Sony FE 50mm f/2.5 'G' lens review with samples

Рет қаралды 53,778

Жыл бұрын

Time to cover the last in Sony's lovely (but expensive) little series of prime lenses - the 50mm f/2.5.
Find it here (Amazon affiliate link - thanks for your support!):
geni.us/SonyFE50G
All pictures taken by me on a Sony a7R III camera.
Support me on Patreon! / christopherfrost
Equipment I use to make my videos (Amazon affiliate links):
Canon EOS R5: geni.us/CanonEOSR5Body
Canon EF-RF Adaptor: geni.us/CanonEFtoRF
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 'Art': geni.us/Sigma50mm14Art
Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS STM: geni.us/CanonRF35mm18Macro
Marumi Fit and Slim CPL Filter: geni.us/MarumiFitSlim77
AudioTechnica AT2020USB+ Microphone: geni.us/AT2020USBPlusMic
Rode Smartlav+ Microphone: geni.us/RodeSmartLavalierPlus
Rode SC3 adapter: geni.us/RodeSC3MicAdaptor
Zoom H1n Recorder: geni.us/ZoomH1nMiniRecorder
DJI Mini 2 Drone: geni.us/DJIMini2FlyMore
Music:
'Opportunity Walks', Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

Пікірлер: 106

@PhilipBallGarry Жыл бұрын

Another superb review Christopher 👌. Sticking to the format we've all come to know and love we quickly get guided through with just enough info to help us make an informed choice. No need to go anywhere else for a review really 😁. Still love my Fuji 27mm f/2.8 (mk1) it's practically welded onto either my X-E1 or X-T2. Your review of this amazing little lens helped me choose it - so thanks for that too 🙏

@nicolask.3825 Жыл бұрын

I've never given this lens too much thought, but just looking at it now is making my Sigma 50mm ART lens feel heavier than it already is. I can see myself taking it absolutely _everywhere_ with me, and I imagine it pairs nicely with the a7C, not that I have or want one. Thanks as always for the review, Chris!

@SilatShooter Жыл бұрын

I have it and think it's a great lens. No complaints at all. Love the images it produces and the size and weight means it goes with me, and not sit at home. I'd recommend it to any Sony shooter.

@Emmepi37 Жыл бұрын

Your french at the end is perfect !

@modernmusicstudio303 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic comparison! Great Video!

@jameswburke Жыл бұрын

I use the 50mm 2.5G on my A6000 (APS-C) and full frame A7 / A7iii bodies. It's a fabulous lens. Very compact and light & extremely sharp.

@yuidfbse Жыл бұрын

The exterior and lens barrel build and materials of this lens reminds me of the design look and nearly identify shape of Sony's/Zeiss' RX1 series :)

@shaocaholica Жыл бұрын

Wow 100 50mm lenses. Keep up the good work!

@randallbrander8157 Жыл бұрын

I use the small compact lenses on my A7c and Canon R10 & R7 compared to my S Nikkor Z glass which are bigger and heavier. But I love them all. Cheers!

@richarddutton6849 10 ай бұрын

Great review as always Chris - its yours and Dustin Abbott's that I check out regularly. I got a megadap EZ221 mainly to use with the Sony 20mm 1.8G but I picked up the FE28/2 which is a lovely lens and has been on my Z6 since I bought it. Great colours. I was the thinking about a longer compact AF prime to pair with this and came across the 40/2.5g first - but almost impossible to find used at a reasonable price ( sub £400 ) and so my attention wandered to this 50 which appears to be cheaper and more available used. The f2,5 is not an issue for me especially since this ( and the 40 more so ) is sharp wide open across the frame. The LOCA that these and many other non GM/ART type primes at wide or normal FL is a bit of a bummer however. I think I will probably pass since I have the Z 50/1.8 s which is superb ( and cheaper BTW ) though hardly compact. If I got this 50 then I would be thinking why the ... am I not using the Z even if it is bigger.

@JohnJBloomfield Жыл бұрын

I'm not a massive 50mm fan but very tempted by this for street photography as a partner to my 35mm F1.8

@Starman3539 Жыл бұрын

Over the years I got here valuable answers on my Canon EOS 70D and its lenses, but now I have a question you may be able to answer. How do I capture the menus of the 70D on my PC? Grateful for your advice.

@razbiton173 Жыл бұрын

Hey Christopher. I can’t find your review of the 24 f2.8g. Did you uploaded it? It can be seen in 0:02 in the video

@pzark3638 Жыл бұрын

Will you be reviewing the new Tamron 50-400 E mount lens soon ? I put the most stock in your lens reviews

@dreikonig2785 Жыл бұрын

I have this lens for a couple of months now and i really like it. This lens is overpriced, but also underrated. It is always in my bag, because it is small, leightweight and sharp. I was lucky and get the sony 50mm f2.5 new much cheaper than the original price. Otherwise i wouldn‘t have bought it. It is my first 50mm that i really do like!

@JamesBJr-pe9lr 5 ай бұрын

Just a note, this lens has focus breathing compensation when used with Sony's latest cameras.

@DigiDriftZone 11 ай бұрын

How does it compare to the faster, older but much cheaper 50mm F1.8?

@Kunal0915 Жыл бұрын

Awesome Chris. No one is testing these tiny G series lenses on Sony Apsc. They are a perfect fit for an a6400.

@trym2121 Жыл бұрын

50 1.8 exists and has OSS

@MrMartinek99 Жыл бұрын

On apsc, I see them as optically too slow for given price. It's perfect fit for A7c. If you want 50ish prime lens for A6400, Signa 56f1.4 is cheaper and better choice.

@Kunal0915 11 ай бұрын

@@trym2121Yes!! It does ! Albeit without any weather resistance.

@Kunal0915 11 ай бұрын

@@MrMartinek99I have had the Sigma 56. I was looking at this one as a weather sealed option for the Apsc. However, I have moved on from the Apsc system now. I miss the size, but the full frame results are just great even at f2.8

@geonerd Жыл бұрын

At $600 for an f/2.5, the optical performance better be damn near perfect... Oh, it is! :)

@aghitube Жыл бұрын

One thing I'd like to understand is how can corner performance in apsc be worse than at full frame. Should it not be just a crop? And would it be equally soft on a full frame camera in crop mode?

@JamesClark1991 Жыл бұрын

'Field curvature' is the cause of this (or a de-centered lens).

@DanielHenkel Жыл бұрын

Hmmmm…. Sony Zeiss 55mm 1.8 or Sony 50mm 2.5 G ??

@THEJOKEYJOKER 3 ай бұрын

I like the 40mm f2,5 but wanted to buy sigma 65mm cuz it is sharp but not cheaper , in the end I bought this lens because I found it like new for 475 dollars , and it is magnificent, now I have a compact body lens combo.

@ronb112 Жыл бұрын

Nice video, sensor needs some cleaning though 😊

@TonyWang Жыл бұрын

How do I set the G button?

@detectivejonesw Жыл бұрын

Which image quality do you rate higher, Nikon z 50 1.8 or this lens?

@jackhaddow9785 Жыл бұрын

A used 55 f1.8 looks like a better option - particularly for video.

@flaviomarchi Жыл бұрын

I like the Sony 50mm much better than the Zeiss, immediately sold the 55mm Zeiss because it was completely unusable in sunny weather.

@NAM3L3555 Жыл бұрын

@@flaviomarchi innusable why? I have since 4 years and I think it's a great lens the only downside it's the minimal focus but af works great for video and photo I use with a7iv a7lll and a6500

@kifley19 Жыл бұрын

The 55mm 1.8 has focus breathing as well.

@NAM3L3555 Жыл бұрын

@@kifley19 well buy the a7iv that have focus breathing compensation even the 24mm 1.4 gm has that "problem"

@sussar Жыл бұрын

I used to owned the 55 1.8, it had excellent image quality but drawbacks are long minimum focus distance and purple fringing, I think this one is a better choice though the old 55 1.8 is quite old.

@michaelwalsh7846 Жыл бұрын

600 quid! I think I may need to get by box brownie back out!

@farhansrdn Жыл бұрын

Filter thread size is 49mm. Is it possible to mount any filter on the hood thread? If yes, what is the diameter? Have anyone tried before?

@didierdelobel8663 12 күн бұрын

49mm on the hood thread too. I have this lens!

@trym2121 Жыл бұрын

They could discontinue the Nifty fifty to something like f2 in this form factor but they were like, it seems f2.5 is a better number

@hoatd1993 Жыл бұрын

Sony never sell a cheap lens. Even with a slow lens they will find a way to make it expensive.

@mattbite Жыл бұрын

What they do make great is making the E-mount and open format. So many lenses to choose from - 1st party or 3rd party, good or bad, cheap or expensive. Now go figure RF or Z mount - only 1st party, expensive lenses.

@lewcehjitl3282 Жыл бұрын

Seems like you’ve never heard of Canon Eos RF Mirrorless cameras and Lenses.

@chase5860 3 ай бұрын

@@lewcehjitl3282Well... Canon does actually have some affordable RF options for camera bodies. But what they expect people to pay for lenses and lack of third party options even after 5 years is actually ridiculous

@yantubed Жыл бұрын

Music title at the end of the vid?

@christopherfrost Жыл бұрын

'Pendulum', an old iMovie song

@WITFITMAN. 4 ай бұрын

1:41 OH BIG BIG 😎💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

@keketonttu Жыл бұрын

it would be great to hear if the lenses you test have any decentering? i tried to buy sony fe 50mm f1.8, but had to return two samples and gave up. both copies had bad decentering issues. never had such issues for example with canon ef 50mm f1.8 lenses. have to use one adapted to sony still...

@christopherfrost Жыл бұрын

If they do have serious decentring then I mention it in the video

@kifley19 Жыл бұрын

Was going to use it for gimbal work but the focus breathing is a deal breaker. Why can't they make more lenses like Sony 35mm 1.8.

@coffeeandspice Жыл бұрын

I think the prime lens design philosophy for Sony has shifted to "fix every aberation except breathing, then deal with breathing in software". I actually think it'll be an ok way to go if you're looking at this a couple years from now, when their cameras catch up.

@trustnugget280 Жыл бұрын

@@coffeeandspice I dont know about the crop though

@Donbros Жыл бұрын

@@coffeeandspice they could just atart to make more cinema orientated bright aperture lenses, problem solved just splitt the orientation

@classicboy97 Жыл бұрын

Also these lenses aren’t compatible with breathing compensation on the a7IV and presumably fx30 either

@coffeeandspice Жыл бұрын

@@classicboy97 Oh, my bad.... That's a bummer.

@flaviomarchi Жыл бұрын

I got it for under $400 secondhand with warranty and I love it. I hated the Zeiss 55mm in comparison.

@georgezamfir2609 Жыл бұрын

Why did you hate the zeiss 55 in comparison?

@flaviomarchi Жыл бұрын

@@georgezamfir2609 I couldn’t photograph anything remotely shiny. Bright or shiny surfaces resulted in color fringing and very soft images. I had to use F/4 to even achieve sharp images.

@georgezamfir2609 Жыл бұрын

@@flaviomarchi Thanks for the reply, good to know. Chris did mention it in his review, but it's good to have confirmation.

@flaviomarchi Жыл бұрын

@@georgezamfir2609 Id rephrase my comment, I LOVE the 50mm 2.5 much more than the Zeiss. And its brand new, smaller and cheaper. The Zeiss is pretty old now and has worse design and less features. Id go for the 50mm every time.

@rock3times Жыл бұрын

I stick with my oldie but goodie 28mm F2. 0 for FF at 250 dollars.

@Zeke25ish Жыл бұрын

Will it fit on my A7iii?

@coffeeandspice Жыл бұрын

Yes. Any E-mount camera, actually.

@user-ym7kq8bd8k Жыл бұрын

Obviously no 🤦

@mamumonkan 2 ай бұрын

I have the full line and they all have the same serious design flaw .... but of course sponsored lens reviewers will never "notice" ;)

@peterebel7899 Жыл бұрын

The smaller the lens the better it fits into a wealthy niche.

@trustnugget280 Жыл бұрын

I love these small primes especially for their size, weight and build quality. However the Sigma 65mm F2 is a bit better if you are okay with the difference in focal length. F2, equally amazing handling I think and even a touch better sharpness with less CA. However noticably bigger (especially with the lense hood on) and worse autofocus.

@kifley19 Жыл бұрын

The Sigma has slower autofocus and terrible pincushion distortion.

@tee_m Жыл бұрын

Wow that chromatic aberration is spectacular (ly bad).

@peterebel7899 Жыл бұрын

To get rid of 600 Quid I will take 3 copies 50mm 1.8 RF instead and will have some money left for premium coffees.

@DigiDriftZone 11 ай бұрын

Yeh, it's literally 3x the price (even second hand) of the faster F1.8 version. Why pay the premium for a slower lens? - because it's a tiny bit smaller (by 2.5cm)?

@IvanGRANID Жыл бұрын

why it is f2.5((( better whey'd made f1.8 m2

@DigiDriftZone 11 ай бұрын

Or just get the m1 at 1/3 the price?

@benni1015 Жыл бұрын

600 Dollars is unreasonable. Even if the lens was perfect in anyway it would probably still be unreasonable. 50mm F2.5 is really not just a very fast aperture, at least for the focal length. In fact for this amount of money i can get the sigma 50mm F1.4 Art used.

@charruaporelmundo Жыл бұрын

Two completely different client, this lens is for people looking for compactness.

@pixelbart Жыл бұрын

God’s Smuggler. Nice touch to commemorate Brother Andrew who died last week.

@Andy-rk9mu Жыл бұрын

that 2.5 Toneth is somewhat disappointing

@Chico.iso. Жыл бұрын

what its the point of 50 2.5 if already exist the 50 1.8 and its cheaper ?

@classicboy97 Жыл бұрын

Literally just for the size and weight - the extra controls and aperture ring are also nice.

@coffeeandspice Жыл бұрын

The 50/1.8 is much bigger than it should be, much worse IQ, slow and inaccurate AF, worse build quality, inaccurate and wiggly focus ring. Honestly, it felt like sony repurposed a 50/1.8 from their A-mount DSLRs. It's a good budget option but it's really not a great lens.

@trustnugget280 Жыл бұрын

For me personally 2.5 on such an expensive prime isn't quite enough either

@saifaldin_ Жыл бұрын

That FE 50mm is getting old and really soft. It’s even less sharp compared the 50mm f1.8 aps-c lens. 🤷‍♂️ The 55mm on the other hand, is really good.

@pawelmod3292 Жыл бұрын

Different lenses. It is not always that 1.8 is better than 2.5 … FE 50mm 1.8 is the cheapest Sony FF lens available. The glass, the AF motors, the build is the cheapest possible. That lens is even externally focusing lens, bizarre… 50mm 2.5 G on the other hand is high quality lens in all departments. The priority was the size which resulted that it is ‘only’ 2.5… I know that 50 G is really very sharp and contrasty but I have returned that because I prefer to use FE 35mm 1.8…

@Shinson_music Жыл бұрын

very expensive for a 50mm. with only a f2.5

@PatrickWithCamera Жыл бұрын

Cute and beautiful, but price is really high, i will never buy it :D

@Azeemmerchant Жыл бұрын

Nikon Z 50mm f1.8 is much better IQ and at 450$ is amazing lens

@trym2121 Жыл бұрын

That's a gigantic lens compared to this one

@zyxyuv1650 Жыл бұрын

I'd rather use the Samyang 45mm F1.8 which can do F1.8 while weighing less than the Sony and costing half the price.

@mj3846 Жыл бұрын

Over-Priced!! You’re better off getting a Rokinon or Sigma lens

@RonaldPlett Жыл бұрын

$600??? Why so much? The 50mm f1.8 is way cheaper

@networm64 Жыл бұрын

For fully weather sealing, dual linear focus motor, declickable aperture ring, metallic body and hood, focus hold button. Well if all of these doesn't make any sense to you then you better buy the 50 1.8!

@RonaldPlett Жыл бұрын

@@networm64 for $600 then no it does not make sense

@danieleverywhere132 Жыл бұрын

why would anyone buy 50/2,5 quality wize for a price of 50 1,4ART which is about same price ? makes no sense just because something is Sony and it is not even produced by Japanese but Chinese money doesn't grow on trees

@trustnugget280 Жыл бұрын

They are for different kinds of photographers really. The 50/2.5 is perfect for travelling and everyday carry, basicay being lightweight. The 50mm Art can't compete with that as you're walking around with a brick on your shoulders.

@danieleverywhere132 Жыл бұрын

@@trustnugget280 ok i agree....but 30 years ago they would call such lens "economical" and sell it for 99 $ and it is "economical" because it is not even produced in Japan in old days Nikon usually included in price of most bodies 50 mm 1,8 which was optically same quality as 50 1,4 just because it was so cheap that lens should be 200 $ tops

@bobamarmstrong Жыл бұрын

@@danieleverywhere132 you're so right. 40 years ago, there were 50mm 1.8 pancake in Nikon's catalogue. Those lenses were small and cheap. But 50mm 2.5 at 600 ? No way

@hoatd1993 Жыл бұрын

They will never sell a cheap lens. Even a plain product will cost double than competitors.

@c.f.384 Жыл бұрын

@@bobamarmstrong Keep your eyes open for sales. The 50mm 2.5 was just on sale on Amazon DE for €399. With the dollar at virtually the same value as the Euro it was a great price. I think my copy may sharper than Chris's loaner.