I'm trying to move to Sony. What are the good ~50mm options for Sony? I know the 50mm 1.2GM. But it's overkilled (I meant the price ). Any good 1.4 or good quality 1.8? This lens will be for human photography.
Just get the 50GM and you can stop thinking about it, if you get anything else you will keep thinking about the 50GM.
The 50GM will hold it's value really well too, the Canon EF 50 1.2 was released 2006 which is 15 years ago at the price point of $1600, you can get a used for about $900 today(but that's after Canon moved on to new RF mount), that's not even $50 per year, so it's really not much money each year.
The 50ZA IQ performance is close to the 50GM, but the AF performance is not really close, the AF on the 50GM is noticeably better, personally I don't really like Zeiss color a little too cold for my taste. Also, 50ZA is the same size and weight as the 50GM, but a lot cheaper used.
Ed
fa0025 wrote:
I'm trying to move to Sony. What are the good ~50mm options for Sony? I know the 50mm 1.2GM. But it's overkilled (I meant the price ). Any good 1.4 or good quality 1.8? This lens will be for human photography.
fa0025 wrote:
I'm trying to move to Sony. What are the good ~50mm options for Sony? I know the 50mm 1.2GM. But it's overkilled (I meant the price ). Any good 1.4 or good quality 1.8? This lens will be for human photography.
Appreciate any inputs.
The 1.2/50 is great, but aside from expensive it’s also pretty big and heavy (sure it’s very light and small for an AF 1.2/50, but that’s still big and heavy.
It’s also only much better than alternatives at wider apertures. I have one, I love it, but would not consider it as ones only 50.
I’m a fan of the 2.5/50G. It’s not a cream machine, but the bokeh is fairly neutral, it’s super light and small, and very sharp and otherwise well corrected. Lightning AF.
It’s sharper wide open than the ZA 1.8/55 stopped down to f2.5, and better corrected too (though of course that a
1.8/55 was maybe the first ‘nifty fifty’ that was genuinely useable over much of the frame wide open, and remains a good choice if you insisting on a wider aperture than f2.5).
For Sony options best to state whether you would consider manual focus, eg:
Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 50mm f/2
Voigtländer 50mm f/1.2 SE
ZEISS Loxia 50mm f/2
If you don't mind an extra 5mm, already mentioned: Sony Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA
Other AF options:
Sony SEL50F14Z Planar T FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA
Samyang AF 50mm f/1.4 FE
Samyang AF 50mm f/1.4 FE II
The only one of those options with plenty of talk on FM is Samyang AF 50mm f/1.4 FE II as it's so new.
Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN should not be ignored and even Sigma 65mm f/2 DG DN despite being 15mm longer than 50.
fa0025 wrote:
I'm trying to move to Sony. What are the good ~50mm options for Sony? I know the 50mm 1.2GM. But it's overkilled (I meant the price ). Any good 1.4 or good quality 1.8? This lens will be for human photography.
Appreciate any inputs.
Sony is rich in 50mm or near 50mm options. Make sure you check out the used prices in the buy-sell forum here on FM.
The 50/1.8 is inexpensive, creates very nice-looking images, good central sharpness wide open but weaker on the edges, focuses a little slowly. Good for people pictures, portraits, except if you need to focus very fast.
The 55/1.8 is moderately priced, extremely sharp, focuses quickly, small and light, one of the lenses that first established Sony. Some say its rendering is too neutral for their taste, but its neutral rendering is perfectly fine and not at all quirky. I think of it as an excellent lens for documentary-style images of people.
The 50/1.4 ZA is a fabulous lens that creates images with a very lovely look. It is a bit long though not really heavy. Wonderful lens, more expensive than the 55/1.8. Make sure you get a decently centered copy.
The 50/1.2 GM is a beautiful lens, perhaps the best 50mm lenses made by anyone. Pricey, as you know. The 50/1.4 ZA delivers performance that is in the same ballpark for less money.
One can also look at the 50mm lenses made for Sony FE by other makers--Sigma, Samyang, and if you don't want AF, then Voigtlander and Loxia. There are also some wonderful lenses in the near-50mm category--the Batis 40mm, a couple of Sigma lenses, the inexpensive but competent Samyang 45/1.8, the superb Sigma 45/2.8.
If you are looking to keep the budget reasonable, I personally would look for a Sony 55/1.8 or a Sony 50/1.4ZA. Look for sample images to help you choose.
Have fun. There is enough here to keep you confused for months!
As it has been said, sony is rich of many 50mm options. BUT some should be avoided now.
I'm a 50mm shooter, and have tested all the options but the GM which is too expensive for my wallet.
Some lenses are nice but suffers from af issues, so I would not recommend them:
Batis 40mm (I have tested three of them with the latest firmware)
Sigma 45mm 2.8
Samyang 50mm mkI has really slow af
So has the Sony 50mm 1.8
On the cheapest area I would recommand the Samyang 45mm.
On the middle price it is hard to say:
Af speed for the 50mm 2.5 and 55mm 1.8 is really good. It is a matter of taste if you prefer one or the other...
Sigma 50mm Art is beautiful, MF is classical. Af is accurate but not the fastest. Rendering is very nice.
But it is heavy. Really!
In manual lenses, I would not recommand the Loxia, since voigtlanders 50mm 1.2 or 2 are much better in every regards.
I would not recommand the Zeiss 1.4. Way to expensive. AF is not very solid. Colors are nicer than the sigma, but in other aspects the sigma is much better and less expensive.
Haven't used the new Samyang, maybe a nice option?
I hope Sigma will release also someday a 50mm 1.4 DN as good and light than their 85mm!
IMHO, the new Samyang/Rokinon 50/1.4 will be the best bang for buck (for f/1.4) in the foreseeable future... but better to wait for some actual reviews to be sure (Dustin Abbott said he is reviewing one right now).
For a bit slower option, Samyang 45 is nice as an all-around lens, but its MFD, onion rings and cats eyes are something to keep in mind.
I'm holding out for the Samyang 50/1.4 ii lens, which is currently in the process of trickling out in different countries. No real online reviews on it yet though oddly, so it's a bit of an unknown. There's a review in progress on this board, not finished yet: https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1730747
I am the proud owner of Sony 50 1.4 ZA for many years and think that this lens is timeless classic. I borrowed 50GM to test it and - in my personal opinion - there is no difference with ZA 1.4 in real life (except ergonomics).
All other 50mm are from different league.
55 1.8 is nice if you do video, but that is it.
I have not tried new Samyang 50 1.4 ii, but with 97,8% probability low weight is traded for IQ.
Also - from personal experience - 50 ZA can make you better photographer: 50mm used to be my favorite focal lenghth, but I was forced to become really good in 35mm and 85mm by constant stealing of 50 ZA by my wife)))))) After her switch from Canon to Sony 50ZA has became "our" lens, if you understand the meaning))))
If I were you, I would not hesitate to buy 50 ZA: with current used prices it is one of the best (if not the best) "magic per usd" lens.
Just my personal opinion, people are different.
I'm holding out for the Samyang 50/1.4 ii lens, which is currently in the process of trickling out in different countries. No real online reviews on it yet though oddly, so it's a bit of an unknown. There's a review in progress on this board, not finished yet: https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1730747
fa0025 wrote:
I'm trying to move to Sony. What are the good ~50mm options for Sony? I know the 50mm 1.2GM. But it's overkilled (I meant the price ). Any good 1.4 or good quality 1.8? This lens will be for human photography.
Appreciate any inputs.
Which are your priorities?
Sharpness?
Bokeh?
CA correction?
Light falloff?
Weight/Dimensions?
Price?
I think you'd have to adapt it but I've looked at the sigma 50 1.4 for this purpose recently. The ex is like $300 or so.
If you are looking at shooting stopped down I haven't found a bad 1.8 yet. Older ones potentially radioactive though. The mid to late 1960's one I got under $20 shipped is actually quite nice stopped down. Philip Reeve does an interesting test on his site of older rather mundane 50 vs 55 Sony
Good list from Gunzorro above. Only caveat on the ZE50 is if you go that route, consider the Nikon mount instead, as the lens has significant focus shift and needs to be stopped down for focusing. The external aperture ring on the ZF.2 Nikon version of the same lens makes that easy.
With the GM out, the sonyZeiss 50/1.4 ZA used is fairly inexpensive, and it is a fabulous lens…it’s AF is just not the fastest. The bokeh of the Sony 50 ZA is better than the Sony 55/1.8, but the 55 has more crispness and 3D character. The Sigma Art 50 is also a lovely lens, all three are slower on AF.
In MF realm, it is still very hard to beat the Minolta 58/1.2 Rokkor PG for quality, but the Loxia 50 is excellent and automatically triggers zooming of the EVF when focusing. In the $1000-1200 range, the Leica M 50/2 v4 is fantastic, as are the Voigtlander options.
Yes, I believe the GM blows these alternates away, but it does so at a very high price tag. If that is close to perfection, you can still buy ‘really awesome’ others at fractions of the GM price - no shortage of choices…
If you want the best 50, not something close, etc, there are only two choices in my not so humble opinion...
The Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM is among the finest lenses available in the Sony world. It's a lifetime purchase.
The Voightlander 50mm f/2 APO-Lanthar is half the weight, half the price and as good or even better optically. It's manual focus, for you that may be a deal breaker.
For people, events, or when I just feel like it, I use the 50 f/1.2. In the landscape, for slower more contemplative work, the APO cannot be surpassed. I'm old enough to remember the days before autofocus (not always fondly for photographing
moving children). Now, for anything that might move, autofocus is essential for my aging eyes.
Yes, the other posters here have good suggestions but I'm trying to keep it simple.
As you say the 50 1.2 is overkill, and truth be told the Voightlander is probably overkill as well. These are wonderful lenses but expensive, and deals on lenses that get you 90% of the way at half the price are available. The Sony Zeiss 50 1.4 and the Loxia 50mm are comparable to both of these and much cheaper particularly on the used market.
). Any good 1.4 or good quality 1.8? This lens will be for human photography.
(and even landscape )