Questions & Answers

Q: QuestionWhat is the minimum focusing distance for this lens?

• A:Answer The minimum focusing distance is 15.4 inches.

Q: QuestionWhat is the maximum aperture of this Sony lens?

• A:Answer This Sony prime lens has a maximum aperture of f/1.8.

Q: QuestionCan I use this lens with cameras from other brands?

• A:Answer This lens is compatible with Sony E-Mount cameras.

Q: QuestionWhat is the benefit of ED glass in this lens?

• A:Answer ED glass enables faster focusing, richer color saturation, improved contrast, and greater image detail.

Q: QuestionWhat comes with this Sony lens?

• A:Answer This Sony lens comes with a dust cap and a lens cap.

Q: QuestionI need a prime lens for my SONY NEX 6/B camera -which lens should I order

Asked 11 years ago by Joanne.

• A:Answer I have the three main lenses and find myself using the 16-50 most but the 1.8/50 is the best lens of the group, the 55-210 is a great lens but it makes the camera feel a bit front heavy. The 16-50 is a good lens that makes the camera feel very compact and adds the versatility of getting wide shots, it is just the glass on the 50 is superior to the other two. I use all three frequently and get some awesome results. Good luck and I hope this was helpful.

  Answered 11 years ago by retilogic

  Helpful (9)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (2)

Q: QuestionWould this be a good lens for someone starting off with an a6000 who has only the stock lens in her collection. Looking to slowly add some lenses to my collection.

Asked 8 years ago by Anonymous.

• A:Answer You are gonna love this lens. I got the kit lens and this 50mm. It's great!

  Answered 8 years ago by EddieBVerified Purchase

  Helpful (4)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (4)

Q: QuestionIf I use this lens on a full frame a7r II will it use all or only part of the sensor and if it only uses part of it, how much is it reduced?

Asked 10 years ago by Anonymous.

• A:Answer Amazingly, the answer from SonyListens below is actually wrong, and will easily confuse readers here! They must've had the new guy answering questions today, or it's a troll pretending to be a Sony rep... This particular lens (the 50mm 1.8 OSS) was designed for use with Sony's APS-C mirrorless cameras, which all have a cropped sensor that is significantly smaller than Sony's full-frame A7 series. Therefore, when you use this lens on the A7 series, there will be a black vignette and barrel distortion on the outskirts of the frame, and so the camera will (probably automatically) crop it to use the center of the image to remove the vignetting. Due to this cropping, the effective resolution will be lowered, meaning that instead of having, say, the usual 42.4 megapixel images from an A7Rii, images made with this lens on that particular camera will use APS-C Mode, and have a maximum resolution of 18 megapixels. This may still be acceptable, if you have a monster camera like the A7Rii, because even cropped files are pretty big at 18 megapixels, but on the lower res A7, and especially the A7S, you may not want cropped images. If you doubt any of this information, in light of Sony's answer here (as of 8/25/2015), all you have to do is google "SEL50F18 on A7" and see sample images. For picture examples, go here: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1258385 TL;DR - this is a crop-sensor lens, and though it CAN be used on your full-frame Sony cameras (FE mount), the image won't cover the full sensor, and you'll end up with a cropped, lower-resolution image.

  Answered 10 years ago by overseastom

  Helpful (22)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (4)

Q: QuestionWhy this model: SEL50F18/B have a B at the end. Can some one tell me if there are a different between this model and the model: SEL50F18.

Asked 9 years ago by quelain1.

• A:Answer Hi Quelain1, it is the same model. /B means color black. -Anthony

  Answered 9 years ago by SonyListens

  
  Helpful (3)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (1)

Q: QuestionWhat the difference in the 50mm f/1.8 prime lens vs. the 50mm f/1.8 optical? Other than the 30 ish dollar price difference?

Asked 6 years ago by Nikki.

• A:Answer The cheaper of the two (SEL50F18F) is for full frame (like the Alpha a7). It’s tweaked for that sensor (although will work on the APS-C sensors), and relies on the in body stabilization of the full frame cameras. This lens (SEL50F18) is designed for the a6000 series APS-C sensors and includes OSS (Optical Steady Shot) which is very helpful in low light (where this lens shines) as the a6000 and a6300 lack any sort of stabilization in body (although the a6500 offers stabilization - this lens is made for the sensor, whereas the other lens would produce a different focal length - I believe 83mm).

  Answered 6 years ago by aarondrVerified Purchase

  Helpful (2)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (1)

Q: QuestionDo you know if the SEL50F18 E50mm lens will work on the ILCE6500/B?

Asked 6 years ago by LuLuBell.

• A:Answer Yes, although I have a A6000, the A6500 is an APS-C e-mount camera (I considered the A6500 body - so I’m familiar with it). This lens is a great piece of prime glass with OSS (optical steady shot) and is excellent for portrait shots on these cameras! I love mine!

  Answered 6 years ago by aarondrVerified Purchase

  Helpful (1)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (1)

Q: QuestionWill this work on the NEX5? Looking to take my food photography to the next level and move on from my default lenses!

Asked 8 years ago by Viking.

• A:Answer Hi Viking, Yes, SEL50F18 is fully compatible with Sony NEX-5. You may check this link for more details: http://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/www/cscs/accessories/compatibility.php?area=gb&lang=en&mdl=NEX-5&cat=8 -Jerome

  Answered 8 years ago by SonyListens

  
  Helpful (1)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (1)

Q: QuestionI have a Sony a6000 what's the best lens to record YouTube videos with ( manly vlogging)

Asked 8 years ago by Cheecho.

• A:Answer Hi Cheecho, it depends on your shooting style and shooting environment/situation. The Sony 50mm f/1.8 is a prime lens, it has a great picture quality. But you will not be able to use optical zoom with this lens. -Anthony

  Answered 8 years ago by SonyListens

  
  Helpful (1)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (2)

Q: QuestionWhat is the difference if any between a Prime and Optical Lens?

Asked 8 years ago by Lax2017.

• A:Answer Both of the 50 mm are prime lenses. Prime lenses are any lens of a fixed focal length. In this case the optical is for crop sensor (Sony A5000 and A6000 lines). The cheaper prime lens is full frame.

  Answered 7 years ago by hidefphotoVerified Purchase

  Helpful (1)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (2)

Q: QuestionWhat is the best lens for sony a6500? I primarily will be taking pictures of my family and infant and would like to be able to get good quality pictures that allow me to see all details clearly.

Asked 8 years ago by Tino.

• A:Answer I'd say this lens is probably the best portrait lens for the price. Unless you have the budget to buy a Zeiss or Gmaster lens. Most average user use this or the 35mm f/1.8 I've used the 55-210mm lens for portraits as well and had good results.

  Answered 8 years ago by Brian3499Verified Purchase

  Helpful (1)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (3)

Q: Questionwhat is the difference between this and the sel50f18f?

Asked 9 years ago by LEE.

• A:Answer The sel50f18f is a full frame lens and does not have OSS “Optical Steady Shot”.

  Answered 7 years ago by JborVerified Purchase

  Helpful (1)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (1)

Q: QuestionWill this lens work on a sony A7, without any cropping?I am interested in purchasing the sony A7, however I am having a hard time finding which lenses are compatible with this camera. I have done some research, and I am coming up empty handed. Any information would be great. My question basically is will this work without any cropping on the sony A7, and can you direct me to any lenses that would be compatible with this camera.

Asked 9 years ago by jaeyoony.

• A:Answer it will physically fit, but you'll get vignetting since it's designed for a smaller sensor (a7 is full-frame, a6000 is crop-frame). all sony e-mount lenses will fit sony e-mount bodies, but you need to pay attention to the frame size (full-frame lenses will be noted with an EF) they make a full line of f/1.8 lenses for the a7 series (18mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm - that one is actually a f/1.4 but also costs $2500). You can always put a full-frame lens on a crop-frame body, you'll just be 'zoomed in' by a factor of 1.5 (35mm full-frame lens on a crop frame will function as a 52.5mm equivalent crop-frame lens) but going the other way, you're zoomed out (i'm guessing 75%?) and then you'll have to crop your shot in post- so that you have an image without the black vignette. good luck!

  Answered 9 years ago by masaccio

  Helpful (2)Unhelpful (1)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (2)

Q: Questionshooting artworkShooting artwork with a Sony a6000. What lenses would you recommend. Is a macro the best type.

Asked 10 years ago by Zdenik.

• A:Answer Hi Zdenik, The prime lens SEL50F18 is a good lens. This lens is a portrait lens best for taking pictures of people. Macro lens on the other hand is also a good lens, Macro lens can also be used as portrait lens. Here is a complete list of emount lenses that you can check. http://www.sony.com/electronics/lenses/t/camera-lenses?cameramount=e-mount -Zander

  Answered 10 years ago by SonyListens

  
  Helpful (1)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this questionShow more answers (4)

Q: QuestionWill this give me more clear pictures from the lens that comes with the Sony alpha a5000 ?

Asked 1 week ago by Chris09.

• A:Answer Hi Chris09, Sony commitment to customer satisfaction is our top priority. Compared with the kit lens, the SEL50F18/B should give you more dramatic images as it's 1.8 aperture can produce beautiful bokeh. For any questions or concerns, you can reach us at 239-245-6360.   Regards, Larry 11-18-2025 Sony Social Support

  Answered 6 days ago by SonyListens

  
  Helpful (0)Unhelpful (0)ReportAnswer this question