Why Do Sony Users Have So Few Options When It Comes to This Basic Lens?

Sony users tend not to struggle when it comes to choosing lenses thanks to a ton of third parties complementing a large offering from the Japanese manufacturer. However, one lens now forms a bizarre gap in the lens lineup and, amazingly, companies are not trying to fill it.

When I switched to Sony a couple of years ago, while I adapted a load of my Canon glass using the Sigma MC-11 to soften the transition, I purchased one brand new lens: the Sony 50mm f/1.8. This is a lens that, while perfectly adequate, is not impressive, even though as a nifty fifty, it was competitively priced given that it was frequently on sale. Right now, it’s $248 from most major retailers, and — until the last six months at least — there were regular discounts that brought it to less than two hundred dollars.

There is nothing exceptional about this lens, and $200 feels about right, while pushing $250 starts to feel expensive, especially when you consider how much the market has changed in the six years since this lens was released. It has a plastic build without any bells and whistles and is one of the few Sony lenses that lacks weather-sealing. This is not a bad lens and one that I've enjoyed using, taking it along on many adventures where space and weight are at a premium, but it's definitely due for an overhaul. However, much as it is lightweight and compact, sharpness is underwhelming, chromatic aberrations are pronounced, and autofocus, while not terrible compared to DSLR nifty fifties, is put to shame by almost every other E-mount lens on the market. Those that are slower — and I’m thinking here of the Tamron 20mm, 24mm, and 35mm f/2.8 primes — are designed with macro in mind.

Given that there’s evidently a gaping chasm waiting to be filled by third-party manufacturers, it’s a mystery as to why there is no direct alternative, made more confusing given that there are so few lenses that even come close.

One of the most obvious competitors in terms of price and focal length is the Samyang/Rokinon AF 45mm f/1.8 FE. Regularly discounted, right now it’s an appealing prospect given the cut from $399 to $279, and at 5.71 oz (162 g), it’s a shade lighter than the Sony. Since its release in spring of 2019, Samyang has begun adding weather-sealing and customizable rings to its lenses, so despite being less than two years old, it now feels a little dated. By all accounts (it’s one of the few Samyang primes that I’ve not tested), it’s a solid performer and a viable alternative to Sony’s nifty fifty.

However, if we’re being picky, it’s not 50mm, and it’s the exception that proves the rule. There’s nothing in Tamron’s lineup that comes close, despite it having released a 45mm f/1.8 for Sony A mount back in 2015. Bizarrely, everything about Sigma’s I-series of Contemporary lenses suggests that a 50mm f/1.8 or thereabouts should be included, but its 45mm is a very random f/2.8 and feels like a missed opportunity. I reviewed the 35mm and 65mm f/2 lenses, and they were beautifully sharp and a true joy to use. Why the 45mm isn’t an f/2 feels like a mistake.It has fallen to Viltrox to make the only truly direct competition to Sony’s own nifty fifty. Released earlier this month, it costs $379, and early reviews suggest that autofocus is far from snappy, though accurate and still quicker than the Sony, but tends to hunt. It’s also bigger and notably heavier than the Sony (12 oz / 340 g versus 6.56 oz / 186 g) and I can imagine that customers might be reluctant to pay a good chunk more for a third-party lens that doesn't seem to offer significant advantages.

Sony has updated a couple of lenses recently, but it remains to be seen whether the cheap and cheerful nifty fifty is on its radar. Canon has set a ridiculously high standard with its RF 50mm f/1.8, creating something affordable and with excellent performance, and it would be good to see Sony follow suit.

Is the Sony 50mm f/1.8 due for an update? Have the likes of Sigma and Tamron missed out by not making a direct competitor? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.