, and rewards you with some zesty Zeiss colour punch. But annoyingly the 55mmFe is sharper at F2 to the Loxia, grrrh. Ok I've taken enough of your time I fear, over this Sonnar without a soul. Thankyou for your huge catalogue of reviews, they are a benchmark for enthusiastic photographers like myself, an invaluable library of sound advice sir.
I got my 55mm at 650 $ on sale 🙌
Nice!
May I ask, when the 55mm ZA focus from f1.8 to f22, the noise becomes louder step by step, is it normal for this len?
That's the sound of the aperture changing, not focus, and it is fairly typical.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you
Dustin
55 f1.8 or 50f1.4 from sigma?
The Sigma has more optical chops, but is also a lot bigger and heavier. AF isn't as smooth as this lens. It comes down to your priorities.
I think you got the bad copy. for me it's better than all for the price extremely Sharp.
I doubt it. The Planar is one of the best 50mm lenses out there, period. I just don't think that many people have seen them shot side by side. I saw no evidence of decentering or anything that would cause me to believe that the copy of the Sonnar I had was damaged. Check this out: www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/07/sony-fe-planar-t-50mm-f1-4-za-mtf-and-variance-testing/
Dustin Abbott Sorry bro actually I have the most love for my 55mm got a bit emotional to defend it 😆. by the way your videos are just awesome learned a lot.
Can you do a review of the loxia series? Thanks!
I'll work through them in time, though I have other priorities at the moment. I'm currently reviewing the 18mm and 25mm Batis lenses (along with two other lenses!)
Is it weather sealed lens..
The reports vary, but I believe the answer (according to the manufacturers website) is yes.
I dont know if something changed during 2 years, but this lens are weather sealed now. Atleast sony website saying so.
The website has always said they are weather sealed but they're not.
@@burritobrosvideos8060 the question what warranty is saying
I did see after the review that Sony claims weather sealing. The gasket that they say is there at the lens mount is basically impossible to find, however. It's not sealed in the way that I've seen other lenses sealed, for sure.
Subbed. Thanks
You're welcome.
Hello everyone, I just got my 55 1.8. Very noisy when focusing. Is that normal?
That wasn't my own experience at all
Thank you Dustin, I will return it next week or so. Compared to my Sony 85 1.8 it was really noisy. It is not only me: www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3626918
its funny how sensitive current owners of this lens are..
LOL. Some lenses get a strong fan support.
What are the other 50mm lenses that provide more special images?
The Sony Zeiss Planar 50mm F1.4 is excellent. The Sigma ART is pretty good. The Samyang AF 45mm F1.8 is a great alternative to this lens. I actually really like that little lens.
Thanks for this review Mr Abbott. Last months I'm looking for the best studio child portrait lens to my sony a7iii. I've a small studio (26m2) and I've decided to buy the most sharp lens I can afford. I decided to buy zeiss 55 1.8, but after this video I'm reconsidering my decission. Any advice?
Hi there - I'm not sure what market you are in (in terms of costs), but for roughly the same money you could buy the Samyang AF 45mm F1.8 and Samyang AF 85mm F1.4. Both of these lenses are quite excellent, and would give you two different options for framing your portraits. I like the 55m F1.8, but I think it is overpriced.
@@DustinAbbottTWI In fact, I already have a samyang AF 85mm 1.4 and It's my option when I shoot outdoor portraits, but I really have to say that in eye-AF autofocus mode It is sometimes annoyingly incosistent. My unit al least... and that make me doubt about samyang AF 45mm F.18
I want this lens but have heard its mechanically flawed A well-known photo equipment rental company has had to repair many of these lenses due to a STUPID engineering design. I copies this from a review on B&H< have you heard about this problem
I know 3 people who have and use this lens often..no issues at all..maybe we are 3 of the lucky ones but i have never had issues and I have used this lens in situations where I thought if I get through this without damage I will be very happy..rain and blowing sand ..i am still very happy
I'm not discounting people's experience, but it does seem on the internet that the bad copies get all the publicity, and then everyone gets all hyped up.
Just consider bro has a Tommy Hilfiger outlet cotton 1/4 zip
I think I'm missing the significance of this...
Is this lens capable of pro work today?
I guess that depends on what you mean by pro-work. I don't think it is the top choice these days, but you can make amazing photos with it.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you for responding. I was thinking about Wedding Photography. How much better would the Sony 50mm GM be...would it be noticeable. I am a newbie. I have the Sony A7S III but am in the mix for a Sony A7 V. I really love your content. Peter...from Thunder Bay.
The Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 is my least favorite 50-ish lens for the Sony A7rii and A7riii cameras... There's just something "clinical" about the way this lens renders that I find to be distracting.
I certainly didn't dislike the lens (anything but), but neither did I think the rendering was fantastic from it. I feel the same about the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART.
Sharpness and focus is hard to fix later, while a "clinical" or "cold" output can usually be fixed with a quick bump in saturation or color temperature, no?
I follow your channel since like forever and I respect your opinion a lot. Your reviews are always the most detailed you can find in yt. But with this particular lense I completely disagree. Specially regarding to the sharpness. This thing is SHARP. 1.8 is meeh, but from 2.8… oh boy (tested in a a7r v)I heard in many places about low quality control in older sony lenses. Your copy was maybe decentered somehow. Surely 50mm 1.4GM is in other level but this is a very capable lense for 400-450 dollars. Greetings from Spain!
While it is possible that there was some decentering, I do think this lens is a bit overrated, personally.
@@DustinAbbottTWI For 900dollars maybe but for 400 its great imo
Now I know what I want. I buy a Sigma Art 50 mm
When it comes to FE? I'm certainly interested in testing that lens.
Angle of view. 50mm is 50mm.
The follow experience I constantly have.....I find the processor in my Nikon Camera's do a much better job, then my Sony's....it is very rare that I need to do any editing on my Nikon images, just about every image I take with my Sony's I have to edit..When I. finish editing my Sony images they. are equal to the Nikon images.....However.that Electronic Viewfinder and the features it gives my Sony Camera's is terrific .......
I'm having very different experience on the matter of quietness, the aperture blades are actually quite noisy while taking photos (but quieter in video mode) especially when stopped down, say over f8. There are many ppl having the same issue: ruclips.net/video/PyMB5PsC1Os/видео.html
Just thought this is worth mentioning (Sorry for commenting on a quite dated review lol)
I've heard that from a few people, actually. Sometimes there are long terms issues that don't show up in a short term review.
Newbie here. Thanks for the lens review! I'm waiting on mine for delivery.
May I also point out something I've learned? The window on your left third video is distracting. Also, your head is covering pictures on the wall. Very annoying. And the round built in speaker? Why? I guess what I'm asking is wouldn't a solid color background for your videos be better? And the boat and chess table, which I'm guessing you built... Anyway, thanks for the review.
Actually a lot of viewers prefer a dynamic environment to a static one (as you'll see from most television news stations). I actually used static backgrounds in the past, and still have a studio that I could do that at, but I've set up this space in my basement that people seem to like.
You got problems. Go check yourself before you comment
"Nothing special about the rendering of the lens." This is so subjective it's irrelevant, and not even worth saying.
With all due respect, Jeffrey, don't you think that your statement is highly subjective? If you read through the many comments, you will find that there are many people who have agreed with or been positively influenced by that statement that you call not worth saying. I'm both a professional reviewer and a professional photographer; it is my subjective insights along with empirical data that make me worth listening to.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I hope I didn't give the impression that I don't think you're worth listening to; you certainly are! Your videos and other materials are highly entertaining and informative. Thanks for all you do, but to say there's nothing special about the rendering of the lens is something you just can't prove in any meaningful way, so why go down that road? It's kind of like saying that vanilla ice cream has no distinctive flavor when everyone knows that it does. Regards.
Jeffrey Prokopowicz the distinction here is that is might give you something special. But even for Sony 50s it’s nothing special. If it works for you perfect but it doesn’t excel or give anything thats not already available even from 3rd parties.
canon 50 mm 1.8 stm - 100 bucks
Yes, but that lens is not in this class in any way.
I had both of those lenses, huge difference!
I am using canon 1.8 stm and sigma mc11. Do you think we may see significant difference for 600$ more? Shooting with Alfa7R3
@@vpr5562 That nifty fifty doesn't stand any chance against this 55mm. It is spectacular, just not as spectacular as more expensive planar 50 mm.
Color? hahaha... it matters?
The color out of glass definitely matters!