DT 50 mm F1.8 SAM

Sony 50mm f1.8 DT SAM SAL-50F18 User Reviews

8.6/10
average of 5 review(s)

Build Quality
7.8/10

Image Quality
8.8/10

• 8 out of 10 points
  and not recommended

  Light, modern coatings, inexpensive, reasonably fast.
  Plastic construction, APS-C only.

  The Sony 50mm f1.8 DT is a pretty good lens working effectively as a 75mm on APS-C cameras. If you have such a camera and have no ambition to move to full frame then it will serve you well.
  However, for less money you could buy a full frame Minolta 50mm f1.7 on the secondhand market that is faster (marginally), better built (much, much better), only marginally worse for flare (older coatings), and has the fabled Minolta colour.
  I also have a full frame Minolta 50mm f2.8 Macro that gives tack sharp images and 1:1 macro for around the price of a new Sony 50mm f1.8 DT — if you don’t need the extra stop of light and can cope with the extra weight it’s a far, far better lens.
  If the Minoltas weren’t so easy to come by I’d rate this lens a point higher and recommend it to the budget conscious buyer — it’s not a bad lens it just isn’t as good as a cheaper alternative.

  reviewed August 24th, 2018
  (purchased for $40)

• 8 out of 10 points
  and recommended

  Cheap, light, nice bokeh
  for this price, none

  The lens would effectively give you a 75mm focal length on a APS-C camera. It gives beautiful colors and sharpness and the bokeh is good too. At f/1.8 it is a relatively fast lens and pretty good for low light photography. All in all it is good value for money and the plastic does not bother me at all as that makes the lens lighter.
  To see some sample pics check out http://translucentmirror.com/2012/06/walking-around-with-my-50mm-well-75mm-lens/

  reviewed June 10th, 2012
  (purchased for $200)

• 9 out of 10 points
  and recommended

  Very light. Good on LA-EA1 on NEX 5n, very sharp @ f/2.8, very inexpensive, adapts quickly to temperature changes
  Plastic sides and lens mount

  The last of my plastic-fantastic lens purchases. SAM is quieter than in-camera focusing, but noisier than SSM/HSM/USM. Although purchased for LA-EA1 AF compatibility, has also been very-sweet on LA-EA2 with video. Lens performance @ f/2 and f/1.8 is like ‘olde 50 f/1.7’. Use at f/2.8 and above is terrific.
  I don’t-get where anyone complains about noise on this lens, though. It was not-noticeable during video on NEX5n
  When I bought it, it was on-sale. It was an easy bargain.

  reviewed February 20th, 2012
  (purchased for $125)

• 9 out of 10 points
  and recommended

  Small, Light, Bright and Cheap
  Cheap, Noisy

  I now rarely use this lens because I recently purchased a SAL1650 that is much sharper than this lens. I did use it for some time though and for an inexpensive lens it had pretty good image quality. It was quite capable of taking good portrait shots indoors. I have recently bought Macro extension tubes and an adapter to mount this lens backwards to use it as a macro lens and it works great.
  My biggest issue with this lens is the amount of noise it produces when focusing and how slow it is to do so.
  For a $150.00 lens I think it’s an easy addition to a camera bag that needs an Ok performing portrait lens.

  reviewed January 2nd, 2012
  (purchased for $150)

• 9 out of 10 points
  and recommended

  light,natural color,
  bayonet plastic(not a big deal takig in consideration lens weight)

  good lens, sharp at F 2.8 . rare I used it at F 4.5 were seems to be very sharp(at least in my PC and accrding my eyes).no flare .u dont need a hood as front element its very inside of lens body.sam motor not so silent as proclamed.AF hunting is normal to moderate fast.

  reviewed October 16th, 2010
  (purchased for $150)