Contents
Conclusion
Pros
- Outstanding image sharpness right from f/2.8 at all focus distances
- Very good bokeh close up
- Excellent color and contrast
- Chromatic aberration is extremely well controlled
- Autofocus is quick and accurate in good light
- Solidly constructed lens with very nice manual focus ring
- Optical SteadyShot system is effective to 3-4 stops
Cons
- Quite a large lens for the small E-mount cameras
- Autofocus can struggle in dim light (Update 5/18 – on older bodies)
- Bokeh can get slightly busy and swirly outside of macro range
- Large amounts of focus breathing in the macro range
- Can be difficult to tell at a glance whether you’re in manual focus or autofocus mode
The Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS is a very fine entry into the full-frame E-mount system. It’s optically stunning, with outstanding sharpness, good bokeh in most circumstances, excellent control of chromatic aberrations and very low distortion and vignetting. In good light, autofocus is quick and accurate and the build quality of the lens is excellent. The lens isn’t cheap at $1098, but the optics help justify the high price tag.
The negatives are mostly in usability. It’s a large lens compared to the E-mount cameras, and handling can suffer, especially on those cameras with smaller grips. This is definitely a lens where the nicer grip of the Mark II series of A7 cameras is a nice bonus. Autofocus in dimmer light can struggle at times, and in some circumstances, can struggle mightily. (Update 5/18 – newer bodies like the A7 III and A9 perform much better in this area, with minimal hunting and still quite good speed.) In these cases, switching to manual focus may be necessary.
Overall, the positives far outweigh the negatives. The Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro is an outstanding optic and a great addition to the FE lens lineup.
Image Samples
Click on an image to enlarge
If you enjoyed this review, check out the rest of my reviews in the Review Index
Thanks Jordan for your detailed and interesting review of the lens. It helped me to make my decision of buying it.
I’ve been a Nikon and Hasselblad (enthusiast) photographer since the 60’s. I’ve also worked as a constructor/designer on the Hasselblad camera factory during the 80’s (here in Gothenburg, Sweden).
4 years ago I went over to have mirrorless equiment (Fujifilm and Sony) in my bag – and I will never regret that!
All my earlier Nikon and Hasselblad cameras (and lenses) are nowdays placed in a private little museum – so I easier will be able to explain for my grandchildren what SLR cameras (and film) once was…
Best Regards
Mikael
Sweden
PS
Your images, specially on the insects, are incredible. I’m sure thats not only because of your use of the actually equipment – it’s even more because of your professional knowledge!
Did you try it on the Sony A6000?
My thoughts on the lens on the a6000 are in the review.
Please test Leica DG 45mm F2.8 Macro
according to lens design patent FE90G is reference form Leica DG45mm F2.8
the lens structure is also very similar
I am keen to know which one is better? or they perform very like?
I owned the 45mm f/2.8 Macro a while back, though I don’t plan to write a formal review on it. It’s a very good lens, but to be honest, I prefer the Olympus 60mm for Micro 4/3. I did compare those two lenses a ways back: https://admiringlight.com/blog/macro-battle-olympus-60mm-f2-8-vs-leica-45mm-f2-8/
https://admiringlight.com/blog/macro-battle-part-2-olympus-60mm-vs-leica-45mm/
Since you’ve reviewed both do you have any thoughts on comparing the Sony 90 to the Fuji 90? I own both systems and am leaning towards the Sony for stabilization. I’m also thinking the Fuji has better IQ especially with regards to sharpness.
Thanks for all your efforts, it’s nice to get your thorough reviews before I make these extravagant investments!
With regards to sharpness, there’s almost nothing between them. Both are exceptionally sharp lenses. I can’t imagine a situation where one would notice a significant difference in sharpness. I think the Fuji 90 has better bokeh, and image stabilization does come in handy on the Sony. The big difference is one is a macro lens and one isn’t (though the Fuji can focus fairly close up for flower shots and the like). The Sony is larger and the Fuji focuses a lot more surely in dim light….different lenses that just happen to share a focal length.
Hi,
Have a few questions of the FE 2.8 use with the a6000.
Are all of the controls on the FE 2.8 Macro compatible with the a6006
Will there be any vignetting when using the FE 2.8 with the a6000?
Should the Steady Shot on the camera be turned off if you use Optical Steady Shot on the a6000?
Thanks for your thoughts on these questions.
Yes, no, and there isn’t any steady shot in the body of the a6000.
Jordan Hello , I have this lens a month ago and I’ve used both the A6000 and the A7II .
I am very pleased with the quality, extraordinary detail and color representation .
However I am not satisfied with the approach in situations of low light or backlight can not focus and also the absolute size of the lens cap light assistance approach.
I do not regret buying , but I think it is a lens that can not be used at social events or weddings and other similar situations.
I agree with you. I note the same behavior in this review. The lens can really struggle to find focus in lower light. I didn’t have this lens and the A7R II at the same time, but I wonder if it would be better on that body. I found the A7R II to focus much more surely in lower light with my other lenses.
Thanks for answering my comment.
Another thing that I found is that the lens for focusing required to be attentive to properly position the distance limiter correctly , otherwise also in good light situations may have trouble focusing quickly.
I am not having any trouble with focussing in low light with the FE 90 macro and the A7r II. Using the focus limiter does help in all light situations.
Jordan
Please excuse my ignorance in using this lens but I have a few what may seem like some simple questions
You said in your review that “It’s a good idea to turn off exposure preview when using this lens” I am not sure what you are referring to with “exposure preview. Also, what model Sony do you think would be best for use with the FE 90 Macro. And what exposure mode would you recommend when shooting insects in the macro mode?
No problem. I probably should have explained better. Sony cameras are odd in that they will focus at whatever aperture you have set if you have live exposure preview on. (Most manufacturers will preview exposure but no depth of field, thus focusing the lens wide open and stopping down when the exposure is made. Sony will keep the aperture open if exposure preview is off, but will attempt to focus with the lens stopped down to, say, f/8 if the exposure settings are set to f/8. This reduces precision and, in lower light, may make it difficult to achieve focus at all. With the 90mm indoors, it’s important any time you are setting the aperture smaller than f/2.8. With macro shooting, this is going to be most of the time.
The specific setting is (on the A7 II menus) Live View Display (gears tab, page 3). To turn preview off it should say Setting Effect Off. The down side to this is that exposure adjustments won’t be reflected in the live view. I really wish Sony would change this so that you could focus wide open but still have live exposure preview. All the other mirrorless manufacturers do this, but Sony is the odd one out for some reason.
Jordan, thank you for your notes. I also purchased this lens for my A7R, and have experienced the same frustrating issues you have in low light. I disabled the Live View Display, as you noted, and unfortunately, it made no difference for my A7R. By chance however, I disabled the ‘Pre-AF” setting (located just below the Live View Display). At least for the A7R – it has greatly improved the autofocus capabilities in low light situations – why I’m not sure, but wanted to pass this along in case it helps other people! I created a custom menu so I can toggle on/off.
Can this lens be considered as hybrid macro/portrait .. compared to zeiss batis 85mm ?
How would you compare Sony 90mm. with Zeiss Batis 85mm. if I have to choose between the two. I Photographers slightly different things and can see several advantages with Sony 90mm., but is it good enough for serious portraits?
Many greetings from
Jess Demant Aggeboe (Denmark)
It’s definitely good enough, though a few things to consider. Of course, the Batis can blur the background more for the same framing and the 90 can do macro. If either of those are more important than the other, then there’s your decision. However, I also found the 90 to have a harder time focusing in dim light, so if you shoot in lower light, the Batis will do a nicer job at getting you the shot.
I’m looking to purchase a macro lense for my a6000. If you had to choose between the Zeiss touit 50mm 2.8 and the Sony FE 90mm 2.8 which would you choose?
Thank you!
It depends on what you’re shooting. Both are optically excellent. If you plan on shooting a lot of insects, I’d get the 90, as it will give you much better working distance. The Touit 50 has a very short working distance at 1:1. If you’ll be shooting mostly static macro, I’d go for the Zeiss, as it’ll handle a fair bit better on the a6000.
^ *lens 😉
Hi, should I turn the steady shot off on the FE 90mm macro lens as well as Image Stabilisation in my A7Rii when using a tripod
Thanks for this great review. Bought the lens yesterday and could test it now on my Sony A7R II. What a perfect “couple”: Daisy
Jordan– I have to say I’m impressed by your macro shots. I have the Sony 90mm and the a7RII that I use for macro as well as the a7SII for low-light. I know that the Sony can’t get down close enough to fill the frame with an insect in full-frame, so I assume your fly shots were cropped a little bit. Would you care to fill us in on some of the technique you used, such as lighting and how you set up your flower to get the fly to land on it, etc?
Another great review! For the times that you failed to find focus at all in dim light, was exposure preview turned on or off? Thanks.
You Missed an important factor. Since the focal length changes in Manual, it impossible to do focus stacking. Never had a macro lens that did that and focus stacking always worked. Why did Sony do that?