Pentax smc P-D FA smc DFA 50mm f/2.8 Macro 50mm

Pentax smc P-D FA smc DFA 50mm f/2.8 Macro 50mm

Pentax
45 Overall Score
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony
92 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Pentax smc P-D FA smc DFA 50mm f/2.8 Macro 50mm

82 out of 100 medium confidence 19 reviews

The Pentax 50mm f/2.8 macro lens is widely praised for its sharpness, color reproduction, and value for money. Users find it excellent for macro work, general photography, and digitizing documents or artwork. Common criticisms include autofocus hunting in live view and a focus ring that rotates continuously, which some find unusual. Overall, it is considered a compact, high-quality lens that performs well above its price point.

Pros
  • Exceptional sharpness
  • Great color reproduction
  • Excellent value for money
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Versatile for macro and general use
Cons
  • Autofocus hunts in live view
  • Focus ring rotates continuously
  • Plastic barrel instead of metal
  • Narrow depth of field at wide aperture
  • Learning curve for close-up focusing
👍 Sharpness 8
👍 Value for money 6
👎 Autofocus performance 4
🤔 Build quality 4
👍 Color reproduction 3
👍 Versatility 3

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

82 out of 100 high confidence 117 reviews

The Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens is widely praised as an excellent all-in-one travel and walkaround lens for APS-C E-mount cameras. Users consistently highlight its sharpness, compact size, light weight, and versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range. While many note it is not ideal for low light and some report significant vignetting at the wide end, the overall sentiment is very positive, with most considering it a great value kit lens upgrade.

Pros
  • Sharp image quality
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range
  • Effective optical image stabilization
  • Fast and accurate autofocus
Cons
  • Significant vignetting at 18mm wide end
  • Not ideal for low light photography
  • Variable aperture limits brightness at telephoto
  • Some copies may have quality control issues
  • Slight autofocus lag compared to premium lenses
👍 Image quality 35
👍 Build quality 12
👍 Value for money 18
👎 Vignetting 6
👎 Low light performance 10
👍 Zoom range 25

Scores

Budget
Pentax
39
Sony
96
Street
Pentax
40
Sony
89
Portrait
Pentax
24
Sony
89
Travel
Pentax
42
Sony
89
Wildlife Sports
Pentax
31
Sony
84
Video Cinema
Pentax
34
Sony
82
Landscape
Pentax
35
Sony
76
Professional
Pentax
37
Sony
74
Macro
Pentax
63
Sony
68

Specifications

Pentax smc P-D FA smc DFA 50mm f/2.8 Macro 50mmSony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Optics
Typemacrozoom
Focal Length Min50 mm18 mm
Focal Length Max50 mm135 mm
Elements816
Groups712
Aspherical Elements01★
ED Elements02★
Coatingsmc—
Aperture
Max Aperturef/32f/3.5
Min Aperturef/2.83.5-5.6
Constant✓★✗
Diaphragm Blades8★7
Build
MountPentax KSony E
Formatfull-frame★APS-C
Weather Sealed✗✗
Weight0.26 kg★0.33 kg
Filter Thread49 mm55 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeAutofocusLinear motor★
Stabilization✗✓★
Focus
Min Focus Distance150 mm★450 mm
Max Magnification1:1★0.29x

Pros & Cons

Pentax smc P-D FA smc DFA 50mm f/2.8 Macro 50mm

  • Strong macro (87th percentile)87th %ile
  • Strong build (78th percentile)
  • Strong social proof (75th percentile)
  • Below average aperture (5th percentile)5th %ile
  • Below average bokeh (6th percentile)6th %ile
  • Below average versatility (33rd percentile)
  • Below average stabilization (34th percentile)

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

  • Strong af (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong versatility (96th percentile)96th %ile
  • Strong social proof (91st percentile)91st %ile
  • Strong aperture (83rd percentile)83rd %ile

Pricing

Pentax smc P-D FA smc DFA 50mm f/2.8 Macro 50mm is €83 cheaper (1.2x less).

Pentax smc P-D FA smc DFA 50mm f/2.8 Macro 50mm0.097score per dollar
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS0.168score per dollar

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS offers 1.7x better value for money

Pentax smc P-D FA smc DFA 50mm f/2.8 Macro 50mm

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Verdict

★ Winner: Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Scores 92 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 4 of 21 specs.

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Better at:

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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