Sony 500mm F8 Reflex is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Super Telephoto Prime lens with 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with
A Mount cameras.
What type of photography is the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex lens good for?
The choice of photography type for which you intend to use the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex is a crucial decision factor. Below, we have assessed its suitability for various photography scenarios:
Reasons to Buy the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex Lens
Here we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex lens in a list form to assist you in determining whether it offers the features you need.
| Autofocus |
| Distance Scale |
| Hood supplied |
| Covers Full-Frame Sensor |
| 500mm reach great for Wildlife Photography |
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| No Weather Sealing |
| Slow Aperture for a Prime Lens |
Lens Mount
Sony 500mm F8 Reflex is compatible with cameras that have a Sony Alpha lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony Alpha lenses are Sony A99 II, Sony A68 and Sony A77 II.
Size, Weight and Filter Thread
The size and weight are crucial factors to consider when searching for your next lens. Sony 500mm F8 Reflex has a maximum diameter of 89mm and a total length of 118mm. It weighs 665g / 23.5 oz.
Sony 500mm F8 Reflex has a filter thread of 55mm. Below are links to the filters that we recommend you to consider for your Sony 500mm F8 Reflex:
You can also check All Sony Alpha Mount Lenses with 55mm Filter Thread Size to find the matching lenses.
Focal Range
Sony 500mm F8 Reflex has a fixed focal length of 500mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 750mm.
Optical Image Stabilization
Sony 500mm F8 Reflex doesn't have an optical image stabilization system so the only option to stabilize the image taken with this lens is to mount on a camera body with IBIS (sensor based In-body image stabilization).
Maximum Magnification Ratio
Sony 500mm F8 Reflex has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.13x with a minimum focusing distance of 4m. 0.13x ratio is quite low, making this lens unsuitable even for modest close-up photography.
Aperture
The Sony 500mm F8 Reflex features a maximum aperture of F8 and can be stopped down to a minimum aperture of F8. While a maximum aperture of F8 requires a bit more ambient light or a bump in ISO when shooting indoors, it keeps the physical size of the lens much smaller and easier to carry. At 500mm, this lens provides a natural perspective, and opening up to F8 offers clean background separation for typical everyday shooting. Stopping down to F8 gives you plenty of sweep for landscapes or outdoor group shots where you need everything sharp from front to back.
Optical Formula
Sony 500mm F8 Reflex's optical formula consists of 7 elements in 5 groups . Special elements used in this design is 1 filter element.
Lens Hood
Sony 500mm F8 Reflex comes with a removable circular shaped lens hood which is handy to reduce lens flare and glare in your photos.
Body Colour
Sony 500mm F8 Reflex is available in Black color.
Popular Comparisons of Sony 500mm F8 Reflex
Here are the 8 most popular comparisons of the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex amongst Camera Decision readers.
Top Alternatives of Sony 500mm F8 Reflex Lens
In addition, it would be interesting to check which lenses from other mounts are most commonly compared with the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex.
Top Alternatives of Sony 500mm F8 Reflex in Other Lens Mounts
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