Sony took over Minolta’s camera business quite a few years ago now. Even so, Sony have struggled to establish themselves, probably as many photographers switched from Minolta to Canon or Nikon, as Minolta’s 7D DSLR was so late coming to market. Even so, Sony cameras have showcased some interesting technology, keeping the in-camera stabilisation originally developed by and introducing translucent mirror technology a couple of years ago.
Unfortunately, while Sony have concentrated their efforts on camera tech, and introducing their NEX mirrorless range of cameras, the A-mount lens line-up has seen few updates since Sony took over. As a result, I haven’t had many to test. Here’s a list of the ones I have had the pleasure of using, along with a brief summary of what I found during testing.
Sony Alpha A-Mount Lens Tests & Reviews
- Sony DT 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 SAM Interchangeable Lens Review
Sony’s standard kit lens. Performs pretty well. - Sony DT 16-105mm F/3.5-5.6 Interchangeable Lens Review
A useful zoom range spoilt by lacklustre performance at 105mm. - Sony 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G SSM Interchangeable Lens Review
A bit pricey for a f/5.6 70-300mm. Disappointing at 300mm too. - Sony DT 30mm F/2.8 SAM Macro Lens Interchangeable Lens Review
A great combination of good optics for a low price makes this an ideal introduction to macro photography. - Sony DT 50mm f/1.8 SAM Interchangeable Lens Review
Disappointing when compared to 50mm f/1.8 optics from other manufacturers. It’s not the cheapest either.
