I love this lens! I bought it because I wanted to do some time lapse flower photography and needed a macro lens with a faster aperture than the original zoom lens that came with my alpha 500 DSLR. I got it at well below list price on eBay and have used it constantly since it arrived. I checked out online reviews before buying it, including lens test charts etc. and found them true to the lens. It is faster and lighter than the original zoom lens and although aimed at macro photography it is very usable as a fasy standard lens. It does have slight distortion when used as a standard lens and the auto focus works best at close focus, I tend to use manual focus a lot so this does not bother me.
I bought this after trying macro diopter filters and was disappointed with some of the results. Very glad I bought this. The initial results have been simply brilliant. Minimum focus is about 1.5cm from the front of the lens. I use this on a Nex 5 with the E to A adapter which makes the auto focus very slow but the manual focus is very easy to work with.
Its ok but it is an older lens and there are better ones out there
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
As described. Good macro image.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Very good lens for the price
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Excellent !!! Pleased with purchase
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This lens, when it arrived, looked very much like the Sony 50mm f1.8. Plasticky and not expensive looking. And with a very small looking piece of glass at the front. I was not enthused, and when I took it out at first my impression of cheap but not cheerful was compounded. I could not get it to focus clearly. I could not get the depth of field to work for me. I could not get ANYTHING sharp. Then I discovered that just a hint of flash changed everything, and suddenly the lens was turning out shot after macro shot that was pin sharp, clear, delightfully detailed and looking as if they came from a lens several times the price. The only *drawback* is that it focusses down to 11mm and less from the front element, and I like to get up close and personal with insect shots. I've come to recognise the different types of bee by the smell of their breath... Other than that this is an awesome lens for the price, and stays on my camera longer than any of the others. The only downside is barrel distortion if you use it as a wide-angle lens, but you can correct that with a bit of post processing.Read full review
This is another one of those plastic fantastic lens. To be honest, I'd think twice about paying £160 for it, however when I saw it in Jessops for £120 I was interested. Unfortunately this offer expired before I could jump in. The great news is that I picked up a nearly new lens on eBay for £90 incl. P&P. Well worth that. This is a great lens for those mystery shots. My best pic so far are of two pepper corns. They look so large and sharp, no one knows what they are. This is also a relatively fast lens when compared to the zooms which we're now all used to. This makes it a useful addition if you're into low light photography, although the 1.8 would be a better choice if you're not bothered about the macro function. Give me macro anytime. I hope this helps. Peace and love terryballgwe
We both share the same passion for photography and instead of sharing equipment both have matching cameras and lenses the close-up macro photo's are beautiful
Pro's :- Small, light, very sharp, good "walk round" lens as well as macro, very good value (cheap!) Con's :- A bit plasticy, AF is not as quiet as some & sometimes hunts - but that may be my old A100 playing up !
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