The 6 Best Lenses for the Sony A550
The Sony A550 is a very good Single Lens Translucent camera. If you do not own a lens for your camera or are shopping for a new lens, this article will cover the best 6 lenses for the Sony SLT-A550.
More info is below, but if you’re short on time, here’s the list:
- Standard Lens - Sony 50mm f/1.8 SAM DT
- Portrait Lens - Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA CZ
- Zoom Lens - Sony 28-75mm f/2.8
- Wide Angle Lens - Sony DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6
- Fisheye Lens - Sony 16mm f/2.8
- Macro Lens - Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Beneath, the top Sony lenses are separated by focal length. Also covered are additional alternatives spanning a range of costs.
Standard Primes
Sony 50mm f/1.8 SAM DT
- Outstanding optics.
- Small and light weight.
- Can be difficult to find new.
- Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM)
- Circular aperture.
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A superb mix of very compact size and lightweight. Accurate and quiet autofocus is powered by a built-in autofocus motor..
The circular aperture allows you to close down to f/4 and still have close to a perfectly circular aperture. This results in stunning bokeh and more freedom in managing the depth of field.
Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f/1.7
- Built-in lens hood.
- Amazing value.
- Light and compact.
- Widely available used.
- Coupled autofocus.
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This is one of the first lenses from the intro of the A-mount. On account of the age of the lens, the autofocus is powered by the built-in motor in the A550’s body.
Mechanically coupled autofocus can be slow and noticeably noisy. If that’s not a problem for you the quality is amazing. {The bokeh is eye-catching and you will get a classic rendering|You will end up with attractive bokeh and a classic look.
Another large benefit of this lens is the cost. It is significantly less expensive than the Sony 50mm f/1.8 and also may be the cheapest lens listed.
Sony 50mm f/1.4
- Outstanding optics.
- Optical multi-coatings.
- Circular aperture.
- 55mm filter threads.
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A little faster than the Minolta or Sony f/1.8, however that can really make a difference when you are taking pictures without much light. That obviously comes at an additional expense.
It is still a relatively compact and lightweight lens that balances comfortably on the A550 and will fit into almost any camera bag.
A more inexpensive solution is the Minolta AF 50mm f/1.4. Take into account that copies can be quite challenging to get a hold of in usable condition. It also relies on coupled autofocus, which is worse than lenses that contain built-in motors}.
Portrait & Telephoto Lens
Sony 85mm f/1.4 ZA
- Incredible bokeh.
- Excellent value used.
- T* coating to reduce flare and increase contrast.
- Astonishingly sharp wide open.
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Sony showed off with this lens. Zeiss built this lens. The ZA (Zeiss Alpha) denotes that Zeiss developed the lens specifically for the Sony A-mount.
This is a spectacular lens. Sharp corner-to-corner with vibrant colors that produces stunning portrait photos.
A potential downside is that the lens is somewhat heavy because it is built like a tank and the autofocus can be slow at times. Take into account, that you’ll run into those same issues with any 85mm f/1.4.
Minolta Maxxum AF 85mm f/1.4
- Possible to find a good used deal.
- Superb image quality.
- Uses autofocus coupler.
- Double-Gauss design.
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This lens splits the price range of the other two lenses. Getting a used copy in better than acceptable condition may be challenging because of a limited supply available.
The lens does have autofocus, but it uses a mechanical coupler and is driven by an in-camera body motor. This means the lens will be sluggish and a bit noisy.
The lens is an older 6 lens element Double-Gauss design. That is not a negative as the lens gives a unique look that can not be made using a modern lens.
Sony A550 Zoom Lenses
Sony 28-75mm f/2.8
- Very usable zoom range.
- Great value used.
- Constant aperture.
- Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM).
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A fast zoom lens that is ideal for indoor shooting, travel, family photos, and night events. It is a well built lens with quiet autofocus.
The lens often gets compared to the legendary Zeiss 24-70mm lens, but it’s approximately 1/2 the weight and costs considerbly less. Both produce professional results.
Sony 55-200mm f/4-5.6 SAM DT
- Telephoto zoom range.
- Great for portrait or wildlife photography.
- Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM).
- Inexpensive.
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A less expensive selection that can still produce great results. It is not a pro lens, consequently so long as you don’t need all the bells and whistles, it is a good lens.
For a telephoto zoom, it has an outstanding range for capturing pictures of sports, wildlife, and children outdoors.
The autofocus is snappy and it produces sharp pictures. The body of the lens is made of plastic, which will help reduce weight.
Sony 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6
- Super telephoto zoom lens.
- Great for portrait or wildlife photography.
- 2.81 inches in diameter and 4.81 inches long.
- 55mm filter threads.
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A borderline super-telephoto lens. It is a good budget choice for any time you need a a long focal length.
It’s only 4.8 inches (12.2 cm) long, 2.8 inches (7.1 cm) in diameter, and is 1 pound 2 ounces (510g). While not considered light, many pro telephoto zooms are multiple times heavier than that.
For a little better performance you can look for the Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 SSM ED G-Series, however plan on paying nearly double the price.
Wide Angle Lens
Sony DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6
- Has a aspherical lens elements.
- Optical multi-coatings.
- Great value when purchased used.
- Circular aperture.
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Very good quality for the money if you want to shoot terrific wide angle photos that a standard zoom can’t take. Distortion, especially of straight vertical lines is minimal or non-apparent unless you’re intentionally trying to get an exaggerated perspective.
As well as being awesome at capturing breathtaking landscapes, it’s an ideal lens to travel with. The angle of view is wide enough so that when you come across something you will be able to get everything you see into the Sony A550’s frame.
Sony 20mm f/2.8
- Great for landscapes and architecture.
- Coated optics for clarity and definition.
- Rear focusing system for fast autofocus response.
- 72mm filter threads.
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It is a well engineered lens that does a good job of reducing lens distortion. Additionally, a great deal of effort has been put into cutting down on internal reflections and flare.
The result is an awesome lens that is most suitable for landscape, architecture, and astrophotography. The rear focusing system means the front isn’t going to rotate meaning you won’t have any challenges using a circular polarizer or another filter.
Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 DX II
- Wide angle zoom lens.
- Hardened Alumite finish.
- Advanced optical coatings.
- All metallic moving parts.
- Designed for APS-C Sensors.
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It doesn’t have tremendously fast autofocus, but the auto/manual focus clutch helps make it a good pick for manual focusing. A pull or push of the focus ring switches the lens from manual to auto focus.
The Tokina has a larger aperture compared to the Sony 11-18mm, which will not be a large issue for landscape or architecture photos. Where you will find something different is during astrophotography. That’s a scenario where you’ll want to have the 1-to-2 stop advantage the Tokina offers you.
Fisheye
Sony 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye
- Sharp corner-to-corner.
- 4 built-in filters: Normal, 056, B12, A12.
- 8 inch minimum focus distance.
- Aspherical and Extra-low Dispersion elements.
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Built-in filters are an excellent inclusion due to the fact the lens has a petal-style hood which prevents a lens filter from being attached to the front of the lens.
- 056 - Accented contrast for black and white photos.
- B12 - Correct color by eliminating red tones.
- A12 - Correct color by eliminating blue tones.
This lens has everything you could desire from a fisheye. You can take advantage of the exaggerated distortion, but the image will remain sharp from corner-to-corner without vignetting.
Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye
- Internal focus.
- 180 degree angle of view.
- Manual focus.
- Minimum focusing distance of 12 inches (0.3m).
- Designed for APS-C sensors.
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The lens features a rounded front that means lens filters cannot be attached. It comes with a removable petal-shaped hood that you’ll want to make sure is included if you order a pre-owned copy.
Build quality is often a little hit or miss as a result of the very affordable price of the lens. The majority of buyers are quite pleased with the pictures they get. You’ll still want to thoroughly check out the lens when you receive it to be certain that the lens isn’t flawed.
Macro Lens
Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro
- 9 aperture blades.
- Focus range limiter.
- High contrast and resolution.
- 55mm filter threads.
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An ideal balance of size, working distance, and cost for the Sony A550. The autofocus will be somewhat noisy, but for shooting macro pictures, manual focus is better.
For optimal output at 1x magnification the lens needs to be stopped down. By stopping down you will get a larger depth of field, which is useful for macro.
Sony 50mm f/2.8 Macro
- 10.4 ounces (295g).
- Focus range limiter.
- Focus Hold button for full creative control.
- 55mm filter threads.
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A 50mm lens is not that great for 1x magnification as a result of how little working distance you will have. At 1:1 magnification, the front lens element will need to be about 2 inches (5 cm) from the subject.
This lens is a great choice for tabletop, close-up, and copy work. It gives you the option to get closer to a subject than a standard 50mm lens, and that is ideal for nature photography if you want to fill the frame with a small subject, for instance a flower.
Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP A/M 1:1 Macro
- Available in a variety of camera mounts.
- Improved resolution, chromatic correction, and optical coatings.
- Super Performance (SP)
- Focus clutch to switch between AF & MF.
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In addition to having autofocus, the focus ring feels great when manually focusing. Closed down two or more stops and you will get razor-sharp shots.
Furthermore, be mindful when shopping for it as it is manufactured for different camera lens mounts.
Used A-Mount Camera Lens Prices
Prices change quite frequently. During the past several years, participation in film shooting has been increasing. Since there are Minolta 35mm film cameras that use A-mount lenses, some additional demand is added to the price of lenses.
The Sony A-mount also does not have a major share of the market. Consequently, a smaller amount of third party choices are available and the lenses produced by Sony are quite often on backorder.
To find the cheapest price on what you want, check prices on several sites. For pre-owned lenses, be ready to pay for when you see a deal as they tend not to last long.
What Lens Mount Does the A550 Use?
The Sony A550 uses the Sony A-mount. It is also the same as the Minolta A-mount. This is due to Sony acquiring Konica Minolta’s imaging division in 2006.
Minolta engineered the A-mount for the introduction of interchangeable lens autofocus cameras in 1985. It’s still being supported by Sony to this day.
Standard Lens Cap Size
Generally 55mm, but in reality the filter sizes vary widely. Earlier Minolta lenses generally have 49mm filter threads.
Additionally, there are quite a few lenses that have much larger filter threads than 55mm. It’s not rare to see 77m or 72mm filter threads. It would’ve been nice if Sony used only 2 or 3 different filter thread sizes.