The Sony 50mm f1.4 lens is the standard lens in the Sony Alpha lens lineup. You can get this lens from Amazon
This lens is a remake from the old Minolta lens which means this lens is compatible with both cropped sensor and full frame DSLR camera.
When used on a cropped sensor DSLR it gives 75mm focal length equivalent which is suitable for portraiture.
The ultra wide aperture of f/1.4 will also help to get pleasing bokeh (out of focus blur) on this lens.
In terms of optical performance, this lens is pretty decent, but a bit weak at f/1.4. Border sharpness is weak at this aperture although the center sharpness is excellent.
Distortion and vignetting are fairly well controlled. Chromatic aberration control is just OK, but not great.
Overall, I see no advantage on getting this lens compared to the Sony 50mm 1.8 apart from the wider aperture.
Build quality is just slightly better, but not by a far margin.
If you are fine with the f/1.8 aperture, I recommend you go with the Sony 50mm 1.8 lens instead.
See my full Sony 50mm f1.4 review below.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Sony 50mm f1.4 Specs
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Official Name:
Sony 50mm f/1.4 SAL-50F14
Focal Length Markings:
50mm
Full Technical Specs (from Sony’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 6 / 7 |
| Angle of View | 45 |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 1′ 6″ (45cm) |
| Filter Thread | 55mm |
| Weight | 8oz (220g) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 2 9/16 X 1 11/16″ (65.5 X 43mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 0.15X |
| Available at | Amazon, B&H Photo Video or Adorama |
Optical Performance
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Sony 50mm f1.4 Sharpness
Center sharpness is excellent at any aperture, including f/1.4.
Border is soft at f/1.4 which is a bit disappointing. Stop down to f/2 to get much sharper results.
See the sharpness table test below to see the test result.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Sony 50mm f/1.4 SAL-50F14 Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/1.4 | f/2 | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 50mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Sony 50mm f/1.4 SAL-50F14 Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/1.4 | f/2 | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 50mm | Fair | Great | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
Distortion
Distortion is slightly visible here. Although not to a major problem, it is a bit disappointing to see for a normal lens.
See the distortion test image grid below.
Sony 50mm f1.4 Distortion
Vignetting
Vignetting is very well controlled on this lens. It is slightly apparent at f/1.4 and will be gone by f/2.
See my vignetting test chart below.
Sony 50mm f1.4 Vignetting
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration is a bit disappointing on this lens. It can be considered just average with f/4 and f/8 to be the highest peak.
You can easily correct it using a post processing software though, but I would prefer to have it right on the lens.
See my chromatic aberration test table below.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Sony 50mm f/1.4 SAL-50F14 Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/1.4 | f/2 | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 50mm | Low | Low | Low | High | Low | High |
Build Quality
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Materials
Good quality plastic with metal mount. Overall quite decent.
Focusing
The focus ring operates smoothly on this lens. However, the focus ring rotates during autofocus which some people might find annoying.
The inner tube also moves. The good thing is that the front filter does not rotate so using a polarizing filter is easy.
Because the lens still use a classic mechanism, you will hear some slight noise during autofocus. The autofocus speed is pretty fast and accurate.
Image Stabilization
In the Sony DSLR world, the Image Stabilization is built into the camera sensor, not on the lenses. Check your camera body to see if it has the Image Stabilization feature.
Compatibility
This lens is compatible with both cropped sensor and full frame DSLR camera.
Sample Image
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Below are some sample images taken with this lens. Click on any thumbnail to open the image.
Get the best price online from these sites: Amazon
Conclusion
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I will conclude this Sony 50mm f1.4 review in this section.
Drawbacks
- Old autofocus mechanism make the focus ring rotate during autofocus
- Soft borders at f/1.4
- Chromatic aberration control is just average
- Average distortion control
Positives
- Very sharp on the center at any aperture. Borders are also sharp except at f/1.4.
- Excellent vignetting control
- Lightweight
- Autofocus is fairly fast and accurate
Good For
- Normal lens for full frame DSLR camera
- Portrait lens for cropped sensor DSLR camera
- Low light photography
Not So Good For
- Anyone looking to get sharp result from the borders at the maximum aperture of f/1.4 (typically landscape photographers)
What Others Are Saying…
by “P. Ciullo”
I bought this lens because I needed a “portrait” lens for my K/M 7D when my Sigma 28-70 f/2.8 EX “Pro” lens took a dump on me. The lens hasn’t been dropped or anything like that (that I’m aware of) but it suddenly is always out of focus…
Click here to see the full review
by “Hiram Grant”
This Sony update of the Konica-Minolta 50mm f1.4 will be a welcome addition to anyone wishing to shoot low-light candids or close sports photos. Although the Sony A100 offers and anti-shake system…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Sony 50mm f1.4 from these sites (best price online):
Amazon (Best Price + FREE Shipping)
Do check out the related lens review post below if you want to explore your options further.
Thanks for reading my Sony 50mm f1.4 review, hope you’ve enjoyed it and I will catch you in the next review!
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
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