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Sony adds affordable 50mm prime, 70-300mm as full-frame E-mount lens options

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Sony A7-series owners have two new E-mount lens options for their full-frame mirrorless cameras: a 70-300mm telephoto zoom and a 50mm prime.

The FE 70-300mm F4.5-F5.6 G OSS is Sony’s first E-mount lens to hit 300mm. It’s constructed using four aspherical glass elements and two extra-low dispersion (ED) glass elements, and the glass is coated (Sony Nano AR) to reduce image anomalies. It’s also sealed to resist dust and moisture. The lens has built-in optical image stabilization, and a linear actuator for “fact, smooth, and quiet autofocus.” For macro photography, the lens has a minimum focusing distance of 3 feet and maximum magnification of 0.31x. The 70-300mm lists for $1,200. Check out samples here.

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The FE 50mm F1.8 is an affordable, small, and fast prime lens for those who love bokeh. Lightweight (7 ounces), Sony says the lens “delivers an outstanding blend of performance, compactness, and value, making it a perfect choice for hobbyist photographers and videographers looking to experience the benefits of a wide aperture prime lens at an attainable cost.” This “nifty-fifty” has “a new optical design with an aspherical element that effectively compensates for all forms of aberration.” It will sell for $250. See samples here.

Both lenses go on sale in May. The two bumps the number of full-frame E-mount lenses to 20 – a significant increase since the A7 launched, not including third-party options. If you were reluctant to jump into the A7-series bandwagon because of lens options, that shouldn’t be an issue anymore.

Les Shu
Former Senior Editor, Photography
I am formerly a senior editor at Digital Trends. I bring with me more than a decade of tech and lifestyle journalism…
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