SAL100M28
4.9
5
10
10
Useful Tool
The advantage of this lens over Sony's other macro offerings is the much greater working distance (6.2" vs 1.9" for the 50mm or 3/4" for the 30mm). This makes lighting the subject much easier, as well as closeups of live, moving subjects that might run away with a massive camera millimeters from their heads. The longer the focal length, the greater the working distance for 1:1 magnification, but beware the changes in perspective for different focal lengths.
Also on the plus side, the 100mm focal length is good for portraits, and this lens is very workable in that function, so perhaps easier to justify than Sony's other Macros based on its dual purpose. The bokeh is smooth and pleasing.
The downside, and I'm nitpicking, is the slight decrease in sharpness I observe wider than about f/4. There's also a bit of chromatic aberration, but that too clears up with smaller apertures.
November 11, 2011
Great
Love it.
March 11, 2011
My Favorite Lens
This is my favorite lens. It produces the most amazing close-up photographs. I have used it on flowers and bugs, and even as a portrait lens, and the results are amazing every time. The clarity and sharp focus are astounding, even using larger apertures in low light conditions. The quality of this lens is very well matched to the performance capability of the A900. The only real complaint is the unreliable auto-focus capability: the lens jogs back and forth, several times, and often fails to lock the focus automatically--I have not figured out when or why it will do this, and when it might succeed. I still love this lens, however, and I am attaching a picture of the head of a dragonfly that I captured using manual focus.
August 9, 2010
Lovely !!!
I am a macro fan so it goes without saying that I ADORE this thing. It does what it was designed to do brilliantly. I do not see it as expensive. I think that its worth its price. I just love what it can do. The colors are excellent too. Especially when you know what ur doing in terms of lighting and all that. However, that being said, this really is not an easy lens to use. this is actually one of the hardest lenses to hand hold with low shutter speeds and at f2.8. Simply because at f2.8 the depth of field is sooooooo narrow that just breathing in and out, even gently, just throws your focus out of whack. But of course that is expected out of a f2.8 at this focal length in a macro. Anyway, all in all it is a great lens. The only thing I do NOT like at all about this lens, is the focusing speed and accuracy and sound. It simply refuses to see in low light. And when it DOES see, it takes forever to focus. its painfully slow and noisy. I really wish Sony would add a SSM motor to this thing. It really could use it. I know that usually you don't need fast and silent focusing with a Macro, but just how lovely would it be if you did. Sometimes there are fast moving insects that you try to capture and you miss soooo many times its frustrating. But other than that, this thing is lovely in terms of quality and it is an absolute workhorse.
May 16, 2010
