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.

Image Quality; Build; Steady Shot

no focus distance indicator

Most camera marques now have an inexpensive 50mm lens in their ranges. These are often described as "nifty fifties" or "plastic fantastics", the implication being that they are cheap and cheerful, but often superb performers as well.

My overall rating of 4 is for those occasions when I'm using the lens for rapid, point-and-shoot *interior* photography with the Sony NEX 7 set to "autofocus", in poor to average shopping mall lighting conditions.

very sharp; lightweight

Difficult to autofocus when used for rapid; candid; interior photography

This 50mm Full-frame E-mount Fast Prime Lens offers a focal length that is perfect for portraiture and a range of other subjects. A bright F1.8 maximum aperture, 7-blade circular aperture and aspherical element deliver impressive image quality with beautifully defocussed background bokeh, all in a...

It is compact, maintaining the spirit of Sony's smaller MILC cameras. It is light and effortless to take with you. It is cheap, making loss or damage a relatively low risk (hint for kid use). And, it is capable of excellent image quality (though not at the widest apertures).

The Sony FE 50mm f1.8 is a very small, light and affordable "standard" prime lens which works with cropped and full-frame Sony mirrorless bodies – indeed it's one of the cheapest autofocus lenses available for the Sony system.

Good resolution and contrast; Minimal distortions (through lens profile); Very small and light; Very low price

Very visible focus-breathing; Strong coma; Some magenta haloing at high-contrast edges

The AF performance is very good for a contrast detection system (albeit highly dependent on the base camera). AF operations are basically noiseless. Manual focusing works "by wire" so the focus ring is not directly coupled to the focus gears but to the AF motor.

As an economical way to get a "nifty fifty", the average Sony user probably won't complain about the Sony FE 50mm ƒ/1.8: at $250, it's one of Sony's least expensive lenses, though compared to other manufacturers, there is still a premium price.

Affordable, sharp, well-built, and stabilized—can you really ask for more?...

If you turn a blind eye to the build quality, the Sony FE 50 mm f/1.8 might be a very attractive alternative for the more expensive Zeiss Sonnar T* 55 mm f/1.8 FE. The cheaper lens is weaker at the maximum relative aperture, that’s true, but on stopping down it provides even higher MTFs while...

Very good image quality in the frame centre,; Good image quality on the edge of the APS-C sensor,; Low longitudinal chromatic aberration,; Imperceptible lateral chromatic aberration,; Lack of spherical aberration problems,; Negligible distortion,; Slight astigmatism,; Low vignetting on the APS-C...

Image quality near the maximum relative aperture on the edge of the frame could have been a bit better,; Huge coma,; Significant vignetting on full frame,; Slow autofocus.