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Sony 55mm F1.8 Sonnar T FE ZA Full Frame Prime Lens - Fixed
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Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
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Purchase options and add-ons
Brand | Sony |
Focal Length Description | 55mm |
Lens Type | Standard |
Compatible Mountings | Sony E |
Camera Lens Description | 9 |
About this item
- Diaphragm Blades 9, Rounded. Lens Groups / Elements is 5/7
- Focal Length: 55mm, Filter Diameter: 49mm
- Minimum Focus Distance: 19-11/16 inches (.50m)
- Lens Type: Fixed, E-mount Full Frame, Lens not zoomable
- Aperture (Min/Max): 22/1.8; Angle of View (35 mm): 43 °
- Magnification: 14x; Battery Life (Still Images) Approx. 530 shots (Viewfinder) / approx. 650 shots (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard)
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Price | -10% $898.00$898.00 List: $999.99 | -9% $548.00$548.00 List: $599.99 | -7% $1,298.00$1,298.00 List: $1,399.99 | -9% $548.00$548.00 List: $599.99 | $1,298.00$1,298.00 | -5% $1,898.00$1,898.00 List: $1,999.99 |
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Customer Ratings | ||||||
Auto focus | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.9 |
Image stabilization | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.7 |
Picture quality | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.3 | — | 5.0 |
Value for money | — | 4.2 | 4.7 | 3.9 | — | 4.6 |
Sold By | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
lens type | Standard | Standard | Standard | Wide Angle | Standard | Standard |
compatible mountings | Sony E | Sony E | Sony E | Sony E | Sony E | Sony E |
lens design | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
focus type | Stepper motor | Auto/Manual | Auto/Manual | Auto/Manual | Auto Focus | Auto/Manual |
max focal length | 55 millimeters | — | 35 millimeters | — | 50 millimeters | — |
fixed focal length | 55 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 35 millimeters | 24 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 50 millimeters |
model name | SEL55F18Z | SEL50F25G | SEL35F14GM | SEL24F28G | SNSEL50F14GM | Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM Full-frame Large-aperture G Master Lens |
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What's in the box
Product information
Product Dimensions | 2.8 x 2.52 x 2.52 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 9.9 ounces |
ASIN | B00FSB799Q |
Item model number | SEL55F18Z |
Customer Reviews |
4.6 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #318 in SLR Camera Lenses |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | October 15, 2013 |
Manufacturer | Sony |
Country of Origin | Thailand |
Warranty & Support
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Product Description
Product Description
Sony Camera Lenses SEL55F18Z An all-day battery that intelligently powers every scroll, click, call, tap, playlist and season finale you can throw at it. Renowned Carl Zeiss contrast and resolution brings out the best in α7 series full frame E-mount bodies. The T* coating works with an innovative optical design to suppress internal reflections, for sublime contrast from highlights to deep blacks. In keeping with the Sonnar concept, a large F1.8 maximum aperture can produce beautiful full-frame background bokeh, but you also have the option of stopping down for extended depth-of-field. A bright lens like this is also an advantage when shooting indoors or outdoors in low light. Linear motor driven internal focusing is smooth and quiet, and a dust and moisture resistant design ensures consistently reliable performance. When changing your aperture to defocus the background, the light sources appear blurred. This ‘bokeh’ effect of the blurred background can be enhanced with circular aperture blades used in this lens. Conventional aperture blades have flat sides creating unappealing polygonal shaped defocussed points of light. α lenses overcome this problem through a unique design that keeps the aperture almost perfectly circular from its wide-open setting to when it is closed by 2 stops. Smoother, more natural defocusing can be obtained as a result. Aspherical lens design dramatically reduces spherical aberration while also reducing lens size and weight. Spherical aberration is a slight misalignment of the light rays projected on the image plane. This is caused by differences in refraction at different points on conventional spherical lenses which degrade image quality in large-aperture lenses. Specially shaped “aspherical” elements near the diaphragm restore alignment of light rays at the image plane, maintaining high sharpness and contrast even at maximum aperture and can also be used at other points in the optical path to reduce distortion. Well-designed aspherical elements can reduce the total number of elements required in the lens, thus reducing overall size and weight. Advanced Aspherical (AA) elements are an evolved variant, featuring an extremely high thickness ratio between the center and periphery. AA elements are exceedingly difficult to produce, relying on the most advanced molding technology to consistently and precisely achieve the required shape and surface accuracy, resulting in significantly improved image accuracy and quality. Coated optics were pioneered by Carl Zeiss - and this superb lens features the Carl Zeiss T* (T-Star) coating that virtually eliminates lens flare, internal reflection and light scattering that can otherwise occur at glass-to-air surfaces. The T* coating contributes to outstanding image quality, with high contrast and uniformly excellent resolution right out to the image edges. Not simply applied to any lens - the T* symbol only appears on multi-element lenses in which the required performance has been achieved throughout the entire optical path, therefore guaranteeing the highest quality. Only the middle groups of the optical system move to achieve focus, so the overall length of the lens does not change. Other important benefits include fast autofocusing and a short minimum focusing distance. Also, the filter thread at the front of the lens does not rotate, which is convenient if you’re using a polarizing filter. 2014 Sony Electronics All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony is not responsible for typographical and photographic errors. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. All rights reserved. Sony, the Sony logo, (alpha) logo, and SteadyShot are trademarks of Sony. Carl ZEISS and ZEISS is a trademark of Carl Zeiss and Sony Corporation. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.
From the Manufacturer
Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Full-frame E-mount Prime Lens
Renowned Carl Zeiss contrast and resolution brings out the best in α7 series full frame E-mount bodies. The T* coating works with an innovative optical design to suppress internal reflections, for sublime contrast from highlights to deep blacks. In keeping with the Sonnar concept, a large F1.8 maximum aperture can produce beautiful full-frame background bokeh, but you also have the option of stopping down for extended depth-of-field. A bright lens like this is also an advantage when shooting indoors or outdoors in low light. Linear motor driven internal focusing is smooth and quiet, and a dust and moisture resistant design ensures consistently reliable performance.
Technology
Circular Aperture
When changing your aperture to defocus the background, the light sources appear blurred. This ‘bokeh’ effect of the blurred background can be enhanced with circular aperture blades used in this lens. Conventional aperture blades have flat sides creating unappealing polygonal shaped defocussed points of light. α lenses overcome this problem through a unique design that keeps the aperture almost perfectly circular from its wide-open setting to when it is closed by 2 stops. Smoother, more natural defocusing can be obtained as a result.
Aspherical lens elements
Aspherical lens design dramatically reduces spherical aberration while also reducing lens size and weight. Spherical aberration is a slight misalignment of the light rays projected on the image plane. This is caused by differences in refraction at different points on conventional spherical lenses which degrade image quality in large-aperture lenses. Specially shaped “aspherical” elements near the diaphragm restore alignment of light rays at the image plane, maintaining high sharpness and contrast even at maximum aperture and can also be used at other points in the optical path to reduce distortion. Well-designed aspherical elements can reduce the total number of elements required in the lens, thus reducing overall size and weight. Advanced Aspherical (AA) elements are an evolved variant, featuring an extremely high thickness ratio between the center and periphery. AA elements are exceedingly difficult to produce, relying on the most advanced molding technology to consistently and precisely achieve the required shape and surface accuracy, resulting in significantly improved image accuracy and quality.
Carl Zeiss T* (T-star) coating
Coated optics were pioneered by Carl Zeiss - and this superb lens features the Carl Zeiss T* (T-Star) coating that virtually eliminates lens flare, internal reflection and light scattering that can otherwise occur at glass-to-air surfaces. The T* coating contributes to outstanding image quality, with high contrast and uniformly excellent resolution right out to the image edges. Not simply applied to any lens - the T* symbol only appears on multi-element lenses in which the required performance has been achieved throughout the entire optical path, therefore guaranteeing the highest quality.
Additional Features
Internal focusing
Only the middle groups of the optical system move to achieve focus, so the overall length of the lens does not change. Other important benefits include fast autofocusing and a short minimum focusing distance. Also, the filter thread at the front of the lens does not rotate, which is convenient if you’re using a polarizing filter.
2014 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony is not responsible for typographical and photographic errors. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice.
All rights reserved. Sony, the Sony logo, (alpha) logo, and SteadyShot are trademarks of Sony. Carl ZEISS and ZEISS is a trademark of Carl Zeiss and Sony Corporation. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the quality, sharpness, and image quality of the lens. For example, they say it's well made, incredibly sharp, and produces excellent sharp photos. Customers are also impressed with the focusing, saying it' s smooth and fast. They're also happy with color, light, and durability. However, some customers disagree on the value.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers are satisfied with the quality of the lens. They mention that it's a stunningly good lens, with superb quality even wide open. The lens is well made and a fantastic lens for portraits. It has good bokeh and the performance of the optics is great.
"...The results are stunning and performance is up their comparable to the legendary Otus lens. At $1k, this is a steal IMHO...." Read more
"...The quality is great either way, just be mindfull this is an FE mount and therefore optimized for Sony’s Full-frame line of cameras...." Read more
"First of all, this is a great lens. Sharp at all apertures and beautiful build quality. Zeiss glass lives up to the hype...." Read more
"...The lens is well made and quite a bit heavier than the 35mm f2.8 FE lens...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the sharpness of the lens. They mention that it is incredibly sharp corner to corner, regardless of aperture. The micro contrast and sharpness is astounding, and there is definitely a 3D pop to the photos. Overall, customers are happy with the quality and performance of this lens.
"...The lens is sharp corner to corner regardless of aperture. The corners soften very slightly only at extreme f stops...." Read more
"...As far as the lens is concerned, it is a very sharp and fast lens. You don't have to take my word for it...." Read more
"First of all, this is a great lens. Sharp at all apertures and beautiful build quality. Zeiss glass lives up to the hype...." Read more
"...In my test images, the lens appears to be very sharp, even sharper than the FE35. It is also great in low light having an f1.8 aperture...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the image quality of the lens. They mention that it's the sharpest lens they've ever used, with beautiful and realistic backgrounds and bokeh. The contrast is perfect, and the colors are perfect and believable. The f/1.8 is bright, and provides boken that is often described as "creamy". Overall, customers are happy with the quality and performance of the product.
"...Image Quality is extremely high. It is the sharpest lens I've ever used. It handily beat my 50mm 1.2L on my 5DMK3...." Read more
"...into the digital frame said that even she can tell that the pictures were really nice. I definitely not a pro...." Read more
"...Focusing movements are precise and smooth. The f/1.8 is bright, and provides bokeh often described as “creamy.”..." Read more
"...size for a small mirrorless professional system and has 99% of the image quality needed for all but the very 0.1% of studio shoots or where the..." Read more
Customers like the focusing of the camera lenses. They mention that it focuses smoothly, the auto-focus is very fast, and is the smoothest focusing lens ever.
"...It seems to be more accurate overall.Focusing ring is smooth. I would say it's above average but nothing to write home about...." Read more
"...With the hood, it's about where I expected.The focus is fine. Out of hundreds of shots, I missed maybe a few...." Read more
"...Focusing movements are precise and smooth. The f/1.8 is bright, and provides bokeh often described as “creamy.”..." Read more
"...Contrast is excellent. The autofocus works well and works quickly on my Sony A7R body under all but the dimmest of light conditions...." Read more
Customers like the light of the camera lens. They say it works well in low light, has a bright f/1.8 aperture, and provides bokeh that is often described as "creamy". It's a great lens for portraits, and it has little or no flare and no chromatic aberration.
"...It works much better in low light conditions. It seems to be more accurate overall.Focusing ring is smooth...." Read more
"...Focusing movements are precise and smooth. The f/1.8 is bright, and provides bokeh often described as “creamy.”..." Read more
"...In conclusion, this is a lens that is optically superb but I'm not sure what it is good for...." Read more
"...It is tack sharp throughout its f-stop range, has little or no flare, and no chromatic aberration that I can detect...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the color of the lens. They mention that it has a Zeiss-esque color rendition, great contrast, and image rendering, and the bokeh is pleasing to look at. The colors seem to pop more and look livelier than their L series lens.
"...The colors seems to pop more and it just look livelier than my L series lens.AF is better than the stock 28-70mm...." Read more
"...Sharpness is however not everything, and I do love it's Zeiss-esque color rendition (a little more cold clinical than a true Zeiss, though) and it's..." Read more
"...Contrast is excellent. The autofocus works well and works quickly on my Sony A7R body under all but the dimmest of light conditions...." Read more
"...The color is beautiful. It’s not bulky or heavy.I got a used one on Amazon for a great price but it really is worth every penny...." Read more
Customers like the durability of the camera lenses. They mention that it's fast, sharp, and locks on quickly. The AF is lightning quick and quiet, and the color is beautiful.
"...AF is better than the stock 28-70mm. It generally will lock in faster with less hunting. It works much better in low light conditions...." Read more
"...As far as the lens is concerned, it is a very sharp and fast lens. You don't have to take my word for it...." Read more
"...It’s unbelievably sharp and the AF is lightning quick and quiet. The color is beautiful. It’s not bulky or heavy...." Read more
"...It's small, light, VERY fast..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the value of the camera lenses. Some mention that it is worth every dollar, while others say that it's a good carry around lens.
"...on a slight discount (or maybe used like new) it is a phenomenal lens for the price.That said, I returned it...." Read more
"...Conclusion: The lens may seem expensive when you only look at its specs...." Read more
"...I got a used one on Amazon for a great price but it really is worth every penny. I am incredibly happy to have made this my first lens...." Read more
"...It's not cheap but neither is quality...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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The lens is sharp corner to corner regardless of aperture. The corners soften very slightly only at extreme f stops. But it's definitely very sharp even at f1.8
Very little CA and distortion across the range. I shoot mostly 2.8 to 4.0 and pictures come out perfect most of the time. The tiny imperfections here and there that I spot from pixel peeping wasn't even worth correcting.
Image Quality is extremely high. It is the sharpest lens I've ever used. It handily beat my 50mm 1.2L on my 5DMK3. I paid $1.6k for the 1.2L and it's hard to believe this lens is only $1k.
I don't know how to explain it but the Zeiss lens renders the image a little different. The colors seems to pop more and it just look livelier than my L series lens.
AF is better than the stock 28-70mm. It generally will lock in faster with less hunting. It works much better in low light conditions. It seems to be more accurate overall.
Focusing ring is smooth. I would say it's above average but nothing to write home about. It works and allows accurate manual focus.
Construction is solid.
It is a bulky lens compared to how compact my A7 is. However, this is nothing compared to the bulk and weight of Canon body and lens I'm used to. I can actually walk around and shoot all day(if I bring 2 extra batteries) with the Sony system. My only comparison for its compactness is against the 35mm Zeiss. The 35mm really inspires me to make it a walk around set up. It can easily slip inside a small bag or hang on my body without getting in the way. I can't say the same with this 50mm. It's not impossible, just more difficult. But there is no comparison with picture quality. The 50mm is clearly superior in every way.
Conclusion: The lens may seem expensive when you only look at its specs. The results are stunning and performance is up their comparable to the legendary Otus lens. At $1k, this is a steal IMHO. A must have lens for anyone using the A7/R bodies.
I will try to post some pictures and update my review. You won't find me dig deep into the technicals since there are more reputable and highly qualified people than me. I will only tell you from a user's perspective and satisfaction of the product.
As far as the lens is concerned, it is a very sharp and fast lens. You don't have to take my word for it. Just do a search and you'll find many reports and reviews that like this lens. It's not cheap but neither is quality. Remember that this is a scaled down version of a dslr full frame lens so it is smaller than an Alpha 99 full frame lens but it is larger than a cropped sensor lens if you compare the equivalent focal length. The size is good. Without the hood, I would almost even say that it's smaller than what I expected. With the hood, it's about where I expected.
The focus is fine. Out of hundreds of shots, I missed maybe a few. Again, I'm not a pro as I would consider myself a pro-sumer and I'm sure the missed shots were because of my own doing. I shoot in full manual with the A7 with the focus on one-shot focus and not continuos focus.
Unfortunately, there aren't many choices for the A7 series right now but if you have to be stuck with one fast prime, go for this one. This is the only lens I have with my A7 and it works great. Focal length is about how your human eyes perceive the world so if you're comfortable shooting with that kind of frame, you'll be fine. Yes, there are some occasions that I wish I had a wider angle or a longer zoom but then I just work around it.
If Sony comes out with a little faster wide angle and a telephoto anywhere between 85mm to 125mm prime, I would get that too. I like the telephoto to be fast with image stabilization thought. Let's all hope this happens.
The build-quality is sublime, as expected from a Zeiss-branded lens. Focusing movements are precise and smooth. The f/1.8 is bright, and provides bokeh often described as “creamy.” Given the small-ish size, the lens sits well on the A7R iii camera body. It also feels well-balanced on the smaller and lighter a6500; however using this lens on a crop-senor camera like the a6xxx series you will have a 35mm equivalent focal length of about 78mm, which is more appropriate for portraitures than using it as a standard 55mm lens (which is pretty close to what our eye sees). The quality is great either way, just be mindfull this is an FE mount and therefore optimized for Sony’s Full-frame line of cameras.
One noticible omission is a lack of optical image stabilization (OSS) built into the lens. Not an issue per-say as Sony’s A7 and A9 series have built-in 5-axis stabilization, which is what this lens was built for, thus negating the need for additional in-lens OSS. Even the a6500 has built-in stabilization, but if one intends to use this on an a6000 or a6300 for portraits you may be disappointed by the omitted OSS.
Attached image: A7R iii 1/80 second, f/8.0, 12,800 ISO. Original JPEG straight from the camera with the other being a 100% crop. Please note, the high HSO of the image will soften the image to a degree. Most people will not shoot at 12,800 ISO.
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018
The build-quality is sublime, as expected from a Zeiss-branded lens. Focusing movements are precise and smooth. The f/1.8 is bright, and provides bokeh often described as “creamy.” Given the small-ish size, the lens sits well on the A7R iii camera body. It also feels well-balanced on the smaller and lighter a6500; however using this lens on a crop-senor camera like the a6xxx series you will have a 35mm equivalent focal length of about 78mm, which is more appropriate for portraitures than using it as a standard 55mm lens (which is pretty close to what our eye sees). The quality is great either way, just be mindfull this is an FE mount and therefore optimized for Sony’s Full-frame line of cameras.
One noticible omission is a lack of optical image stabilization (OSS) built into the lens. Not an issue per-say as Sony’s A7 and A9 series have built-in 5-axis stabilization, which is what this lens was built for, thus negating the need for additional in-lens OSS. Even the a6500 has built-in stabilization, but if one intends to use this on an a6000 or a6300 for portraits you may be disappointed by the omitted OSS.
Attached image: A7R iii 1/80 second, f/8.0, 12,800 ISO. Original JPEG straight from the camera with the other being a 100% crop. Please note, the high HSO of the image will soften the image to a degree. Most people will not shoot at 12,800 ISO.
Top reviews from other countries
Reviewed in Brazil on June 10, 2022
However, beware about the warranty issue. Although it sold by Amazon.sg, it's not like Lazada Mall. I have trouble registering the warranty and Sony told me it is not local set and Amazon customer service told me to contact manufacturer... So just take note.