Lost in the midst of the high profile releases of the 35mm F1.4 G Master (my review here), the Sony FE 14mm F1.8 (my review here), and the yet untested (by me!) Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM is a trio of compact, smaller aperture prime lenses by Sony.  The Sony FE 24mm F2.8 G (my review here) FE 40mm F2.5 G (my review here), and FE 50mm F2.8 G lenses are all very nicely built, fully featured, optically sound little prime lenses with smaller than typical maximum apertures.  Each of them retails for roughly $600 USD, which, while not cheap, is considerably less expensive than the larger, heavier, more expensive large aperture alternatives.  In many ways these lenses most resemble the Sigma iSeries in both design and function; very small autofocusing build with a surprisingly premium build.  This review focuses on the Sony FE 50mm F2.5 G lens, a lens that is a little hard to categorize.  It is more expensive than the cheaper Sony FE 50mm F1.8 and FE 50mm F2.8 Macro options, but is also a much more premium lens in build, autofocus, and optics despite having a smaller maximum aperture.  It is smaller and lighter and yet has the better build and is the only one of any competing lenses to have weather sealing.  This is a lens that is going to seem overpriced to those who don’t “get it”, but in actuality this is a lens that competes more directly with larger, premium lenses in build and performance…it just happens to have a smaller maximum aperture.  As I said, this is a difficult one to pin down, but I’ll do my best to do so in the review.

I’ve praised Sigma and their iSeries for the recognition that not everyone wants massive, large-aperture prime lenses.  Many people initially transitioned to mirrorless cameras because they liked the concept of having smaller, lighter gear that continued to deliver exceptional image quality, and in the early years of transitioning to bigger sensor full frame mirrorless cameras that compactness was often lost.  There has been a “Renaissance of compactness” recently, though, and while companies continue to produce the larger, more expensive professional grade lenses, many of them have also begun to supplement those options with smaller and lighter alternatives.  It used to be that the market was bifurcated between “professional” (large, heavy, expensive, but with features) and “consumer grade” (smaller, lighter, smaller apertures, but cheaply made and without features).  Lensmakers have finally figured out that many people want smaller lenses that are still premium in terms of performance and features.  That is the case here, as the FE 50mm F2.5 G, while very small, is also feature rich and has a beautiful construction…and can make beautiful images.

Though there are many, many 50mm options on Sony from a variety of lensmakers, I find it hard to offer up a direct competitor to the 50G.  It’s more premium than the cheap lenses, but has a much smaller size and maximum aperture than the premium lenses.  In some ways this is a lens more akin to an autofocusing Zeiss Loxia lens and stands alone in its own category.  You can read my text review, watch my video reviews, or just check out the many photos of the Sony FE 50mm F2.5 G below.

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Thanks to Camera Canada for getting me a loaner of the lens.  They are my personal source for my gear and have been great to work with.   As always, this is a completely independent review.

Photos of the Sony FE 50mm F2.5 G

Photos taken with the Sony FE 50mm F2.5 G

Gear Used:

Purchase the Sony FE 50mm F2.5 G @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany 

Purchase the Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany 

Purchase the Sony FE 24mm F2.8 G @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany 

Purchase the Samyang AF 45mm F1.8 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay 

Purchase the Sony Alpha 1 @ Camera Canada | B&H Photo | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay 

Purchase a Sony a9M2 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay 

Sony a9 Camera:  B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada  | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay 
Sony a7RIV Camera: B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay 

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Peak Design Leash Strap:  Peak Design Store | B&H Photo | Amazon | Amazon Canada  | Amazon UK

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