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Archive 2022 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

v3suv1us
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p.1 #1 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

Hello, please help me to decide which is best choice for me..
I'm not a professional, just an enthusiast who like to take picture of food, cafe , coffee, and lifestyle thing.
not choosing 35mm because of a distortion compare to 50mm
choice in 50mm range and 85mm range, Ill buy 50mm first.
my current Gears : Sony a7iv , Sony 16-35mm f4 pz , Tamron 28-75 f2.8 G1
Yes,I want 50mm Prime , I'm looking for Bokeh and Image quality.

After a long research for 50mm range lens, i have got some good reputation lenses which is :
- Sony 55mm f1.8
- Sony 50mm f1.2 GM
- Sony 50mm f1.4 Zeiss ( But Price so close to GM )
- Samyang 50mm f1.4 ii (But i heard that too many inconsistent sample variation on samyang lenses)
- Voigtlander 50mm f2 APO LANTHAR (But its manual focus, and quite Expensive for Manual lenses)
- Sony 50mm f2.5 (But too close to my f2.8 on tamron)
- Sigma 65mm (But too narrow)
and finally sorted until this 2 :
- Sony 55mm f1.8
- Sony 50mm f1.2 GM
Honestly my heart already in Sony 55mm f1.8 Because of the : Size, Decent Image Quality, and Price.
I know the Biggest Cons of this lens too which is :
-Chromatic abberation
and my question is, For my use case , can i regret if i buy this lens compare to almighty 50mm f1.2 that almost won everything, beside Size and Price ?
Anyway in my area, the price is :
sony 55mm f1.8 around $560
sony 50mm f1.2 around $1600

Thanks a lot, Ill appreciate all the answer

Dec 10, 2022 at 11:27 AM

Neurad1
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p.1 #2 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

Dec 10, 2022 at 11:35 AM

Neurad1
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p.1 #3 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

Dec 10, 2022 at 11:36 AM

NJPhotographer
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p.1 #4 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

The 55/1.8 is great for food, cafe, coffee and lifestyle. Easy to carry and high quality. Chromatic aberration is minor, and no problem if you stop down a little or apply a correction in Lightroom. It can have some strong flaring, so use the lens hood.

Dec 10, 2022 at 01:41 PM

mudlake
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p.1 #5 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

This is my opinion after owning both lenses: if you can afford it, get the 50GM. It�s the best 50mm in the world. The old adage, �buy once, cry once� applies to the 50GM. The 55/1.8 is certainly very good, but after owning it for 3 years, I never warmed up to its image quality, especially the bokeh. I just didn�t like how my people pictures looked. But that�s just my opinion. Others would disagree.

The 50GM is a lens you�ll never sell once you own it - IF you are a 50mm lover.

Dec 10, 2022 at 02:34 PM

QuietOC
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p.1 #6 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

The 1.8/55 ZA Sonnar has a pretty broad amount of variation in my experience with two of them. I am fairly happy with my current used copy. It has a pretty high amount axial CA.

The Samyang II seems a better option to me for your intended use. I would probably try the Sigma 45.

Edited on Dec 11, 2022 at 06:09 AM · View previous versions

Dec 10, 2022 at 02:42 PM

ryanli
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p.1 #7 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

NJPhotographer wrote:
The 55/1.8 is great for food, cafe, coffee and lifestyle. Easy to carry and high quality. Chromatic aberration is minor, and no problem if you stop down a little or apply a correction in Lightroom. It can have some strong flaring, so use the lens hood.

I've owned both lenses, liked the 55/1.8 a lot and loved the 50/1.2, both give the top level of performance as would be expected in their respective price brackets. However I would disagree with you (and the OP) on the 55/1.8 as a food or cafe lens. Personally I found 55mm too tight for indoor use and with the 55/1.8, not helped by its relatively long minimum focus distance. I would often have to stand on my chair to get a decent bird's eye view of a dish, or lean back somewhat to get a shot of a dining companion across the table with their food. The working distance of a 50mm FOV or even 45mm or 40mm is much more versatile for food shots.

If I were OP I would look at many decent alternatives in the price range of the 55/1.8, such as the Samyang 50/1.4II which is spectacular in every way optically (very very close to the 50GM), or the Sigma 45/2.8 which is not known for wide open sharpness but has sublime rendering of focus transition areas.

Dec 10, 2022 at 03:47 PM

darrellc
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p.1 #8 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

ryanli wrote:
I've owned both lenses, liked the 55/1.8 a lot and loved the 50/1.2, both give the top level of performance as would be expected in their respective price brackets. However I would disagree with you (and the OP) on the 55/1.8 as a food or cafe lens. Personally I found 55mm too tight for indoor use and with the 55/1.8, not helped by its relatively long minimum focus distance. I would often have to stand on my chair to get a decent bird's eye view of a dish, or lean back somewhat to get a shot of a dining companion...Show more →

Agree here. I had the 55/1.8 for many years and too long most of the time for indoor shots. Have 50GM now and superlative, and seems a bit wider than 50 (just like the ZA before it), but I�d consider the Batis 40, which has great close up performance and short MFD. I don�t shoot my food, but seems you�d need to stop down a bit to get much of your food in focus, so the Sigma 45/2.8 is tiny and would be easy to keep in the bag for food shots has beautiful rendering and you really only need to stop down to f4 to bring resolution up near MFD.

Dec 10, 2022 at 03:54 PM

Tony Ross
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p.1 #9 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

I bought the 55m as my first FE mount lens (on an A7RII). It was good. I still have it, but haven't used it in years.

I have the Voigtlander APO Lanthar 50mm f/2, too. It is an excellent lens, sharp wide open (see Fred Miranda's detailed review of the lens on this site!). Yes, it's manual, but it works in A mode on every Sony. I still have it, and use it every so often, especially when I am in no hurry, and happy to use manual focus (I find it calming sometimes!)

I have the Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM. It is a magnificent lens, and probably my second favourite lens after the 135mm GM. It is fast and accurate to focus; it is sharp wide open; it yields very detailed images on a high resolution sensor; but yes, it's fairly large for a 50mm lens, and not exactly subtle. If you want a discreet lens to photograph your plate at a restaurant, this is not that lens.

If you are looking for something discreet, the Voigtlander or the 55/1.8 are better, although maybe you'd be even better off using your phone - you'd stand out less.

Dec 10, 2022 at 04:13 PM

isohw
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p.1 #10 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

agree with ryanli and darrellc about 55 being often too tight for indoor.
40/45 FL is more convenient so easier to get the shot i want to.
my 55 is taking dust since i bought 45 2.8.

Dec 10, 2022 at 04:28 PM

Grenache
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p.1 #11 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

Assuming 35mm is not worth considering because of distortion only means you have never shot a good 35mm lens. The 35GM, ZA 35/1.4, or Sigma Art 35/1.4 are all spectacular. They would be much more appropriate for cafe/street.

If you have the cash, the 50GM is unparalleled. The same could largely be said of the 35GM�and the 24GM�which is so we�ll corrected, you can shoot portraits with a 24!

Jim

Edited on Jul 07, 2023 at 10:41 PM · View previous versions

Dec 10, 2022 at 04:39 PM

fotografur
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p.1 #12 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

For "food, cafe , coffee, and lifestyle thing"

35 GM

Take a step closer and you're there. No distortion.

The 50mm is too tight. If you really want a reasonably priced 50mm get the 50 2.5G.

Dec 10, 2022 at 05:54 PM

tzhang4284
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p.1 #13 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

If you can afford it, the 50mm f1.2 is clearly better than the 55mm f1.8 except for size. For a compact 50mm lens, I liked the 55mm more than the 50mm f2.5 G.

But similar to the post above this one, for what you're looking to photography I think the 35mm GM or 35mm f1.8 would be better. Better working distances - you have to be a bit farther with the 50mm lens regardless of which one you pick.

Dec 10, 2022 at 08:27 PM

photonoclast
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p.1 #14 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

I know you want just a lens, but an Rx1rii would be perfect for this. The lens is legendary and does equally well for close-ups as well as environmental portraiture. It's also very unobtrusive, which seems advantageous for your application. My humble opinion is to ignore comments to the effect that it is getting out of date...

Dec 10, 2022 at 08:46 PM

matrix44
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p.1 #15 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

You'd think flagship smartphones are good enough for food and coffee pictures, unless you do that professionally. I can't imagine taking my A7III with a giant lens to a restaurant. I don't take photos of food, but if I did, my S22 Ultra should produce good enough results for social media etc. And it's not like most people take photos of food for large prints. Haha.

For lifestyle and casual photography that cannot be accomplished by a flagship smartphone (great bokeh or reach), I'd go with as compact of a setup as possible. For 50mm equivalent, I absolutely love my Canon 32mm 1.4 EF-M mounted to my EOS M6 II. The images that lens produces are just stunning. I also have a 50 1.4 ZA and a Rokinon 45 1.8, but I gravitate towards my 32 ef-m when I want to shoot 50mm F2 or so full frame equivalent in a very compact package.

Dec 10, 2022 at 09:33 PM

princeharbinger
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p.1 #16 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

Since you said you're an enthusiast and your heart is set on the 55. Go with the 55. It'll have better micro-contrast and contrast due to it having fewer elements. Also, you can't go wrong with the Zeiss colors. This is coming from a professional that owns the GM. Enjoy your new lens.

Dec 10, 2022 at 09:42 PM

lensfan
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p.1 #17 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

And sharpness between f2 and f4 is incredible. Very few lenses can rival that. Maybe only the CV APO.

Dec 11, 2022 at 12:41 AM

GHarris
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p.1 #18 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I'll mention there's also the Samyang 45mm f/1.8. It has a lot in common with the Zony 55mm f/1.8 - tiny and quite good - it's just a somewhat shorter focal length. And very inexpensive. Compared to the prices of the other two you could almost just buy one and try it for the hell of it.

You've mentioned already that you have a zoom lens covering these focal length ranges, the Tamron 28-75 G1, so I guess you'll know which focal length is and isn't right for you, just from having shot with the zoom and looking back on your EXIF data to see what focal length you were using for the shots you like of the subjects you have in mind. That potentially makes my and others' suggestions regarding the suitability of different focal lengths irrelevant, but I'll press on regardless...

It's still a distinctly longer lens than a 35mm, still broadly in the "50mm" universe. The Sony GM is really a little bit less than 50mm. So you're not all that far away from the 45mm Samyang's focal length when you're already considering the GM.

A relevant criticism others have already made regarding the 55mm f/1.8 is the minmum focussing distance. It has a magnification ratio of 1:7.1 (0.14x). And because it's a longer-focal-length lens, that may actually amount to a certain something in terms of practical working distances for your shooting of potentially small items / cups / dishes - it has a minimum focussing distance of 50cm.

The Sony GM has a magnification ratio of 1:5.9 (0.17x). This is a bigger improvement than it looks, because of the added easing factor of the shorter focal length on top. Its minimum focussing distance is 40cm.

And that's a point against my suggestion of the Samyang 45mm f/1.8, actually. Its magnification ratio is the worst of the three - 0.12 (1:8.3). But the shorter focal length mitigates that a little bit, so that, in the end, its minimum focussing distance is marginally closer than the Zony 55, at 48cm. Still. It's not ideal.

Anyway the reason I bring up minimum focussing distances / magnification ratios specifically is that you might not be used to prime-lens behaviour in this regard. Primes tend to have worse minimum focus distances than zooms. It's possible that you could be really surprised, when you go to frame the kind of shot you've taken before with your Tamron 28-75 set at ~50mm, and find you have to back off a lot and crop to get the shot. Your Tamron zoom has a generous magnification ratio of 1:2.9 on the wide end and 1:4 on the long end, so at 50mm I guess it'll be somewhere in-between... you can get a lot closer with your zoom than you can with the primes. Some shots you're accustomed to being easily able to get with the zoom might not work so well with the primes. Maybe.

This might end up being an argument for the Sony 50mm f/1.2, since it has the best minimum focussing distance. But only if minimum focus distance is truly an issue for what you want to shoot - that's hard for us to guess.

Dec 11, 2022 at 04:06 AM

DavidBM
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p.1 #19 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

v3suv1us wrote:
Hello, please help me to decide which is best choice for me..
I'm not a professional, just an enthusiast who like to take picture of food, cafe , coffee, and lifestyle thing.
not choosing 35mm because of a distortion compare to 50mm
choice in 50mm range and 85mm range, Ill buy 50mm first.
my current Gears : Sony a7iv , Sony 16-35mm f4 pz , Tamron 28-75 f2.8 G1
Yes,I want 50mm Prime , I'm looking for Bokeh and Image quality.

After a long research for 50mm range lens, i have got some good reputation lenses which is :
- Sony 55mm f1.8
- Sony 50mm f1.2 GM
-...Show more →

From what you are saying l would definitely go with the ZA 1.8/55

The GM is awesome. I have one, and use it for special shoots, but it�s just too heavy and big for me to use as an ll purpose lens. I�m very glad to have it, but if if I had to have only one, I�d go with the ZA

Sounds like the wider alternatives aren�t your cup of tea, so let�s rule out the various 40 and 45mm options.

If you need autofocus, md you like a slightly longer lens, you could look at the Sigma 65mm f2 which is probably optically. a better but likely focuses a touch slower.

But unless the focal length of that appeals, the ZA 55 is a very fine choice still. It doesn�t amaze like it did When it was new, but it�s very good at every aperture, and the only real downside in my view is the LoCA, which only very rarely annoys. Buy it used though, it�s a bit overpriced new.

Dec 11, 2022 at 04:23 AM

QuietOC
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p.1 #20 · sony 55mm f1.8 vs sony 50mm 1.2 GM

Testing them back-to-back I didn't find the Sony 55 to focus any quicker than the Sigma 65.

Dec 11, 2022 at 06:06 AM

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