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Sony FE 50mm F2.5 G 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

SonyFE 50mm F2.5 GSonySonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA
Overview
ReleasedApril 2021December 2013
Optics
Lens typePrimePrime
Focal length50 mm55 mm
Maximum aperturef/2.5f/1.8
Minimum aperturef/22f/22
Optical constructionNine elements in nine groupsSeven elements in five groups; Sonnar design
Special elementsTwo aspherical elements and ED glassThree 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 view47° full frame; 32° APS-C43° full frame; 29° APS-C
Mount and compatibility
MountsSony ESony E
Image circleFull frameFull frame
Image circle detailFull-frame coverage; 75 mm equivalent field of view on APS-CFull-frame coverage; 82.5 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C
Teleconverter supportNot compatible with SEL14TC or SEL20TCNot compatible with SEL14TC or SEL20TC
Focus and stabilisation
AutofocusYesYes
Minimum focus distance0.31 m (manual focus)0.5 m
Maximum magnification0.21× (manual focus)0.14×
Optical stabilisationNoNo
Autofocus detailTwo linear motors; internal focusing. Maker does not designate these motors XDLinear motor; internal focusing
Focus distance detailMinimum focus 0.35 m in AF or 0.31 m in MF; Linear Response MFMinimum focus 0.5 m; electronic manual-focus ring
Magnification detailMaximum magnification 0.18× in AF or 0.21× in MF–
Stabilisation detailNo lens stabilisation; compatible bodies provide stabilisationNo lens stabilisation; compatible bodies provide stabilisation
Design
Dust and moisture resistantYesYes
Filter diameter49 mm49 mm
Maximum diameter68 mm64.4 mm
Length45 mm70.5 mm
Weight174 g281 g
ControlsAperture ring with click on/off switch, AF/MF switch and one customisable focus-hold buttonManual-focus ring; focus mode selected on the camera; no aperture ring
Filter detail–49 mm front filter thread
Weather resistanceDust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proofDust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proof
Dimensions detailAluminium exterior and hood; internal focusing preserves lens lengthAluminium exterior; internal focusing preserves overall length
Weight detailApproximately 174 g lens; separate hood and caps excludedApproximately 281 g lens; separate hood, caps and case excluded
Lens hoodALC-SH166 cap-type hoodALC-SH131 petal bayonet hood
In the boxALC-SH166 hood, ALC-F49S front cap and ALC-R1EM rear cap; no case listedALC-SH131 hood, front cap, rear cap and soft case
Release detailSony Europe specified April 2021 availability, separately from the 23 March announcement. Photography Blog Mark Goldstein and Digital Camera World Rod Lawton independently reviewed this exact model. Sony specifies two linear motors and two aspherical elements, correcting Photography Blog’s XD and three-aspherical descriptions. Maker 0.35 m AF / 0.31 m MF corrects Photography Blog’s swapped macro-section distances. No unconfirmed fluorine coating is importedSony 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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