The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sony FE 50mm F1.8 and the Lensbaby Velvet 56 for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Lensbaby Velvet 56 is the longer of the two lenses at 86mm. The Sony FE 50mm F1.8 with a length of 60mm, is 26mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Lensbaby Velvet 56 also has a larger diameter of 72mm compared to the Sony FE 50mm F1.8's 69mm diameter.
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Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Sony FE 50mm F1.8 and Lensbaby Velvet 56 to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Sony FE 50mm F1.8 weighs 186g, which means it is 214g (53%) lighter than the Lensbaby Velvet 56 which has a weight of 400g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Standard Prime Lenses in Sony E Mount for size comparison purposes.
Standard Lenses in Sony E Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Sony FE 50mm F1.8 has a filter size of 49mm whereas the Lensbaby Velvet 56 has a 62mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 49mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Sony FE 50mm F1.8:
And these are the 62mm filters that we recommend for the Lensbaby Velvet 56:
Lens Mounts
Both the Sony FE 50mm F1.8 and the Lensbaby Velvet 56 has the same Sony E lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony A9 III, Sony A7C Mark II and Sony A7CR.
Lensbaby Velvet 56 is also available in Canon EF , Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F (FX), Pentax KAF3, Samsung NX and Sony Alpha mounts.
Focal Range
Sony FE 50mm F1.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 50mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
75mm.
On the other hand, the Lensbaby Velvet 56 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 56mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 84mm.