A Recent Favorite Lens
Another recent lens enthusiasm—the Sony SAL50M28
. I have a long if intermittent history using 50mm lenses, and I've always liked using macro lenses as normals as well as for "product" photography (although, perhaps oddly, not for macro photography, which I basically don't do). They're often (though not unfailingly) excellent optically. My all-time favorite 50mm was the 1980s-vintage Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm ƒ/2 Macro. It was as good or better in every way I care about than the Leica Summicron of the era.
Shot this with my portrait lens but could have used a macro 50. Um, right?
It's a Sony lens that's quite close to the Minolta DNA but actually improves on it—a classic old-fashioned-looking Macro with the usual plusses and minuses. Good resolution, better contrast; good to excellent bokeh; a bit of center preference in sharpness across the field but good field consistency nonetheless; a bit of manageable vignetting. None of those character points are severe. I like lenses like this more than I like more "technically perfect" lenses that look more clinical and sterile.
"Old-fashioned" spherical-element MTF (20 and 30 respectively, brown is saggital in top pair, dotted line tangential in that pair) at ƒ/2.8 shows exactly what I see visually—I would stop down one stop or more if I wanted good bokeh; sharp but smooth; slightly elevated center sharpness at lower image height (probably visible only on FF). What one wants
in a satisfying classic macro.
Anyone out there own and use this relatively offbeat lens?
Mike
Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
TOP's links!
(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
No featured comments yet—please check back soon!
