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Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Full-Frame Lens (2013)

MSRP 1000 USD88% Neofiliac78% External
Keywords: autofocuse-mountfull-frameinternal-zoomlensmirrorlessprime-lenssonyzeiss

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Photo 0of Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Full-Frame Lens (2013)Photo 1of Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Full-Frame Lens (2013)Photo 2of Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Full-Frame Lens (2013)

Product Overview

Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA is a normal prime lens for Sony E-mount. It covers the full-frame image circle. Introduced by Sony in 2013 as one of the first lenses for FE, it has 7 elements in 5 groups.
The entire lens is crafted out of metal, which imparts a level of tactile sense of quality. For incremental weathers, Sony is kind enough to include weather sealing.
A normal prime lens, the Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA has the potential to be one of the most used and ultimately versatile option in a photographer's bag. Usually the easiest to design and to QC, it is a great option for landscape and street photography. Its bright maximum aperture also helps night and portrait works.

Ratings

What we found**

Neofiliac score 88% (not directly comparable across industries)
Pros
  • Beautifully built
  • Weather-sealed
  • Very sharp across the frame
Cons
  • Quite expensive for a 1.8/50mm

What external reviewers found***

External score 78% (not directly comparable across industries)
Pros
  • Good build quality
  • Excellent image quality
  • Excellent image stabilisation
  • Excellent contrast at all apertures
  • Very good focus accuracy and repeatability
Cons
  • Not as sharp as 55/1.8
  • Relatively expensive
  • Pricey for a full-frame lens
  • Below-average peripheral sharpness
  • No rubber sealing at lens-mount
Read More
See Product Comparison

Price Comparison

Specifications

Construction

Aperture Blades
9 blades
Colors
Black
Form Factor
Normal Prime Lens
Image Size
Full-Frame
Lens Mount
Sony E-mount
Material
All-metal construction
Motor
Stepper motor
Optical Formula | Elements
7 elements
Optical Formula | Groups
5 groups
Optical Formula | Special Glass
3 aspherical elements groups

Dimensions

Filter Diameter
49 mm / 1.93 in
Size | Diameter
64 mm / 2.52 in
Size | Length
71 mm / 2.80 in
Weight
281 g / 9.93 oz

Function

Angle Of View
43.0° Diagonal | 36.2° Horizontal | 24.6° Vertical
Aperture
f/1.8 ~ f/22
Autofocus
Yes
Focal Length
55 mm
Focus Type
Internal
Image Stabilization
No
Weather Resistance
Yes

Performance

Max Magnification
0.14x
Min Focus Distance
500 mm / 19.69 in

Production

Accessory
Lens Hood: ALC-SH131 (supplied)
Debut
2013-10-16
Model Name
SEL55F18Z
See Product Comparison

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Launch Comparison
Clear List

External Reviews

cameralabs[1]

Reviewer score 82%
Reviewers from cameralabs have found the following***:
, smooth, and noise-free operation. Both Sony ZA lenses have special weather-sealing throughout the construction but lack a rubber sealing at the lens-mount. The Sony FE 50mm f1.8 is not especially sealed, just like the Sigma Art. The lens focuses in around 0.7 sec on a Sony A7R II from infinity to 0.67m (1:10 magnification), which is relatively fast.
Find the original article here.
Pros
  • Small, light, and well protected against elements
  • Very smooth focus by wire operation
  • Very good focus accuracy and repeatability
Cons
  • No rubber sealing at lens-mount

dpreview[2]

Reviewer score 67%
Reviewers from dpreview have found the following***:
New 50/1.4 ZA lenses deliver sharp and punchy images wide open. Peripherally, though, they never quite catch up to the 55/ 1.8, not at F2.8 and not even by F5.6. If we were forced to pick an overall winner here in terms of sharpness, we'd probably go with the 55 /1.8.
Find the original article here.
Pros
  • Sharp and punchy images wide open
  • Excellent contrast at all apertures
  • Excellent build quality
Cons
  • Below-average peripheral sharpness
  • Not as sharp as 55/1.8

dpreview[3]

Reviewer score 84%
Reviewers from dpreview have found the following***:
The FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* is one of the first three lenses available for Sony's full-frame E-mount system. Its 7-element, 5-group optical design includes three aspherical elements to minimise aberrations, which is unusual for this type of lens. The 55mm is a large-ish lens for its type (it's 71mm / 2.8" long), but even so, when coupled with the A7 or A7R it's still more compact than comparable full frame SLR options.
Find the original article here.
Pros
  • Wide-open sharpness
  • DxOMark test results
  • Excellent image stabilisation
Cons
  • Pricey for a full-frame lens

digitalpicture[4]

Reviewer score 81%
Reviewers from digitalpicture have found the following***:
The Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA has 49mm filter threads. Among typical lens filter sizes, 49mm is quite small and affordable. Sony includes the classy ALC-SH131 Lens Hood in the box. The 55mm lens is better-built, including weather sealing and it has a superior AF system.
Find the original article here.
Pros
  • Excellent image quality
  • Compact design
  • Good build quality
Cons
  • Relatively expensive

User Reviews

Comments

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References

  1. ^ Sony FE 55mm f1.8 ZA review. [cameralabs]. https://www.cameralabs.com/sony-sonnar-fe-55mm-f1-8-za-review/. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  2. ^ Comparison Review: Sony FE 50mm F1.4 ZA vs 55mm F1.8 ZA. [dpreview]. https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/comparative-review-sony-fe-50mm-f1-4-za-vs-55mm-f1-8-za. 2016-07-19. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  3. ^ Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* Lab Test Review. [dpreview]. https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-fe-55-1-8. 2014-01-31. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  4. ^ Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Lens Review. [digitalpicture]. https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Sony-FE-55mm-f-1.8-ZA-Lens.aspx. Retrieved 2022-01-26.

The MSRP provided on this page may not apply to all regions equally. For the current price, please refer to the Price Comparison section.

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Scores are not directly comparable across industries.

These key takeaways ("pros" and "cons") and summaries are identified from third-party reviews. They may differ from the original texts.

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