The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro and the Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro 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. Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro is the longer of the two lenses at 71mm. The Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro with a length of 56mm, is 15mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro also has a larger diameter of 71mm compared to the Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro's 62mm diameter.
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 E 30mm F3.5 Macro weighs 138g, 41% (98g) lighter than the Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro's weight of 236g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Macro Prime Lenses in Sony E Mount for size comparison purposes.
Macro Lenses in Sony E Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro has a filter size of 55mm whereas the Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro has a 49mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 55mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro:
And these are the 49mm filters that we recommend for the Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro:
Lens Mounts
Both the Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro and the Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro has the same Sony E lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony FX5, Sony A7R VI and Sony A7 V.
Focal Range
Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro 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 Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 30mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 45mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
