What is a Nifty Fifty?
On a full-frame body, a 50mm lens comes the closest to capturing what you eye naturally sees, on a crop camera, it is the 35mm lens that is roughly equivalent to 50mm on a full-frame camera. It is a highly versatile lens with low aperture 2.8 or less, which gives it excellent low light capabilities and a shallow depth of field.
Sony’s 50mm F1.8
Today I want to talk about Sony’s 50mm F1.8 E-Mount Full Frame lens, which is a bit like the original Top Gear trio.
- enjoyable but dated
- Small like Richard Hammond (aka the hamster)
- It is the Captain Slow of focusing
- And noisy like Clarkson
The price tag just under €200, makes this lance an affordable prime glass. With 186g it is a lightweight, and it is small (Diameter: 68.6 mm and Height: 59.5 mm).
The picture quality is excellent, given its price. The images produced have a nice bokeh and good sharpness. Especially when stopped down the sharpness throughout the frame is outstanding.
Here are some photos I took with the 50 mm on a Sony a7III.
The focus is slow, messy and is loud. When close up it takes quite a bit refocusing to get it sharp.The noise reminds of the old compact my dad had back in the early 90th.
PRO‘s
- Great value for money
- super small and light
- great picture quality
CON‘s
- Slow focus
- Autofocus is way too loud