Sony 50mm macro

Hello!  Have any of you used the Sony 50mm f2.8 macro lens?  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Thank you!

Sincerely, 

Wesley 

Working distance is about 60-70mm from the port at 1:1, tight but probably usable, Will atke diopters but very close to port at max magnification , data is on the port charts here for CMC-1 and CMC-2 diopters. 

I hav seen others report the AF is a little slow.  Full frame or crop sensor?  it's probably a little short for full frame.

Hi Wesley,

Yes I have actually used the lens and these are my thoughts. First the lens is optically excellent however it has some down sides like all lenses. This is a lens designed for 35mm "full frame" and covers a focal range down to life size, 1:1 or 1.5:1 equivelent if used on APS-C. The other current Sony offering in FF is the Sony FE 90mm F/2.8 macro also an excellent macro lens. The 90mm is much more suited to subjects in the 1:4 range and smaller range while the 50mm is more well suited to subjects larger than 1:4 about 10cm on the long side on FF. This is not to say that the 50mm doesn't preform we'll at 1:1 but you have a greater working distance with the 90mm and using a closeup lens on the 50mm on FF is not recommended. How fast the lens will focus depends on which camera you are using. The most up to date cameras like A1, A7R IV, A7s III, A7C are going to focus more quickly and more accurately than older camera's. The AF is still slower than the 90mm macro and much noisier for video.

To be clear about closeup lenses (measured in diopters) like CMC-1 & 2 they are only recommended when used in APS-C mode or with an APS-C, 75mm equivalent camera body like the A6600. The only other FF Sony lens that can be used with the Nauticam CMC line is the Sony FE 28-60mm zoom. If you own a Sony FF camera and plan to own the Sony 90mm at some point I would recommend the Nauticam SMC-line rather then CMC. They are more expensive but will be a much better choice for the 90mm.  

I have attached two images one taken with the 61MP A7R IV (crab) and the other with the 24MP A7C. The A7R IV when shot in APS-C mode renders a 26MP image and acts like a 75mm lens on FF. 

Also keep in mind that the 50mm has greater DOF than the 90mm and is a bit more forgiving for critical focus. The 50 also telescopes from 1:1 to about 1:4 while the 90mm is internal focus.

So the bottom line is subject selection, if you chose the proper subject the 50mm works quite well. If you chose a very small fast moving subject you will end up frustrated.