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Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro vs Sony E 50mm F1.8 OSS

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

SonyE 30mm F3.5 MacroSonyE 50mm F1.8 OSS
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2011December 2011
Optics
Lens typePrimePrime
Focal length30 mm50 mm
Maximum aperturef/3.5f/1.8
Minimum aperturef/22f/22
Macro lensYes–
Optical constructionSeven elements in six groupsNine elements in eight groups
Special elementsOne ED glass element and three aspherical elements–
DiaphragmSeven rounded bladesSeven rounded blades
Angle of view50° APS-C32° APS-C
Mount and compatibility
MountsSony ESony E
Image circleAPS-CAPS-C
Image circle detailAPS-C coverage; 45 mm equivalent field of viewAPS-C coverage; 75 mm equivalent field of view
Teleconverter supportNot compatible with Sony E-mount teleconvertersNot compatible with Sony E-mount teleconverters
Focus and stabilisation
AutofocusYesYes
Minimum focus distance0.095 m0.39 m
Maximum magnification1×0.16×
Optical stabilisationNoYes
Autofocus detailInternal autofocus motor; maker does not identify a specific motor technologyInternal motor and internal focusing; no specific drive designation published in read maker feature page
Focus distance detail9.5 cm minimum focus measured from the image sensor; approximately 2.4 cm from the front of the lens at closest focus0.39 m minimum focus; electronically coupled manual-focus ring
Magnification detail1.0× life-size maximum magnification0.16× maximum magnification
Stabilisation detailNo optical stabilisationOptical SteadyShot; Sony specifies approximately four stops, not guaranteed under every shooting condition
Design
Filter diameter49 mm49 mm
Maximum diameter62 mm62 mm
Length55.5 mm62 mm
Weight138 g202 g
ControlsManual-focus ring; focus mode selected on the camera; aluminium-alloy exteriorManual-focus ring; focus mode and optical stabilisation selected on the camera
Dimensions detail62 mm maximum diameter × 55.5 mm length62 mm maximum diameter × 62 mm length; aluminium-alloy exterior and internal focusing
Weight detailApproximately 138 g lens; separate hood and caps excludedApproximately 202 g lens; separate hood and caps excluded
Lens hoodALC-SH113 cap-type hood, suppliedALC-SH116 round bayonet hood
In the boxALC-SH113 hood, front cap and rear cap; no case listedALC-SH116 hood, front cap and rear cap; no case listed
Release detailSony Japan announced this exact lens on 8 June 2011 for September 2011 availability. Main release retains the maker’s month precision; exact global first day is not established. Two independently authored full reviews read: Sony Alpha Lab Jay on NEX-7 (2012) and Sony Alpha Blog Marc Alhadeff on Alpha 6000 (2018). Lab’s corner test acknowledges imperfect subject-plane alignment; its general-purpose/value recommendation is more positive than Blog’s. Maker length 55.5 mm supersedes Blog’s inconsistent 62/65 mm figures. No unpublished weather-resistance or coating claim addedPhotography Blog’s contemporaneous 24 August 2011 US-price launch report specifies December availability; Imaging Resource’s later exact review corroborates end of 2011 release. Sony Japan delayed its local launch after Thai floods and finally specified 9 March 2012. Exact global first day unconfirmed. Sony Hong Kong added the black finish from September 2013; it is a colour configuration, not another generation. Two full independent reviews: Sony Alpha Lab Jay on NEX-5N, mostly corrected JPEG samples, and Sony Alpha Blog Marc Alhadeff on Alpha 6000. Their corner-sharpness judgments differ across bodies/tests. Unconfirmed ED glass/motor subtype in third-party descriptions omitted

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