South Korean Alpha Professional Oliver evaluates the prowess of the FE 50mm F1.4 GM.
Hailing from South Korea and based in PHILIPPINES, Oliver is an Alpha Professional and lens reviewer who specialises in portrait, landscape and nature photography. He has published a book on flower photography and was the editor of a photography magazine.
Two of Sony's most popular lenses are the FE 24mm F1.4 GM (SEL24F14GM) and FE 35mm F1.4 GM (SEL35F14GM) - both of which have bright apertures and outstanding image quality despite their small size. There's a G Master lens for everyone, from the professional photographer to the hobbyist who takes their camera everywhere! In this article, we'll be taking a closer look at the latest F1.4 prime lens, the FE 50mm F1.4 GM (SEL50F14GM).
Three notable features of the FE 50mm F1.4 GM
1) Great portability that allows you to take it with you at all times
2) Excellent image quality with the latest XA lenses
3) Fast, accurate and quiet AF with XD linear motor
Focal Length
- Focal length: 50 mm
- Diagonal angle of view: 47 degrees
- Min. shooting distance: 41 cm (AF), 38 cm (MF)
- Max. magnification: 0.16x (AF), 0.18x (MF)
A 50mm focal length is one of the most popular angles of view, allowing you to capture portraits, landscapes, and everyday life. This lens also has a shortest focusing distance of 38cm, which is great for shooting indoors, such as in a café.
Aperture
- Aperture: F1.4 to 16
- Aperture blade: 11
- Circular aperture: Yes
The SEL50F14GM has a bright F1.4 aperture. The 11-element odd circular aperture allows you to capture everything, from low-light indoor shots to beautiful background blur for portraits. It also maintains a round, beautiful bokeh even with a high aperture.
Motor
- Motor Type: XD Linear
- Number of motors: 2
- Linear Response MF: Yes
The SEL50F14GM is equipped with Sony's state-of-the-art XD linear motor. This motor is extremely fast, accurate and quiet. It performs optimally in photos and videos where the focus changes continuously and minimises focus breathing.
Control
- Focus ring: Support
- Aperture ring: Yes
- Focus hold button: Yes x 2
- Aperture lock switch: Yes
- Aperture click adjustment switch: Yes
- AF/MF switch: Yes
- Dust and water resistance: Yes
The SEL50F14GM is equipped with buttons and switches for intuitive operation on the lens itself.
Size and Weight
- Dimensions: 80.6 x 96 mm
- Weight: 516g
- Filter diameter: 67 mm
Weighing only 516g, the SEL50F14GM is deceptively small and light for a modern prime lens, similar in size and weight to the SEL24F14GM and SEL35F14GM. If you're looking for portability and picture quality in one package, the SEL50F14GM is an excellent choice.
Design and Build
Let's take a look at the design of the SEL50F14GM. Its design is clean and uncluttered. The focus ring, aperture ring, and various buttons and switches are in the most appropriate places.
The SEL50F14GM's Focus Hold Button and AF/MF switch
If you turn it around, you can see the aperture lock switch, which locks the aperture between A and F16.
The SEL50F14GM has a filter aperture of 67mm, just like the SEL24F14GM and SEL35F14GM. Filters of the same size can be mounted directly on the camera when shooting photos or videos.
The circular lens hood is modestly sized and easy to carry. It is also very aesthetically pleasing when mounted on the SEL50F14GM.
Even when mounted on the full-frame Alpha 7R V, it's really portable
Samples and Tips
Night photography
Usually, when I shoot at night, I always bring a tripod. This time, I simply trusted the Alpha 7R V's 8-stop In-body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) and the SEL50F14GM's bright F1.4 aperture to do the work.
Alpha 7R V | FE 50mm F1.4 GM | F1.4 | 1/2s | ISO 100
This was a handheld shot. The picture is so sharp that you can almost count the number of people drinking in the pubs.
Alpha 7R V | FE 50mm F1.4 GM | F1.4 | 0.4s | ISO 100
An F1.4 aperture allows you to capture more detail in low light, especially at night.
Landscapes
Alpha 7R V | FE 50mm F1.4 GM | F2.8 | 1/2000s | ISO 100
The SEL50F14GM has little distortion. It creates natural-looking photos that transport the viewer into the scene.
Alpha 7R V | FE 50mm F1.4 GM | F2.8 | 1/2000s | ISO 100
When taking landscape photos, consider vertical and horizontal compositions.
Flowers
Alpha 7R V | FE 50mm F1.4 GM | F1.4 | 1/800s | ISO 100
Its close-up performance is excellent, especially when set to manual focus, where the minimum shooting distance is 38cm so you can get up close with your subject.
Alpha 7R V | FE 50mm F1.4 GM | F1.8 | 1/400s | ISO 100
Being a G Master lens, the background is blurred beautifully, helping the flowers to stand out.
Alpha 7R V | FE 50mm F1.4 GM | F2 | 1/320s | ISO 100
This lens has a very high resolution, even at close ranges. You can even count the tiny details of each flower.
Portraits
Alpha 7R V | FE 50mm F1.4 GM | F1.4 | 1/125s | ISO 100
The 50mm lens is the holy grail of portrait photography, whether you're shooting indoors or outdoors.
Alpha 7R V | FE 50mm F1.4 GM | F1.4 | 1/800s | ISO 100
Thanks to the SEL50F14GM's bright aperture, you will still get beautiful bokeh from shooting the top half of a person.
The Compact Powerhouse Prime
Alpha 7R V | FE 50mm F1.4 GM | F1.4 | 1/1000s | ISO 100
The SEL50F14GM is a must-have for your camera bag. Be it dimly lit or backlit situations, you will be guaranteed crystal-clear photos with delicate details right out to the edges. If you can only bring one lens with you on your photo walk, the SEL50F14GM is all you need!
