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Sony E 50mm F1.8 OSS vs Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

SonyE 50mm F1.8 OSSSonySonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA
Overview
ReleasedDecember 2011December 2013
Optics
Lens typePrimePrime
Focal length50 mm55 mm
Maximum aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Minimum aperturef/22f/22
Optical constructionNine elements in eight groupsSeven elements in five groups; Sonnar design
Special elements–Three aspherical elements, including two with both surfaces aspherical
Coatings–ZEISS T* coating
DiaphragmSeven rounded bladesNine rounded blades; maker specifies circular opening through two stops below maximum aperture
Angle of view32° APS-C43° full frame; 29° APS-C
Mount and compatibility
MountsSony ESony E
Image circleAPS-CFull frame
Image circle detailAPS-C coverage; 75 mm equivalent field of viewFull-frame coverage; 82.5 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C
Teleconverter supportNot compatible with Sony E-mount teleconvertersNot compatible with SEL14TC or SEL20TC
Focus and stabilisation
AutofocusYesYes
Minimum focus distance0.39 m0.5 m
Maximum magnification0.16×0.14×
Optical stabilisationYesNo
Autofocus detailInternal motor and internal focusing; no specific drive designation published in read maker feature pageLinear motor; internal focusing
Focus distance detail0.39 m minimum focus; electronically coupled manual-focus ringMinimum focus 0.5 m; electronic manual-focus ring
Magnification detail0.16× maximum magnification–
Stabilisation detailOptical SteadyShot; Sony specifies approximately four stops, not guaranteed under every shooting conditionNo lens stabilisation; compatible bodies provide stabilisation
Design
Dust and moisture resistant–Yes
Filter diameter49 mm49 mm
Maximum diameter62 mm64.4 mm
Length62 mm70.5 mm
Weight202 g281 g
ControlsManual-focus ring; focus mode and optical stabilisation selected on the cameraManual-focus ring; focus mode selected on the camera; no aperture ring
Filter detail–49 mm front filter thread
Weather resistance–Dust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proof
Dimensions detail62 mm maximum diameter × 62 mm length; aluminium-alloy exterior and internal focusingAluminium exterior; internal focusing preserves overall length
Weight detailApproximately 202 g lens; separate hood and caps excludedApproximately 281 g lens; separate hood, caps and case excluded
Lens hoodALC-SH116 round bayonet hoodALC-SH131 petal bayonet hood
In the boxALC-SH116 hood, front cap and rear cap; no case listedALC-SH131 hood, front cap, rear cap and soft case
Release detailPhotography 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 omittedSony Japan revised its initial January 2014 launch to 20 December 2013 on 2 December 2013; main date retains month precision for regional release. Photography Blog Mark Goldstein tested an Alpha 7R in 2013; Digital Camera World Matthew Richards published in 2022. Their wide-open sharpness judgments differ. Maker lists a soft case despite Photography Blog saying no case was supplied

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