In this summary it would be better if we compared the Sony 2.8/50 with a Canon EF-S 2.8/60 Macro or a Sigma 2.8/50 Macro. Unfortunately neither of these instruments have been tested yet so out of necessity the tested device is being compared to the Sigma 2.8/70 Macro and the Tamron 2.8/90 Macro.

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  a bit too high vignetting by f/2.8,, chromatic aberration at the maximum relative aperture could have been lower.

The Sony 50mm f/2.8 macro is certainly a very good lens but it does not really stand out from the crowd - macro lenses simply tend to be top performers. The resolution potential of the lens is very high straight from f/2.8.

I use this lens to shoot small items for catalogs and for copy work with a Sony a900. Performance is excellent, delivering sharp images with great depth of field in macro at f16-32

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  Consistent Output, Delivers Excellent Images, Fast / accurate auto-focus, Lightweight

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  Plastic build

I use this for floral photography in the field. It's so "right on". It's fast enough to catch a clear shot of a flower on a windy day..

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  Consistent Output, Easily Interchangeable, Fast / accurate auto-focus, Lightweight, Nice Bokeh

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  NONE

This lens produces very sharp images regardless if you're in macro or limiter mode. It also doubles up great as a portrait lens if you're on a crop sensor camera (bringing you up to 75mm). It's built quite well, feels solid in the hand, and isn't too heavy or light.

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  Pretty much everything you'd expect from the lens

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  Little bit of play in the focus ring

I'm still learning how to use this, but it is a lot of fun. It arrived ontime and in perfect condition. The lens was in plastic in the box with the instruction manual. I'm still having trouble using it as manual focus....I'm sure it is user error!