SEL50F18
5
5
9
9
Fantastic Lens
After buying the NEX-5N I was told by many photographer friends to get a fast fixed lens. I was happy to find out that this lens was well-reviewed and a great value so I decided to buy it.
No regrets! I have had this for some months and after getting used to it I am able to take some amazing shots with great clarity. The bokeh is also of very high quality and is the most enjoyable aspect for me. The fast fstop allows great portraits as well.
The construction is solid and the focus ring is smooth.
A definite must have for any photographer.
June 10, 2013
NEX essential
I read reviews explaining this was a great lens, but I was now prepared for how great. I've had it for 4 months, and it is a dream to work with. The images look great even wide open, and I love the bokeh effect. The focus ring is very smooth which makes it extremely easy to get your tiny depth of field right where you want it manually. If you use the NEX camera you simply have to buy this lens (why else would you buy it?). The only drawback is the lack of any indicator as to where your depth of field is on the lens. That would have been nice, but as stated it's not hard be accurate with just your eye or the peaking function. At $300 this is almost a steal.
April 4, 2013
Amazing value
This is an outstanding lens for the money, and would be a bargain even at a much higher price.
I like shooting portraits, A LOT. For serious shoots I use an A77 camera with a 25-year-old Minolta 85mm F1.4 portrait lens, but for casual shoots (when traveling) the 50mm F1.8 OSS on my NEX5n is very hard to beat. It is not as long as I prefer for head shoots (FF equivalent of 75mm instead of my preferred 135mm), it is perfect for head and shoulder portraits or people at work portraits.
What really surprised me is the quality of bokeh and just how sharp the lens is. Bokeh is creamilicious, almost of the same quality as my Minolta 85 (a legendary lens for beautiful bokeh). Sharpness is even better than the Zeiss 24mm from F4 and color is almost as rich, but wide open its a bit soft at the edges. Of course, since I use this as a portrait lens, I'm usually shooting wide open and blurring whatever is on the edges anyway.
Outdoors in daylight I use a 3 stop neutral density filter to keep this wide-open, and usually keep the NEX5n down under ISO 800. Indoors, I've shot this lens by firelight and with the OSS still get sharp handheld shots (down to 1/15th second at ISO 800).
This is a specialty lens, unlike the old nifty fifties form the film days. As a short telephoto, this is really only used for photographing people or objects, rather than places. Still, I bring it with me more often than I leave it at home. Combined with the also outstanding (though far more expensive) Zeiss 24mm, this lens is part of an extremely versatile travel outfit.
December 4, 2012
Sony E-Mount 50mm Prime Lens
I am using this lens with my FS-100. It is quick and silent. Focus is sharp, and set on f1.8 a good shallow depth of field is achieved. Excellent performance in low light. Check out the sample video filmed in low light.
I can't wait for Sony to bring out an e-mount 75mm or 105mm prime to add to my collection.
November 14, 2012
