Sony 50mm f/1.4 Lens
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A worthy investment
I bought this lens because my Sigma 28-70 EX decided itwasn't going to focus any longer and I needed a lens rightnow to work on a portrait shoot. When I'd gotten my Maxxum8000i many years ago I had a 50 f/1.7 that I sold when I gotmy first zoom for that camera. Big mistake.I've been using a Maxxum 7D for the last couple years andhonestly I wasn't impressed with image quality. I alwaysthought it was a bit soft ... and with some lenses, a bitnoisy.... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not Sony's best lens
The 50 1.4 lens is legendary in photography, and any company wanting to make its name in the industry should have a top notch one in there line up. Though I do favor Nikon, I do have other makes and I have a 50 prime for them all. After trying this lens out, I was left very disappointed. I really like the look and field markers on this lens, but when compared to other makers this lens is very soft. Its better at F/4, but this completely destroys ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great lens - not too costly, light, fast
I was somewhat hesitant to purchase this lens at first because you can get a similar model of a used Minolta lens for a much lesser price. After a through review of the product on other websites, I came to the conclusion that this lens would be the way to go. I even went to a nearby camera store that had the product just to try it out before making the online purchase through B&H. It's great for indoors and low lighting conditions, and I like to ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good classic lens
I use this lens with full frame body (A850) for portraits and landscapes. It gives quite smooth and pleasant bokeh. In some rare harsh conditions bokeh may be some nervous due to pronounced coma, but I can live with it. Center is sharp straight from f/1.4. Borders reasonably sharp from f/2.0 and tack sharp from f/2.8. Contrast is reduced at f/1.4, but this is ok for portraits. Autofocus is very quick and precise. So, I use this lens for portraits... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Solid performer
I like to do a lot of low light photography. My Minolta 50mm f1.7 was doing pretty well, but I wanted more. The SAL5014 has been great, pushing what my camera can do. Wide open, you will get a soft focus. This is to be expected of such a large aperture. Stopped down to f2.8 or so will give very very good sharpness on an APS sized sensor (A700, 300, 350). With f.14 and 75mm effective focal length on an APS sized sensor, at your disposal, this thin... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
The real deal!
I'm a student at CU, and I've done well in photography classes with pawnshop film cameras in the sub-$50 range.Needless to say, blowing $ on a lens is a big deal to me, but I know I've made the right decision with the 50/1.4 for the following reasons:Picture quality: bokah-rific! and sharp.Function: the focus ring is ball-bearing smooth compared to any kit lens.Build: reassuring. Metal construction. Quality throughout.Bottom Line: Took the lens o... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
What a great lense is this!
I use this lense with my A900 camera. I used sal 50.4 lense for potrait and indoor. This lense shows me absolutely great performence. First, the figure is really cute. I mean, the design is really sweet second, The performense is very good. this lense shows a very fast and exact auto focusing. Moreover, the results are exetremely perfect. finally, It is not to heavy so it is very easy to move. I think the weak point of this lense is I can not find yet! If you hesitate to buy this lense, do not wait anymore. I affirm that you also have a confidence like me :)
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
It's Nifty Alright!
I've been wanting one of these 50mm lenses for years. Finally decided it was now or never. Man, I'm happy I made the plunge. This lens is awesome for taking pictures indoors with low light. My dog is solid black and I've never been able to get a good picture of him. He always looks like a black blob. Not with this lens! You can see every little detail right down to his shiny black coat and this is in a semi-dark living room with NO flash! If your wanting good bokeh, this is the lens to get. Beautiful blurred backgrounds!
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Glass Great Price
I bought this lens to take low-light pictures with no flash and portraits. Its a fast lens and allows me to hand hold my A100 in low light and produce sharp warm pictures in ISO 100. Before I required my external HVL-F36AM Flash to get the low-light shots and the flash would often wash out the natural light.I take great portraits with perfect amount of Bokeh and because I have a APS-C DSLR I have the great focal length of 75mm. Highly recommended great price. Expertise: Expert Amateur Items I Recommend: Sima CapKeeper
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Need a lens for lightning photography?
An excellent general-purpose lens for either my Konica-Minolta 5D or my Sony A700. I use it mainly for manual-focus-at-infinity lightning photography and to date it has performed very well indeed.Focus is razor sharp. AF performance is very good especially on my A700. Lens hood is good for lightning photography because it keeps rain from falling directly onto the glass. The Sony lens hood has an advantage against the Minolta built-in hood because it provides more surface area to attach a shock-corded camera cover....
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
wonderful lens
great portrait lens. My house is very dark and I wanted a lens I could shoot photo's of my newborn baby without flash or absurdly long exposures. After going back and forth and reading every review on the web of this lens and the Sigma. I chose the Sony, because the sigmas QC seemed hit and miss. Price was not an issue but the extra 150 dollars in savings bought me some other nice accessories. I'm very happy, even though it doesn't fill every need I haven't taken it off my a33 since I got it. It is incredibly sharp!
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
NICE!
Light weight metal construction. Smooth, very fast focusing. For twice the weight and $100 more I could have got a Sigma (my Canon friend did). Then pay 2x for 77mm filters instead of 55mm for the SONY. The glass is super sharp corner to corner, no zoom lens can touch it. I bought it for sharpness and shallow DOF. Great portrait lens with the APS CCD. I also wanted to get the feel of how was it in the 50 and 60-ies to be a 35 mm photographer. It's an interesting experience to leave all your zooms at home.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great value lens. Nice bokeh
The copy of lens I received has severe backfocus issue. -20 micro AF adjustmen on my NEX-5N. Other than that, this is a great value lens, which provide super sharp centre at f2.0 and corners come as close to the centre sharpness at f4.0. It provides a silky smooth bokeh at f1.4 to f2.0. I am going to try this lens for few days more, do some test with the backfocus issue and if the issue really cant be tolerated I am gonna return this copy of lens to BHPHOTO ask for a replacement.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great lens
I am an amateur photographer, mainly just family shots, everyday shots and a lot of sports (3 children under the age of 15) and my version of artistic shots. This is my first experience with a fixed focal length and the wide open aperture. Boy, what I have been missing over the years. I have a Sony Alpha 700 and this lens makes it seem like I have a brand new camera. Such clarity, outstanding depth of field. I plan on buying an 85mm very soon, just due to my love of this lens.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
fast lens, takes getting used to
Really sharp. I have never had such a fast lens. I am still getting used to thinking more carefully about depth of field. Things that look in focus can be marginally off when you see it on the screen of your computer. I think f 2.5 is the most open I can go for a head and shoulders portrait. Bokeh is really nice. This is great for portraits. I have the Alpha 700, so it allows me to be at a conversational distance from my subject when taking shots.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I would buy this product again and again
positive: Sharp Fast and accurate focus Lovely bokeh negative: Build quality is not enough for the price paid. This lens is very sharp and very good to do portraits or studio work, the lens is sharp even wide open, stopped down to f2 or f2.8 it is simply superb. The bokeq is also great. The only regret about this lens is the build quality, optically this lens is very good... but build quality should be better for a 50mm 1.4 at that price.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sharp, Fast, Great Color
There is no comparison between this lens and the zooms I've used with my Sony A-100. The images produced from the 50mm are tack-sharp and the colors are rendered beautifully. It is a little long on an APS-C for general walk around use (75mm) but still useful in a variety of situations. It is especially good for portraits. It also really shines in low-light situations where you cannot use a flash.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great for low light shots
With a 1.4 F stop it brings new life to shots that would seem boring. The use with a flash it will also allow more of the ambient light to be seen. Care must be taking to consider the blur affect of this F stop. If you are too close be careful of what you focus on. Also a full frame camera does not have the multiplying factor. Over all will be a good addition and worth the price.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
It makes all the difference
This is a wonderful lens. The detail is spectacular. Even 200% crops on my a350 at 200 ISO are flawless, no grain whatsoever and amazing detail. I took a head and shoulders portrait shot of my daughter. Every single eye lash is distinct and well defined. It focuses quickly and compared to zooms is light weight. I am extremely pleased with the lens. It's my favorite,
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Lens
I have always heard what a difference a fixed lens can make. With this lens I am now a believer. As other reviews I have read stated, it can become a bit soft below F2.0, but at F2.0 and above the images just seem to jump out of the photo with sharp clear lines and bright colors. I love my Zeiss 16-80 zomm lens, but I have hardly used it since buying this lens.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Perfect portraiture
This classic-style lens provides textbook performance for portraiture photography. When opened right up to f/1.4 the depth of field is tight and the bokeh is brilliant. I was also tossing up the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 but decided to save a few bucks and grab the Sony instead - which was a canny decision as it does everything I want a fast-50 to do.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Nice!
So far I like this lens. I got it specifically for taking pictures at concerts and low light conditions. I've played around with it and it works great. It is really easy to manually focus and a great general all purpose lens. Seems great for candids too. No zoom, so you'll have to do some moving to get your shot. I am happy with my purchase.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A very valuable lens
This lens is extremely sharp from f2.0 up and still quite excellent at the f1.4 position. The viewfinder image is very bright. It is outstanding in dim lighting and is especially useful when a restricted depth-of-field is needed. It is very light and easy on your neck. I am very happy with this lens. So far there is no complaint to share.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Lives up to expectations!!
Needed faster lens for indoor work. This is perfect for programs and close shots of dimly lit subjects. Nice and fast to use without flash in art and other indoor exhibits. This lens is compact and appears to be rugged. Adds to my use of other fine Sony Lenses. No complaints with it. Small and compact in the camera bag.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
