Sony Sonnar T* 55mm F1.8 ZA - Your Mechanical Experience?

[SilvanBromide]

I've read one highly critical review that said that while the lens is optically excellent, its mechanical construction is poor, and it breaks down fairly easily even in normal use.

I normally consider one-off reviews like that with a jaundiced eye, but at the same time this is a very expensive lens.

What has been the experience of people who have been using this lens for some time (as it has been out for some time), both good and bad, as far as its construction?

The AF motor has a high rate of failure due to how it was designed. More info here: https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/04/a-look-at-electromagnetic-focusing/

Other parts of the body shouldn't be too different from other Sony lenses.

I have never heard a single report of a failure in terms of the AF-system, but thousands reports how great the AF works ! He was also the only guy which totaly talked down the 70-200GM, in the meantime 20 other tester higly recommended the lens.

Thousands reported how great the AF works because none of them tore the lens apart to see how it works. Only one guy did. The AF is very quick, silent, and accurate for the vast majority of people. That doesn't negate the fact that it's held together by a dab of glue. It also doesn't negate the fact that I'm not the only person that has reported AF noise.

There have been numerous other reports of the 70-200 GM not being as sharp as the competition. Both review sites and actual consumers on forums have reported this. It is perhaps yet another victim of sample variation but nonetheless he's not the only person on planet earth who felt the lens was less than sharp.

Because of reports like that about the 70-200 GM, I held off for over a year.

When I finally relented and bought one I was resigned to it being passable but probably little more. On the first outing with it I was floored. It is easily the sharpest 70-200 I've used.

I've since seen similar results from other copies. Wish I'd bought it sooner.

 

[jdmuys]

Mine is also flawless and silent. I bought it in 2014, IIRC. Very good lens.

 

[aronake]

Good thing is that "buzzing autofocus death" is very easy to fix on the 55mm 1.8. Unscrew the bayonet mount, remove the circuit board, unscrew thee screws that hold next lens element. Remove lens element and there you see the coil. Grab the coil and see if its loose from the next lens element which is the focusing element. If so, reglue in downward position.

And BANG! You both have a working lens, have earned 300 USD in repair fees, and can feel very proud of yourself.

 

[Beatsy]

I got mine when it launched and was similarly impressed with it and still am. Great, for a zoom. Sure, GM primes will knock the spots off it for IQ, but I'd likely be quite upset if they didn't!

The only "dawning realisation" ( after not using the 70-200 for a few months) is how dang heavy it is! I didn't notice that before, but suddenly I do. I'm keeping it. But if Sony ever release a 200mm GM prime - it's gone.

 

[SilvanBromide]

I got mine when it launched and was similarly impressed with it and still am. Great, for a zoom. Sure, GM primes will knock the spots off it for IQ, but I'd likely be quite upset if they didn't!

Yep, agreed. I still have my Zeiss/Contax 180mm f/2.8 (CY, MMJ) prime and always loved it - but of course, it's MF-only. I do still occasionally use it on an adapter...

However the 70-200 GM, while it delivers a slightly different look, manages to be in the same IQ ballpark, which blew me away, frankly.

The only "dawning realisation" ( after not using the 70-200 for a few months) is how dang heavy it is! I didn't notice that before, but suddenly I do. I'm keeping it. But if Sony ever release a 200mm GM prime - it's gone.

TBH, after years shooting dSLR kit, just about everything Sony makes still seems blessedly compact and light to me, and my appreciation for that hasn't worn off yet.

I did feel a twinge of jealousy about the footprint of the RF 70-200, but nowhere near enough to jump systems (and overall, I do still prefer internal zoom designs, despite their comparative bulk).

It's been interesting to see recent releases from Sony upping the ante WRT IQ and compactness, so I guess wait and see what comes down the pike! ; )

--
Former Canon, Nikon and Pentax user.
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